I-NASA ye-Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), iphulo lokuqala lehlabathi elipheleleyo lokuvavanya itekhnoloji yokukhusela uMhlaba kwiingozi ezinokubakho kwi-asteroid okanye kwi-comet, yasungulwa ngoLwesithathu ngo-1:21 am EST SpaceX I-Falcon 9 rocket evela kwi-Space Launch Complex 4 East eVandenberg Space Force Base eCalifornia.
Inxalenye nje enye NASAIsicwangciso esikhulu sokhuselo lweplanethi, i-DART - eyakhiwe kwaye ilawulwa yi-Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) eLaurel, eMaryland - iya kuba nefuthe kwi-asteroid eyaziwayo engeyongozi kuMhlaba. Injongo yayo kukutshintsha kancinci intshukumo yeasteroid ngendlela enokulinganiswa ngokuchanekileyo kusetyenziswa iiteleskopu ezisekelwe emhlabeni.
I-DART iya kubonisa ukuba isiphekepheke siyakwazi ukuzihambela sisiya kwindawo ekujoliswe kuyo kwaye singqubane nayo ngabom-indlela yokuphambuka ebizwa ngokuba yi-kinetic impact. Uvavanyo luya kubonelela ngedatha ebalulekileyo ukunceda ukulungiselela ngcono i-asteroid enokuthi ibangele ingozi yempembelelo kuMhlaba, ukuba umntu unokufunyanwa. I-LICIACube, i-CubeSat ekhwele i-DART ebonelelwa yi-Italian Space Agency (ASI), iya kukhutshwa ngaphambi kwempembelelo ye-DART ukuze ibambe imifanekiso yempembelelo kunye nesiphumo selifu lezinto ezikhutshiweyo. Malunga neminyaka emine emva kwempembelelo ye-DART, iprojekthi ye-ESA's (European Space Agency) iHera iya kwenza uphando oluneenkcukacha zazo zombini ii-asteroids, kugxilwe ngokukodwa kwicrater eshiywe kukungqubana kwe-DART kunye nomiselo oluchanekileyo lobunzima beDimorphos.
"I-DART iguqula intsomi yesayensi ibe yinyani yesayensi kwaye ibubungqina bokusebenza kweNASA kunye nokuqamba izinto ezintsha ukuze kuxhamle wonke umntu," utshilo. NASA Umlawuli uBill Nelson. Ukongeza kuzo zonke iindlela iNASA efunda ngayo indalo yethu kunye neplanethi yethu yasekhaya, sikwasebenzela ukukhusela eli khaya, kwaye olu vavanyo luya kunceda ukubonisa indlela enye esebenzayo yokukhusela iplanethi yethu kwi-asteroid eyingozi ukuba unokufunyanwa ukuba lisingise eMhlabeni.”
Nge-2:17 am, i-DART yahlukana nenqanaba lesibini lerokhethi. Kwimizuzu kamva, abaqhubi bemishini bafumana idatha yetelemetry yesiphekepheke sokuqala kwaye baqalisa inkqubo yokuqhelanisa isiphekepheke kwindawo ekhuselekileyo yokubeka izintlu zelanga. Malunga neyure ezimbini emva koko, isiphekepheke sagqiba ukutyhilwa okuyimpumelelo kwezimbini zaso, eziziimitha ezingama-28 ubude, nokukhutshwa kwemitha yelanga. Baza kunika amandla isiphekepheke kunye ne-NASA ye-Evolutionary Xenon Thruster-injini ye-ion yoRhwebo, enye yeetekhnoloji ezininzi ezivavanywayo kwi-DART ukuze zisetyenziswe kwixesha elizayo kwimishini yasemkhathini.
