Ososayensi nonjiniyela bahlole isibonelo sebhaluni le-Venus e-Nevada's Black Rock Desert ngoJulayi 2022. Imoto eyehlisiwe iqede ngempumelelo izindiza zokuhlola zokuqala ezingu-2.

Ngokushisa kwayo okushisayo kanye nokucindezela okukhulu, indawo yeVenus inobutha futhi ayithetheleli. Eqinisweni, uphenyo olufike lapho kuze kube manje luthathe amahora ambalwa kuphela. Kodwa kungase kube nenye indlela yokuhlola leli zwe eliyingozi nelithakazelisayo ngale kwe-orbiters, elizungeza ilanga ibanga nje lokuphonsa itshe ukusuka eMhlabeni. Ibhaluni lelo. I-NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) ePasadena, Calif., yabika ngo-Okthoba 10, 2022 ukuthi ibhaluni eliyirobhothi lasemoyeni, omunye wemibono yalo yerobhothi yasemoyeni, liqede ngempumelelo izindiza ezimbili zokuhlola phezu kwe-Nevada.

Abacwaningi basebenzise i-prototype yokuhlola, inguqulo eshwabene yebhaluni eyayingakwazi ukukhukhuleka ngelinye ilanga phakathi kwamafu aminyene eVenus.

Indiza yokuqala yokuhlola ibhaluni yeVenus

I-Venus Aerobot ehleliwe ingamamitha angu-40 (amamitha angu-12) ububanzi, cishe u-2/3 wosayizi we-prototype.

Ithimba lososayensi nonjiniyela abavela ku-JPL kanye ne-Near Space Corporation e-Tillamook, e-Oregon, lenze indiza yokuhlola. Ukuphumelela kwawo kusikisela ukuthi amabhaluni aseVenus kufanele akwazi ukuphila endaweni eminyene yaleli zwe elingumakhelwane. KuVenus, ibhaluni lizondiza endaweni ephakeme ngamakhilomitha angama-55 ngaphezu komhlaba. Ukufanisa izinga lokushisa nokuminyana komkhathi kaVenus esivivinyweni, iqembu laphakamisa ibhaluni lokuhlola lalibeka endaweni ephakeme eyi-1 km.

Ngayo yonke indlela, ibhaluni liziphatha ngendlela elaklanywa ngayo. UJacob Izraelevitz, Umphenyi Omkhulu we-JPL Flight Test, i-Robotics Specialist, uthe: “Sijabule kakhulu ngokusebenza kwe-prototype. Yethulwa, yabonisa indlela elawulwayo yokuphakama kwe-altitude, futhi siyibuyisele esimweni esihle ngemva kwezindiza zombili. Sirekhode idatha eningi evela kulezi zindiza futhi sibheke phambili ekuyisebenziseni ukuthuthukisa amamodeli ethu okulingisa ngaphambi kokuhlola iplanethi yethu engudadewethu.

U-Paul Byrne wase-Washington University e-St. Louis kanye nomhlanganyeli wesayensi ye-aerospace robotics wanezela: “Impumelelo yalezi zindiza zokuhlola isho lukhulu kithi: Sibonise ngempumelelo ubuchwepheshe obudingekayo ukuze kuphenywe ifu laseVenus. Lokhu kuhlola kubeka isisekelo sokuthi singakunika kanjani amandla ukuhlola kwerobhothi kwesikhathi eside endaweni yesihogo sikaVenus.

Ukuhamba emoyeni weVenus

Ngakho kungani amabhaluni? I-NASA ifuna ukufunda indawo yomkhathi kaVenus ephansi kakhulu ukuthi i-orbiter ingasihlaziya. Ngokungafani nezindawo ezihlala phansi, eziqhuma phakathi namahora ambalwa, amabhaluni angantanta emoyeni amasonto noma ngisho nezinyanga, ekhukhuleka esuka empumalanga eya entshonalanga. Ibhaluni lingakwazi futhi ukushintsha ukuphakama kwalo phakathi kwamafithi angu-171,000 no-203,000 (amakhilomitha angu-52 kuya kwangu-62) ngaphezu komhlaba.

Nokho, amarobhothi endizayo awawodwa ngokuphelele. Isebenza nge-orbiter ngaphezu komkhathi we-Venus. Ngaphezu kokwenza izivivinyo zesayensi, ibhaluni liphinde lisebenze njenge-relay yokuxhumana ne-orbiter.

