Kufika ku Mars
Kufika ku Mars
MU August 2003, dziko la Mars, lomwe ndi limodzi mwa mayiko amene amazungulira dzuwa, linafika pafupi kwambiri ndi dziko lathuli. Linali pamtunda wa makilomita 56 miliyoni basi, ndipo izi sizinachitikepo kwa zaka pafupifupi 60, 000 zapitazo. Pamenepa tingati dziko lofiirali linafika m’khonde mwenimweni mwa dziko lapansili, ndipo anthu ofufuza zakuthambo anasangalala kwambiri.
Pofika kumayambiriro kwa chaka cha 2004, anthu anali atatumiza zombo zingapo ku Mars. Zina zinatera pa dzikoli, ndipo zina zinkajambula dzikoli likamazungulira dzuwa, zili m’mlengalenga. Kodi zimene asayansi anapeza pa kufufuza kumeneku zikutiphunzitsa chiyani za dziko limeneli?
Kufufuza Dziko la Mars
Chombo china choyenda molondola dziko la Mars (dzina lake Mars Global Surveyor) chinafika pa dzikolo mu 1997. Zimene chombochi chinapeza zinathandiza asayansi kudziwa kuti kalekale dzikoli linali ndi mphamvu yaikulu kwambiri ya maginito. Chombochi chinajambulanso mapiri ndi zigwa zosiyanasiyana za dzikoli ndipo chinapeza kuti, kuchokera pa chigwa chotsika kwambiri kufika pa phiri lalitali kwambiri m’dziko la Mars pali mtunda woposa makilomita 29, pomwe padziko lathu lino kuchokera pa malo akuya kwambiri kufika pa malo okwera kwambiri pali mtunda woposa makilomita 19 basi. *
Chigwa chapansi kwambiri ku Mars chili m’dera lalikulu lotchedwa Hellas, ndipo chigwachi chinapangidwa ndi chimwala chachikulu chimene chinawomba dziko la Mars kuchokera mumlengalenga. Nsonga ya phiri lalitali kwambiri lotchedwa Olympus Mons ndi yaitali makilomita 21. Kamera yomwe inali m’chombo chimene chinkajambula dzikoli, inajambulanso zimiyala zomwe zinkaoneka kuti zinali zazikulu mamita oposa 18 m’litali ndipo inajambulanso ngalande ndi milu ya mchenga yomwe imasunthasuntha. Anapezanso kuti matanthwe ambiri kumeneku anapangidwa ndi chiphalaphala chomwe chimatuluka pansi phiri likaphulika.
M’mwezi wa November mu 2006, chombochi (cha Mars Global Surveyor) chinasowa, komabe zombo zina zitatu (cha mu 2001 chotchedwa Mars Odyssey, cha Mars Express, ndi cha Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) zinapitiriza kufufuza dziko lofiirali. * Zombo zimenezi zinali ndi makamera amphamvu kwambiri ndiponso zipangizo zina zounikira zinthu, motero zinafufuza mlengalenga wonse wa dziko la Mars ndipo mpaka zinapeza komanso kujambula malo okhala ndi madzi ambiri oundana cha kumpoto kwa dzikoli.
Chombo cha Phoenix Mars Lander chinatumizidwa kukafufuza madzi oundanawa, ndipo chinafika m’dzikolo n’kutera bwinobwino pa May 25, 2008. Chombochi chili ndi zipangizo zamakono zofufuzira mlengalenga wa dzikolo komanso madzi oundana a m’madera a kumpoto ndi kum’mwera kwambiri kwa dzikoli. Asayansi akuona kuti zimenezi ziwathandiza kudziwa ngati m’dothi losakanikirana ndi madzi oundana la m’dzikoli munakhalapo zinthu zamoyo. Komabe, akatswiriwa anayamba kufufuza kalekale kuti adziwe ngati padzikolo pali zamoyo, kapena ngati pali zinthu zofunikira kuti zamoyo zikhalepo.
