Ukuhlolisisa UMars
NGO-AGASTI wowama-2003, isijikelezi-langa uMars sasondelelana nomhlaba, malunga neekhilomitha ezingama-56 ezigidi, yaye sagqibela kwiminyaka engama-60 000 ukusondela ngolo hlobo. Izazi ngeenkwenkwezi zithi, esi sijikelezi-langa sibomvu saba kumgama omfutshane gqitha, yaye oko kwazivuyisa.
Ekuqaleni kowama-2004, uMars waqalisa ukuzala ziziphekepheke. Abanye benza uhlolisiso lomphandle wakhe yaye abanye balwenza besemajukujukwini. La malinge asifundisa ntoni ngesi sijikelezi-langa esingummelwane wethu uMars?
Ukuhlolisisa Isijikelezi-langa Esibomvu
Isiphekepheke ekuthiwa yiMars Global Surveyor safika kuMars ngowe-1997. Safumanisa ukuba uMars wayenemagnethi enamandla. Esi siphekepheke sabonisa ngokuchanileyo indlela uMars ami ngayo, sabonisa ukuba umahluko phakathi kweyona ndawo iphakamileyo neyona ndawo iphantsi ziikhilomitha ezingama-29, xa kuthelekiswa nomhlaba wona onomahluko oziikhilomitha ezili-19.a
Eyona ndawo isemazantsi kuMars ikwisidibi esikhulu seHellas esayilwa lilitye elikhulu elivela emajukujukwini. Incam ephakamileyo imalunga neekhilomitha ezingama-21 ukuphakama kwintaba-mlilo iOlympus Mons. Ikhamera ekwesi siphekepheke yafota namatye angaphezu kweemitha ezili-18 ubukhulu, kwakunye neenduli zesanti nemifula. Esinye isixhobo sona safumanisa ukuba amatye amaninzi avela kwiintaba-mlilo.
Nangona ngoNovemba 2006 lwaphela unxibelelwano phakathi kwabantu nesiphekepheke iMars Global Surveyor, iziphekepheke ezintathu—i2001 Mars Odyssey, iMars Express, neMars Reconnaissance Orbiter—zaqhubeka nohlolisiso lwazo kwesi sijikelezi-langa sibomvu.b Zisebenzisa iikhamera zakutshanje kunye nezinye izixhobo, zahlola nomoya okuMars, zaza zafumana nomkhenkce omninzi kwincam yomntla yesi sijikelezi-langa.
Isiphekepheke iPhoenix Mars Lander esasiza kuhlolisisa lo mkhenkce safika kwesi sijikelezi-langa sibomvu ngoMeyi 25, 2008. Esi siphekepheke sasinezixhobo ezisemgangathweni zakutshanje zokuhlolisisa umoya nomkhenkce kwincam yeso sijikelezi-langa. Izazinzulu zifuna ukwazi enoba kwaye kwabakho into ephilayo kusini na kule ndawo inomkhenkce. Kodwa ke, lalisele liqalisile kwangaphambili iphulo lokukufumanisa oko.
Irobhothi USpirit No-Opportunity
Iirobhothi ezimbini uSpirit no-Opportunity, eziziiMars Exploration Rovers, zafika kuMars ngoJanuwari 2004, zehlela kwindawo olwaluphelele kuyo uhlolisiso lwangaphambili. Ezi robhothi—nganye kuzo ingangemoto encinane—zafika kuMars zisebenzisa ikhaka lokuzikhusela kubushushu, iiparachute, neziphekepheke. Zafika zivalelwe kwiair bags njengenye irobhothi eyayithunyelwe ngowe-1997 enguMars Pathfinder.c
UMars uphantse alingane nendawo eyomileyo emhlabeni, ngoko inkulu indawo enokuhlolisiswa ziirobhothi. UOpportunity uhlolisisa indawo ekuthiwa yiMeridiani Planum, enamatye akudala anezimbiwa esinyithi. USpirit waya kwelinye icala likaMars ukuze ahlolisise isigingqi iGusev, abaphengululi abakholelwa ukuba mandulo kwakukho kuso ichibi. Ingxelo yeNASA ithi, injongo yeli phulo “kukufumana iindawo apho ezazikade zinamanzi yaye zinezinto eziphilayo.”
“Izazinzulu” KuMars
Xa uSpirit wafika apho wayesinge khona ngoJanuwari 4, 2004, wafikela kwindawo enamatye enesidibi. Le robhothi yahlolisisa le ndawo, ngendlela efanayo nabantu ababeya kwenza ngayo, ihlolisisa intlabathi, amatye, nendlela omi ngayo umhlaba. Izazinzulu ezazalathisa uSpirit zaqonda ukuba le ndawo yayinamatye entaba-mlilo nemingxuma emininzi ebangelwe ngamatye avela emajukujukwini. Emva koko uSpirit wahamba iikhilomitha ezi-2,6 ukuze ahlolisise iinduli ezincinane ezazilapho. Apho, wabona iintlobo zamatye angaqhelekanga namaceba amatye athambileyo ekusenokwenzeka ukuba avela kwintaba-mlilo.
