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Science & Technology Current Affairs February 4th Week 2016
Category : Science & Technology Current
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1) ISRO successfully test cryogenic engine of GSLV Mark 3 rocket.

  • Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) bid to acquire the capability to launch heavier satellites into orbit received a boost with the successful hotbed test of the cryogenic engine for the upper stage of the GSLV Mark 3 rocket.
  • The long-duration test at the ISRO Propulsion Research Centre at Mahendragiri ,Tamilnadu lasted 640 seconds.
  • It was conducted with Mixture Ratio Controller (MRC) in a closed loop mode.
  • The CE20 uses Liquid Hydrogen at - 253 degrees C and Liquid Oxygen at - 193 degrees C as propellants and generates power of approximately 2 MW.
  • Developed at the Liquid Propulsion System centre (LPSC), the engine had already undergone two short-duration tests for engine ignition and steady state performance.

2) Facebook Telecom Infra Project launched to help boost internet connectivity.

  • Facebook has announced a new Telecom Infra Project as part of its overall Internet.org mission.
  • The Telecom Infra Project(TIP), which will look at developing new and alternative technologies to build and deploy telecom infrastructure, with partners including Aricent, HCL Technologies, Intel, Nokia and T- Mobile.
  • The Project is working on providing currently unserved rural communities with wireless network efforts.
  • A pilot 4G network is already underway in the Philippines, and Facebook has a project in planning for the Scottish Highlands.
  • TIP will focus on open designs for three areas of telecommunications hardware and software access points, the backhaul network to connect them, and network core and management systems.
  • The new technologies developed and tested with different partners of the TIP project will be shared with the rest of the community. 

3) US Air Force Test-Launches Minuteman Missile From California.

  • The U.S. Air Force says an unarmed Minuteman 3 missile has been launched from California`s central coast in the latest test of the intercontinental system.
  • The missile carried a test re-entry vehicle that headed for a target area 4,200 miles away to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
  • The Air Force routinely uses Vandenberg to test Minuteman missiles from bases around the country.
  • It involves personnel from Vandenberg’s 576th Flight Test Squadron and the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska
  • The 91st Missile Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota 30th Space wing Commander of US Air force- Christopher Mos.

4) NASA working on crunching a Mars trip to three days.

  • NASA researchers are working on a technology that could harness the power of light and may be the key to cutting down travel time to Mars from months to as little as three days.
  • Philip Lubin, from the University of California, Santa Barbara, is developing the ‘photonic propulsion’ system where lasers can propel spacecraft with giant sails to the Red Planet.
  • The system relies on the momentum of photons - particles of light - to move forward. However, instead of photons from the Sun’s rays.
  • Prof. Lubin’s design would be given a push by giant Earth-based lasers.
  • The current technology, it is estimated it will take humans around five months to reach Mars. 

5) CGPDTM issues revised patent guidelines for Computer Related Inventions.

  • Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDT) has issued an order excluding software patents in its revised guidelines for Computer Related Inventions (CRIs).
  • The new order clearly mentions that, mere computer programmes those not in conjunction with a novel hardware will not be granted patent in India.
  • CGPDT’s stay on the revised guidelines issued in 2015 which have allowed the patenting of software which demonstrated technical advancement and did not clarify it.
  • CGPDTM had agreed with a Parliamentary Panel which had observed that computer programmes as such are not intended to be granted patent as per Patents Act, 1970.
  • The sub-section 3(k) of Act mentions that mathematical methods or business methods or computer programme or algorithms are not patentable. 

6) Navies Of Brazil, India and South Africa To Hold Exercise Off Goa Coast.

  • The fifth edition of IBSAMAR 2016 trilateral naval exercise between Brazil, India and South Africa kicked off in Goa.
  • This is the first time the exercise is held in India as all the previous editions were held in South Africa.
  • This trilateral naval exercise aims at increasing Interoperability among navies of three countries and Common understanding maritime security between them.
  • This edition of IBSAMAR naval exercise will be conducted two phases namely Harbour phase and Sea Phase.
  • The thrust of the exercises will be on anti-submarine warfare (ASW), air defence, flying operations, surface firing, search and rescue and tactical procedures.
  • Indian navy is represented by INS Mumbai– a missile destroyer, INS Shalki– a Shisuhumar class diesel electric submarine and INS trishul– a stealth frigate.
  • The Brazilian Navy is represented by Brazilian Naval Ship (BNS) Amazonas embarked with Special Forces.
  • South African Navy is represented by SAS Spioenkop with integral helicopter and embarked with Special Forces.
7) Fast-acting anti-rabies drug set for India launch.
  • World’s first fast-acting anti-rabies drug Rabies Human Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb) will be launched in India.
  • The (RMAb), has been developed by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) and US-based Mass Biologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
  • RMAb drug is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that instantly deactivates rabies virus by specifically binding to a conformational epitope of G glycoprotein of the virus.
  • It is 25% cheaper compared to the existing expensive human rabies immunoglobulin (hRIG) treatment.
  • It has advantage of automatically precluding the chances of transmitting blood-borne infections that are present in rabies immunoglobulin vaccines.
  • The drug has been manufactured using recombinant DNA technology that includes inserting DNA encoding antigen (such as a bacterial surface protein) to the microbial DNA of cells in the body to stimulate immune response.
 