Amabhaluni kumabhaluni

I-prototype empeleni "ibhaluni ngaphakathi kwebhaluni," kusho abacwaningi. Ucindezelekilei-heliumigcwalisa indawo yokugcina amanzi eqinile. Ngaleso sikhathi, ibhaluni le-helium yangaphandle eliguquguqukayo lingakhula futhi linciphe. Amabhaluni nawo angakhuphukela phezulu noma awe phansi. Ikwenza lokhu ngosizo lwei-heliumizimbobo. Uma ithimba lemishini lifuna ukuphakamisa ibhaluni, lalizokhipha i-helium ukusuka endaweni yokugcina amanzi liye ebhaluni elingaphandle. Ukubuyisela ibhaluni endaweni, ii-heliumiphinde ingene endaweni yokugcina amanzi. Lokhu kubangela ukuba ibhaluni langaphandle linciphe futhi lilahlekelwe ukunyakaza okuthile.

Indawo eyonakalisayo

Endaweni ephakeme ehleliwe engamakhilomitha angama-55 ngaphezu kobuso beVenus, izinga lokushisa alibi kakhulu futhi nomfutho womoya womoya awunamandla kangako. Kodwa le ngxenye yomoya kaVenus isenzima kakhulu, ngoba amafu agcwele amaconsi e-sulfuric acid. Ukuze basize ukumelana nale ndawo eyonakalisayo, onjiniyela bakhe ibhaluni besebenzisa izendlalelo eziningi zezinto. Izinto ezisetshenziswayo zifaka okokuvikela ukumelana ne-asidi, i-metallization yokunciphisa ukushisisa kwelanga, kanye nongqimba lwangaphakathi oluhlala luqinile ngokwanele ukuthwala amathuluzi esayensi. Ngisho nezimvu zamanzi azikwazi ukumelana ne-asidi. Ukuhlolwa kwendiza kubonise ukuthi izinto zokwakha kanye nokwakhiwa kwebhaluni kufanele futhi kusebenze kuVenus. Izinto ezisetshenziselwa ukusinda kwe-Venus ziyinselele ekukhiqizeni, futhi ukuqina kokuphatha esikubonise ekuqalisweni kwethu kwe-Nevada nokululama kusinika ithemba ekuthembekeni kwamabhaluni ethu ku-Venus.

Sekungamashumi eminyaka abanye ososayensi nonjiniyela behlongoza amabhaluni njengendlela yokuhlola iVenus. Lokhu kungase kube ngokoqobo maduzane. Isithombe nge-NASA.

Isayensi ku-Atmosphere yaseVenus

Ososayensi bahlomisa amabhaluni ophenyo lwesayensi oluhlukahlukene. Lokhu kuhlanganisa nokubheka amaza omsindo emkhathini okhiqizwa ukuzamazama komhlaba kwaseVenus. Okunye ukuhlaziya okujabulisa kakhulu kuzoba ukubunjwa komkhathi ngokwawo.I-Carbon dioxideyenza ingxenye enkulu yomkhathi kaVenus, okubhebhezela umphumela we-greenhouse obaleke owenze iVenus yaba isihogo esinjalo phezulu. Ukuhlaziywa okusha kunganikeza izinkomba ezibalulekile mayelana nokuthi lokhu kwenzeka kanjani ngempela. Eqinisweni, ososayensi bathi ezinsukwini zakuqala, iVenus yayivame ukufana noMhlaba. Pho kwenzekani?

Kunjalo, njengoba ososayensi babika ngokutholakala kwe-phosphine emkhathini weVenus ngo-2020, umbuzo wokuthi kungenzeka kube khona ukuphila emafwini kaVenus uvuselele isithakazelo. Imvelaphi ye-phosphine ayiqiniseki, futhi ezinye izifundo zisangabaza ubukhona bayo. Kodwa ohambweni lwamabhaluni olufana nalolu lungalungela ukuhlaziya okujulile kwamafu futhi mhlawumbe nokuhlonza noma imaphi amagciwane ngokuqondile. Imishini yebhaluni efana nalena ingasiza ekuvezeni enye Imfihlo edidayo neyinselele kakhulu.