Science & Tech Flashcards
CLEANING UP SPACE DEBRIS
As part of the space junk cleanup, a new device named space harpoon that captures junk has been tested successfully. It is part of the RemoveDEBRIS project, a multi-organization European effort to create and test methods of reducing space debris.
The Remove Debris Mission
The Remove Debris mission is led by the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey. UK and co-funded by various other partners from EU.
The Remove Debris satellite platform will showcase four methods for release, capture and deorbit two space debris targets, called DebriSATs:
Net capture: It involves a net that will be deployed at the target CubeSat.
Harpoon Capture: Which will be launched at a target plate made of “representative satellite panel materials”
Vision-based navigation: Using cameras and LiDAR (light detection and ranging), the platform will send data about the debris back to the ground for processing.
De-orbiting process: As it enters Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will burn up, leaving no debris behind.
The mission will demonstrate key Active Debris Removal (ADR) technologies in orbit, which will have significance for future missions as well.
Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee
It is an international governmental forum for the worldwide coordination of activities related to the issues of man-made and natural debris in space.
It aims to exchange information on space debris research activities between member space agencies, to facilitate opportunities for cooperation in space debris research, to review the progress of ongoing cooperative activities, and to identify debris mitigation options.
ISRO is also a member of this committee.
Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet
DRDO successfully flight tested the second indigenously developed ‘Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR)’ propulsion-based missile system, the first test of which was carried out in May 2018
SFDR is an Indo-Russian R&D project which has been established to develop a long-range air-to-air missile and a surface-to-air missile system in near future. It was started in 2013 to develop the technology and demonstrate it in 5 years.
The Defence Research Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad is the lead agency for the collaborative mission project.
SFDR technology, based on the ramjet propulsion system depends only on its forward motion at supersonic speed to compress intake air and the engine flow-path components have no moving parts.
Unlike solid rocket propellant whose formulation is approximately 20% fuel and 80% oxidizer, the solid ramjet fuel is 100% fuel and obtains oxidizer from air, with the result being approximately four times the specific impulse (the product of thrust and time divided by propellant weight) as compared to solid rocket propellant.
Hence, this air breathing ramjet propulsion technology helps propel the missile at high supersonic speeds (above Mach 2) for engaging targets at long ranges.
Consequently, it has inherent simplicity, reliability, lightweight, and high-speed flight capability not possible with other air-breathing engines
PARAM Shivay
Recently PARAM Shivay, the first super computer designed & built under the National Supercomputing Mission by C-DAC (Center for Development of Advanced Computing) at IIT-BHU was launched.
Top-500 Project
Started in 1993, it ranks the 500 most powerful non-distributed computers in the world.
It publishes an updated list of the supercomputers twice a year.
Currently, China dominates the list with 229 supercomputers, leading the second place (United States) by a record margin of 121.
Since June 2018, the American “Summit” is the world’s most powerful supercomputer, based on the LINPACK benchmarks.
LINPACK benchmark are a measure of a system’s floating point computer power. It measures how far a computer solves a nxn system of linear equations.
India has 4 supercomputers in the Top-500 list of the world’s top 500 supercomputers with Pratyush and Mihir being the fastest supercomputers in India.
Measles
Measles and Rubella are highly contagious viral diseases that are spread by contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing.
o Measles weakens the immune system and opens the door to secondary health problems, such as pneumonia, blindness, diarrhoea etc. This virus is an exclusive human pathogen and has no animal reservoirs or vectors.
Rubella
Rubella, also known as German Measles, is generally a mild disease but can have serious consequences
for pregnant women and their children as it may cause
congenital rubella syndrome in the foetus
NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR VIRAL HEPATITIS CONTROL
Recently, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched National Action Plan for Viral Hepatitis.
The Plan provides a strategic framework, based on which National Viral Hepatitis Control Program was launched in 2018 under National Health Mission.
It is in line with the Government of India’s deep commitment towards elimination of viral hepatitis.
Hepatitis
It is an inflammation of the liver often cause by virus and other infections, toxic substances (e.g. alcohol, certain drugs).
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
o Viral hepatitis types B and C can cause chronic hepatitis and are responsible for 96% of overall hepatitis mortality while Hepatitis A and E usually cause acute hepatitis.
o Hepatitis A and E are typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water.
o Hepatitis B, C and D usually occur as a result of contact with infected body fluids such as during receiving blood, invasive medical procedures using contaminated equipment, transmission from mother to baby at birth, sexual contact etc.
o There are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A, B and E. However, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
o Also, Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infections occur only in those who are infected with Hepatitis B Virus.
