Izivakashi zasemkhathini: Ukulinda isihlalo esilandelayo kungaba yinde

Almaty, Kazakhstan - Usozigidi waseMelika uCharles Simonyi angase abe isivakashi sokugcina ukugibela irokhethi ye-Soyuz emkhathini eminyakeni embalwa ezayo.

Ezokuvakasha zasemkhathini ezisezingeni eliphezulu - uhlobo lapho ochitha khona u-$35 wezigidi amasonto amabili e-International Space Station (ISS) - manje selumisiwe.

Kungani? Asisekho isikhala endlini yezihambi ye-ISS.

Lapho inani labasebenzi besiteshi sasemkhathini liphindeka kabili ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kulo nyaka, azikho izihlalo ezizotholakala kubahambi abajulile, okwamanje abagibela umkhumbi-mkhathi waseRussia ophinde uthwale osomkhathi abasebenzayo babayise esiteshini.

UMnu. Simonyi, ofike ekuqaleni kukaLwesithathu ezinkangala zaseKazakhstan, uzuze ingcebo yakhe njengomthuthukisi we-software oholayo e-Microsoft Corp. Ungowokuqala ukuthatha uhambo kabili futhi ungomunye wabayisithupha abangena emkhathini. Uhambo lwakhe lokuqala ngo-2007 lwabiza u-$25 million.

“Ngindizela eduze kakhulu nendiza yami yokuqala ngoba ngisengakwazi ukusebenzisa ulwazi lwendiza yami yangaphambilini,” kusho uSimonyi esithangamini sabezindaba ngoMashi, wengeza ngokuthi lolu hambo kuzoba okokugcina. Ngezikhathi ezinzima zobunzima bezezimali emhlabeni, uSimonyi uthi uyakweseka ukuhlola indawo ngokuthela eyakhe imali embonini yasemkhathini.

USimonyi waqhumisa ngoMashi 26 esuka eBaikonur Cosmodrome eKazakhstan enamalungu amabili eqembu, u-Russian cosmonaut uGennadiy Padalka kanye nosonkanyezi waseMelika uMichael Barratt. Wathatha okuwukuphela kwendlela etholakalayo kubavakashi basemkhathini: ukubhukha i-Soyuz esebenzisa i-US-based Space Adventures Ltd.

Kodwa iSoyuz ingumkhumbi osebenza kanye kuphela ongathwala abantu abathathu kuphela. Lapho ithimba le-ISS likhuphukela kumalungu ayisithupha ukusuka kwamathathu, ukuletha lonke iqembu ku-ISS kuzothatha uhambo olubili. Ngeke zibe khona izihlalo zezivakashi, ngisho nalezo ezino-$35 million ezizozishisa.

Izihlalo ezike zasetshenziswa izivakashi zizothathwa osomkhathi baseMelika. NgoDisemba odlule, i-NASA isayine inkontileka ka-$141 million ne-Russian Space Agency ukuze ithumele amalungu amathathu e-ISS ezimotweni ezimbili ze-Soyuz ngo-2011. Futhi inani lezihlalo ezibhukwe yi-NASA cishe lizokhula ngoba ezokuthutha eziyinhloko ezisetshenziswa osomkhathi base-US, umkhumbi-mkhathi. , uzothatha umhlalaphansi ngonyaka ozayo.

I-shuttle yase-US entsha, i-Orion, kanye nerokhethi yayo yenethiwekhi, i-Ares, kusakhiwa. Indiza yokuqala ye-Orion ilindeleke ngo-2015.

Kodwa izinkampani zezokuvakasha emkhathini zifuna izindlela zokuqhubeka nebhizinisi. Ngokombono, bangakwazi ukuthenga yonke imoto ye-Soyuz futhi bathumele amakhasimende abo esikhaleni ngisho nangaphandle kokuma e-ISS. Yilokhu i-Space Adventurers ehlose ukukwenza. Kodwa lezi zinhlelo zidinga ukwakha umkhumbi-mkhathi we-Soyuz owengeziwe, njengoba yonke imikhumbi esebenzayo njengamanje inenkontileka yohambo lwe-ISS.

