General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - October 2018

Oct 2018

Apr 17, 2021

NASA Set to Launch SpaceX Crew-2 from International Space Station

US space agency NASA is set to launch SpaceX Crew Dragon second flight to the International Space Station on April 22.
The Crew-2 with four astronauts on board, will lift-off on April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Crew-2 flight will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur – who will serve as the mission's spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively -- along with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronauta-Akihikoa-Hoshidea-and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomasa-Pesquet, who will serve as mission specialists to the space station.
The Crew-2 astronauts will remain aboard the space station for approximately six months as expedition crew members, along with three crewmates who will launch via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Apr 16, 2021

India Ranks 49th in Inclusive Internet Index 2021

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in partnership with Facebook, has released the Inclusive Internet Index 2021. India has been ranked at 49th spot globally. It shares its rank with Thailand. This index measures the extent to which the internet is available and affordable by region, and highlights additional insight into how people around the world are using the web.
The 'Inclusive Internet Index' surveyed 120 countries, representing 98 per cent of global GDP and 96 per cent of the global population.
The overall Index score is based on four parameters, which are: Availability, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness categories. The Inclusive Internet Index is commissioned by Facebook and developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit.

India and France Sign Agreement for Cooperation on Gaganyaan Mission

Space agencies of India and France signed an agreement for cooperation for the former's first human space mission, Gaganyaan, a move that will enable Indian flight physicians to train at French facilities.
French space agency CNES said that under the agreement, equipment developed by it, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be made available to Indian crews.
The CNES will also be supplying fireproof carry bags made in France to shield equipment from shocks and radiation.
The agreement was announced during French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) headquarters in Bengaluru.

Apr 14, 2021

Scientists Discover a New Gamma-ray Emitting Galaxy

The scientists from Aryabhatta Research Institute have discovered a new galaxy that emits gamma rays. The galaxy has been categorised as Narrow Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1). However, it is unique and different from the other NLS1s discovered so far.
It is 31 billion light years away from the earth. The galaxy is located at a high redshift.
The galaxy was discovered when scientists tried to trace red shifted galaxies. The redshifted galaxies are those galaxies that emit longer wavelength. As the wavelength of light gets longer the light turns redder. This is termed as "redshifted" in astronomy.
The NLS1s discovered so far that emitted gamma rays were at lower redshifts. This is the first gamma emitting NLS1 discovered to be at higher redshift.
The newly discovered gamma ray emitting NLS1 is 13.8 billion years old. It was formed when the universe was 4.7 billion years old.

Piyush Goyal Launches e-Santa

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that e-Santa, an e-marketplace to connect aqua farmers and the buyers, will enable farmers to get a better price and the exporters to directly purchase quality products from them.
Launching e-Santa or Electronic Solution for Augmenting NaCSA farmers' Trade in Aquaculture, the minister said that the platform will change the traditional way of carrying out business on word-of-mouth basis and will make the system more formal and legally binding.
National Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture (NaCSA) is an extension arm of Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), under the department of commerce.
The farmers can sell their produce with a click of a button on e-Santa. It will provide more freedom, options and opportunities to the farmers. It will ensure fair prices for farmers & traceability.

Apr 13, 2021

Every Year 5,200 Tonnes of Extraterrestrial Dust Fall on Earth

Every year, 5,200 tonnes of extraterrestrial dust fall on Earth.
This gentle rain of bits of comets and asteroids far outweighs larger meteorites that hit the planet. Only about 10 tonnes of larger space rocks land on Earth annually.
Despite the large quantities, it's hard to detect space dust or track its annual accumulation in most places due to precipitation that washes dust away. And in most places, dust originating on Earth swamps dust from space.
But in Adélie Land, Antarctica, near the French-Italian Concordia research station, snowfall is very predictable and there is very little terrestrial dust. Over 20 years, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) physicist Jean Duprat and his colleagues have made six expeditions to the area to collect particles. The layers of space dust are well enough preserved in the region for researchers to estimate how much fell year after year.

Apr 12, 2021

UAE Names its First Female Astronaut Noura Al-Matroushi

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) revealed its next two astronauts, which includes the Kingdom's first-ever woman astronaut, that it plans to send for the future manned space missions at a state program. Noura al-Matroushi, the UAE's first female astronaut, and her counterpart Mohammed al-Mulla were identified by the ruler of Dubai, also the Prime Minister and vice president Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The two astronauts, selected from among 4000 applicants across seven sheikhdoms, will commence training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, US.

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