In January, at a US Space Force Base in the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs, an operator received an unusual email. It was an alert — but not one triggered by the military’s network of space-based sensors. Nor had it originated from the Space Force’s array of early-warning radar systems. Instead, the email appeared to have been forwarded to US Space Command by a tiny UN outfit in Vienna called the Office for Outer Space Affairs. The subject line read “Potential Asteroid Impact Notification”.
今年1月,在落基山脉(Rocky Mountains)、靠近科罗拉多斯普林斯(Colorado Springs)的美国太空军(US Space Force)基地,一名操作员收到了一封不同寻常的电子邮件。这是一条警报,但并非由军方的太空传感器网络触发,也不是来自太空军的预警雷达系统。相反,这封邮件似乎是由联合国维也纳的外层空间事务办公室这个小机构转发给美国太空司令部(US Space Command)的。邮件主题为“潜在小行星撞击通知”。