Zombo Ziwiri Zoyenda Pansi ku Mars
Zombo ziwiri zofufuza dziko la Mars (zotchedwa Spirit ndi Opportunity) zinafika padzikolo mu January 2004, ndipo zinatera m’dera linalake lomwe anasankha atafufuza bwinobwino ndi zombo zina zija. Zombo zimenezi zinali zazing’ono ngati kagalimoto kokwera munthu mmodzi. Potera, zombozi zinagwiritsira ntchito zipangizo zoteteza kuti zisatenthe kwambiri, maparachuti, komanso maroketi. Zitafika pansi zinanjanja zili mkati mwa zimipira, monga mmene chinachitira chombo chotchedwa Mars Pathfinder, mu 1997. *
Ku Mars kuli malo aakulu opanda madzi ofanana ndi malo opanda madzi amene ali padziko pano, motero n’zosavuta kuti zombo zipeze malo ofufuzako. Chombo chimene chinatumizidwa mu 2004 (chotchedwa Opportunity) chinakafikira pa phiri linalake (lotchedwa Meridiani Planum). Phiri limeneli lili ndi miyala yakale yamtengo wapatali yomwe inayalana bwinobwino. Chombo china chija (chotchedwa Spirit) chinakatera ku chigawo china cha kutali kwambiri ndi kumeneku ndipo chinakafufuza chigwa chakuya (chotchedwa Gusev) chomwe ofufuza ena amati kale kunali nyanja. Bungwe la NASA linatumiza zombo ziwirizi ndi cholinga chakuti “afufuze umboni wosonyeza kuti ku madera amenewa kale kunali zamoyo chifukwa kunali madzi.”
Kufufuza Nthaka ya ku Mars
Chombo choyamba chija chinafika pa January 4, 2004 ndipo chinatera ku dera la miyala lokumbikakumbika. Chombochi chinafufuza mitundu ya dothi, miyala komanso zinthu zina zapanthaka. Akatswiri asayansi amene ankayang’anira kayendedwe ka chombochi anaona kuti chinatera pa malo amene anakwiriridwa ndi ziphala zochokera pansi pa nthaka zomwe zinauma n’kupanga miyala komanso malowo anali okumbikakumbika chifukwa cha zimiyala zochoka m’mlengalenga. Kenako chombochi chinayenda ulendo wopitirira makilomita awiri ndi theka kukafufuza timapiri tina. Kumeneku chinakapeza miyala ya mitundumitundu yosadziwika bwino. Miyala imeneyi ndi yofewa ndipo zikuoneka kuti inapangidwa ndi ziphala zochokera pansi pa nthaka.
Chombo chachiwiri chija chinakafika pa January 25, 2004, apa n’kuti chitayenda mtunda wa makilomita 456 ndipo chinatera pa mtunda wa makilomita 25 kuchokera pa malo amene chinafunikira kutera. Chombochi chinali mu thumba la mpweya, choncho potera ku dera lotchedwa Meridiani chinanjanja n’kugubudukira m’kachigwembe kenakake. Katswiri wina wa sayansi anati chinatera mosangalatsa kwambiri.
Chombochi chinayendera malo okumbikakumbika osiyanasiyana ndipo chinapeza miyala yomwe inapangidwa ndi timiyala tinatake ta mtengo wapatali. Timiyalati ndi toyera moderako koma timaoneka ngati tabuluu chifukwa dothi ndi miyala yakumeneku ndi zofiira. Miyala ina yosanja imaoneka ngati mchenga wokokololedwa ndi madzi. Akatswiri a sayansi akuti zimenezi komanso mchere wina umene anapeza m’miyalayi zikupereka umboni wakuti mwina ku dzikoli kunali madzi amchere.
Chombo china chomwe anachitumiza ku Mars m’chaka cha 2008 (chotchedwa Phoenix Mars Lander), chinathandiza asayansi kudziwa zambiri zokhudza malo a ku Mars makamaka madera okhala ndi madzi oundana. Chombochi chinatapa dothi komanso madzi oundanawa n’kuwayeza pogwiritsa ntchito makina amene chimayenda nawo. Koma chombochi anachipanga kuti pofika m’nyengo yachisanu chidzakhale chitamaliza ntchito yake. Magazini ina inati asayansiwa anachita zimenezi podziwa kuti m’nyengo imeneyi chombocho chidzakutidwa ndi “chifunga cha mpweya woipa.”—Science.
