Kuluhlu lweminqweno ye-astronomeros yeminyaka elishumi ezayo: iiteleskopu ezimbini ezinkulu kunye neteleskopu yasesithubeni ukukhangela ubomi obungaphaya koMhlaba kunye nehlabathi elinokuhlaleka.
Izazi ngeenkwenkwezi zaseMelika ngoLwesine zicele iUnited States ukuba ityale imali kwisizukulwana esitsha seeteleskopu “ezikhulu kakhulu” ezixabisa iibhiliyoni zeedola. Ezi teleskopu ziya kuba nkulu kunayo nayiphi na iteleskopu ekhoyo ngoku eMhlabeni okanye ekujikelezeni kwesibhakabhaka.
Olu tyalo-mali luya kufuna usindiso kunye nendibaniselwano yeenzame zeeprojekthi ezimbini ezikhuphisanayo, ezizezi, iteleskopu enkulu iMagellan kunye neteleskopu yeemitha ezingama-30. Yakuba igqityiwe, ubuntununtunu bezi teleskopu ezinobubanzi obuyi-condenser obuziimitha ezingama-25 kunye neemitha ezingama-30 ziya kuba malunga namaxesha ali-100 aphezulu kunayo nayiphi na iteleskopu esetyenziswayo ngoku.
Ziya kunceda izazi ngeenkwenkwezi zikwazi ukubona umbindi weminyele ethe qelele ekujuleni kwayo, apho imingxuma emikhulu emnyama izulazula khona ize ikhuphe amandla; phanda iimfihlelo zento emnyama kunye namandla amnyama; nokufunda iiplanethi ezijikeleze iinkwenkwezi ngaphandle kwelanga. Mhlawumbi okona kubaluleke ngakumbi, banokuphakamisa imibuzo emitsha malunga nobume bendalo iphela.
Kodwa izazi ngeenkwenkwezi bezizama ukuqokelela imali eyaneleyo iminyaka ukuze bafezekise amaphupha abo. Kwesi siphakamiso sitsha, iNational Science Foundation iza kubonelela nge-1.6 yeebhiliyoni zeedola zaseMelika ukuze kugqitywe ezi projekthi zimbini, ze emva koko zincede ukuziqhuba njengenxalenye yeprojekthi entsha ebizwa ngokuba yi-US Very Large Telescope.
NgoLwesine, izazi ngeenkwenkwezi ziye zabongoza i-NASA ukuba iqalise inkqubo entsha yokujonga ubuchwephesha kunye nenkqubo yokuvuthwa kwetekhnoloji, eya kuthi iphuhlise uthotho lwe-astrophysics spacecraft kwiminyaka engama-20 ukuya kwengama-30 ezayo. Eyokuqala yiteleskopu yokukhanya enkulu kuneHubble Space Telescope, enokukhangela kwaye ifunde iiplanethi ezisemhlabeni kwindalo ekufutshane-enokwenzeka “exo-Earth” enokuhlaleka. Izazi ngeenkwenkwezi zithi kuphela iNASA enokwenza oku, kwaye yabonisa ukuba inokuba ilungile ngo-2040 ngexabiso le-11 yeebhiliyoni zeedola zaseMelika.
Ezi ngcebiso zimbini zizona zinkulu kwingxelo yephepha le-614 elilinde ixesha elide "Iindlela zokuFumana kwi-Astronomy kunye ne-Astrophysics kwi-2020s" ekhutshwe yi-National Academy of Sciences, i-Academy of Engineering, kunye neSikole seMithi ngoLwesine.
Kwiminyaka engama-70 edlulileyo, rhoqo kwiminyaka eyi-10, i-academy iye yaxhasa uphando malunga noluntu lwe-astronomy ukuze kubekwe izinto eziphambili kwizinto ezinkulu kwiminyaka elishumi ezayo. Njengoko sonke siyazi, uphando lweminyaka elishumi luye lwatsala ingqalelo yeCongress, NASA, iSiseko seSayensi yeSizwe, kunye neSebe lezaMandla.