The infections can progress to other health complications and liver cancers.
ElectroMagnetic Intelligence Satellite (EMISAT)
EMISAT was jointly developed by ISRO and DRDO, two frontline research agencies of the country. EMISAT will allow India to intercept the radars by detecting the electromagnetic rays from “enemy radar”
The satellite has been placed in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) at an orbit about 700 km from Earth as the objective is to detect low power radar signals.Such radars are typically used to track by low-altitude air-borne vehicles, including aircraft and drones.
The Ministry of Defence had initiated the development of the satellite under the project titled Kautilya, which was first openly acknowledged in 2013-14.
UNISPACE NANOSATELLITE ASSEMBLY & TRAINING PROGRAMME (UNNATI)
Recently ISRO launched a capacity building programme on Nanosatellite development named UNNATI.
It is an initiative to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations conference on the exploration and peaceful uses of outer space (UNISPACE+50).
• It would provide opportunities to the participating developing countries to strengthen in assembling, integrating and testing of Nanosatellite.
Young Scientist Programme/
YUva VIgyani KAryakram (Yuvika)
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has recently launched Young Scientist Programme for school students.
• It aims to inculcate and nurture space research fervor in young minds
• Under this 1-month program, 3 students from each of the 29 States and 7 UTs will be selected.
• Students mostly from class VIII will be given lectures and access to R&D labs and practical experience of building a small satellite.
• It is conceptualized after the similar Programme run by the American Space Agency NASA.
Eligibility: Students who have just finished 9th standard (in the academic year 2018-19) and waiting to join 10th standard (or those who have started 10th Std just now)
• All the expenses of travelling and boarding will be funded entirely by ISRO.
• Under this, six incubation centres will be established in various parts of the country - North, South, East, West, Centre and North-East, and the first such centre has been established in Agartala in Tripura
Samvad with Students
ISRO recently launched a student outreach programme called Samvad with Students where ISRO chairman meets the students during his outstation visits and address their queries and quench the scientific thrust.
ANUSAT
ANUSAT (Anna University Satellite) is the first satellite built by an Indian University under the overall guidance of ISRO and will demonstrate the technologies related to message store and forward operations
STUDSAT
Student Satellite (STUDSAT) is the first pico-satellite developed in the country by a consortium of seven engineering colleges from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
YOUTHSAT
A joint Indo-Russian stellar and atmospheric satellite mission with the participation of students. to investigate the relationship between solar variability and thermosphere-Ionosphere changes
SRMSat:
A nanosatellite weighing 10.9 kg, developed by SRM University, which attempts to address the problem of Global warming and pollution levels in the atmosphere by monitoring CO2 and water vapour.
Jugnu:
A nanosatellite weighing 3 kg, developed by IIT Kanpur under the guidance of ISRO. The satellite is intended to prove the indigenously developed camera system for imaging the Earth in the near infrared region and test image processing algorithms.
Eat Right India Movement’.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently organised the Swasth Bharat Yatra, a key element of the ‘Eat Right India Movement’.
It is built on two broad pillars of Eat Healthy and Eat Safe
GAS HYDRATES
Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have experimentally shown that methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) can exist as gas hydrates.
They are formed when a gas such as methane gets trapped in well-defined cages of water molecules forming crystalline solids. It is a solid ice-like form of water that contains gas molecules in its molecular cavities.
• Natural gas hydrates occur on continental margins and shelves worldwide from Polar Regions to the tropics.
• Gas hydrate reservoirs are generally associated with biologically rich cold seep ecosystems at the seafloor. Cold seeps are locations where hydrocarbon-rich fluid seeps up from below the sea floor, often as methane or hydrogen sulfide.
• It is estimated that total amount of carbon in the form of methane hydrates, far exceeds the carbon content in all the fossil fuel reserves put together and hence these are supposed to be the future potential energy resource.
India has the second largest gas hydrate reserves after America. The Krishna-Godavari (KG), Cauvery and Kerala basins alone have 100-130 trillion cubic feet of estimated reserves.
Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi
- The RAN was set up to provide financial assistance to patients, living below poverty line and who are suffering from major life threatening diseases, to receive medical treatment at any of the super speciality Hospitals/Institutes or other Government hospitals.
- The financial assistance to such patients is released in the form of ‘one-time grant’, which is released to the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital in which the treatment has been/is being received.
- It has been set up as society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
Which is the first state to release a Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs Policy.
Karnataka
BULLSEQUANA SUPERCOMPUTER
France-based company Atos signed agreement with Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) for designing, building and installing BullSequana – the supercomputer in India.
BullSequana will be set up in India under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM).