Umntu okwi-adventure yakhe yokwazi indalo iphela, usebenzise izixhobo ezininzi zetekhnoloji ezenze ukuba kube lula ukufunda nokukhupha ulwazi oluninzi oluluncedo. Inkqubo ye- Inkqubo yeCassini Kube kwi-adventure kwisithuba esingaphezulu kweminyaka engama-20 kwaye iye yaba liqabane likaSaturn. Nangona kunjalo, kwiminyaka embalwa edlulileyo wasishiya kodwa enemifanekiso ethile kunye nolwazi olungaqhelekanga.
Kweli nqaku siza kukuxelela zonke iimpawu, uhambo olubalulekileyo lweCassini probe.
Iimpawu eziphambili
Yaphehlelelwa ngo-1997 yaza ayafikelela eSaturn kwade kwaba ngu-2004. Ngexesha lolu hambo lweminyaka esi-7 kuye kwafuneka ukuba ludlule kubunzima. Isigaba sokugqibela siqale nge-22 ka-Epreli 2017 kunye Wayephethe ukuwela indawo phakathi kwamakhonkco kunye neplanethi. Ekugqibeleni yatshatyalaliswa kumoya weSaturn emva kweminyaka emininzi yenkonzo.
Ukuba sibala i-7 yomonakalo oyithathileyo ukufikelela kwi-Saturn, sidibanisa iminyaka eli-13 yokukhutshwa kuyo, ke ikwazile ukwenza imisebenzi embalwa. Iminyaka eli-13 ijikeleza iplanethi apho kuye kwakho ulwazi oluninzi malunga neesathelayithi eziphambili. Sele emva kweminyaka eli-10 yokujikeleza, inikezela ngedatha ukusuka ngaphezulu kwe-3.500 yezigidi zeekhilomitha ezijikeleze umhlaba, malunga neefoto ezingama-350.000 kunye nedatha engaphezulu kwe-500 GB yedatha yesayensi.
Nangona kunjalo, iphenyo laseCassini alulwenzi lonke olu hambo. Iqabane lakhe yayinguHuygens kwaye yaveliswa yi-European Space Agency (ESA). Eli qabane lahlukana emva kokufika eTitan nge-14 kaJanuwari 2005. I-Cassini mission probe yandisiwe ukusukela ngo-2008, kodwa ngenxa yemeko yayo egqwesileyo ibisolula uthumo kude kube ngulo nyaka. Nangona isebenzisa ubunzima beTitan ukwenza utshintsho kwi-orbit, isebenzisa ipetroli yayo ukwenza iindlela ezithile. Emva kweminyaka emininzi, ipetroli sele ihleli kwindawo encinci kwaye i-NASA ikhethe ukuyitshabalalisa kunye nokuthintela ukuwela nakweyiphi na inyanga engcolisa iindawo zexabiso elithile lezenzululwazi.
Sele siyingcolisile iplanethi yethu kunye nokusingqongileyo ngokwaneleyo ukuba singaya eSaturn ukuze singcolise inyanga zayo.
Ukufumanisa okukhulu kuphenyo lweCassini
Makhe sibone ukuba zeziphi ezona zinto ziphambili ezenziweyo ezenziwe ngophando lweCassini. Ezo zinto zihambisanayo noSaturn, ibingumhloli wamazwe obalaseleyo Ufumanise ukuya kwiinyanga ezisixhenxe ezintsha zeeplanethi kwaye waqinisekisa ukuba i-Enceladus igqunywe lulwandle lwehlabathi efihliweyo phantsi komaleko ongaphandle komkhenkce. Umsebenzi wokugqibela wokugqibela yenye yezona zinobungozi okoko wangena kwi-orbit ye-eccentric orbit, eyona ndawo ikufutshane kwiplanethi yayiphantse ibe ziikhilomitha ezingama-8.000. Kule mishini, yenza i-22 ecwangcisiweyo ngokugqibeleleyo ukusukela, ngesantya esimalunga neekhilomitha ezingama-34 ngomzuzwana, inokuhamba isithuba phakathi kwamakhonkco kunye neplanethi enomda omalunga neekhilomitha ezingama-2.000 XNUMX.
Umjikelo wayo wokugqibela wancedwa ngumxhuzulane wenyanga kaSaturn. Iprojekhthi kwakufuneka ibekwe kwindawo yayo yokugqibela eyayimi kweyona ndawo ikufutshane kwiplanethi ene-1.000 km kuphela. Kuyo, wayenakho ukubonelela ngedatha engcono eyamvumela ukuba ahlalutye ubume bangaphakathi beplanethi kunye namakhonkco ayo. Ngokuchaneka kweepesenti ezi-5, kunokwenzeka ukubala ubunzima kunye nokuthatha imifanekiso yamafu kunye neatmosfera. Ekugqibeleni, ngoSeptemba 11, 2017, yaqala ukubhabha okokugqibela ukuphelisa ukonakala komoya kaSaturn.
Inkqubo yeCassini kunye neendawo zokuhlala
Ngaphambi kokuba i-mission iqale, kwakungacacanga nokuba ngaba umxube owaziwayo wezinto eziyimfuneko ebomini ubukho ndawo kwenye inkqubo yangaphandle yelanga: amanzi afriziwe, amanzi alulwelo, iikhemikhali ezisisiseko kunye namandla, ukukhanya kwelanga, okanye ukuphendula kwemichiza. Kuba uCassini wafika eSaturn, ibonakalisile ukuba kunokwenzeka ukuba nehlabathi elinokuhlala kunye neelwandlekazi.
I-Enceladus, nangona incinci ngobukhulu, yafunyanwa inezinto ezomeleleyo zejoloji kunye nolondolozo lwamanzi alulwelo kufutshane nepali esezantsi, kuba ngamanzi alulwelo ehlabathi. Inetyuwa kunye neemolekyuli ezilula eziphilayo, ulwandle lukhupha umphunga wamanzi kunye nejeli ngokusebenzisa igiza kwimingxunya kumphezulu wayo. Ubukho beli lwandle benza i-Enceladus yenye yezona ndawo zithembisayo kumandla elanga ukufumana ubomi.
Ukutyhubela iminyaka, iphenyo laseCassini lisombulule enye yezona mfihlakalo ziqikelelweyo: Kutheni i-Enceladus lelona ziko lasezulwini liqaqambe kwinkqubo yelanga. Kungenxa yokuba yayingumzimba womkhenkce.
I-Titan ikwangumgqatswa onamandla wokufumana ubomi. Iprojekthi ye-Huygens ethwele i-Cassini yawela kumphezulu wesatellite kwaye yafumana ubungqina bolwandle phantsi komkhenkce, onokuthi wenziwe ngamanzi kunye ne-ammonia, kwaye i-atmosfera izele ziimolekyuli ze-prebiotic. Wabona ukuba iqulethe inkqubo epheleleyo ye-hydrological, enemilambo, amachibi kunye neelwandle ezizaliswe ngamanzi kunye ne-ethane.
Ngokusekwe kwimodeli, izazinzulu zikholelwa ukuba ulwandle lweTitan lunokuqulatha umoya ophuma emanzini, obonelela ngamandla ebomini. Ke ngoko, izazinzulu zinethemba lokugcina iimeko ezazikuzo ukuze ziphinde zihlolwe. Ke ngoko benza iphenyo leCassini "uzokuzibulala" ngokuchasene noSaturn ukuthintela ukuba iwe kule nyanga kwaye uyingcolise.
Kwi-Titan, i-mission nayo yasibonisa umhlaba ofana nomhlaba onesimo sezulu kunye nejoloji esinceda ukuba siqonde iplanethi yethu. Ngendlela, UCassini ufana nomatshini wexesha, esivula ifestile ukuze sibone iinkqubo ezibonakalayo ezinokuthi zibumbe ukukhula kwenkqubo yelanga kunye neeplanethi ezijikeleze ezinye iinkwenkwezi.
Isiphekepheke sinike umbono wenkqubo yeSaturn. Ifumene ulwazi malunga nokwakhiwa kunye nobushushu bomoya ophezulu, izaqhwithi kunye nokukhutshwa kweeradio enamandla. Wabona umbane phezu komhlaba emini nasebusuku okokuqala. Kukho umsesane wakhe, elebhu yendalo yokufunda ukwenziwa kweeplanethi, uhlobo lwenkqubo encinci yelanga.
Ndiyathemba ukuba olu lwazi ungafunda ngakumbi malunga neprojekthi yeCassini kunye negalelo layo.