Ikigega c'amazi catowe kure cane mu kuzimu mu bibuye vy'umubumbe wa Mars

    • Umwanditsi, Victoria Gill
    • Igikorwa, Science correspondent, BBC News

Abahinga batoye ikigega c'amazi atemba kuri Mars - kure cane mu kuzimu kw'uwo mubumbe.

Ivyatowe vyavuye mu mwihwezo mushasha w'amakuru atangwa n'ikigendajuru Mars Insight Lander ca Nasa, cashitse kuri uno mubumbe mu 2018.

Iki kigendajuru cari gifise icuma co gupima nyamugigima/imitingito y'imibumbe (seismograph), cegeranije amakuru y'ingene uno mubumbe wagenda unyiganyiga - mu kiringo c'imyaka ine - mu kizwi nka nyamugigima ya Mars - imbere cane muri uno mubumbe utukura.

Umwihwezo w'izi nyamugigima - n'ingene uno mubumbe unyiganyiga - wagaragaje ibimenyetso vy'ukunyiganyiga kw'amazi atemba.

Mu gihe biboneka ko ku mpera zawo (poles) hari amazi atemba kandi n'umwuka mu kirere cawo, ni bwo bwa mbere hatowe amazi kuri uno mubumbe.

Ivyavuye muri ubu bushakashatsi vyatangajwe mu kinyamakuru c'ubuhinga Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Urugendo rw'iki kigendajuru rwarangiye muri Kigarama (12) 2022, inyuma yo kwicara kikumviriza ingene "uno mubumbe wa Mars utera" mu kiringo c'imyaka ine.

Muri ico gihe, ubu bushakashatsi bwabonye ko habaye nyamugigima zirenga 1319.

Mu gupima umuvuduko w'imipfunda y'izi nyamugigima, abahinga barashoboye gutora ubwoko bw'ibintu yashobora kuba igenda iracamwo.

Umwigisha wa kaminuza Michael Manga wo kuri kaminuza ya Berkeley, muri California yagize uruhara muri ubu bushakashatsi agira ati: "Ubu ni bumwe mu buryo dukoresha mu kurondera amazi kw'Isi, canke mu kurondera peteroli na gaze".

Uno mwihwezo werekanye ibigega vy'amazi mu kuzimu cane hafi ku birometero biri hagati ya bitandatu na 12 muri Mars.

Dr Vashan Wright, wo mu kigo Scripps Institute of Oceanography cegukira ishure kaminuza ya California i San Diego, yari arongoye ubu bushakashatsi, agira ati: "Gutahura ibijanye n'amazi kuri Mars ni ikintu ngirakamaro mu gutahura ihindagurika ry'ikirere, kuri uwo mubumbe n'imbere muri muri wo".

Prof Manga yongerako ko amazi cari "ikintu ca mbere nyamukuru mu kugene umubumbe wagiye urabaho". Ivyavuye muri ubu bushakashatsi, nk'uko abivuga, vyishura ikibazo nyamukuru kivuga ngo "ano mazi yose ya Mars aja he?".

Ubushakashatsi bwakozwe ku butaka bwa Mars - hamwe n'imiyoboro n'imigezi yayo - bwerekana ko, mu bihe vya kera, uno mubumbe wigeze kuba ufise inzuzi n'ibiyaga.

Ariko kuva mu myaka ingana n'imiriyaridi zitatu, uno mubumbe ni ubugaragwa.

Amwe muri ano mazi yatakariye mu kirere igihe Mars itakaza igisenge ikirere (atmosphere) cayo. Ariko nk'uko Prof Manga abivuga, hano kw'Isi, "menshi mu mazi yacu ari mu kuzimu, rero nta mvo n'imwe yotuma bitaba nk'uko kuri Mars".

Ubushakashatsi bw'ikigendajuru Insight bwashoboye gupima munsi y'aho cari gihagaze gusa , ariko abashakashatsi biteze ko hari hazomenyekana n'ibindi bigega nk'ibi mu mubumbe wose. Rero nimba bimeze uko, bagereranya ko hari amazi atemba kuri Mars akwiye ku buryo yiretse ku butaka yogira ibenga ry'imetero zirenga 800.

Hagati aho, bavuga ko iyi nkuru y'amazi mu kuzimu kwa Mars atari inkuru nziza ku batunzi ruhebwa basanzwe bafise imigambi yo kuja kuba kuri Mars bokwifuza kwimba amazi kuri uno mubumbe.

Prof Manga yabwiye BBC News ati: "Yugaraniwe mu bibuye ku birometero 10-20 musi y'ubutaka.

"Kwimba ikinogo c'ibirometero cumi uja mu kuzimu kuri Mars - naho yoba ari [Elon] Musk - coba ikintu kigoye cane".

Ivyatowe bishobora kandi kwerekeza ku yindi ntego mu bushakashatsi bwo bubandanya kurondera ibimenyetso vy'uko haba ubuzima kuri Mars.

Prof Manga agira ati: "Ata mazi atemba, ntushobora kubaho. Niba rero kuri Mars hari ahaba ibinyabuzima, ivyo bishobora kuba biri kure cane mu kuzimu".