Izazinzulu kunye neenjineli ziye zavavanya iVenus yebhaluni engumzekelo kwiNtlango iBlack Rock yaseNevada ngoJulayi ka-2022.

Ngobushushu bayo obutshisayo kunye noxinzelelo olukhulu, umphezulu weVenus unobutshaba kwaye awuxoleli. Ngapha koko, iiprobe eziye zahlala apho ukuza kuthi ga ngoku zithathe iiyure ezimbalwa kuphela. Kodwa kusenokubakho enye indlela yokuphonononga eli hlabathi liyingozi nelinomtsalane ngaphaya kwee-orbiters, elijikeleza ilanga kumganyana nje welitye ukusuka eMhlabeni. Nantso ibhaluni. IJet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) yeNASA ePasadena, eCalifornia, inike ingxelo ngo-Okthobha 10, 2022 ukuba ibhaluni yerobhothi esemoyeni, enye yeengqikelelo zayo zerobhothi esemoyeni, igqibe ngempumelelo iinqwelomoya ezimbini zovavanyo phezu kweNevada.

Abaphandi basebenzise iprototype yovavanyo, inguqulelo yebhaluni eshwabeneyo eyayinokuthi ngenye imini ikhukuliseke kumafu ashinyeneyo eVenus.

Ibhaluni yokuqala yeVenus yovavanyo lwendiza yovavanyo

IVenus Aerobot ecwangcisiweyo iziimitha ezingama-40 (iimitha ezili-12) ububanzi, malunga ne-2/3 yobukhulu beprototype.

Iqela lezazinzulu kunye neenjineli ezivela kwi-JPL kunye ne-Near Space Corporation e-Tillamook, e-Oregon, lenze uvavanyo lokubhabha. Impumelelo yazo icebisa ukuba iibhaluni zaseVenus kufuneka zikwazi ukuphila kwindawo exineneyo yeli hlabathi lingabamelwane. KwiVenus, ibhaluni iya kubhabha kumphakamo weekhilomitha ezingama-55 ngaphezu komphezulu. Ukuthelekisa ubushushu kunye nokuxinana kweatmosfera yeVenus kuvavanyo, iqela layiphakamisa ibhaluni yovavanyo ukuya kumphakamo we-1 km.

Ngazo zonke iindlela, ibhaluni iziphatha ngendlela eyakhiwe ngayo. UJacob Izraelevitz, uMphandi oyiNtloko weJPL Flight Test, iNgcali yeRobhothi, uthe: “Siyonwabele kakhulu indlela osebenza ngayo lo mzekelo. Yaziswa, yabonisa indlela yokuphakama elawulwayo, kwaye siyifumene ikwimo entle emva kweenqwelomoya zombini. Sirekhode idatha ebanzi kwezi nqwelomoya kwaye sijonge phambili ekuyisebenziseni ukuphucula iimodeli zethu zokulinganisa ngaphambi kokuba sijonge iplanethi yethu engudade.

UPaul Byrne weYunivesithi yaseWashington eSt. Louis kunye nosebenzisana nenzululwazi yerobhothi ye-aerospace wongezelela wathi: “Impumelelo yolu vavanyo lweenqwelo-moya ithetha lukhulu kuthi: Sibonise ngempumelelo ubugcisa obufunekayo ukuze kuphandwe ilifu laseVenus. Olu vavanyo lwenza isiseko sendlela esinokwenza ngayo ukuze kuphononongwe iirobhothi zexesha elide kumphezulu wesihogo sikaVenus.

Ukuhamba kwimimoya yeVenus

Ngoko kutheni iibhaluni? I-NASA ifuna ukufunda ummandla we-atmosfera ye-Venus ephantsi kakhulu ukuba i-orbiter ingawuhlalutya. Ngokungafaniyo nabantu abasemhlabeni, abavuthuza kwiiyure nje ezimbalwa, iibhaloni zinokudada emoyeni kangangeeveki okanye iinyanga, zikhukuliseka ukusuka empuma ukuya entshona. Ibhaluni inokutshintsha ubude bayo phakathi kwe-171,000 kunye ne-203,000 yeemitha (iikhilomitha ezingama-52 ukuya kwezingama-62) ngaphezulu komphezulu.