Ethubeni, ngoJanuwari 25, 2004, emva kokuhamba malunga neekhilomitha ezingama-456 ezigidi, uOpportunity wafika kwindawo ekwiikhilomitha ezingama-25 kufuphi nalapho wayesinge khona. Le robhothi yafikela kwiMeridiani esicaba yaza yaqengqeleka yaya kutshona kwisidibi esincinane. Esinye isazinzulu sathi indlela le robhothi efike ngayo iyamangalisa.
UOpportunity wahlolisisa izidibi eziliqela ezazinamatye amancinane awayenezimbiwa ngaphakathi. Ezi zimbiwa zazinombala ongwevu zahlukile kumbala obomvu wentlabathi namatye. Amanye amatye ayefana nesanti esemanzini. Ezinye izazinzulu zavakalelwa kukuba konke oku, kwakunye nokufumaneka kwechlorine nebromine kula matye, kubonisa ukuba kwakukho amanzi anetyuwa ngaphambili.
I-2008 Phoenix Mars Lander iye yanikela inkcazelo engakumbi ngommandla weMars, ingakumbi indawo enomkhenkce. Isixhobo sale robhothi siye sehlela kumazantsi alo mkhenkce, saza sathabatha intlabathi nomkhenkce ukuze ziyokuhlolwa. Kodwa ke, le robhothi yayingazokuhlala ixesha elide apho, kuba kwiinyanga ezimbalwa emva kokuba iwugqibile umsebenzi wayo, iphephancwadi iScience lithi, ubusika kuMars babuza kuyigubungela le robhothi “ngomkhenkce onecarbon dioxide.”
Enyanisweni izazinzulu zinokubona kwanezinye izijikelezi-langa ezikumakhulu ezigidi eekhilomitha, xa abantu benokusebenzisana benosukelo olunye. Ezi nzame zinikela ubungqina kubugcisa bomntu. Kakade ke, ukufunda ngezinto ezisemajukujukwini—nenzululwazi—kunokwenzeka kuphela ngenxa yemithetho yendalo elawula indalo iphela. Le mithetho ayizange izivelele kodwa yenziwa nguMyili Ozukileyo wendalo iphela, uYehova uThixo.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Iikhilomitha ezili-19 ngumgama ongangokusuka eMariana Trench kuLwandlekazi iPasifiki ukusa kumntla weMount Everest.
b Isiphekepheke i-2001 Mars Odyssey neMars Reconnaissance Orbiter zenziwa yiNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), yaye iMars Express yona yenziwa yiEuropean Space Agency.
c Funda inqaku elithi “Irobhothi Ihlolisisa UMars,” kwinkupho kaVukani! kaJuni 22, 1998.
[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 16]
NGABA ZIKHO IZINTO EZIPHILAYO KUMARS?
Izazi ngeenkwenkwezi zenkulungwane ye-18 neye-19 uMhlekazi uWilliam Herschel noPercival Lowell bathi isijikelezi-langa esibomvu sinezinto eziphilayo ezikrelekrele, yaye oko kuyavumelana nenkolelo yendaleko kaDarwin. Kodwa konke oku kungqineke kububuxoki. Xa bekuhlolisiswa ngesatellite kuye kwabonakala kukwampengempenge kukho nomoya odibene necarbon dioxide. Ngowe-1976, amalinge enziwayo ngeViking 1 lander afumanisa ukuba akukho nto iphilayo kuMars.d
Sekunjalo izazinzulu zisaqhubeka zifuna izinto eziphilayo, yaye ngoku zisebenzisa iPhoenix Mars Lander. Ekubeni iintsholongwane ezithile zikho nakwiindawo ezingaqhelekanga emhlabeni, izazinzulu zivakalelwa kukuba kusenokwenzeka ukuba zikho iintsholongwane ezifanayo kwiindawo ezithile kuMars. Ngowama-2003 kwathunyelwa isiphekepheke iBeagle 2 esasifakwe kwiMars Express, nesasinezixhobo zokuhlolisisa intlabathi ekuMars, kodwa asizange sifike. Kunyaka olandelayo izazinzulu zafumanisa imethane eyayisemoyeni kuMars, yaye oko kwazenza zafuna ukufumanisa enoba ivela kwizinto eziphilayo okanye kwiintaba-mlilo kusini na.
Ngaba izinto eziphilayo zinokuzivelela nje, naphi na kwindalo iphela? IBhayibhile iphendula isithi: “[UkuThixo] umthombo wobomi.” (INdumiso 36:9) Izinto eziphilayo zinokuvela kwezinye izinto eziphilayo, nakuMniki-Bomi onguMdali, uYehova uThixo.—IZenzo 17:25.
[Umbhalo osemazantsi]
d Funda inqaku elithi “Ukutyelelwa Kwakhona Kwesijikelezi-langa Esibomvu” kuVukani! kaNovemba 22, 1999.
[Inkcazelo]
NASA/JPL/Cornell
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]
Ingalo yerobhothi iPhoenix Mars Lander—enendawo yokukha, neyokuhlola nekhamera
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]
Umfanekiso wezimbiwa
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]
Intaba-mlilo engasadubuliyo iOlympus Mons, eziikhilomitha ezingama-21 ukuphakama
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]
Irobhothi uSpirit yemba yaza yakhuhla eli litye
[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 15]
Top left: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University; top right: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems; bottom left and right: NASA/JPL/Cornell