Umsebenzi walo nyaka lisebe leAstronomy nguFiona A. Harrison waseCalifornia Institute of Technology kunye noRobert C. Astronomy weYunivesithi yaseArizona kunye neTexas A&M University. Kwangeniswa amaphepha amhlophe angama-860 kuphando, echaza iiteleskopu ezinokubakho, uthumo lwasemkhathini ekufuneka luqaliswe, imifuniselo okanye uqwalaselo ekufuneka lwenziwe, kunye neentlobo ngeentlobo zemiba ekufuneka iqwalaselwe luluntu lwenzululwazi ngeenkwenkwezi.
UGqr. Harrison uthe kudliwano-ndlebe ukuba ikomiti yabo izamile ukulinganisa phakathi kwamabhongo kunye nexesha kunye nemali efunekayo kwezi projekthi. Ngokomzekelo, iingcamango ezininzi malunga neziphekepheke zokuhlola iplanethi ziye zandululwa. Ezinye zikhulu kakhulu, ezinye zincinci kakhulu; abanye kuthabatha inkulungwane ukuphumeza. Iqela alizange likhethe namnye kubo, kodwa licele uluntu kunye neNASA ukuba beze nombono weteleskopu yesithuba esiziimitha ezi-6. (Isipili sokuqala seHubbleos siziimitha ezi-2.4 ububanzi.)
“Olu luphononongo olunamabhongo,” wongeze watsho. “YiNASA kuphela kwaye yiUnited States kuphela enokwenza oku. Sikholelwa ukuba singayenza.”
UMat Mountain, usihlalo we-Association for University Astronomy Research (AURA), eqhuba i-observatory yeSiseko seSayensi yeSizwe, ichaze ingxelo yeminyaka elishumi "njengesibindi kakhulu" kwi-imeyile. Kwaye abazange bayeke ukucacisa umbono amashumi eminyaka, eyona nto ifunekayo kwaye kufuneka ithathe.
Uphando lweminyaka elishumi lunerekhodi eyimpumelelo. IHubble Space Telescope kunye neJames Webb Space Telescope, ezasungulwa ngo-1990 kwaye zisasebenza-eyilwe ukubona ukuqala kwexesha, kwaye zicwangciselwe ukusungulwa kwinyanga ezayo-zixhamle kumanqanaba aphezulu kuvavanyo lweminyaka elishumi edlulileyo. .
Ke ngoko, i-astronomy kunye ne-astrophysics uluntu lulindele ngolangazelelo iziphumo zophando olutsha ngalunye. "Ikomiti ibisoloko iyimfihlo," utshilo uNatalie Batalha, unjingalwazi kwiYunivesithi yaseCalifornia, eSanta Cruz, kwi-imeyile ngobusuku bengxelo. WayekwiPlanethi yeNASAos Kepler. Udlale indima ephambili kumsebenzi wokukhangela. “Ukunyaniseka, andizange ndive nto. Andikwazi kulinda ukulinda.”
Kwingxelo yayo ngoLwesine, ikholeji idwelise iinjongo ezintathu zenzululwazi ngokubanzi kwiminyaka elishumi ezayo: ukukhangela iiplanethi ezinokuhlalwa kunye nobomi; uphononongo lwemingxuma emnyama kunye neenkwenkwezi ze-neutron, eziyimbangela yeziganeko ezinobundlobongela kwindalo; kunye nophuhliso lweminyele. Ukukhula kunye nendaleko.
Le ngxelo ithi: “Kumashumi ambalwa eminyaka alandelayo kuza kubeka uluntu kwindlela yokubona enoba sisodwa kusini na.” “Ubomi eMhlabeni busenokuba ngumphumo wenkqubo efanayo, okanye busenokufuna uthotho lwemekobume engaqhelekanga esiSikuphela kwesidalwa esikumnyele nakwindalo iphela. Nayiphi na impendulo inzulu.”
