Mankind must colonize planets in other solar systems to ensure the long-term survival of our species, according to the world's best known scientist, Professor Stephen Hawking.

全世界最知名的科學家霍金教授指出，人類應該到其他太陽系的行星殖民，才能確保人類的永續生存。

He told the BBC that life could be wiped out by a nuclear disaster or asteroid hitting the planet.

他告訴BBC，人類可能因一場核子災難或小行星撞地球而毀滅。

Returning to a theme he has voiced many times before, the Cambridge University cosmologist said that space-rockets propelled by the kind of matter/antimatter annihilation technology popularised in Star Trek would be needed to help Homo sapiens colonise hospitable planets orbiting alien stars.

這位劍橋大學宇宙論者重提他過去曾多次探討的主題說，「星艦奇航記」中那種廣為人知的「物質／反物質的互相抵消」科技推動的太空火箭，可以用來幫助人類移民到環繞外星球運行的友善行星。

He said that current chemical and nuclear rockets were not adequate for taking colonists into space as they would mean a journey of 50,000 years. He explained: "When matter and anti-matter meet up, they disappear in a burst of radiation. If this was beamed out of the back of a spaceship, it could drive it forward."

他指出，目前的化學和核子動力火箭均不足以載送移民者上太空，因為一趟旅程可能耗時五萬年。他解釋說：「物質碰到反物質時，他們消失於輻射爆炸中，如果在太空船後面發射，就可以驅動它前進。」

Traveling at just below the speed of light, it would mean a journey of about six years to reach a new star. "It would take a lot of energy to accelerate to near the speed of light," Prof. Hawking said.

以略低於光速的速度旅行，大概要六年才能到新的星球，霍金教授說：「如欲加速到接近光速，要耗掉很多能量。

The 64-year-old father of three disclosed his own ambition to go into space. "Maybe Richard Branson will help me," he said, a reference to the space tourism plans of Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson, using the privately built SpaceShipOne to take people into space from 2008.

這位六十四歲的父親有三個子女，他並不諱言自己有意上太空的雄圖。他說：「也許布蘭森可以助我一臂之力。」他是指維京航空富豪布蘭森的太空之旅計畫，布蘭森想用私人打造的一號太空船，從2008年開始送人上太空。

Prof Hawking, who is confined to a wheelchair by motor neuron disease, MND, was commenting using a muscle below his right eye to operate - via a switch on his glasses - his voice synthesiser.

霍金教授由於運動神經元病而困坐輪椅，他用右眼下的肌肉，透過眼鏡上的開關，操作他的發聲合成器發表這項意見。

He was speaking ahead of the presentation of Britain's highest scientific award, the Royal Society's Copley Medal, previously granted to Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.

他是在獲頒英國最高科學獎「皇家科普萊獎章」前作此表示，這項獎之前曾頒給達爾文和愛因斯坦。

《詞解》
asteroid　小行星
cosmologist 宇宙論者　
Star Trek 星艦奇航記
matter/antimatter annihilation物質/反物質互相抵消
space-rockets 太空火箭
speed of light　光速
voice synthesiser　發聲合成器
Motor neurone disease 運動神經元病