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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - May 2018

May 2018

Sep 14, 2020

Cusat Inks Deal with ISRO Lab for Research Collaboration

The department of physics at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) and Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), a key wing of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Bengaluru, inked a deal for research collaboration.
A Letter of Intent on the responsibilities of the two institutions was signed between teams led by Cusat Registrar Dr. Meera V. and LEOS-ISRO Director Dr. K.V. Sriram.
Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS), an instrument for planetary surface chemistry, was developed in recent times at LEOS with the objective of obtaining qualitative and quantitative analytical information from multi-element samples. The LIBS instrument was one of the payloads in India's prestigious moon mission Chandrayaan-2, and it will be deployed in the upcoming Chandrayaan-3 mission too.
The applied optic division of the department of physics, Cusat, has been engaged in similar research. In this collaboration, LEOS will provide qualitatively analysed spectra and data sets to Cusat team for abundance estimation of elements using newly evolved approaches. The team is lead by Dr. Anoop K.K., an assistant professor in the department of physics.

Sep 12, 2020

Florida University Research Team Discovers Unique Supernova Explosion

One-hundred million light-years away from Earth, an unusual supernova is exploding. That exploding star -- which is known as "Supernova LSQ14fmg" -- was the faraway object discovered by a 37-member international research team led by Florida State University (FSU) Assistant Professor of Physics Eric Hsiao.
Their research, which was published in The Astrophysical Journal, helped uncover the origins of the group of supernovae this star belongs to.
This supernova's characteristics -- it gets brighter extremely slowly, and it is also one of the brightest explosions in its class -- are unlike any other.

Sep 10, 2020

US Spacecraft Named after Late Astronaut Kalpana Chawla

An American commercial cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been named after fallen NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first India-born woman to enter space, for her key contributions to human spaceflight. Northrop Grumman, an American global aerospace and defence technology company, announced that its next Cygnus capsule will be named the "S.S. Kalpana Chawla", in memory of the mission specialist who died with her six crewmates aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 2003.
Northrop Grumman is proud to name the NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft after former astronaut Kalpana Chawla. It is the company's tradition to name each Cygnus after an individual who has played a pivotal role in human spaceflight.
The S. S. Kalpana Chawla capsule is scheduled to launch on the NG-14 mission atop a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on September 29.

Sep 07, 2020

Chandrayaan-3 Launch Likely in Early 2021

Minister of State for the Department of Space Jitendra Singh said that Chandrayaan-3, India's mission to Moon, would be launched in early 2021. Singh added that Chandrayaan-3 will be different from Chandrayaan-2 as the former will not have an orbiter, but will include a lander and a rover.
It may be recalled that Chandrayaan-2 was launched in September 2019 and India's premier space agency ISRO had planned to launch Chandrayaan-3 in 2020 but the plan failed to materialise due to coronavirus pandemic.

Sep 05, 2020

NASA Test-fires SLS Rocket Booster for Future Lunar Missions

In preparation of the future Artemis missions to the Moon, NASA completed a full-scale booster test for the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
NASA and Northrop Grumman, the SLS booster lead contractor, will use data from the test, successfully conducted, to evaluate the motor's performance using potential new materials and processes that can be incorporated into future boosters.
Landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon is just the beginning of NASA's Artemis Programme.
According to NASA, the SLS flight support booster firing is a crucial part of sustaining missions to the Moon. NASA's goal is to take what we learn living and working on the Moon and use it to send humans on the first missions to Mars. The SLS boosters are the largest, most powerful boosters ever built for flight.
NASA is simultaneously making progress on assembling and manufacturing the solid rocket boosters for the first three Artemis missions and looking ahead toward missions beyond the initial Moon landing.
The SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and human landing system are part of NASA's backbone for deep space exploration.
SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

China Launches Reusable Spacecraft

As per reports, China successfully launched a reusable experimental spacecraft whose mission details have been kept secret.
The spacecraft was launched on a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.
After a period of in-orbit operation, the spacecraft will return to a predetermined landing site in China. It will test reusable technologies during its flight, providing technological support for the peaceful use of space.
Staffers and visitors to the launch site have been warned against filming the lift-off and even discussing it online.

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