Umbono weprojekthi yeTelescope enkulu kakhulu ngamabhongo kuba ibandakanya umxube weeprojekthi ezimbini zeteleskopu ezikhuphisanayo, ezizezi, iteleskopu yeemitha ezingama-30 ecetyelwe ukuya phezulu eMauna Kea eHawaii okanye kwiZiqithi zaseCanary eSpain, kunye netheleskopu enkulu eqhubekayo iMagellan. eChile.
Zombini iiteleskopu yintsebenziswano enkulu yamazwe ngamazwe kunye nephupha lemveliso yokunyusa imali kunye nokugaya amahlakani kule minyaka ilishumi idlulileyo. Umthamo wezi teleskopu zimbini umalunga nezihlandlo ezithathu kunayo nayiphi na iteleskopu eseMhlabeni, yaye amandla okubona iinkwenkwezi ezibuthathaka nezikude kwindalo iphela buphinda kayi-100 ubukhulu bayo. Ngokusebenzisana, banokucombulula imibuzo enzulu ngendalo iphela. Kodwa akukho projekthi inyuse imali eyaneleyo ngaphezulu kwe-2 yeebhiliyoni zeerandi ezifunekayo ukufezekisa iinjongo zayo.
Ukuba ezi teleskopu azikwazi ukwakhiwa, iYurophu iya kunikela ubunkokeli bayo kwi-astronomy ye-terrestrial eYurophu, eyakha i-telescope yeemitha ezingama-39 e-Chileos Atacama Desert-i-European Very Large Telescope-okulindeleke ukuba iqalise ukusebenza kwi-2027. Ezinye izazi ngeenkwenkwezi ziye zathelekisa ukurhoxiswa kweprojekthi ye-Superconducting Supercollider yaseMelika ka-1993, eyanika ikamva le-particle physics kwi-CERN kunye ne-Large Hadron Collider e-Geneva.
Ukuba iSiseko seSayensi seSizwe sityala imali ekugqityweni kwezi teleskopu zimbini, siya kufumana isixa esikhulu sexesha lokuphonononga, eliya kwabelwa izazi ngeenkwenkwezi zaseMelika.
UGqr. Harrison wathi: “Ezi teleskopu zimbini zikwiindawo ezichaseneyo yaye zineendlela eziyilwe ngazo ezahlukeneyo. Zifaneleke kakhulu kwizifundo ezihambelanayo zendalo iphela.” "Akukho ngqiqweni ukucinga ukuba iUnited States ayizukwazi ukuyifumana."
Imingeni emikhulu isilindile. Iqela elikhulu le-Magellan liye laphuka eChile, kodwa inkqubela ye-telescope yeemitha ezingama-30 iye yathintelwa luqhanqalazo kunye neebhloko zomthonyama waseHawaii kunye namanye amaqela. Isiza esisesinye sonyulwa eLa Palma, kwiZiqithi zaseCanary.
Njengoko kugxininiswa ngoku kwiziseko ezingundoqo kunye nohlahlo lwabiwo-mali lwenzululwazi oluhlala lusanda, izazi ngeenkwenkwezi zinethemba lokuba iinkwenkwezi ziya kuhambelana nombono wazo onesibindi. Kodwa baye bakhathazwa yimbali yokunyuka kweendleko. Eyona nto iphawulekayo yiJames Webb Space Telescope. Emva kweminyaka yokulibaziseka, iteleskopu ekugqibeleni iya kumiselwa ngoDisemba ngexabiso lokugqibela le-10 yeebhiliyoni zeedola.
"Konke oku kugutyungelwe yi-JWST-isicwangciso sonke siya kusekelwa kwimpumelelo yayo," utshilo uMichael Turner, isazi ngendalo kunye negqala lophando lweminyaka elishumi ngoku osebenza kwiKavli Foundation eLos Angeles. "Iminwe iqhiniwe."
Ungaze uphoswe kukusithwa kwelanga yinyanga, iishawari zemeteor, ukuqaliswa kweerokethi okanye naziphi na ezinye iziganeko zeenkwenkwezi kunye nezasesibhakabhakeni ngaphaya kweli hlabathi.
Ixesha lokuposa: Nov-15-2021