Zimene akatswiri a sayansi achita pokwanitsa kufufuza zinthu za m’mayiko akutali chonchi, zikusonyeza kuti anthu atagwirizana pa cholinga chimodzi angathe kuchita zazikulu kwabasi. Ndipo zimenezi zikusonyeza kuti munthu ali ndi nzeru zapamwamba kwambiri. Komatu asayansiwa amatha kufufuza zonsezi chifukwa malamulo amene zinthu za m’chilengedwe zimayendera samasinthasintha ndipo ndi odalirika kwambiri. Malamulo amenewa sanangokhalako okha ayi koma anachita kukhazikitsidwa ndi Mmisiri Wamkulu amene analenga chilengedwechi, Yehova Mulungu.
[Mawu a M’munsi]
^ ndime 5 Makilomita 19 amene tikunena pano ndi mtunda wochokera m’dera la pansi pa nyanja ya Pacific lotchedwa Mariana Trench kukafika pansonga ya phiri la Everest.
^ ndime 7 Bungwe la National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ndi lomwe linatumiza chombo cha Mars Odyssey ndi cha Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Ndipo chombo cha Mars Express chinatumizidwa ndi bungwe la European Space Agency.
^ ndime 10 Onani nkhani yakuti “A Robot Explores Mars,” mu Galamukani! ya Chingelezi ya June 22, 1998.
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KODI KU MARS KULI ZAMOYO?
Akatswiri awiri ofufuza zinthu za kuthambo, Sir William Herschel ndi Percival Lowell, omwe anakhalapo ndi moyo kuyambira zaka za m’ma 1700 mpaka m’ma 1800, ananena kuti ku dziko la Mars kuli zamoyo zambiri zanzeru. Zimenezi zimagwirizana ndi zimene katswiri winanso wasayansi, dzina lake Charles Darwin ananena kuti zinthu zonse zinachita kusinthika kuchokera ku zinthu zina. Koma zonsezi zaoneka kuti ndi zabodza. Pogwiritsira ntchito makina amene amajambula zinthu zosiyanasiyana m’mlengalenga akatswiri a sayansi apeza kuti ku dziko la Mars kulibe zomera zilizonse komanso kuli m’mpweya wochepa kwambiri ndipo mpweya wake wochuluka ndi woipa. Chombo china (chotchedwa Viking 1) chomwe chinakafufuza ku Mars m’chaka cha 1976 sichinapezeko chamoyo chilichonse. *
Komabe akatswiri asayansiwa akupitirizabe kufufuza kuti apeze ngati ku dzikoli kuli zamoyo ndipo chombo chotchedwa Phoenix Mars Lander chatumizidwa posachedwapa kukagwira ntchito imeneyi. Padziko lapansi pano pali tizilombo ting’onoting’ono tosaoneka ndi maso timene timatha kukhala m’malo ozizira kwambiri kapenanso m’malo otentha kwambiri, ndiye akatswiri asayansi akuganiza kuti tizilombo ngati timeneti tingathe kupezeka m’madera ena a ku Mars. Akatswiriwa anatumizanso chombo china (chotchedwa Beegle 2) kuti chikayeze dothi la ku dzikoli koma chombocho chinalephera kutera chakumapeto kwa chaka cha 2003. Komabe m’chaka cha 2004 akatswiriwa anatulukira mpweya winawake wochepa umene iwo anaganiza kuti unachokera m’zinthu zamoyo zinazake kapena m’chiphalaphala chimene chinatuluka pansi pa nthaka ya ku Mars.
Kodi zingatheke kuti zamoyo zipezeke kwina kulikonse popanda winawake wozilenga? Baibulo limayankha kuti: “Pakuti chitsime cha moyo chili ndi [Mulungu].” (Salmo. 36:9) Zamoyo sizingakhalepo popanda kulengedwa ndi Mlengi, Yehova Mulungu yemwe ndi Magwero a moyo.—Machitidwe 17:25.
[Mawu a M’munsi]
^ ndime 24 Onani nkhani yakuti “The Red Planet Revisited” mu Galamukani! ya Chingelezi ya November 22, 1999.
[Mawu a Chithunzi]
NASA/JPL/Cornell
[Chithunzi patsamba 15]
Zipangizo za m’chombo chotchedwa Phoenix Mars Lander
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Miyala ya ku Mars
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Phiri lalitali makilomita 21 lotchedwa Olympus Mons
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Chombo (chotchedwa Spirit) chinaboola n’kupalapala chimwala chimenechi
[Mawu a Chithunzi patsamba 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