NASA稱禁止中國籍科學家參會系失誤

NASA says it mistakenly banned Chinese scientists from attending a science conference next month, blaming the mix-up on a 'misinterpretation of the agency's policy.'

美國國家航空航天局(NASA)說，它誤禁中國籍科學家參加將於下個月召開的一個科學大會，將這一烏龍事件歸咎於“對該機構政策的錯誤解讀”。

It was reported earlier this month that NASA had decided to exclude Chinese nationals from the Kepler Science Conference taking place at the Ames research center in California next month. The ban provoked outrage from U.S. scientists and an angry letter from a U.S. congressman who said Congress had never authorized such a policy.

本月早些時候，有報道稱NASA已決定不準中國籍人員參加將於下個月在加州艾姆斯研究中心(Ames Research Center)召開的開普勒科學大會(Kepler Science Conference)。此舉引發了美國科學家們的強烈不滿，一位美國國會議員甚至致信表達了憤怒之情，這位議員說，國會從未批准過這樣一項政策。

'Unfortunately, the initial decision was based on a misinterpretation of the agency's policy related to foreign nationals' access to NASA facilities,' said NASA spokesman Allard Beutel on Monday. 'The interpretation was clarified and the decision corrected once the federal government reopened last Thursday.'

NASA發言人比特爾(Allard Beutel)週一說，遺憾的是，最初的決定是基於該機構與外籍人士進入NASA設施有關的政策的錯誤解讀。聯邦政府上週四恢復運行後，對政策的解讀已立即被澄清，決定被糾正。

Mr. Beutel told Law Blog that the confusion had do with a 'moratorium on granting any new access to NASA facilities to individuals' from China, Iran, North Korea, and several other countries while NASA conducted a review of security processes at its facilities.

比特爾對“Law Blog”欄目說，之所以發生這樣的烏龍事件，是因爲在NASA對其設施的安全程序進行評估時，曾暫停向來自中國、伊朗、朝鮮和其他幾個國家的個人授予進入NASA設施的新許可。

He said organizers of the conference didn't realize that the moratorium is no longer in place.

他說，大會的組織者沒有意識到暫停授予許可的狀態已經結束了。

After the Guardian published an article about the ban, Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia, wrote to NASA chief Charles Bolden on Oct. 8 telling him that nothing in the law prevented the agency from allowing Chinese nationals from going to the conference.

在《衛報》(Guardian)發表了一篇有關NASA禁止中國籍科學家參加開普勒科學大會的文章後，弗吉尼亞州共和黨議員沃爾夫(Frank Wolf)於10月8日致函NASA局長博爾登(Charles Bolden)，說法律中沒有任何條款禁止NASA讓中國籍人員參加大會。

He thought there could be confusion over a law that Congress passed in 2011 forbidding NASA from using federal funds 'to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company.'

他認爲，發生這一烏龍事件可能是因爲對2011年國會通過的一項法律的誤讀，該法律禁止NASA使用聯邦資金開發、設計、規劃、傳播、實施或執行任何涉及到與中國或中國所有的公司進行任何形式的雙邊參與、合作或協調的雙邊政策、項目、命令或合同。

As you know, the congressional provision -- which has been in place since early 2011 -- primarily restricts bilateral, not multilateral, meetings and activities with the Communist Chinese government or Chinese-owned companies. It places no restrictions on activities involving individual Chinese nationals unless those nationals are acting as official representatives of the Chinese government.

衆所周知，2011年初國會通過的法律主要限制與共產主義中國政府或中國所有的公司舉行的雙邊而非多邊會議和活動。它不限制涉及到中國籍個人的活動，除非這些人是作爲中國政府的官方代表。

The measure was intended to make sure that the United States wasn't cooperating with the People's Liberation Army on developing China's space program. But Mr. Wolf said any additional restrictions against Chinese nationals on NASA centers 'is entirely an agency policy and not covered under the statutory restriction.'

該法律原本意在確保美國沒有與中國軍方合作開發中國的太空項目。但沃爾夫說，在NASA中心對中國籍人員的任何額外限制都純屬該機構的政策，而不屬法律限制範圍內。