General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - August 2016

Aug 2016

Jan 20, 2023

NASA-JAXA's Geotail Mission for Studying Earth Ends after 30 Years

The NASA-JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) Geotail spacecraft, which was involved in studying Earth's magnetosphere, the protective magnetic bubble of the planet finally came to an end after 30 long years in orbit.
The mission for this operation Geotail ended after the failure of the spacecraft's remaining data recorder. Although the spacecraft survived more than six times longer than it was planned.
The Geotail mission was launched on 24 July, 1992 from Cape Canaveral Fla./ Launch Complex 17 A. The spacecraft was launched in Delta 6925 (no. D212). In July 2012, Geotail marked 20 years of continuous operation.
The Geotail mission was a joint project of Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and later, from 2003, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA.

Jan 19, 2023

ISRO 'Shukrayaan' Mission to Planet Venus Shifted to 2031

P. Sreekumar, the Satish Dhawan Professor at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and advisor to its space science programme, stated that the organisation has not yet received approval from the Indian government for the Venus mission and that, as a result, the mission may be delayed until 2031. Shukrayaan I, the ISRO Venus mission, was scheduled to launch in December 2024. The concept was conceived in 2012; five years later, after the Department of Space got a 23% increase in the 2017–2018 budget, ISRO started preliminary investigations. In April 2017, the organisation requested payload proposals from research institutions.
Shukrayaan-I will be a mission for an orbiter. A high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and a ground-penetrating radar are two of its current scientific payloads. From an elliptical orbit, the mission will likely research Venus's geological and volcanic activities, emissions on the surface, wind speed, cloud cover, and other planetary features.

Jan 18, 2023

IISc and McGill University Detect Radio Signals

Astronomers from McGill University in Canada and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru used data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune to detect a radio signal originating from atomic hydrogen in an extremely distant galaxy.
According to an IISc, the astronomical distance over which such a signal has been picked up is the largest so far by a large margin. This is also the first confirmed detection of strong lensing of 21 cm emission from a galaxy.

Jan 16, 2023

J&K Gets Third X-Band Doppler Weather Radar for Better, Timely Forecasts

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Jitendra Singh virtually inaugurated X-Band Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Banihal Top along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
The DWR with a range of 100 kilometres is the third such facility installed in Jammu and Kashmir by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to provide better and improved weather services for timely forecasts, warnings and various weather data.
The event, which marked the 148th foundation day celebrations of the IMD, was attended virtually by Uttrakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh. On the occasion, DWR systems for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh were also inaugurated.

EU Inaugurated First Mainland Satellite Launch Port

The European Union wants to bolster its capacity to launch small satellites into space with a new launchpad in Arctic Sweden.
European officials and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf inaugurated the EU's first mainland orbital launch complex during a visit to Sweden by members of the European Commission, which is the 27-nation bloc's executive arm.
The new facility at Esrange Space Center near the city of Kiruna should complement the EU's current launching capabilities in French Guiana.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said small satellites are crucial to track natural disasters in real time and, in the light of Russia's war in Ukraine, to help guarantee global security.

US, Japan Sign Pact at NASA Headquarters for Deep Space Exploration

The US space agency and Japan signed an agreement that builds on a long history of collaboration in space exploration between the two nations.
From low-Earth orbit to the Moon and beyond, Japan is one of NASA's most significant international partners.
This latest framework agreement will allow us to further collaborate across our agencies' broad portfolios in exploration, science, and research.
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa signed the agreement at the NASA headquarters

Jan 12, 2023

Scientists Discover Earth-Sized Planet in the Habitable Zone

Scientists from NASA discovered an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone, where liquid water could potentially exist on its surfaces. The scientists used NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and identified an Earth-size world, called TOI 700 e. The world is 95 per cent Earth's size and likely rocky.
Astronomers previously discovered three planets in this system, called TOI 700 b, c, and d. Planet d also orbits in the habitable zone. But scientists needed an additional year of TESS observations to discover TOI 700 e.

Start Me Up UK Space Mission that Failed

The historic space mission 'Start Me Up' that took off from Cornwall ended in bitter disappointment after a rocket carrying the first satellites launched from British soil failed to reach orbit and was lost.
To whoops and cheers from a crowd that had gathered at Spaceport Cornwall to watch the launch, a converted Boeing 747 called Cosmic Girl took off and headed out across the Atlantic.
It successfully released its rocket, called LauncherOne, carrying a payload of nine satellites off the south coast of Ireland.
But shortly after Virgin Orbit, which led the mission, announced there had been "an anomaly" and the rocket failed to reach the required altitude.
The rocket and satellites were lost but the UK Space Agency insisted they posed no danger and were expected to burn or break up over the north Atlantic. The 747 returned to Cornwall safely.
The Start Me Up mission was heralded as the start of a new space era for the UK.

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