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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - January 2018

Jan 2018

Dec 23, 2022

NASA Formally Retires Mars InSight Lander after 4-year Mission

NASA formally retired its Mars InSight lander, the first robotic probe specially designed to study the deep interior of a distant world, four years after it arrived on the surface of the red planet (Mars).
Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) near Los Angeles determined the mission was over when two consecutive attempts to re-establish radio contact with the lander failed, a sign that InSight's solar-powered batteries had run out of energy.
InSight landed on Mars in late November 2018 with instruments designed to detect planetary seismic rumblings never before measured anywhere but Earth, and its original two-year mission was later extended to four.
From its perch in a vast and relatively flat plain called Elysium Planitia just north of the planet's equator, the lander has helped scientists gain new understanding of Mars' internal structure.
Researchers said InSight's data revealed the thickness of the planet's outer crust, the size and density of its inner core and the structure of the mantle that lies in between.

Dec 22, 2022

Golden Jubilee of Telescope Celebrated in TN's Tirupathur

The Vainu Bappu observatory celebrated the golden jubilee of its Vainu Bappu 40-inch optical telescope at Kavalur in Tirupathur district of Tamil Nadu. It was installed in 1972 and comes with a mirror with a diameter of 102 cm.
The telescope set up by Professor Vainu Bappu has played a significant role in astronomy with major discoveries like the presence of rings around the planet Uranus, a new satellite of Uranus, the presence of an atmosphere around Ganymede which is a satellite of Jupiter.
Several important kinds of research were conducted with the telescope, including the discovery and study of many 'Be Stars', Lithium depletion in giant stars, optical variability in Blazars, and the dynamics of the famous supernova SN 1987A.

Dec 20, 2022

Iran to Launch Two Home-grown Communication Satellites

Iran will launch two home-grown communication satellites by the end of the Iranian calendar year, i.e., by March 2023.
As per reports, in addition to the two communication satellites Nahid 1 and Nahid 2, others are to be launched later. The two satellites are both produced by the Iranian Space Research Centre, with Nahid 1 unveiled in late January 2017.
Nahid 2 is an improved version of the series, designed to be put into an orbit 500 km above the Earth. With a two-year lifespan, it has a three-axis control system and a propulsion system for orbital maneuvers.

Dec 19, 2022

NASA Launches Satellite for Landmark Study of Earth's Water

A satellite lifted off from California on a mission to survey nearly all bodies of water on Earth, offering key insights on how they influence or are impacted by climate change.
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a billion-dollar project jointly developed by NASA and France's space agency CNES, took off atop a SpaceX rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
As per reports, it will start collecting scientific data in about six months after undergoing checks and calibrations.

India Third in Global Ranking in Scientific Publications

India jumped to the third position in the global ranking in scientific publications, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said.
Singh said that according to the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Science & Engineering Indicators 2022 report of the United States, India's position globally in scientific publications, has improved from seventh position in 2010 to third position in 2020.
He also added that India's scholarly output increased from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1,49,213 papers in 2020.
The National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.

Dec 18, 2022

India International Science Festival (IISF)-2022 to be Held in Bhopal in January 2023

Union Minister of State Science & Technology Jitendra Singh said that India International Science Festival (IISF)-2022 will be held in Bhopal from January 21 to 24, 2023. It is one of the major events to be held after India took over G-20 Presidency.
IISF has evolved progressively through its innovative design of programs and activities connecting various aspects of life to science. The number of participants from India and abroad has grown steadily with every edition and the journey is on involving more and more people to attain the desired outcome. The participation of Department of Space (DOS) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in supporting IISF is an added attraction this year.
IISF is the initiative of the Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Science in association with Vijnana Bharati science movement.

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