General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - October 2015

Oct 2015

Aug 04, 2019

Godrej Security unveils robotic locker 'Autovault'

Godrej Security Solutions (GSS) has introduced a robotic locker 'Autovault.' "The robotic locker is modern and sophisticated.
It easy to install and requires less space," said Pushkar Gokhale, vice-president-head, B2B, Godrej Security Solutions. "Currently, the technology is being imported from Japan," he said.

New Isro Centre To Protect High-Value Space Assets

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has laid the foundation stone for a centre to monitor and protect high value space assets from space debris in Bengaluru.
The Space Situation Awareness and Management Centre will use the data from indigenous observation facilities, analyse it and generate useful tracking information. Isro has doubled the number of missions planned over a span of two years.
Space objects in the orbit around the Earth are also on the rise, increasing the need for tracking.
As of January 2019, space objects with a mass of nearly 8,400 tonnes were in the Earth orbit. About 22,300 debris objects are tracked by various space agencies, according to the European Space Agency. Of these, India currently has 97 satellites (functional or non-functional) in orbit, 38 rocket bodies, and 120 pieces of debris

Aug 03, 2019

Airtel Looks to Phase Out 3G

As per reports, Bharti Airtel would shut down its 3G network across India's 22 telecom circles by March 2020, and increase its focus on providing 4G services.
Process of shutting down was started the process last month, when the company wound down the 3G network in the Kolkata circle.
Vodafone Idea continues to provide 2G, 3G and 4G services.

Aug 01, 2019

ISpace Plans up to 8 Launches Next Year

Beijing-based startup iSpace is planning up to eight commercial rocket launches next year, after becoming China's first privately funded firm to put a satellite into orbit.
iSpace's success turned up the heat on the country's other 15-plus startups to develop vehicles capable of delivering satellites into orbit. Since late last year, two other firms have attempted but failed.
China envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Reliable, low-cost and frequent deployment by private firms would be key.

Jul 30, 2019

Chandrayaan 2

According to ISRO, the orbit of Chandrayaan-2 around the Earth was raised for a third time to reach a highly elliptical orbit of 276 x 71792 km. The on-board propulsion system was fired for 989 seconds.
The third manoeuvre was completed successfully and the spacecraft parameters are all normal for now.
The propulsion systems have to be fired two more times on August 2 and 6 (2019) to increase the apogee or the point on the orbit farthest from the Earth.
A total of six manoeuvres had been planned in the 23-day duration that Chandrayaan 2 would spend going around the earth – one to increase the perigee or the point on the orbit closest to the Earth and five others to the apogee.
However, the rocket carrying Chandrayaan 2, India's heaviest GSLV Mark III, "over-performed" on the day of the launch giving a boost of 6,000 km to the spacecraft.
This reduced the number of manoeuvres to five – one to increase the perigee and four to increase the apogee – till the spacecraft left Earth-orbit and started its journey towards the moon.
The spacecraft will be injected in a trans-lunar orbit (orbit between Earth and moon) on August 14, 2019 with the parameters 266 x 4,13,623 km. The spacecraft is scheduled to reach a lunar orbit of August 20, 2019.

Reliance Jio Launches 'Jio Saarthi'

Reliance Jio launched a digital assistant 'Jio Saarthi' to make it easier for users to recharge online. The voice assistant has been integrated in Reliance's MyJio app and supports Hindi and English languages for now. Reliance plans to add 12 regional languages in the near future.
The Jio Saarthi voice assistant essentially guides users through every step of making an online recharge.
For instance, it helps locate where to tap to enter card details or how to find your card number or expiry date and where to enter it. While the feature has been integrated within the MyJio app, Reliance Jio would send a notification to users who have never done an online recharge.

Jul 27, 2019

Indian Scientists Discover New Milky Way Stars

A team of scientists at Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital has identified 28 new variable stars in the halo or outer part of the Milky Way galaxy, nearly 60,000 light years away in the constellation Coma Berenices, visible in the northern night sky.
The brightness of variable stars fluctuates with time due to change in emitted light, with the periodic swelling and shrinking of stars changing the quantum of light reaching earth.
Using a powerful 3.6-metre optical telescope, the Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), the scientists conducted photometric observations to discover the stars.
The stars were found in globular cluster NGC 4147; a globular cluster is a large but compact cluster of stars around a galactic core and is spherical in shape. Typically a globular cluster has very old stars.
The detailed findings are to be published in next month's Astronomical Journal.
The halo of a galaxy is a nearly spherical region surrounding the galaxy like diffuse light when seen from a distance. Only about 1% of a galaxy's mass resides in its halo area, and coupled with low brightness, the observation of stars in halos is very difficult. This is why our finding holds much significance.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

October GK, September GK, August GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services and Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26