Ukucinga ngempilo edlule kuyaqala.
Ukuhlola intaba iJezero njengendawo okungahlalwa kuyo.
Ingabe iMars kufanele ibe kuhlu lwakho lwamabhakede ohambo?

Irobhothi elaziwa ngePerseverance selifikile kuMars futhi libuyisa izithombe zalo zokuqala. Kube uhambo olungamakhilomitha ayizigidi ezingama-292.5, uhambo lwezinyanga eziyi-7 ukufika lapho usuka kwiplanethi yoMhlaba.

I-USGS inombono oyingqayizivele kulokhu kufika okungokomlando. Ngokombono wabo, lapho uhlela ukuhlola indawo entsha, kuhlale kungumqondo omuhle ukuletha imephu ukuze ugweme indawo eyingozi. Lokhu kuyiqiniso noma ngabe uphokophele ukunyukela eMhlabeni noma ufaka i-rover ku-Mars.

Izinhloso zenjongo ukufuna ubufakazi bokuphila kwangaphambilini nezindawo okwakungahlaliseka kuzo eJezero crater bese uqoqa futhi ugcine amasampula, ngokokuqala ngqa emlandweni, angabuyiselwa eMhlabeni ngomsebenzi ozayo.

Ukulandelana okuyinkimbinkimbi kokufika, okwaziwa ngokuthi yi-Entry, Descent and Landing, noma i-EDL, kuqondiswa ngamamephu anembile kakhulu we-Mars ake adalwa, ngezilokotho ze-USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Ukuhlala ngokuphepha endaweni emangelengele yaseMartian, umkhumbi-mkhathi uzosebenzisa ubuchwepheshe obusha obubizwa nge- “Terrain Relative Navigation.” Njengoba yehla ngomkhathi weplanethi, umkhumbi-mkhathi uzosebenzisa amabalazwe awo asogibeni ukwazi kahle ukuthi ikuphi futhi ugweme izingozi njengoba zehla ebusweni beplanethi. Ukuze ukuzulazula kusebenze, umkhumbi-mkhathi udinga amamephu angcono kakhulu esiza sokufika kanye nendawo ezungezile.

"Noma singathanda ukuqondisa kanjani umkhumbi-mkhathi njengoba ufika, lokho akunakwenzeka," kusho uRobin Fergason, isazi se-geophysicist se-USGS. “IMars ikude kakhulu - cishe amamayela ayizigidi eziyi-130 ngesikhathi ifika - ukuthi kuthatha imizuzu eminingana ukuthi amasiginali omsakazo ahambe phakathi kukaMars noMhlaba. Ngokusebenzisa amamephu esiwakhile, umkhumbi-mkhathi uzokwazi ukuzilawula ngokuphepha kunalokho. ”

I-USGS iqale yathuthukisa amamephu amabili ohambweni lweMars 2020, kufaka phakathi ibalazwe lendawo elinqamula indawo yokufika nendawo enkulu yendawo ezungezile kanye nemephu eyisisekelo enezinqumo eziphakeme ezazisetshenziswa ngabaphenyi ukubala ngokunembile izingozi ezingaphezulu endaweni okufika kuyo. Ibalazwe lendawo namamephu ezingozi ezingaphezulu ahamba ngomkhumbi-mkhathi futhi azosetshenziselwa ukuwusiza uhlale ngokuphepha. Imephu eyisisekelo izoqhubeka nokusebenza kwemishini emhlabeni njengoba ososayensi behlela lapho i-rover izohlola khona uma isiphansi. Onke amamephu aqondaniswe nokunemba okungakaze kubonwe komunye nomunye kanye namamephu womhlaba wonke we-Mars ukuqinisekisa ukuthi akhombisa ukuthi yonke into ikuphi ngempela.

