My fellow Americans,
This week, in the company of astronauts, I was honored to sign the NASA Transition Authorization Act right into law.
With this legislation, we renew our national commitment to NASA'S mission of exploration and discovery.
And We continue a tradition that is as old as mankind.
We look to the heavens with wonder and curiosity.
More than two decades ago, one scientist followed his curiosity and dramatically changed our understanding of the universe.
The year was 1995. Taxpayers were spending billions and billions of dollars on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The astronomer in charge had a novel idea.
He wanted to use the expensive telescope in a totally unconventional way.
Instead of pointing Hubble's eye at nearby stars or distant formations, Robert Williams wanted to peer into the void.
He aimed the massive telescope at one of the emptiest regions of the night sky.
For ten days during Christmas of 1995, Hubble stared into the abyss - seeking whatever light it could glean from the darkness.
And it was total darkness.
Fellow astronomers didn't know if he'd see much of anything.
But Williams was rewarded - and the entire world was struck by the awesome images our satellite returned.
In that tiny patch of sky, the Hubble Deep Field showed thousands of lights.
Each brilliant spot represented not a single star but an entire galaxy.
The discovery was absolutely incredible.
But the unforgettable image did not satisfy our deep hunger for knowledge.
It increased evermore and even more and reminded us how much we do not know about space;
frankly, how much we do not know about life.
With this week's NASA reauthorization, we continue progress on Hubble's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope.
It is amazing. The Webb Telescope is set to launch next year.
It will gaze back through time and space to the very first stars and the earliest galaxies in the universe.
We can only imagine what incredible visions it will bring.
At a time when Washington is consumed with thedaily debates of our Nation,
I was proud that Congress came togetheroverwhelmingly to reaffirm our Nation'scommitment to expanding the frontiers ofknowledge.
NASA's greatest discoveries teach us many, manythings.
One lesson is the need to view old questions withfresh eyes.
To have the courage to look for answers in places wehave never looked before.
To think in new ways because we have new information.
Most of all, new discoveries remind us that,in America,
anything is possible if we have the courage and wisdom to learn.
In the span of one lifetime, our Nation went from black and white pictures of the first airplanes,
to beautiful images of the oldest galaxies, captured by a camera in outer space.
I am confident that if Americans can achieve these things, there is no problem we cannotsolve.
There is no challenge we cannot meet. There is no aim that is too high.
Whatever it takes and however long it will be, we are a Nation of problem solvers - and thefuture belongs to us.
We are truly a great place to be. I love America.
我的美國同胞們,
本周,在宇航員們的陪伴下,我很榮幸簽署NASA過渡授權(quán)法案成為法律。
在這一法律框架下,我們重申對NASA探索和發(fā)現(xiàn)使命的承諾。
我們繼續(xù)著人類自古以來的傳統(tǒng)。
我們面對天空仍然充滿著懷疑和好奇。
20多年前,一個科學(xué)家?guī)е暮闷?戲劇性地改變了我們對宇宙的理解。
那是在1995年。納稅人在NASA的哈勃太空望遠(yuǎn)鏡上花了幾十億幾十億的資金。
負(fù)責(zé)望遠(yuǎn)鏡的天文學(xué)家有了新點(diǎn)子。
他想用完全非傳統(tǒng)的方式來使用這昂貴的天文望遠(yuǎn)鏡。
讓哈勃不再盯著附近的星球或者遙遠(yuǎn)的星系,羅伯特.威廉姆斯要進(jìn)入虛空世界。
他將大量的望遠(yuǎn)鏡瞄準(zhǔn)夜空中最空曠的地方。
在1995年圣誕節(jié)的前后十天里,哈勃望遠(yuǎn)鏡凝視著深邃的太空--尋找著它可以從黑暗中收集到的任何光亮。
但它卻徹徹底底是黑暗的。
后來的宇航員們并不知道他是否看到了更多東西。
但威廉姆斯得到了回報(bào),整個世界被我們衛(wèi)星發(fā)送回來的可怕圖片所震驚。
在那片小小的天空中,哈勃深空顯示著數(shù)千個亮光。
每一個亮點(diǎn)所代表的不只是單一的星球,而是整個星系。
這一發(fā)現(xiàn)完全是不可思議的。
但這不能被遺忘的圖像并沒有滿足我們對知識的渴望。
它不斷增加著,甚至更多的讓我們了解到太空,也提醒著我們還有很多所不了解的太空;
坦率地講,是我們對生命還有多少不了解的。
有了本周的NASA重新授權(quán)法案,我們可以在哈勃繼任者,詹姆斯.韋伯太空望遠(yuǎn)鏡上取得更多進(jìn)展。
這很神奇。韋伯望遠(yuǎn)鏡計(jì)劃在明年發(fā)射。
它將穿越時間和空間,回頭凝視宇宙中最早的星球和最早期的星系。
我們只能想象它能帶回來什么意想不到的美景。
此時,華盛頓每天還充斥著對我們國家的辯論,
我很自豪國會壓倒性一致地重申了我們國家對擴(kuò)展知識視野的承諾。
NASA最偉大的發(fā)現(xiàn)告訴我們很多很多事情。
其中一件事情就是,需要用明亮的眼睛審視舊問題。
有勇氣在我們之前從未關(guān)注的地方去尋找答案。
用新方式去想問題,因?yàn)槲覀冇辛诵碌男畔ⅰ?/p>
更重要的,新發(fā)現(xiàn)提醒我們,在美國,
如果我們有勇氣和智慧去學(xué)習(xí),任何事情都是可能的。
在一生的時間中,我們國家從第一架飛機(jī)的黑白照片,
走到了用外太空的照相機(jī)拍攝最古老星系美麗圖像的時代。
我很自信,如果人們能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)這些事情,毫無疑問我們可以解決任何難題。
我們可以勝任任何挑戰(zhàn)。也就沒有什么目標(biāo)是太高而無法實(shí)現(xiàn)的。
無論怎樣,或者將需要多長時間,我們國家都是難題的解決者--未來屬于我們。
我們真得將是個偉大的地方。我愛美國。