1) SpaceX successfully launched an inflatable room to the space station.
- Private SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket contracted by NASA has successfully launched the first inflatable habitat room that will attach to the International Space Station (ISS).
- The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on schedule from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, United States.
- The inflatable room has been named as Bigelow Expandable Actitvity Module (BEAM) and has been built by Nevada Company Bigelow Aerospace.
- It is powered by liquid oxygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellants.
- It is made up of aluminium and soft fabric. It expands in space and is light weight and also takes minimal space. It creates place for astronauts to live and work.
- Its test is intended to pave the way towards the use of such rooms for long space trips, including to Mars and this technology could also help to create homes on Mars.
2) Pakistan Navy successfully test-fires shore-based anti-ship missile.
- Pakistan has test fired anti-ship surface to sea ``Zarb`` missile from the coastal areas successfully. Zarb means hit in Urdu language.
- It hit its target in the Arabian Sea after it was fired from a strategic point located at a coastal area.
- The launch of new missile system was part of Pakistan Navy`s continuous effort to enhance its capabilities.
- It is the Chinese C-602.Missile which is export version of the YJ-62.
- The C-602 is claimed to have a range of 280 kms and weighs around 300 kg. It has semi-armour-piercing warhead and GPS guidance.
3) Researchers from china introduce Graphene based all-weather solar cell.
- Chinese researchers have developed Graphene based all-weather solar cell that can generate electricity even during rains.
- The cell will use `wonder material` graphene.
- Solar cell coated with a very thin film of graphene was developed by a team from the Ocean University of China and Yunan Normal University.
- Graphene is a two-dimensional (2D) form of carbon in which the atoms are bonded into a honeycomb arrangement.
- In aqueous solution graphene can bind positively charged ions with its electrons. Researchers used this to obtain power from the impact of raindrops on graphene electrodes.
- At the point of contact between the grapheme and raindrop, water becomes enriched in positive ions and the graphene becomes enriched in delocalised electrons.
- Results in a feature known as a pseudocapacitor ,i.e phenomenon is sufficient to produce a voltage and current.
4) Kepler spacecraft stuck in `emergency mode`.
- The Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft is stuck in a emergency mode (EM) some 75 million miles from Earth and NASA scientists are working to try and bring it back from its crisis.
- The lowest operational mode EM of the spacecraft was discovered during a scheduled contact for undertaking microlensing observing campaign.
- Controllers found the spacecraft’s problem, when they were moving to point the telescope to look towards the Milky Way.
- Kepler spacecraft hunts for Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. It was launched in March 2009
- Since its launch, the mission has been incredibly successful and has led to finding of more than 1,000 alien planets of which half are exoplanets to be ever discovered.
5) New way to predict earthquakes found.
- Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) at its Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) have discovered a way to forecast earthquakes based on tremors or earthquakes below a Richter scale of 2.
- The study, led by Indian-origin researcher Deepa Mele Veedu.
- Scientists believe that larger earthquakes are unlikely to occur following tremors or earthquakes below a Richter scale of 2 that are caused by small vibrations or slow fault movements.
- The NTU team found that not only do these vibrations potentially point to an impending earthquake, but they also discovered a discernible pattern to them.
- The teams latest findings could potentially be applied in the seismic monitoring of the area to help better forecast large earthquakes in the region.
6) DRDO`s nuclear capable K-4 underwater missile test-fired again.
- The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has test-fired the nuclear capable K-4 missile from the indigenous nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Arihant.
- It was a highly successful test, carrying a dummy payload but in full operational configuration from INS Arihant.
- The missile was reportedly fired from the onboard silos of INS Arihant from a depth of 20 metre.
- The K-4 missile is a 17-tonne submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) with an operational range of 3,500 km and can carry conventional and nuclear warheads weighing over 2,000 kg.
- The K-4 and the K-15 missiles are an important part of India`s nuclear triad, which provides India with retaliatory nuclear strike capability.
7) India Successfully Test Fires Surface-To-Air Akash Missile.
- Indigenously developed surface-to-air supersonic Akash missile System was successfully test fired from complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipuri in Odisha.
- The missile targeted an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) named `Banshee`. It successfully destroyed the targets coordinated by the user, demonstrating its ‘killing’ efficiency.
- Akash missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided-Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).
- The missile has supersonic speeds ranging from Mach 2.8 to 3.5.
- It is multi target, multi directional, all weather air-defence system consisting of surveillance and tracking radars.
- It has capability to carry warhead of 60 kg. It can engage aerial targets up to a range of approximately 25 kms. It can reach a high altitude of 18 kms and as low as 30 meters.
- It is powered by Ramjet-rocket propulsion system (RRPS) which renders thrust for the missile to intercept the target.
8) Supercomputer `Param Kanchenjunga` Unveiled at Sikkim NIT.
- The supercomputer, named ‘Param Kanchenjunga’, was formally unveiled by Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil at the NIT Sikkim campus at Ravangla.
- The Supercomputer is expected to help achieve excellence in engineering education and research in the north-east region.
- It has been named after Kangchenjunga mountain (8,586 m), the third highest mountain in the world which lies partly in Nepal and partly in Sikkim.
- Param was most powerful and fastest supercomputer among all the 31 NITs and Sikkim NIT has secured a rare distinction of having such a supercomputer.
- Param Kanchenjunga has been jointly developed by Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing ‘C-DAC’ and the NIT Sikkim at a cost of three crore rupees.
- It is a computer that can do complete tasks faster than any other computer of its generation.
- It has high speed and memory and is usually thousands of times faster than ordinary personal computers.
9) Supernova iron found on the Moon.
- Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) found traces of iron isotopes in samples from the moon, similar to those found on our ocean floor, leading them to believe that it came from the same supernova explosion.
- A supernova, according to NASA, is a star’s explosion that happens at the end of its life cycle. Stars are basically made up of hydrogen and once it is all gone, they implode and create new elements.
- A unique iron isotope (60Fe), was found in deep-sea crusts and ocean sediments from the Pacific Ocean.
- The scientists of TUM also made use of the samples of lunar material that was brought to Earth for the further study during the Apollo lunar missions 12, 15 and 16 between 1969 and 1972.
- These samples were studied using a high-sensitivity accelerator mass spectrometer in the Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory.
- This study supports that the same supernova explosion sent the same stellar particles to Earth and our moon.