Ikibazo kiri mu bitekerezo byabo ahubwo ni: Ni ryari tuzabubona?
Benshi bizeye kuboneka kw’ibimenyetso by’ubuzima kure cyane yacu muri iki gihe cyacu – birashoboka ko ari mu myaka ya vuba iri imbere.
Umuhanga umwe muri siyanse ukuriye ‘mission’ yo kuri Jupiter, arenga aho akavuga ko “byaba bitunguranye” habaye nta buzima buri kuri amwe mu mezi (ukwezi) ariho urubura.
Indebakure James Webb ya NASA izwi nka James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) iherutse kubona ibimenyetso bisa n’akanunu k’ubuzima ku mubumbe utari mu gice uwacu ubamo cy’iyizenguruka inyenyeri y’Izuba kizwi nka ‘solar system’, iyi ndebakuru kandi ibona indi mibumbe myinshi cyane.
Ubutumwa ‘missions’ bwinshi burimo kuba cyangwa buri hafi gutangira mu gutanguranwa gushya kuvumbura ikintu gitegerejwe cyane muri iki gihe cyacu.
Prof Catherine Heymans, inzobere mu by’isanzure yo muri Scotland ati: “Tuba mu isanzure idafite iherezo, ifite inyenyeri n’imibumbe bitagira iherezo. Kandi bibonekera benshi muri twe ko tudashobora kuba ari twe gusa buzima bw’ubwenge buhari gusa.
“Ubu dufite ikoranabuhanga n’ubushobozi bwo gusubiza ikibazo cyo kumenya niba turi twenyine muri cosmos.”
- ‘Goldilocks zone’
Indebakure ubu zibasha gusesengura ibirere (atmospheres) by’imibumbe izenguruka inyenyeri za kure cyane yacu, zireba ibinyabutabire – byibuze ku Isi – bitangwa n’ibinyabuzima biriho.
Igishashi cya mbere cy’ubu buvumbuzi cyabonetse mu ntangiriro z’ukwezi gushize kwa Nzeri (9). Igisa n’ikimenyetso cy’umwuka – uwo ku Isi – ukorwa n’ibinyabuzima byo mu nyanja cyabonetse mu kirere cy’umubumbe K2-18b, uri mu ntera y’ibirometero miliyari miliyoni 1.1 kure yacu.
Uwo mubumbe uri mu gice abahanga mu isanzure bita ‘Goldilocks zone’ – ku ntera ihagije uvuye ku nyenyeri yawo ku buryo ufite ibipimo by’ubushyuhe byakwakira ubuzima, ibice bimwe by’ikirere cy’uyu mubumbe nabyo byerekanye ko hashobora kuba hari amazi, ingenzi mu kwakira ubuzima.
Mu gihe cy’umwaka umwe itsinda rikoresha JWST ryiteze kumenya niba ako kanunu k’ibimenyetso ari ntashidikanywaho cyangwa se karagiye.
Prof Nikku Madhusudhan wo muri Institute of Astronomy ya Cambridge University mu Bwongereza wayoboye ubwo bushakashatsi, yambwiye ko niba ako kanunu kagumyeho kakemezwa “byahindura cyane uburyo dutekereza mu gushakisha ubuzima ahandi”.
Ati: “Nitubona ibimenyetso by’ubuzima ku mubumbe wa mbere ubu turimo kwigaho, bizazamura amahirwe ko ubuzima bushobora kuba buri n’ahandi henshi mu isanzure.”
Ateganya ko mu myaka itanu hazaba hari “impinduka ikomeye” mu buryo dutekerezamo ubuzima mu isanzure.
Niba itsinda rye ritabonye ibimenyetso by’ubuzima kuri K2-18b, bafite indi mibumbe 10 muri Goldilocks zone iri ku rutonde rw’iyo bagomba kwiga – ndetse ishobora kongerwaho indi myinshi nyuma yayo.
Ati: “Yewe tutagize n’icyo tubona byatanga ibitekerezo by’ingenzi ku buzima bushobora kuba bwarabayeho kuri iyo mibumbe”.
