Byemejwe, ikigendajuru Dart cya NASA 'cyahinduye inzira ya asteroid'
Ikigo cy’Amerika cy’ubushakashatsi mu isanzure, NASA, cyavuze ko kugerageza kwacyo guheruka ko kuyobya ibuye ryo mu isanzure (asteroid) kwagezweho neza.
Abahanga muri siyanse ubu bemeje ko inzira y’iryo buye ry’umurambararo wa metero 160 ryahawe izina rya Dimorphos yahindutse ubwo ikigendajuru cyiswe Dart cyarigongaga mu kwezi gushize.
Abashakashatsi bageze kuri uyu mwanzuro nyuma yo gupima bakoresheje indebakure ziri mu isanzure n’iziri ku isi.
Ubutumwa bwa Dart bwateguwe mu gitekerezo cyo kurinda ko hari za asteroids zazagonga isi. Ibigezweho na Dart biremeza ko icyo gitekerezo gishobora gukora, mu gihe cyaba gikozwe hakiri kare kandi asteroid atari nini bikabije.
Bill Nelson, umwe mu bakuru ba NASA, ati: “Ubu butumwa bwerekanye ko Nasa irimo kugerageza kwitegura icyo ari cyo cyose isanzure ryatujugunyaho.”
Yabwiye abanyamakuru ati: “Nizeye ko Nasa yerekanye ko turi ingenzi mu kurengera uyu mubumbe”.
Kuwa kabiri NASA yasohoye inyandiko z’amakuru asobanura umwanzuro wabo, arimo n’amafoto y’indebakure izwi nka Hubble Space Telescope hamwe n’amashusho y’ikigendajuru gito cy’Ubutaliyani cyari ku ntera ya 50km y’aho Dart yagongeye Dimorphos.
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) yabereye ku ntera ya kilometero miliyoni 11 uvuye ku isi.
Iki kigendajuru gifite ubunini nk’ubwa frigo (refrigerator) cyaragiye cyihonda muri ririya buye kiri ku muvuduko wa 22,000km/h, gihita gishwanyagurika ubwacyo.
Iri buye risanzwe rizenguruka irindi rinini kurushaho (rifite umurambararo wa 780m) ryiswe Didymos.
Mbere y’ibyo, Dimorphos byayifataga amasaha 11 n’iminota 55 kuzenguruka iryo buye rigenzi ryayo.
Indebakure ubu zirerekana ko icyo gihe cyo kuzenguruka cyagabanutse kikagera ku masaha 11 n’iminota 23 – impinduka y’iminota 32. Ibyo bivuze ko nyuma yo kugongwa Dimorphos yegereye Didymos ho “metero zibarirwa mu binyacumi”.
NASA yari yateganyije ko umwanya muto uzahinduka ku gihe Dimorphos yakoreshaga mu kuzenguruka Didymos ari nibura amasegonda 73.
Ibyabonetse kuwa kabiri birerekana ko Dart yabashije guhindura ibyo ho inshuro 25 ku gihe cyari kitezwe.
Dr Nancy Chabot wo muri Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, yari ikuriye ubutumwa bwa Dart, yagize ati:
“Iyo ni impinduka ya 4% ku gihe Dimorphos yamaraga izenguruka Didymos. Dart yayisunitseho gato. Ariko ukeneye gukora ibi mu gihe kizaza, byagusaba kubikora mbere ho imyaka.”
Yongeraho ati: “Kumenya asteroid itwugarije hakiri kare ni cyo cy’ingenzi kugira ngo ubu buryo bwo kuyiyobya bukorwe hakiri kare nk’uburyo bugari bwo kurinda umubumbe.”
Dr Tom Statler, umuhanga wakoraga ku butumwa bwa Dart, nawe afite ijambo riburira ku kuba hakwitegwa byinshi kuri iri gerageza.
Avuga ko asteroids ziza mu buryo butandukanye. Imiterere n’imimerere yazo iratandukanye – ikintu cyashimangirwaga na buri butumwa bugiye kwiga ikintu gishya mu isanzure.
Ati: “Tugomba kwirinda gushimangira ko igerageza kuri asteroid imwe bivuze neza neza ko n’indi yose byagenda bityo.
“Ariko icyo twakora ni ugukoresha iri gerageza nk’intangiriro y’imibare yacu mu yandi magerageza yatugeza ku bisubizo bitandukanye ku bibazo bitandukanye.”
Mu myaka ine iri imbere, ikigo cy’ubushakashatsi mu isanzure cy’Uburayi (ESA) kizohereza ibigendajuru bibiri mu butumwa bwiswe Hera mission – kuri Didymos na Dimorphos gukora indi nyigo kuri izi mpinduka zabaye.
