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美国军方正在使用实验性高空气球在中西部六个州进行大范围的监视测试。
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这些气球从南达科他州的农村发射，在横跨明尼苏达州、爱荷华州、威斯康星州、密苏里州和伊利诺伊州的一个地区漂移250英里。
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它们在平流层飞行，高度高达65,000英尺，目的是 “提供一个持久的监视系统，以定位和阻止麻醉品贩运和国土安全威胁”。
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这些气球是内华达山脉公司（Sierra Nevada Corporation）的一个项目的一部分，该公司是一家航空航天和国防公司。
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安装在气球上的高科技雷达可以日夜跟踪车辆。
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继去年的类似飞行后，从7月中旬到9月进行了测试。
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美国联邦通信委员会（FCC）颁发了运营许可证。
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南方司令部是由美国陆军、海军、空军和其他部队联合组成的，负责加勒比海和中南美洲的灾难应对、情报行动和安全合作。
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纽约巴德学院无人机研究中心的联合主任阿瑟-霍兰-米歇尔说，新技术可以一次性监视一个地区，并且可以倒回去看谁参与了，以及他们来自哪里。
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南方司令部正在测试新技术，可以识别和拦截前往美国的毒品运输。
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内华达山脉为南通公司提供了轻型飞机，用于监视墨西哥、哥伦比亚、巴拿马和加勒比海。
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然而，这些飞机很昂贵，只能飞行几个小时。
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2018年，Southcom只成功拦截了约6%的已知毒品流动。
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新的气球提供了一个廉价的监视平台，可以长时间跟踪多辆汽车和船只。
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由于风在不同高度向不同方向移动，气球可以通过上升或下降保持在一个特定区域。
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内华达山脉和南部司令部没有对这一事件发表评论。
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世界观公司最近宣布，其平流层气球可以在直径5英里的区域上空盘旋6个半小时，更大的区域可以一次盘旋几天。
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世界观公司的首席执行官Ryan Hartman说，挑战在于如何利用平流层的风来创造一种持久的驻留能力。
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提供气球的Raven Aerostar公司，已经让气球在高空停留了近一个月。
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Raven还为Alphabet的子公司Loon制造气球，后者利用气球从平流层提供互联网和手机服务。
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平流层气球的使用正变得越来越流行，因为它可以提供使用传统方法难以实现的服务和能力。
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南方司令部的气球携带着小型的、类似于卫星的飞行器，带有复杂的传感器和通信设备。
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其中一个传感器是一个合成孔径雷达，用于探测25英里范围内运动的汽车和船只。
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这些气球拥有网状网络技术，可以相互通信并分享数据。
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联邦通信委员会的文件指出，网络包括视频信息，这表明这些气球还可能携带内华达山脉的Gorgon Stare系统，该系统有九个摄像头，记录城市的全景图像。
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Gorgon Stare通常部署在无人机上，然而美国陆军在阿富汗使用了系留的间谍飞艇，美国海关和边境保护局在墨西哥边境试用了低空气球。
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平流层气球的监视是相对较新的，与无人机相比，它能以较低的分辨率提供更广泛的覆盖。
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美国南方司令部一直在测试高空气球，但目前还不清楚它是否与任何现行调查有关。
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也不知道在中西部的测试中收集的车辆数据会发生什么。
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平流层气球正在被美国军方用于监视，作为适应性较强的轻型气球（Alta）计划的一部分。
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Raven Aerostar公司、Sierra Nevada公司和Darpa公司正在该项目上进行合作。
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世景公司还为一个未透露姓名的客户完成了十几次监视测试任务。
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世界观公司和内华达山脉公司目前都在为其下一次监视飞行做准备。
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隐私法得到尊重，正在实施道德操作，以进一步保护人们的隐私。
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The US military is conducting wide-area surveillance tests across six midwest states using experimental high-altitude balloons.
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The balloons are being launched from rural South Dakota and drifting 250 miles through an area spanning Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois.
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They are travelling in the stratosphere at altitudes of up to 65,000ft and are intended to “provide a persistent surveillance system to locate and deter narcotic trafficking and homeland security threats”.
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The balloons are part of a project by the Sierra Nevada Corporation, an aerospace and defence company.
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Hi-tech radars installed on balloons to track vehicles day and night.
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Tests conducted from mid-July to September following similar flights last year.
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FCC license granted to operate.
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Southcom, a joint effort by the US army, navy, air force and other forces, is responsible for disaster response, intelligence operations and security cooperation in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
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Arthur Holland Michel, the co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College in New York, said the new technology allows for the surveillance of an area at once, and can be rewound to see who was involved and where they came from.
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Southcom is testing new technology that can identify and intercept drug shipments headed for the United States.
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Sierra Nevada has provided Southcom with light aircrafts for surveillance of Mexico, Colombia, Panama, and the Caribbean sea.
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However, these aircrafts are expensive and can only fly for a few hours.
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In 2018, Southcom only successfully interdicted about 6% of known drug movements.
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New balloons offer a cheap surveillance platform that can follow multiple cars and boats for extended periods.
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The balloons can remain in a given area by ascending or descending due to winds moving in different directions at different altitudes.
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Sierra Nevada and US Southcom have not commented on this story.
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World View recently announced that its stratospheric balloons could hover over a five-mile-diameter area for six and a half hours and larger areas for days at a time.
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Ryan Hartman, CEO of World View, said that the challenge is how to harness the stratospheric winds to create a persistent station-keeping capability.
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Raven Aerostar, the company supplying the balloons, has had balloons remain aloft for nearly a month.
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Raven also makes balloons for Alphabet subsidiary Loon, which uses them to deliver internet and cellphone service from the stratosphere.
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The use of stratospheric balloons is becoming increasingly popular as a way to provide services and capabilities that are difficult to achieve using traditional methods.
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Southcom’s balloons are carrying small, satellite-like vehicles with sophisticated sensors and communication gear.
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One of the sensors is a synthetic aperture radar to detect cars and boats in motion in a 25-mile swath.
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The balloons have mesh networking technologies to communicate with one another and share data.
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The FCC filing notes that the networking includes video information, suggesting the balloons may also carry a Sierra Nevada Gorgon Stare system with nine cameras recording panoramic images of a city.
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Gorgon Stare is usually deployed on drones, however the US Army has used tethered spy blimps in Afghanistan and US Customs and Border Protection has experimented with low-altitude balloons along the Mexico border.
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Surveillance from stratospheric balloons is relatively new and offers wider coverage with lower-resolution images compared to drones.
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The US Southern Command has been testing high-altitude balloons, but it is unclear if it is linked to any active investigations.
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It is also unknown what will happen to the vehicle data collected during the tests in the Midwest.
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Stratospheric balloons are being used for surveillance by the US military as part of the Adaptable Lighter-Than-Air (Alta) program.
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Raven Aerostar, Sierra Nevada and Darpa are collaborating on the project.
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World View has also completed a dozen surveillance test missions for an unnamed customer.
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Both World View and Sierra Nevada are currently preparing for their next surveillance flights.
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Privacy laws are respected and ethical operations are being implemented to further protect people’s privacy.
链接：Pentagon testing mass surveillance balloons across the US | US military | The Guardian