General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - October 2018

Oct 2018

Apr 15, 2020

The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sov...

Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad has announced an "innovation challenge" for Indian start-ups to develop a video conferencing solution under the Digital India programme.
"Announcing Innovation Challenge for Indian startups and innovators for developing a world-class video conferencing solution. Urge the innovators, software product startups to come forward and take part in this effort," Prasad tweeted.

Apr 14, 2020

Science-based Website CovidGyan on COVID-19 Was Launched

CovidGyan, a Science-based website, was launched. The website aims to bring the scientific and factual aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak onto the public domain, multi-institutional, multi-lingual science communication.
The website was launched by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC).
Many other partners including Vigyan Prasar, IndiaBioscience, and the Bangalore Life Science Cluster (BLiSc), which includes Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (InStem), Centre for Cellular And Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) have also joined the initiative.

Apr 13, 2020

In a First, NASA Measures Wind Speed on a Brown Dwarf

For the first time, scientists have directly measured wind speed on a brown dwarf, an object larger than Jupiter (the largest planet in our solar system) but not quite massive enough to become a star. To achieve the finding, they used a new method that could also be applied to learn about the atmospheres of gas-dominated planets outside our solar system.
Described in a paper in the journal Science, the work combines observations by a group of radio telescopes with data from NASA's recently retired infrared observatory, the Spitzer Space Telescope, managed by the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Officially named 2MASS J10475385+2124234, the target of the new study was a brown dwarf located 32 light-years from Earth — a stone's throw away, cosmically speaking. The researchers detected winds moving around the planet at 1,425 mph (2,293 kph). For comparison, Neptune's atmosphere features the fastest winds in the solar system, which whip through at more than 1,200 mph (about 2,000 kph).

NASA Unveils Plan To Setup 'Artemis', The First Human Base Camp On Moon's South Pole By 2024

NASA is working on the Artemis program that aims to land humans on the moon by 2024. The space agency has put forward a plan showing what a US lunar presence may look like after the milestone.
NASA submitted a 13-page report to the National Space Council on 2 April. The National Space Council is an advisory group to US President Donald Trump, presided over by Vice President Mike Pence.

SpaceX Unveils Users' Guide For Giant Starship Rocket

SpaceX released a users' guide for Starship, the reusable spaceship-rocket combo the company is developing to help colonize Mars. As the guide makes clear, Starship is designed to be a flexible transportation system, one capable of delivering both people and payloads to a variety of off-Earth destinations.
Indeed, the company will develop cargo and crewed variants of Starship. The cargo version will be capable of hauling gear quickly from point to point around Earth in addition to its space duties, according to the guide, which is the first version of a document that SpaceX said will be updated frequently.

SunRISE becomes new NASA mission to study Giant Solar Particle Storms

NASA announced they have selected the proposed Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission to study how the Sun creates and releases Giant Solar Particle Storms. This mission will further aid scientists to understand how the Solar System works. It will also help protect future astronauts from Solar Storms while going to the Moon or Mars.
The SunRise mission was one of two missions chosen by NASA in August of 2017, for the Mission of Opportunity program as apart of the Explorers Program, to conduct an 11-month concept study. And in February of 2019, NASA approved an extra year of formulation study for the program. It was awarded in March of 2020, $62.6 million to design, build, and launch the SunRISE mission. It has a NET launch date of July 1, 2023.
The mission is led by Justin Kasper at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It is also managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Mar 30, 2020

Apple Launches COVID-19 Information App, Website

In a bid to provide accurate and credible information to users about the COVID-19 pandemic, tech giant Apple has released a new dedicated app and website for users across the US.
The new COVID-19 app and website provide the latest information and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The app is available on the App Store. The users can also use the new tools to answer questions around risk factors, recent exposure, and symptoms. The tool will provide guidance on social distancing and self-isolating based on risk level. In addition to the new tools, Apple also enabled Siri to provide guidance and resources from the CDC.
Users in the US can ask Siri, "How do I know if I have coronavirus?" to access the information.

Mar 28, 2020

US Space Force Launches First Mission

The United States Space Force launched its first national security mission on March 26, 2020 sending an ultra-secure military communication satellite into orbit even as the coronavirus pandemic paralyzes much of the country.
AEHF-6, as the satellite is called, is the sixth and final in the Lockheed Martin AEHF constellation.

Facebook Launches Messenger Chatbot To Counter Fake News

Facebook has launched Messenger Chatbot to share information about coronavirus, as part of efforts to help people access authentic information about the pandemic, and counter fake news. "Together with the Ministry of Health and MyGov, Facebook has facilitated Corona Helpdesk Chatbot on Messenger to raise awareness, provide authentic and accurate information and bust fake news about coronavirus.
Facebook users can start accessing the Corona Helpdesk Chatbot and reach out to the Ministry of Health for authentic news, official updates, precautionary measures and emergency helpline numbers through this chatbot.
The chatbot comes with English and Hindi language capabilities. To contact the chatbot, users can go to the Facebook page on MyGov Corona Hub and then start a chat by typing 'Get Started', which will prompt them to either type in a query or choose from a list of frequently asked questions.

China's Long March-5B Carrier Rocket Arrives At Launch Site

China's Long March-5B carrier rocket arrived at the launch site in southern China's Hainan Province after a week of ocean and rail transport, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The rocket will take part in a joint rehearsal with the prototype of the Chinese space station's core module at the Wenchang Space Launch Center. It is scheduled to make its maiden flight and launch the prototype of China's new manned spaceship in April, 2020.
The Long March-5B is a modified version of Long March-5 rocket and will be China's first 1.5-stage large carrier rocket, according to Wang Jue, chief commander of the Long March-5 rocket.
The rocket is 53.7 meters long, with a diameter of five meters and a liftoff weight of 849 tonnes. It uses pollution-free propellant including liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene. It has a carrying capacity of more than 22 tonnes in low-Earth orbit. It has the largest carrying capacity in low-Earth orbit among all Chinese rockets.

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