Noko ke, iirobhothi ezibhabhayo azikho zodwa ngokupheleleyo. Isebenza kunye ne-orbiter engaphezulu kwe-atmosphere yeVenus. Ukongeza ekwenzeni imifuniselo yezenzululwazi, ibhaluni ikwasebenza njengonxibelelwano lonxibelelwano kunye ne-orbiter.

Iibhaluni kwiibhaluni

Iprototype ngokusisiseko "yibhaluni ngaphakathi kwebhaluni," abaphandi bathi. Uxinzeleloi-heliumigcwalisa indawo yokugcina amanzi eqinileyo. Okwangoku, ibhaluni ye-helium eguquguqukayo yangaphandle inokwandisa kwaye inkontileka. Iibhaluni nazo zinokunyuka phezulu okanye ziwe phantsi. Ikwenza oku ngoncedo lwei-heliumiifestile. Ukuba iqela lobuthunywa lifuna ukuphakamisa ibhaluni, laliza kukhupha iheliyam ukusuka kwidama elingaphakathi ukuya kwibhaluni engaphandle. Ukubeka ibhaluni emva endaweni, ii-heliumiphinde ifakwe kwindawo yokugcina amanzi. Oku kubangela ibhaluni yangaphandle ukuba ifinyeze kwaye ilahlekelwe buoyancy.

Imekobume eyonakalisayo

Kwinqanaba elicwangcisiweyo leekhilomitha ezingama-55 ngaphezu komphezulu weVenus, ubushushu abukho kangako kwaye uxinzelelo lwe-atmospheric alunamandla kangako. Kodwa le ndawo ye-atmosfera yeVenus isenzima kakhulu, kuba amafu azele ngamathontsi e-asidi yesulfuric. Ukunceda ukuxhathisa le meko-bume idlakadlaka, iinjineli zenze ibhaluni ngezaleko ezininzi zemathiriyeli. Izinto eziphathekayo zibandakanya i-acid-resistant-resistant coating, i-metallization yokunciphisa ukufudumeza kwelanga, kunye nomgangatho wangaphakathi ohlala womelele ngokwaneleyo ukuthwala izixhobo zesayensi. Nkqu namatywina ayakwazi ukumelana neasidi. Uvavanyo lwe-Flight lubonise ukuba izixhobo kunye nokwakhiwa kwebhaluni kufuneka kusebenze kwiVenus. Izinto ezisetyenziselwa ukusinda kweVenus zingumngeni ukwenza, kwaye ukomelela kokuphatha esikubonakalisileyo ekusungulweni nasekubuyiselweni kweNevada kusinika ukuzithemba ekuthembekeni kweebhaluni zethu kwiVenus.

Kangangamashumi eminyaka, ezinye izazinzulu neenjineli ziye zacebisa iibhaloni njengendlela yokuhlola iVenus. Oku kusenokuzaliseka kungekudala. Umfanekiso ngeNASA.

Isayensi kwi-Atmosphere yeVenus

Izazinzulu zixhobisa iibhaloni kuphando lwenzululwazi olwahlukeneyo. Oku kuquka ukukhangela amaza esandi emoyeni oveliswe ziinyikima zaseVenus. Olunye uhlalutyo olunomdla kakhulu luya kuba kukubunjwa komoya ngokwawo.Umoya omdakayenza uninzi lwe-atmosfera yeVenus, ifuthe ifuthe le-greenhouse ebalekayo eyenze iVenus yasisihogo kumphezulu. Uhlalutyo olutsha lunokubonelela ngeendlela ezibalulekileyo malunga nokuba kwenzeke njani oku. Enyanisweni, izazinzulu zithi ngeentsuku zokuqala, iVenus yayikade ifana noMhlaba. Kwenzeka ntoni ke?

Ewe kunjalo, okoko izazinzulu zaxela ukufunyanwa kwe-phosphine kumoya weVenus ngo-2020, umbuzo wobomi obunokwenzeka kumafu kaVenus uvuselele umdla. Imvelaphi yephosphine ayiqinisekanga, kwaye ezinye izifundo zisabuza ubukho bayo. Kodwa iibhaluni ezinje ngebhaloni zinokulungela uhlalutyo olunzulu lwamafu kwaye mhlawumbi nokuchonga naziphi na iintsholongwane ngokuthe ngqo. Imishini yebhaluni efana nale inganceda ukutyhila enye yeyona mfihlelo ibhidayo kwaye ingumngeni.