Umsebenzi omusha wokuvikela uMhlaba wethulwe yi-NASA kanye ne-SpaceX

I-NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), okuwumkhankaso wokuqala emhlabeni wonke wokuhlola ubuchwepheshe bokuvikela uMhlaba ezingozini ezingase zibe khona emkhathini noma ezinhlotsheni zenkanyezi enomsila, yethulwe ngoLwesithathu ngo-1:21 am EST I-SpaceX Irokhethi ye-Falcon 9 evela ku-Space Launch Complex 4 East eVandenberg Space Force Base eCalifornia.

Ingxenye eyodwa nje ye NASAIsu elikhulu lokuvikela iplanethi, i-DART - elakhiwe futhi liphethwe yi-Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) e-Laurel, eMaryland - lizoba nomthelela kwi-asteroid eyaziwayo engeyona usongo eMhlabeni. Umgomo wayo uwukushintsha kancane ukunyakaza kwe-asteroid ngendlela engalinganiswa ngokunembile kusetshenziswa izibonakude ezisekelwe phansi.

I-DART izokhombisa ukuthi umkhumbi-mkhathi ungakwazi ukuzihambela uye endaweni eyi-asteroid eqondiwe futhi ushayisane nayo ngamabomu – indlela yokuchezuka ebizwa ngokuthi i-kinetic impact. Ukuhlolwa kuzohlinzeka ngedatha ebalulekile ukusiza ukulungiselela kangcono isibhakabhaka esingase sibe yingozi yomthelela eMhlabeni, uma kwenzeka kutholwa. I-LICIACube, i-CubeSat egibele nge-DART ehlinzekwa yi-Italian Space Agency (ASI), izokhishwa ngaphambi komthelela we-DART ukuze ithwebule izithombe zomthelela kanye nefu eliwumphumela lezinto ezikhishiwe. Cishe eminyakeni emine ngemva komthelela we-DART, iphrojekthi ye-ESA (European Space Agency) Hera izokwenza ucwaningo oluningiliziwe lwazo zombili ama-asteroids, ikakhulukazi kumgodi oshiywe ukushayisana kwe-DART kanye nokunqunywa okunembile kwesisindo se-Dimorphos.

“I-DART iguqula izinganekwane zesayensi zibe iqiniso lesayensi futhi iwubufakazi bokusebenza nokusungulwa kwe-NASA ukuze kuzuze wonke umuntu,” kusho. NASA Umqondisi uBill Nelson. “Ngaphezu kwazo zonke izindlela i-NASA ecwaninga ngayo umkhathi wethu kanye neplanethi yethu yasekhaya, sisebenzela ukuvikela lelo khaya, futhi lokhu kuhlola kuzosiza ukuveza indlela eyodwa esebenzayo yokuvikela iplanethi yethu endaweni eyingozi esemkhathini uma kwenzeka kutholakala ukuthi ibheke eMhlabeni.”

Ngo-2:17 am, i-DART ihlukane nesigaba sesibili serokhethi. Emizuzwini embalwa kamuva, opharetha bemishini bathola idatha yokuqala ye-telemetry yemikhumbi-mkhathi futhi baqala inqubo yokuqondisa umkhumbi-mkhathi endaweni ephephile ukuze kuthunyelwe ama-solar array. Cishe emahoreni amabili kamuva, umkhumbi-mkhathi waphothula ukwethulwa ngempumelelo kwemigqa yawo yelanga emibili, engamafidi angama-28 ubude, ephumayo. Bazonika amandla kokubili umkhumbi-mkhathi kanye nenjini ye-NASA ye-Evolutionary Xenon Thruster - Commercial ion, obunye bobuchwepheshe obuningi obuvivinywa ku-DART ukuze busetshenziswe esikhathini esizayo ohambweni lwasemkhathini.