Umushinga we ni umwe muri myinshi irimo gukorwa cyangwa itegurwa mu myaka micye iri imbere yo gushakisha ibimenyetso by’ubuzima mu isanzure. Bamwe bashakira muri ‘solar system’ yacu – abandi kure cyane mu isanzure.
Nubwo indebakure JWST ifite imbaraga nyinshi cyane, ariko ifite aho zigarukira. Ingano y’Isi no kuba ituriye izuba bituma ibasha gutanga ubuzima. Ariko indebakure JWST ntabwo ibasha kureba ku mibumbe ya kure cyane mitoya nk’isi (K2-18b ikubye Isi inshuro umunani) cyangwa hafi y’inyenyeri igaragiye, kubera urumuri rwinshi.
Bityo NASA irimo gutegura icyo yise Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), iteganyijwe gutangira mu myaka ya 2030. Izakoresha tekinoloji ihambaye yo gukingira imirasire, mu kugabanya urumuri ruva ku nyenyeri (nk’Izuba) umubumbe runaka ugaragiye. Bivuze ko izabasha kubona no kwiga ku kirere cy’imibumbe nk’uko yakwiga ikirere cy’uyu wacu.
Undi mushinga w’ubushakashatsi uzaza mu mpera z’iki kinyacumi cy’imyaka ni Indebakure yitwa Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) y’ikigo European Southern Observatory (ESO) izaba iri ku butaka bwo mu butayu muri Chile ireba mu kirere gicyenkemuye cyaho.
Ifite indorerwamo nini kurusha izindi zose zigeze zubakwa ku byuma nk’ibi, n’umurambararo wa metero 39 izabasha kubona ibintu byinshi mu birere (atmospheres) z’imibumbe ya kure kurusha izayibanjirije.
Iyi mishinga itatu y’indebakure zisesengura yose ikoresha tekinike, yakoreshejwe n’abahanga mu butabire (chimie) mu myaka amagana ishize, yo gutandukanya ibinyabutabire bigize ikintu bahereye ku rumuri rukivaho.
Izo ndebakure zifite imbaraga zikomeye ku buryo zikora ibyo ku kamuri kanzugurunya zibonye mu kirere cy’umubumbe uzenguruka inyenyeri, mu ntera y’ibirometero miliyari miliyoni nyinshi kure yacu.
- Gushakira hafi yacu
Mu gihe bamwe muri abo bashakashatsi bashakira ibimenyetso by’ubuzima ku mibumbe ya kure cyane, abandi bashakira hano mu gikari cyacu, ku mibumbe iri muri ‘solar system’ natwe turimo.
Hamwe mu hantu hacyekwa ubuzima ni kuri kumwe mu mezi (moons/lunes) k’umubumbe wa Jupiter witwa Europa. Ni isi nziza iriho imikoki ku butaka bwayo imize nk’imirongo yo ku ruhu rw’igisamagwe. Europa ifite inyanja munsi y’urubura rwo ku buso bwayo, ipfupfunukamo umwuka ukazamuka mu kirere cyayo.
Ubutumwa (mission) bwitwa Clipper bwa NASA hamwe n’ubwa European Space Agency (ESA) bwitwa Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) buzajya kuri Europa mu ntangiriro z’imyaka ya 2030.
Nyuma gato y’uko ubutumwa bwa Juice bwemejwe mu 2012, nabajije Prof Michelle Dougherty, umuhanga ukuriye ubu butumwa bw’Uburayi, niba atekereza ko hari impinduka mu gushakisha ubuzima ahandi. Yaransubije ati: “Byaba bitunguranye nta buzima buri kuri kumwe mu mezi y’urubura ya Jupiter.”
NASA kandi igiye kohereza ikigendajuru bise Dragonfly ngo kigwe kuri kumwe mu mezi y’umubumbe wa Saturn kwitwa Titan. Aho ni ku isi iriho ibiyaga n’ibicu bigizwe n’ibinyabutabire bikungahaye kuri carbon ituma Titan igira ibara rya oranje (orange) riteye ubwoba. Hamwe n’amazi ibyo binyabutabire bikekwa ko ari ingenzi ku buzima.
