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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - December 2018

Dec 2018

Dec 01, 2022

IISER, IIT Researchers Develop New Artificial Photosynthetic System to Capture Solar Energy

Researchers from IISER-Thiruvananthapuram and IIT-Indore developed a new artificial light-harvesting system that can efficiently capture light for power conversion by mimicking photosynthesis, the process by which plants absorb sunlight and produce sugars.
According to officials, scientists across the globe are trying to replicate the light-harvesting step of photosynthesis in engineered systems for use in solar cells or artificial leaves.

Nov 30, 2022

China Launches 3 Astronauts to its under-construction Space Station

China launched a spacecraft with a three-person crew to its under-construction space station amid intensifying competition with the United States.
The Shenzhou-15 spaceship carrying the aircraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.
It carried three astronauts -- Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu.
Fei is the commander of the mission, Ji Qiming, assistant to the director of the CMSA.
The crew will stay in orbit for about six months, a period in which the construction of the low-orbit space station is expected to be completed.

Seventh Edition of Global Technology Summit

The seventh edition of the Global Technology Summit (GTS) began in New Delhi. It is India's annual flagship event on Geotechnology, co-hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs and Carnegie India.
The theme for the seventh Global Technology Summit was 'Geopolitics of Technology'. The inaugural session of the GTS was included a conversation of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on "geo-digital and its effects." The Global Technology Summit will be held till December 1 in New Delhi in a hybrid format.
India's annual flagship event on Geotechnology is being held annually since 2016. During the three days, the world's leading minds in technology, government, security, space, startups, data, law, public health, climate change, academics, and the economy will hold discussions regarding technology and its future.

Somalia Meteorite: Scientists Find Two New Minerals

A huge meteorite that fell to Earth contains two minerals never seen before on our planet.
Canadian researchers said that the rock was found in rural Somalia two years ago, but locals believe it is much older.
They call the stone Nightfall, and say it is documented in poems, songs and dances that stretch back five generations. It is used today to sharpen knives.
The official names for the new minerals are elaliite and elkinstantonite.
They were identified by scientists at the University of Alberta who looked at a 70g fragment from the 15-tonne meteorite, which is said to be the ninth-biggest to reach our planet and is about 90% iron and nickel.
The name "elaliite" honours the fact that the meteorite was unearthed in the district of El Ali in Somalia, and "elkinstantonite" is named after NASA expert Lindy Elkins-Tanton.

Nov 29, 2022

India's 1st Integrated Rocket Facility to be Based in Telangana

Telangana's Industries and Commerce Minister K.T. Rama Rao expressed happiness that India's first Integrated Rocket Design, Manufacturing and Testing Facility, by Skyroot Aerospace's facility, will be based in Telangana.
KTR promised the start-up's Co-Founders Pawan Chandana and Bharath Daka of complete support for establishing the facility to design, manufacture, and test rockets in Telangana.
Skyroot Aerospace became the first privately held company in India after the space sector was opened for the private players by the union government in 2020.
Skyroot Aerospace wants to build high-technology, low-cost, reliable launch vehicles. Its co-founders Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka previously worked with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as rocket scientists for about a handful of years before starting up in 2018.

Artemis: NASA's Orion Capsule Breaks Distance Record

NASA's Orion capsule reached a key milestone on its demonstration mission around the Moon.
It moved some 430,000km (270,000 miles) beyond the Earth - the furthest any spacecraft designed to carry humans has travelled.
The ship is uncrewed on this occasion, but if it completes the current flight without incident, astronauts will be on the next outing in two years' time.
NASA is planning a series of ever more complex missions with Orion.

Agnikul First Pvt Firm to Build Launchpad & Mission Control Centre in India

After the launch of the first private sector rocket, another space-tech start-up, Agnikul Cosmos, successfully set up India's first-ever launchpad designed and operated by a private player at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The facility, designed by Agnikul and executed in support from ISRO and IN-SPACe, has two sections to it--the Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul mission control center (AMCC). All critical systems connecting these two sections, which are 4 kilometres apart from each other--are redundant to ensure 100 per cent operationality during countdown. The launchpad has been specifically built to enable it to support liquid-stage controlled launches, while allowing ISRO's range operations team to monitor key flight safety parameters. It also has the ability to share critical information with Isro's Mission Control Centre.

Nov 28, 2022

ISRO's PSLV-C54 Rocket Successfully Places Oceansat Satellite in Orbit

ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV successfully injected Earth observation satellite 'Oceansat' into a sun-synchronous orbit.
The rocket lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The Earth Observation Satellite-6 is the third-generation satellite in the Oceansat series. This is to provide continuity services of Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload specifications as well as application areas.
The objective of the mission is to ensure data continuity of ocean colour and wind vector data to sustain the operational applications.

Europe Announces Name of World's First Disabled Astronaut

The European Space Agency named the first ever "parastronaut" in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space. The 22-nation agency appointed British Paralympic sprinter John McFall to take part in a feasibility study during astronaut training to assess the conditions needed for people with disabilities to take part in future missions.
McFall, who lost his right leg due to a motorcycle accident at the age of 19, won a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
The announcement came as ESA appointed a new set of astronauts for the first time since 2009 after whittling down 22,500 valid applications. ESA posted openings last year for people fully capable of passing its usual stringent psychological, cognitive and other tests who are only prevented from becoming astronauts due to the constraints of existing hardware in light of their disability. It received 257 applications for the role of astronaut with a disability. McFall will work with ESA engineers to understand what changes in hardware are needed to open professional spaceflight to a wider group of qualified candidates.

Nov 24, 2022

ISRO Successfully Launches 200th 'RH-200' Rohini Sounding Rocket

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) launched its 200th consecutive 'RH-200' Rohini Sounding rocket. This launch marked the 200th consecutive flight of the indigenous Rohini sounding rocket.
Sounding rockets take their name from the nautical term "to sound," which means to take measurements, according to the Nasa website. Small, low-budget, solid-fueled sounding rockets are used for experimental purposes, meteorology, and atmospheric studies. These rockets are generally used to collect important scientific information, check the earth's atmosphere or to test newly developed sub-components, before using them on larger rockets.

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