Space Pilot
太空飛行員
Job: Fly shuttles to space. Hiring: 2020
工作內容:駕駛飛船前往太空。 上崗時間:2020年
Trend: Virgin Galactic plans to launch the first commercial suborbital spaceflights by 2012 for about $200,000 a seat. With competition from other companies, that price could soon drop low enough for daily shuttle service to outer space, the moon and asteroids for tourism, mining and science. Commercial pilots will regain the mystique they had in the 1960s as thousands of them strap in for the stars.
發展趨勢:維珍銀河公司計劃在2012年前推出首批商業性質的亞軌道航天飛行,飛船的每個座位約二十萬美元。隨著其他公司加入競爭,這一價格可能很快就會下跌,到時候航天飛機每天都能發航班去外太空、月球和小行星,人們可以去旅游、采礦、搞科研。當成千上萬的商業飛行員系上安全帶飛向星空的時候,他們將像上世紀60年代那樣再次披上神秘的面紗。
Education: Aviation school or the Air Force. Also check out NASA's underwater space-simulator laboratory.
應受教育:在飛行學院或空軍部隊受訓。美國國家航空航天局的水下太空模擬實驗室也是不錯的選擇。
Animal-Migration Engineer
動物遷徙工程師
Job: Create new habitats for critters12). Hiring: 2030
工作內容:為動物創建新的棲息地。 上崗時間:2030年
Trend: Many habitats are now being destroyed faster than a species can evolve. But moving creatures to new homes could save them. After figuring out which species to put where (quite the task), an "assisted migration" effort requires more care than just piling two of everything into an ark. For example, conservationists who currently relocate butterflies identify suitable sites with aerial photos and trim local plants to the insects' exacting standards.
發展趨勢:如今,許多棲息地遭受破壞的速度比物種進化的速度快。不過,如果將動物遷移至新的家園,它們就有可能得以拯救。我們先要弄清楚哪些物種該遷到哪里(難度相當大),然后需要實施“輔助遷徙”。此時,我們需要格外細心,這可不僅僅是每一種動物的雌類和雄類各挑一只,然后放進方舟里面就算完事了。比如,目前正在給蝴蝶安新家的動物保護主義者就是利用航拍照片確定合適的定居點,并嚴格按照昆蟲的標準對當地植物進行修整的。
Education: Intern with a group like Operation Migration, which leads cranes to new watering holes.
應受教育:加入“遷徙行動”之類的組織進行實習。該組織的主要使命是將鶴引入新濕地。