Umubumbe wa Mars ubu wo urakarishye cyane ku buryo wabaho ibinyabuzima, ariko inzobere muri astrobiology zibona ko uwo mubumbe wigeze kuba utoshye, ufite ikirere kirimo imyuka n’inyanja kandi ushoboye kubaho ubuzima.
Ikinyamitende Perseverance cya NASA ubu kiriyo gufata ibipimo mu mikoki minini bicyekwa ko cyera cyane yigeze kuba ari ingobyi z’imigezi. Ubutumwa butandukanye n’ubu buzajyayo mu myaka ya 2030 kuzana ibitare (ibibuye) byaho ku Isi ngo bisesengurwe ibimenyetso bito byose bishoboka by’ibyagaragaza ubuzima bwazimye cyane cyane.
- Aba-Aliens baba bagerageza kutuvugisha?
Bamwe mu bahanga muri siyanse babona iki kibazo nk’izingiro rya ‘science fiction’ (inkuru z’intekerezo z’ubuzima buteye imbere kandi buteye ukundi bwo ku yindi mibumbe) ndetse no kureba aho utagera, ariko ubushakashatsi ku mvumba za radio zo ku zindi Si z’aba-aliens bumaze imyaka za mirongo bukorwa, nibura bukorwa n’ikigo Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Isanzure ryose ni ahantu hanini cyane ho gushira, bityo aho abo bahanga ubu barebera ni aho bafata hato. Ariko ubushobozi bw’indebakure nka JWST ku kwerekana ahantu hashobora kuba haba ubuzima bwa ‘civilisations’ z’aba-alien buvuze ko ariho SETI yakwibanda.
Ibyo byazanye imbaraga nshya, nk’uko Dr Nathalie Cabrol wo mu kigo Carl Sagan Center cya SETI cyiga ku buzima mu isanzure abivuga.
Iki kigo cyavuguruye indebakure zacyo kandi ubu kirimo gukoresha ibikoresho bireba itumanaho rikoresha imirasire y’imbaraga iva ku mibumbe ya kure cyane.
Nk’umuhanga uzwi ko akomeye cyane muri astrobiology, Dr Cabrol yumva impamvu bamwe mu bahanga muri siyanse bashidikanya ku bushakashatsi bukorwa na SETI bushaka ‘signals’ (ibimenyetso).
Ariko Cabrol avuga ko gushaka ibimenyetso binyabutabire byo mu birere (atmospheres), gushakira mu bintu bica mu birere by’amezi atandukanye yewe no mu bimenyetso bito cyane ku mabuye yo kuri Mars, avuga ko byose bishobora gutanga ‘signals’ bashobora gufata.
Avuga ko gushakisha ‘signal’ “byakumvikana nk’uburyo bwa kure kurusha ubundi bwose buri gukoreshwa mu gushakisha ikimenyetso cy’ubuzima ahandi. Ariko bushobora kuba ari bwo bwabona ikimenyetso ntashidikanywaho kandi bishobora kubaho igihe icyo aricyo cyose.”
Dr Cabrol ati: “Tekereza tubonye ‘signal’ yo twabasha no kumva neza ibyayo.”
Mu myaka 30 ishize, nta kimenyetso twari dufite cy’imibumbe izenguruka izindi nyenyeri. Ubu irenga 5,000 yaravumbuwe, kandi abahanga muri ‘astronomy’ na ‘astrobiology’ babasha kuyiga kugeza ku tuntu dutoya cyane twayo.
Ibikenewe byose biri mu mwanya kuba haba ubuvumbuzi bushobora kuba itangiriro rishya, nk’uko Dr Subhajit Sarker wo kuri Cardiff University uri mu itsinda ryiga kuri K2-18b abivuga.
Ati: “Nitubona ikimenyetso cy’ubuzima, bizaba ari impinduramatwara muri siyanse kandi bizaba impinduka ikomeye cyane mu buryo muntu yibona ubwe n’umwanya we mu isanzure.” (BBC & NASA)
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