"Kungenzeka ukuthi kwakhiwe umkhumbi [owengeziwe]," kusho u-Aleksey Krasnov, inhloko yezindiza eziphethwe abantu zeRussian Space Agency, engqungqutheleni yezindaba. “Kodwa kunezinkinga ngalokhu. Kulo nyaka sinenombolo erekhodiwe yezindiza - ezine - okusho ukuthi sidinga ukwethula imikhumbi-mkhathi emine.

"Kuyadingeka ukucabangela amandla ezimboni kanye nokukhiqiza kanye nezinsiza zabantu lapho kwakhiwa umkhumbi wesihlanu," kusho uMnu. Krasnov. Kodwa wengeze ngokuthi unethemba lokuthi i-Energiya, inkampani eyakha i-Soyuz, izokwakha umkhumbi wesihlanu.

U-Vitaliy Lopota, umongameli kanye nomklami omkhulu we-Energiya, uthi kuthatha iminyaka engu-2-1/2 kuya kwemithathu ukwakha umkhumbi-mkhathi, okusho ukuthi izindiza zabavakashi azikwazanga ukuphinda ziqhubeke kwaze kwaba ngu-2012-2013 ekuqaleni.

“Kodwa lo msebenzi uzodinga imali eyengeziwe,” uMnu. Lapota ucashunwe esho kanjalo yisikhungo sezindaba saseRussia i-RIA Novosti. "Izimo zamanje zezimakethe zezimali azikuvumeli ukwakha umkhumbi-mkhathi owengeziwe."

Izinkampani ezizimele seziqalile ukufuna ngenkuthalo izinketho ezishibhile. Iningi labo lithuthukisa ezinye izindlela zemikhumbi ye-Soyuz nabathwali ukuze bathole izivakashi emkhathini. Umncintiswano ukhula ngokushesha.

Inkampani yaseBrithani i-Virgin Galactic ihlela ukuthumela abantu abangu-500 emkhathini unyaka ngamunye nge-SpaceShipTwo yayo esanda kwakhiwa, ethwalwa i-rocket White Knight Two. Ihlela ukuthumela isivakashi sayo sokuqala ngokushesha nje ngonyaka ozayo noma ngo-2011, lapho zonke izindiza zokuhlola seziqediwe. Uhambo lwasemkhathini lwamahora angu-2-1/2 luzobiza u-$200,000. Ezinye izinkampani ezifana ne-Space Adventures kanye ne-RocketShip Tours Inc. yase-Phoenix, zihlinzeka ngezindiza ezingaphansi komhlaba lapho izivakashi zingandiza cishe ngamamayela angu-37 kuya kwangu-68 ukuya phezulu, zizizwe zingenasisindo imizuzu emihlanu kuya kweyi-10, bese zibuyela eMhlabeni.

Ukuncintisana emkhakheni ozimele kungase kwehlise intengo yezindiza zasemkhathini. Kodwa kungakhathaliseki ukuthi zishibhe kangakanani izindiza, ukuklama nokwakha umkhumbi ohlangabezana nazo zonke izidingo zokuphepha kuthatha isikhathi eside.

Yize kunjalo, izinkampani ezizimele zinethemba lokuthumela izimoto zazo ngaphambi kokuthi kwethulwe i-Soyuz eyimfihlo. Kodwa ebhizinisini eliyingozi kangaka, akuzona izinkampani ezingazodwana ezingase zithinteke. Ukuphahlazeka kwemikhumbi ye-Challenger ne-Columbia kubambezele kakhulu uhlelo lwasemkhathini lwase-US. Uma izigameko ezinjalo bezingenzeka ezinkampanini ezizimele, inkathi yokuvakasha emkhathini ngemikhumbi-mkhathi ezimele ingaphela ngokushesha.