Ngaphezu kwamamephu asebhodini asetshenziswa ngesikhathi sokwehla, abacwaningi be-USGS baphinde basiza ekushicileleni imephu entsha yokwakheka komhlaba yeJezero crater neNili Planum - izintaba zasendulo, eziqhutshiwe lapho umgodi waba nomthelela khona. Imephu yokwakheka komhlaba ihlanganisa indawo yokufika kanye nendawo ezungezile lapho i-rover izotholana nayo ohambweni lwayo phakathi nomsebenzi wayo. Imephu yokwakheka komhlaba isesilinganisweni esifanayo namamephu wethu we-USGS topographic, okuyinto enhle kakhulu enikezwa ukuthi akekho noyedwa owake wakha unyawo ebusweni beMartian, okuyindawo yangempela yezwe. Ububanzi obugcwele bemephu yokwakheka komhlaba buhlanganisa cishe amakhilomitha-skwele angama-40 futhi kufaka phakathi indawo endala kunazo zonke eMars. Futhi okubaluleke kakhulu, indawo ebhekwayo ikhombisa umlando ocebile wezinqubo ezahlukahlukene zomhlaba ezibandakanya amanzi oketshezi - isici esibalulekile empilweni.

"Ukuhlola kuyingxenye yesimo somuntu, ”Kusho uJim Skinner, ongusosayensi wokucwaninga komhlaba wase-USGS. “Ngijabule kakhulu ukubona lokho i-rover ekubonayo nokuthi lokho elikutholayo kuzolukhulisa kanjani ulwazi lwethu ngomkhathi weMartian nomlando womhlaba.”

Ngaphandle kwemephu, uma i-Perseverance rover ifika, ososayensi abaningana be-USGS bazoqhubeka nokubandakanyeka ekusebenzeni kwansuku zonke kwe-rover. Empeleni, masisha nje lapho amasondo kaPerseverance engena enhlabathini kaMartian, abacwaningi base-USGS uKen Herkenhoff, uRyan Anderson no-Alicia Vaughan bazoqhubeka nokuxhasa umsebenzi weNASA wokuvula izimfihlakalo zeplanethi ebomvu ngokusekela izinsimbi ezimbili ezisemkhunjini - iMastcam- Z kanye neSuperCam. Zombili lezi zinsimbi zibekwe phezu kwensika yokuzwa ekude ye-rover futhi zakhethwa ukusiza ukufeza izinhloso zemishini yokufuna ubufakazi bempilo edlule.

Yini esizoyifunda ngeMars ngonyaka ozayo? Ngabe bekukhona ukuphila eMars futhi bekukhona eJezero crater?

Asazi okwamanje. Kepha kuyasijabulisa ukuthola.

Ama-USGS aqale aqala ukwenza imephu yezinto ezikhaleni ngawo-1960 ngenkathi elungiselela osomkhathi bemishini ye-Apollo. Emuva lapho okwakubekwa phambili kwakuyiNyanga. Imizamo yokudweba amanye amaplanethi yaqala ngeminyaka yama-1970. NgeMars ngqo, amabalazwe okuqala e-USGS aphuma ngo-1978 kususelwa esithombeni esivela kwimishini ye-Mariner 9. Ama-1980 aletha isithombe esibuyekeziwe namamephu abuyekeziwe ngenxa yeViking Orbiter. Kepha iminikelo ethokozisa kakhulu ye-USGS ifike ngasekupheleni kweminyaka yama-1990 nasekuqaleni kweminyaka yama-2000 lapho izithombe ezingcono zesikhala seMartian zivumela i-USGS ukuthi ibeke kahle izindawo zokufika zemishini ye-Mars rover. Imishini ye-Mars 2020 iyithuba nje lakamuva i-USGS eye yaba nalo lokuthuthukisa ukuqonda kwe-Mars futhi yaba neqhaza ekuqhubekeni kokuhlola isikhala.

Ngemininingwane engaphezulu ngokubandakanyeka kwe-USGS ku-Perseverance rover mission, vakashela i-USGS Astrogeology Science Center iwebhusayithi.

Ukuze uthole izindaba zakamuva mayelana nomsebenzi, vakashela i-NASA Mars 2020 mission iwebhusayithi.

LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:

The USGS initially developed two maps for the Mars 2020 mission, including a surface terrain map that spans the landing site and much of the surrounding area and a high-resolution base map that was used by researchers to accurately map surface hazards at the landing site.
In fact, as soon as Perseverance's wheels roll out onto the Martian soil, USGS researchers Ken Herkenhoff, Ryan Anderson and Alicia Vaughan will continue to support NASA's mission of unlocking the mysteries of the red planet by supporting two of the instruments onboard – the Mastcam-Z and SuperCam.
The mission's goals are to search for evidence of past life and habitable environments in Jezero crater and collect and store samples that, for the first time in history, could be returned to Earth by a future mission.