“Ndithudi Mumlengalenga Mulibe Malire”!
WOLEMBA mbiri Berthold Laufer, m’buku lakuti The Prehistory of Aviation, anati: “Chikhumbo chouluka chinayamba ndi anthu akale lomwe.” M’mabuku akale a Agiriki, Aigupto, Asuri, ndi m’mabuku a mbiri yakale a Kummaŵa, muli nthano zambirimbiri zokhudza mafumu, milungu ina, ndi ngwazi zina zimene zinayesapo kugwiritsa ntchito mphamvu youluka. Pafupifupi nkhani zonsezo zikusimba kuti anthu ankayesa kuuluka ndi mapiko ngati a mbalame.
Mwachitsanzo, Atchayina amasimba za mfumu ina yanzeru yolimba mtima, yotchedwa Shun, yomwe inakhalako mwina zaka 2,000 Yesu Kristu asanabadwe. Malinga ndi nthanoyo, Shun anali pamwamba pankhokwe, ndiye nkhokweyo inkapsa, ndiyeno anadziveka mapiko, n’kuthaŵapo mouluka. Nkhani inanso imasimba kuti iyeyo anadumpha pansanja ina, n’kugwiritsa ntchito zipeŵa ziŵiri zazikulu zamlaza, kuti zikhale ngati parachute yom’thandiza kutera pansi wosadzivulaza.
Agiriki ali ndi nthano yakale kwambiri, zaka 3,000, yosimba za katswiri wina wojambula, waluso lazopangapanga, Daedalus, kuti analuka mapiko ndi nthenga, n’kuzimanga ndi ulusi wolimba, ndi kuzimata ndi phula, kuti iyeyo limodzi ndi mwana wake Icarus athaŵe m’ndende ya ku Crete. Daedalus’yo anati, “ndithudi mumlengalenga mulibe malire, ndipo tidzera momwemo.” Poyamba, mapikowo anagwira ntchito bwinobwino. Komano Icarus, ponyadira ataona kuti akukhoza kuuluka mumlengalenga, anayamba pang’onopang’ono kukwera m’mwamba kwambiri, moti dzuŵa linayamba kusungunula phula lija limene anamatira mapiko ake. Mnyamatayo anagwera m’nyanja n’kufera mom’mo.
Nthano zimenezi zinawakhudza anthu opangapanga zinthu limodzi ndi anthu ena anzeru zawo, moti anakhumbira kudzaulukadi. Kuchiyambiyambi kwa zaka za zana lachitatu C.E., Atchaina ankakonza ma kite, namasonyeza kuti anali atayamba kuzindikira mmene chinthu chingaulukire, pomwe anthu a ku Ulaya anali asanaitulukire nzeru imeneyo. M’zaka za zana la 15, Giovanni da Fontana, dokotala wa ku Venetia, anakonza, mongoyesa, maloketi omwe anawapanga ndi matabwa ndi mapepala, ndipo maloketi ameneŵa kuti anyamuke amachita kuphulitsa ngati zipolopolo zamfuti. Ndiye ngati mu 1420, Fontanayo analemba kuti: “Sindikukayikira ngakhale pang’ono kuti n’kotheka kum’patsa munthu mapiko kuti aziulukira, moti angathe kumanyamuka mumlengalenga ndi kuyendayenda ndiponso kukwera pansanja ndi kuwoloka madzi.”
M’zaka za zana la 16, yemwe anali mmisiri wojambula, wosemasema, ndiponso katswiri wokonza mainjini, Leonardo da Vinci, anakonza mongoyerekezera, pulani ya ndege za helikoputa ndi ma parachute ngakhalenso ndege zopanda injini zotchedwa glider, zokhala ndi mapiko okupiza. Pali umboni wakuti anadzakonzano ndege zenizeni motengera pulani imene iyeyo anapanga, yamakina ouluka. Komabe, pandege zonse za da Vinci, palibe yomwe inali yabwino kwenikweni.
Patapita zaka mazana aŵiri kunamvekanso nkhani zosiyanasiyana zoti anthu ena olimba mtima anadzimangirira mapiko n’kuyesa kumawakupiza atadumpha pamwamba paphiri ndi pansanja. Amuna akale amenewa ‘oyesa kuulutsa ndege’ anali olimba mtima mwapadera—komabe khama lawo silinaphule kanthu.
Ma Balloon ndi “Mpweya Wogwira Moto Msanga”
Mu 1783, ku Paris ndi m’madera ambiri a France, kunamveka mbiri yakuti anthu anali atatulukira nzeru yokonzera chinthu chouluka. Munthu wina limodzi ndi mng’ono wake, Joseph-Michel ndi Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier, anatulukira nzeru ina, kuti ma balloon aang’ono okonza ndi mapepala, atadzazidwa mpweya wotentha, anganyamuke mwaliŵiro n’kuyandama mumlengalenga. Balloon yawo yaikulu yoyamba, yomwe anaitcha balloon yamoto, anaipanga ndi mapepala ndi nsalu, ndiye anauziramo utsi wonunkha wamoto. Balloon imeneyo, pakuuluka kwake koyamba, yopanda munthu wokweramo, inakwera m’mwamba mpaka kuposa mamita 1,800. Pa November 21, 1783, balloon imeneyo inanyamula anthu aŵiri—omwe anthu anawatcha kuti aulutsi a balloon—ndiye anauluka kwa mphindi 25 pamwamba pa Paris. M’chaka chomwechonso, katswiri wina wazopangapanga, Jacques Charles, anakonza balloon yoyamba yomwe anapopera mpweya wa hydrogen, kapena monga mmene ankautchulira kale, kuti “mpweya wogwira moto msanga.”
Pamene sayansi yokonza ma balloon inamka ikukula, kwa anthu oulutsa ma balloon, mumlengalenga munakhaladi ‘mosavuta kuulukamo.’ Pomafika 1784, ma balloon anali kukwera m’mwamba kwambiri mpaka mamita oposa 3,400. Patatha chaka chimodzi chabe, Jean-Pierre-Francois Blanchard, anawoloka nyanja ya English Channel ali mu balloon youziridwa mpweya wa hydrogen, itanyamula mtokoma wa makalata oyamba kuyenda pandege. Pomafika 1862, oulutsa ma balloon ankayenda maulendo ataliatali kudutsa Ulaya ndiponso mu United States ndipo ankakhoza kuuluka m’mwamba makilomita oposa 8!
Komabe anthu oyamba kuulutsa ma balloon anali asanadziŵebe kulimbana ndi mphepo; sankatha kuloŵera nayo balloon yawoyo komwe ankafuna kapena kuwonjezera liŵiro kapena kuchepetsa. Chapakatikati pa zaka za zana la 19, pamene makina ouluka oyendera mafuta ndi magetsi anayamba kupangidwa, kuuluka mumlengalenga kunakhala chinthu chapafupi kwambiri, komabe makina ena ouluka opepuka kuposa mphepo sanali aliŵiro kwenikweni—ankathamanga pakati pa makilomita 10 ndi 30 paola. Munthu anafunikira njira yatsopano yoti “adzinyamulire mumlengalenga namapeyukira uku ndi uko,” monga momwedi da Fontana ananenera.
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Daedalus ndi Icarus a m’nthano
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Leonardo da Vinci
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Za m’buku la Leonardo da Vinci, 1898
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Munthu ndi mng’ono wake, ana a Montgolfier anakonza “balloon” yoyamba yampweya wotentha yonyamula anthu