General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - July 2019

Jul 2019

Jan 21, 2020

Scientists' brains shrank after a long stay in Antarctica

A portion of the brains of people living at an Antarctic research station shrank during a long stay, a small study finds. Social isolation and the unchanging white landscape may be to blame.
"It's very exciting to see the white desert at the beginning," says Alexander Stahn. A physiologist, he began the research while working in Berlin, Germany. "But then it's always the same."
A crew of eight scientists and a cook lived and worked at the German research station Neumayer III for 14 months. Although joined by other scientists during the summer, the crew alone endured the long darkness of polar winter. Temperatures can plummet as low as –50° Celsius (–58° Fahrenheit). Such harsh conditions make it impossible for people to leave.
This creates a lot of isolation. That and the static environment create the closest thing on Earth to what a space explorer might experience, says Stahn. He now works at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Stahn wants to understand how long-term travel in space might affect the brain.

Jan 20, 2020

Iran Preparing for Satellite Launch

Iran said that two newly constructed satellites have passed pre-launch tests and will be transported to the nation's space center for eventual launch.
Iran has not said when it will launch the satellites, but often coordinates its launches with national holidays.
As per Iran's state-run media, the 90-kilogram (200-pound) Zafar satellites each have four high-resolution color cameras and will monitor and transmit data on natural resources as well as agricultural and environmental developments.
Iran said that its satellite program, like its nuclear activities, is aimed at scientific research and other civilian applications. The U.S. and other Western countries have long been suspicious of the program because the same technology can be used to develop long-range missiles.

SpaceX Performs Successful In-flight Abort Test

Elon Musk's SpaceX simulated a successful emergency landing in a dramatic test of a crucial abort system on an unmanned astronaut capsule, laying the foundation for its mission to fly NASA astronauts for the first time.
In a key trial for carrying humans, SpaceX was also testing its rescue teams' response after splash down. They scrambled toward Crew Dragon with the US Air Force's Detachment 3 emergency rescue teams in tow - a vital part of the test to practice a rescue mission to retrieve astronauts from the capsule.
The test is crucial to qualify the capsule to fly humans to the International Space Station, something NASA expects to come as soon as mid-2020. It follows years of development and delays as the US has sought to revive its human spaceflight program through private partnerships.

Jan 18, 2020

SpaceX to Practise Emergency Crew Capsule Escape

America aims to take another step towards being able to send its own astronauts into orbit again.
California's SpaceX company will practise what to do in the event that one of its rockets carrying a human crew fails shortly after lift-off.
If the test is completed successfully, it should clear the way for regular astronaut launches later this year.
The US has not launched from its own soil since the retirement of the space shuttles nine years ago.
It has been riding the Russian Soyuz system instead.
The US space agency (Nasa) has contracted both SpaceX and the aerospace giant Boeing to come up with home-grown alternatives.
SpaceX - with its Falcon rocket and Dragon capsule - is now in the final stages of development.
The in-flight abort manoeuvre is really the last major obstacle the firm faces before receiving the full certification it needs to begin operational astronaut taxi services.

Jan 17, 2020

GSAT-30 Communication Satellite Launched Aboard Ariane Rocket

India's high power communication satellite GSAT-30, aimed at providing high-quality television, telecommunications and broadcasting services, was successfully launched onboard Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana.
The 3,357-kg satellite, which was deployed from the lower passenger position of Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) into to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), is configured on ISRO's enhanced I-3K Bus structure to provide communication services from Geostationary orbit in C and Ku bands.
The satellite derives its heritage from ISRO's earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series, and is equipped with 12 C and 12 Ku band transponders.
As per ISRO, GSAT-30 is to serve as replacement to the aging INSAT-4A spacecraft services with enhanced coverage, adding the satellite provides Indian mainland and islands coverage in Ku-band and extended coverage in C-band covering Gulf countries, a large number of Asian countries and Australia.
GSAT-30 has a life span of 15 years.

Jan 16, 2020

Fifth Science Film festival kick-starts in Goa

The fifth edition of Science Film Festival of India, SCI-FFI 2020, was kick-started in Goa's capital city Panaji.
The four-day-long festival was inaugurated by Chief Minister, Dr. Paramod Sawant.
The festival that will take place at the Inox Complex and Maquinez Palace in Goa, aims at instilling the knowledge of science among the youth with the help of exhibitions, masterclasses, workshops, and other activities.
Besides, Goa Government and Government of India, the event is being supported by Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAR).

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