超級高鐵公開首測 時速接近音速
Elon Musk's vision of a Hyperloop transport system that carries passengers in pressurised tubes at near-supersonic speeds is on track to hit a milestone.
伊隆·馬斯克的超級高鐵創想——加壓密封車廂以近於超音速的速度運送乘客——即將見證里程碑式的新突破。
Musk outlined his futuristic idea in a paper released in 2013, challenging innovators to bring the dream to life.
馬斯克2013年發表了一篇論文，闡述了這一未來設想，希望有富於改革創新精神的人將夢想變爲現實。
Hyperloop Technologies, one of the startups that picked up the gauntlet thrown by Musk, is hosting a "sneak preview of the future of transportation technology" during a two-day event billed as involving a demonstration at a test site outside Las Vegas.
初創企業“超級高鐵技術公司”接過了馬斯克拋出的挑戰。該公司近日將於拉斯維加斯郊外一處試驗場進行爲期兩天的展示，給外界一個“未來交通技術預演”。
A series of tweets fired from the Twitter account @HyperloopTech teased "big announcements you don't want to miss".
公司推特賬號@HyperloopTech連發數條推文，直呼“將有重大事項宣佈，你肯定不想錯過”。
- Kitty Hawk moment -
基蒂霍克時刻
Late last year, Hyperloop chief executive Rob Lloyd said in an online post that the team was working toward a "Kitty Hawk" moment in 2016.
去年底，“超級高鐵技術公司”CEO羅勃·勞埃德在一篇網帖中稱，公司團隊將於2016年締造“基蒂霍克”時刻（背景知識：萊特兄弟1903年於北卡羅來納的基蒂霍克首次試飛飛機成功）。
The post came with word of an agreement to use an industrial park in the city of North Las Vegas to conduct a Propulsion Open Air Test of the blazingly-fast rail system.
與網帖同時出現的還有一則消息：該公司已達成相關協議，將於拉斯維加斯北部一處工業園進行超級高鐵的“露天推進試驗”。
Lloyd described it at the time as a very important step on the way to realising the full potential of Hyperloop Tech.
勞埃德當時稱，這是全面發揮“超級高鐵技術公司”潛力的重要一步。
"Our 'Kitty Hawk' moment refers to our first full system, full scale, full speed test," Lloyd said.
他表示：“我們的‘基蒂霍克’時刻將首次展示全系統、全規模、全速度的高鐵試驗。”
"This will be over two miles of tube with a controlled environment and inside that tube we will levitate a pod and accelerate it to over 700 miles (1,125 kilometers) per hour."
“我們將佈置超過兩英里長的隧道，把控好隧道環境。隧道內懸浮的行駛艙，時速可達700英里（約1125公里）以上”。
- Iron Man -
鋼鐵俠
The project could connect Los Angeles and San Francisco in 35 minutes in a low-cost alternative to a high-speed rail network planned for California.
該項目將連接洛杉磯和舊金山，全程僅需35分鐘，而且相對於加州計劃中的高鐵線路，該項目費用更低。
Musk has said he has no plans to build the system but offered the "open source design" to allow others to pursue a venture.
馬斯克已表示，他無意親身參與這種項目，但會把他的設計變成開源資源，供其他冒險家使用。
Jon Favreau, director of "Iron Man," has referred to Musk as a modern-day "Renaissance man."
《鋼鐵俠》導演喬恩·費儒認爲馬斯克是一個現代版的“文藝復興式人物”。
In an article for Time, Favreau said he and actor Robert Downey Jr. modeled the main character in the movie -- "genius billionaire Tony Stark" -- after the Silicon Valley star.
費儒在一篇寫給《時代》雜誌的文章中稱，影片主角之一“天才富豪託尼·斯塔克”，就是他和演員小羅伯特·唐尼以這位硅谷明星爲原型創作的。
South Africa-born Musk has become one of America's best-known innovators, having launched a payments company, electric carmaker Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity.
出生於南非的馬斯克是美國最著名的創新家之一。他創立過支付公司、電動汽車特斯拉、太空探索公司以及“天陽能城市”公司。
