Ku kwezi kwa Jupiter haroherezwa icyogajuru

Iki kigendajuru kimaze igihe cyubakirwa muri Jet Propulsion Laboratory ya NASA iri muri leta ya California

Amakuru dukesha BBC avuga y’uko mu masaha ari imbere, ikigendajuru kinini kidasanzwe kirahaguruka i Florida muri Amerika, kigiye gushaka ibimenyetso by’ubuzima bwaba buri ahandi.

Aho cyerekeje ni kuri Europa, ukwezi kw’amayobera kugaragiye umubumbe wa kure yacu wa Jupiter.

Munsi y’ubuso bwakwo bw’urubura hashobora kuba hari inyanja ngari ifite amazi akubye kabiri ubwinshi amazi yose y’isi.

Ikigendajuru Europa Clipper kizakurikira ikindi cyagiye mu butumwa kuri Europa cyahagurutse umwaka ushize, kikinyureho, kinahagere mbere.

Iki kigendajuru kizagera kuri uko kwezi mu mwaka w’2030, ariko ibyo kizabona bishobora guhindura byinshi mu byo tuzi kuri système solaire/solar system.

Ukwezi kumurika inshuro eshanu kuruta ukwacu 

Nyuma y’imyaka irimo gukorwa, Europa Clipper yabujijwe guhaguruka ku munota wa nyuma kubera imiyaga n’imvura ikomeye byiswe Milton byibasiye leta ya Florida mu cyumweru gishize.

Iki kigendajuru bahise bakinjiza ahantu hatekanye mbere y’iyi miyaga n’imvura, ariko ubu abahanga b’aho gihagurukira kuri Cape Canaveral bemeje ko gihaguruka uyu munsi tariki 14 Ukwakira saa 12:06 ku isaha yaho, biraba ari saa 18:06 i Mamfu mu Burundi no ku Muhero wa Katarara mu Rwanda.

Professor Mark Fox-Powell, inzobere mu binyabuzima bito cyane ku mibumbe wo kuri Open University mu Bwongereza ati: “Nituvumbura ubuzima kure cyane y’izuba kuriya, bizaba bisobanuye inkomoko itandukanye y’ubuzima ku Isi.

“Byaba ari ibintu bikomeye, kuko ibyo biramutse bibayeho kabiri muri ‘solar system’, byaba bisobanuye ko ubuzima buriho n’ahandi”.

Ku ntera ya kilometero miliyari 6.2, Europa irutaho ukwezi kwacu, ariko aho niho gusa kwabyo kurangirira.

Urubura ruri ku buso bw’uku kwezi bufite ubunini bwa 25km kandi munsi yarwo hashobora kuba hari inyanja nini cyane. Hashobora kandi kuba hari ibinyabutabire bihagije ngo habeho ubuzima.

Mu myaka ya 1970 ni bwo abahanga muri siyanse babonye ko Europa ishobora kubaho ubuzima, icyo gihe barebeshaga indebakure (telescope) iri muri leta ya Arizona babona amazi y’urubura.

Ibigendajuru Voyager 1 na 2 byafashe amafoto ya mbere yegereye Europa, maze mu 1995 ikigendajuru Galileo cya Nasa gica hafi ya Europa gifata amafoto ayegereye kurushaho.

Ayo yerekanye ubuso buriho imirongo y’ikigina kijya kuba umutuku, ibisate bishobora kuba birimo umunyu, n’ibice birimo ‘sulfur’ ahashobora kwakira ubuzima.

Indebakure ya James Webb nyuma yaje gufata amashusho yerekana ibisa n’ibishashi bishinze by’amazi kugera kuri 160km uvuye ku buso bw’uku kwezi.

Ariko nta butumwa buragera hafi hashoboka ya Europa ku buryo bubasha kuyibona no kuyiga neza.

Kuguruka mu mishinge miremire y’amazi

Ubu abahanga muri Nasa bizeye ko ibikoresho biri kuri Europa Clipper biziga imiterere y’uku kwezi kwose, kuguruka mu mishinge y’amazi no gufata bimwe mu bice bikugize byakoreshwa mu kukwiga kurushaho.

Profofessor Britney Schmidt, inzobere muri siyanse y’isi n’isanzure muri Cornell University muri Amerika, yafashije gukora imboni (laser) izabasha kureba icishije no mu rubura.

Yagize ati: “Mfite amatsiko kurusha bose yo kumva iriya mishinge y’amazi ya Europa. Amazi ari he? Urubura rwa Europa ruteye nk’urwo ku bice bimwe byo munsi y’ubutaka bw’isi, hamwe n’imiterere y’ibisate bigize isi – tuzareba muri ibyo bice tubyigeho”.

Igikoresho yakoze, bise Reason, cyageragerejwe mu nyanja y’urubura ya Antarctica ku mpera y’epfo y’Isi.

Ariko bitandukanye n’Isi, ibikoresho byose biri kuri Europa Clipper bizahura n’igipimo kinini cyane cyimirasire (radiation), ibyo professor Britney Schmidt abona ko “biteye impungenge ikomeye”.

Iki kigendajuru kizanyura iruhande rwa Europa inshuro zigera kuri 50, buri nshuro, kizajya gikubitana na ‘radiation’ igera kuri miliyoni imwe ya X-rays.

Prof Schmidt avuga ko iki kigendajuru cyubatswe ku buryo bugifasha kwirinda mu buryo bushoboka iyo mirasire.

Iki kigendajuru ni cyo kinini kurusha ibindi byose cyubatswe kigiye gusura umubumbe kandi gifite urugendo rurerure imbere yacyo.

Kizagenda kilometero miliyoni zirenga 268, kizazenguruke (orbit) Isi na Mars kugira ngo gifate umuvuduko wo kwijugunya kure kuri ‘orbit’ ya Jupiter mu buryo abahanga bita ‘sling-shot effect’.

Ntabwo gishobora gutwara ibitoro bihagije byakijyana urwo rugendo rwose, bityo kizakoresha uburyo bwagereranya no ‘guhekwa’ k’uburyo Isi na Mars byikaraga.

Iki kigendajuru kizaca ku kitwa JUICE, ikindi kigendajuru cy’ikigo European Space Agency nacyo kizasura Europa mu nzira kirimo cyerekeza ku kundi kwezi kwa Jupiter kwitwa Ganeymede.

Mu 2030 ubwo Clipper izaba yegereye Europa izongera yatse moteri zayo kugira ngo ibashe kugera kuri ‘orbit’ nyayo izakoreraho akazi kayo.

Inzobere mu by’isanzure zirizigama iyo zivuga ku mahirwe yo kuvumbura ubuzima – ko batiteze ko bazavumburayo ibiremwa bimeze nk’abantu cyangwa inyamaswa.

Professor Michelle Dougherty wigisha ubugenge bw’isanzure muri Imperial College i London ati: “Turashakisha gusa ahashobora guturwa kandi uba ukeneye ibintu bine – amazi asukika, ahava ubushyuhe, n’ikintu cyajyamo ubuzima. Hanyuma ibyo bitatu biba bikeneye kuguma hamwe igihe gihagije kugira ngo hagire ikintu kibaho”.