评论
打印
It's an incredible discovery: an ancient, abandoned alien space station filled with precursor technology.
这是个惊人的发现：一个古老、遭遗弃的外星人空间站，里面装满了先驱的科技。
But now, every species in the galaxy is in a mad dash to get there first and claim it for themselves.
可眼下，银河系所有物种都疯狂的冲向空间站，想第一个抵达，并抢占它。
And right away, you've got a problem.
而你马上就碰到问题了。
Your ship's faster-than-light jump drive consumes 1 unit of fuel for every parsec of distance it takes you,
你的飞船使用了超光速跳跃引擎，每行驶一个秒差距的距离，就消耗1个单位的燃料，
and your ship holds only 15 units of fuel.
但仅能容纳15个单位的燃料。
But the space station is 23 parsecs away, and there's only empty space between there and here.
而空间站离你有23个秒差距，而且沿途空无一物。
There's one thing that can help you, though: dark matter fuel is stable in deep space.
然而，有一样东西能帮到你：暗物质燃料在深空中是稳定的。
That means you can vent a cache of it from your fuel chamber, and then come back to pick it up again later.
即可从燃料箱里排出一批燃料，稍后再回来取走。
Even though your ship holds only 15 units of fuel, you've been granted use of all 45 units in your current location.
尽管船仅可容纳15个单位燃料，但你已获准使用当前位置全部45个单位燃料。
With some strategic fuel caching along the way, you might be able to make it all 23 parsecs.
只要沿途合理布置燃料缓存，你就有可能完成23个秒差距。
So how can you reach the alien space station?
那么，如何才能到达外星人空间站呢？
It's possible to solve this riddle using as few as two cache points, and there are also valid solutions that use more.
至少需要两个缓存点才能解开谜题，也有设置更多缓存点的有效方案。
No matter how you go about it though, the key is determining exactly where to cache fuel along your route.
不管你如何去做，关键是如何确定途中缓存燃料的准确位置。
Let's work backwards from the alien space station.
我们就从外星人空间站开始倒推吧。
To reach 23 parsecs, you'll have to leave the 8-parsec mark with a full tank of fuel.
要完成23个秒差距的距离，那么在8个秒差距的位置，你必须有一整箱燃料。
The 8-parsec point is too far from the start to use as a cache right away;
但8个秒差距的位置离起点太远，无法用作缓存点；
you could jump there, but wouldn't have enough fuel to return to the start, let alone store any for later.
你能行驶到那里，但燃料不足以返回到起点，更别提为以后储存燃料了。
So that means you'll need to find a cache somewhere between the start and 8.
因此，必须在起点和8个秒差距间找一个缓存点。
But where? There's an interesting pattern that can help.
但是，选哪里呢？一个有趣的模式可能有用。
At the start you have exactly 3 tanks' worth of fuel. At 8 parsecs you need exactly 1.
在起点位置，你有3箱燃料，在8个秒差距位置，你只需要1箱燃料。
Is there a point, which we can call point X, where you could have exactly 2?
可否在点X位置存2箱燃料呢？
That would be useful, because then you could refuel there exactly twice, making full use of your storage capacity without any waste.
这可能很有用，因为你可在X处加2次燃料，从而充分利用燃料储备而没有任何浪费。
Wherever point X is, you'll jump forward from it twice: once to deposit some fuel at the 8-parsec cache point, and a second time for good.
不论点X设在哪里，你会去那里两次：一次是在8秒差距缓存燃料，第二次是取走后不再回来。
So you'll jump the distance between X and 8-parsecs 3 times in all.
所以在点X和8秒差距间你一共飞行3次。
You'd have 2 tanks of fuel at point X, and need 1 left at the 8 parsec cache point,
你有2箱燃料放在点X，8个秒差距缓存处需留1箱燃料，
so you can spend one tank -- or 15 units -- going back and forth.
因此，你在这两点之间来回3趟可用1箱燃料--即15单位燃料。
Since 15 units divided by 3 trips is 5, we can place these two cache points 5 parsecs apart.
15(单位燃料)除以3(趟)等于5，即两个缓存点的距离为5个秒差距。
Any farther, and you wouldn't have enough fuel to reach the alien space station.
距离再大一点点的话，你将没有足够燃料到达外星人空间站。
So it looks like the earliest we can place point X is at the 3-parsec mark.
因此，点X最近可设在3秒差距处。
Is it possible to transport 30 units of fuel there? Let's try.
能将30单位燃料运到X处吗？一起试试看。
You set out with a full tank of 15 units.
你出发满载15单位燃料。
You jump 3 parsecs, drop 9 units off at the cache point, and then jump the 3 units home, arriving with an empty tank.
跳到3秒差距处，放下9单位燃料，接着，跳3个秒差距回原点，燃料箱正好空了。
Repeating this process gets you 18 units of fuel at the cache point,
重复此过程，并在缓存处存18单位燃料，
and one more jump puts you at the 3-parsec cache with 30 total units of fuel. So far so good!
再跳一次到达3秒差距处时，此时共有30单位燃料。目前一切很顺利！
Next, you jump to the 8-parsec mark, drop off 5 units of fuel, and jump back to the 3-parsec mark.
接下来，你跳到8秒差距处，扔下5单位燃料，再跳回3秒差距处。
You fill up your tank and jump forward again, arriving with 10 units of fuel in your tank. And now the end is in sight.
燃料箱填满后，继续往前跳，再次到达8秒差距时，燃料箱剩10单位燃料，此时，终点已近在眼前。
You beam the 5 units of fuel in from deep space to fill your tank to capacity, and type in the coordinates of your final destination.
你从深空抓取5单位燃料，塞满燃料箱，并输入终点坐标。
A 15-parsec jump leaves you running on fumes, but ready to dock with the precursor space station.
飞行15秒差距耗尽了所有燃料，但你已准备与先驱空间站对接。
Time to put this alien tech to work and make life better for everyone in the galaxy.
是时候发挥外星科技的作用，让银河系每个人的生活变得更美好了！
