General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - October 2016

Oct 2016

Oct 27, 2022

NASA Kicks Off Study to Unravel Unidentified Aerial Phenomena or UFOs

NASA kicked off a study to help scientists learn more about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) or UFOs (unidentified flying objects).
Over the course of nine months, the independent study team with 16 members would lay the groundwork for future study on the nature of UAPs for NASA and other organisations.
The team includes leading scientists, data and AI practitioners, aerospace safety experts, and other experts in their respective fields.
The study will focus solely on unclassified data. A full report containing the team's findings will be released to the public in mid-2023.

Govt. Unveils New Policy Reforms for Satellite Communication Services

The government unveiled new policy reforms for satellite communications services to ease procedures and streamline clearances to expedite the rollout of Satcom across the country, especially in remote areas.
Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw exhorted the industry to increase tower deployments for a speedy 5G rollout.
The current pace of tower deployment needs to increase from 2,500 towers a week to 10,000 towers per week, he said.
The government has done its bit in ushering in reforms, and it is now up to the industry to show its commitment.

Oct 26, 2022

ISRO Launches 36 Satellites in 1st Commercial Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched its heaviest rocket Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, putting in orbit 36 satellites of UK-based OneWeb satellite communications company.
The launch of the LVM-3 — with its largest ever payload of 5,796 kg also marked India's entry into the global commercial launch service market.
All the 36 satellites were injected into the orbits around 75 minutes after the rocket blasted off from the Sriharikota.
OneWeb is the UK-based customer of New Space India Ltd (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, and a global communication network powered from space, enabling internet connectivity for governments and businesses. Bharti Enterprises is one of the major investors in OneWeb.

IIT-Madras and NASA Researchers Study Microbes on Space Station

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) researchers studied the interactions between microbes in the International Space Station (ISS).
A key finding is that a microbe that resides on the ISS, was found to be beneficial to various other microorganisms but hampered the growth of a fungus.
The study would help devise strategies for the disinfection of space stations to minimise any potential impact of microbes on the health of astronauts.
"Crews, during spaceflight, may have altered immunity and limited access to terrestrial medical facilities. Therefore, studying the microbes inhabiting the space station becomes important to understand the risks associated with short-term and long-term space travel on the health of astronauts," the IIT-Madras said in a press release.
The present study was inspired by the earlier observations of the dominance of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacteria, on the surfaces of the ISS.

Oct 23, 2022

Sankarasubramanian Named Principal Scientist of ISRO's Aditya-L1 Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation designated Sankarasubramanian. K as the Principal Scientist of the Aditya-L1 mission. Aditya-L1 is the first observatory-class space-based solar mission from India. Sankarasubramanian has contributed to AstroSat, Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions of ISRO in several capacities.
Aditya-L1 is the first observatory-class space-based solar mission from India. The spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system.
A satellite around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultation/eclipses. This position provides a greater advantage of observing solar activities continuously.
Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle detectors.

Oct 22, 2022

Chandrayaan-3 Launch in June: ISRO Chairman

ISRO plans to launch Chandrayaan-3, its third mission to the moon, in June next year with a more robust lunar rover onboard which is crucial for future inter-planetary explorations. The space agency has also lined up the first test flight of the 'abort mission' for Gaganyaan, the country's first human spaceflight, early next year.
"Chandrayaan-3 (C-3) launch will be in June next year onboard the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3)," said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S. Somnath. He said that ISRO plans to fly Indian astronauts into orbit by the end of 2024 after carrying out successful abort missions and uncrewed test flights.
India's maiden attempt to land a rover on the moon ended in failure after the Vikram lander onboard the Chandrayaan-2 mission crashed on the surface of the moon in September 2019.

Oct 21, 2022

PM Launches India's 'Mission DefSpace'

With an aim to harness India's power in space to not just benefit the people of the country, but to the entire globe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 'DefSpace Mission' with 75 Challenges at DefExpo2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The space programme aims to develop innovative solutions for the Defence Forces through industry & start-ups. Importantly, the initiative will prepare India for future possibilities in space domain and will also increase the country's preparation further.
Highlighting that space technology is shaping new definitions of India's generous space diplomacy, and giving rise to new possibilities, the Prime Minister said that there are more than 60 developing countries with whom India is sharing its space science. Many African countries and many other small countries are benefiting from this.

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