8) India`s first nuke submarine INS Arihant passes deep sea tests.
  • India’s first indigenously built nuclear armed submarine INS Arihant has successfully passed several deep sea diving drills as well as weapons launch tests.
  • The Arihant, which is the first of five nuclear missile submarines or SSBNs planned for induction, has also undergone deep sea dives off Vishakhapatnam where it was build.
  • INS Arihant’s design is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarine.
  • It is a 6,000-tonne nuclear powered submarine and is 112 metre long.
  • Powered by 83 MW pressurised light water reactor built with Russia’s help. This reactor generates tremendous heat, driving a steam turbine.
  • Capable of launching twelve short range nuclear-capable ballistic missile BO-5 (K 15) which has a range of 700 kms and four K 4 ballistic missile with a range of 3,500 km.
 
9) Astronaut Scott Kelly Return Back to Earth After Almost a Year in Space.
  • The first one-year crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will return to the Earth.
  • Astronaut Scott Kelly is preparing to return to Earth after spending an unprecedented year on the International Space Station.
  • Kelly has been in the process of finishing his collection of samples, some of which will return with him in the Soyuz capsule when it lands near Kazakhstan.
  • He’s also been packing up because, even though there is limited space in the capsule - it’s nearly 23 feet long and nearly 9 feet in diameter - astronauts can bring 1½ kilograms (about 3 pounds) of items back with them.
  • The astronauts can also send other items back via SpaceX cargo spacecraft.
 
10) India to build satellite tracking station in Vietnam.
  • Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in southern Vietnam
  • Satellite Centre in Vietnam As part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  • This facility is intended to acquire and process Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRSS) data pertaining to ASEAN region and disseminate to ASEAN Member countries.
  • Under this initiative, all 10 ASEAN member countries including Vietnam will be allowed to access processed remote sensing data pertaining to their country.
  • Ground facility is designed in such a way that it will not allow Indian data to be accessed and processed by the system.
 
11) ISRO gears up for launch of India’s first solar mission Aditya-L1.
  • The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch the country’s first solar mission called Aditya-L1.
  • Aditya-L1 satellite will be placed in an orbit about 15 lakh kilometres from the earth. It will be launched by using the PSLV XL.
  • Its primary objective will be to study the solar corona and the chromosphere in different wavebands, dynamic nature of the sun’s outer most layers, and collect data about Coronal Mass Ejections (CME).
  • The mission is a joint venture between ISRO and physicists from various institutes including Indian Institute of Astrophysics (Bengaluru), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, (Mumbai).
  • And also join Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (Pune).
  • ISRO is going to launch eight Indian and 19 foreign satellites this year. 
12) India to build satellite tracking station in Vietnam.
  • Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in southern Vietnam
  • Satellite Centre in Vietnam As part of Space Cooperation between India and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  • This facility is intended to acquire and process Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRSS) data pertaining to ASEAN region and disseminate to ASEAN Member countries.
  • Under this initiative, all 10 ASEAN member countries including Vietnam will be allowed to access processed remote sensing data pertaining to their country.
  • Ground facility is designed in such a way that it will not allow Indian data to be accessed and processed by the system.
 
13) Twitter’s new Position of Strength campaign aims to empower women.
  • Twitter has launched a campaign for women called the #Positionofstrength to strengthen women’s role in the society and raise voice against discrimination.
  • The campaign seeks spread awareness to bridge the gender equality gap online in India Inspire the of women leaders next generation to have an influential voice in society.
  • #Positionofstrength campaign has been launched with partnership of FICCI Ladies Organisation and Observer Research Foundation.
  • It seeks to engage more women to find their voices online and help them to communicate safely with confidence and network with other like-minded women.
  • The campaign has been already been launched in Australia and Ireland. It enables users to steer clear of any form of online abuse.
  • Twitter also launched its Safety Center in Hindi to ensure education and engagement of women locally to enable them to use this platform safely and with confidence.
14) East coast set to get sixth doppler radar.
  • A new doppler radar to boost the weather forecasting system in the cycloneprone eastern coast will be commissioned in Gopalpur in Odisha.
  • It will be the sixth such radar on the country’s east coast.
  • The other such 5 radars are located in Kolkata, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam and Paradip.
  • The move to set up additional radar assumes significance as it will help authorities in taking timely action against cyclones prone to the eastern coast and also help better forecast.
About Doppler radar:
  1. It is an observational tool for monitoring and predicting severe weather events such as hailstorms, thunder storms, cyclones and tornados within a radius of 300 km.
  2. It uses the Doppler effect by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target to produce velocity data.
  3. This data inturn helps in analyzing object’s motion by altered the frequency of the returned signal.
15) NASA invites India to jointly explore Mars.
  • India and the US could jointly explore Mars and who knows an Indian astronaut could also head to the Red planet on a joint mission.
  • Indias maiden mission to the Red Planet, Mangalyaan, has opened the eyes of the world on ISROs capabilities at undertaking low cost, high value inter-planetary mission.
  • Charles Elachi, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory or JPL, a part of NASA and an institution better known for piloting most of the American planetary exploration efforts with rovers like Curiosity.
  • India and the US could jointly explore Mars and even invited India to send astronauts to the Red Planet.