Perseverance Rover Successfully Launched in Mars NASA:
Perseverance, NASA`s most advanced Mars rover, successfully landed on Mars surface, which is amazing. This is the first step in discovering signs on Mars of ancient microbial life.
Highlights:
♦ As part of NASA`s 2020 Mars mission, Perseverance, nicknamed Percy, is an SUV-sized Mars probe designed to explore the Jezero Crater on Mars.
♦ It was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, launched at UTC on July 30, 2020, and confirmed receipt of the rover`s successful landing at UTC on February 18, 2021.
♦ Seven primary payload instruments, 19 cameras and two microphones are fitted with Perseverance. The creativity of a miniature helicopter, an advanced aircraft that will attempt its first powered flight on another planet, carries this wanderer.
Key Facts:
♦ Mission Name: Mars 2020
♦ Rover Name: Perseverance
♦ Main Job of the Rover: For a potential return to Earth, look for signs of ancient life and collect rock and Goliath samples (broken rock and soil).
♦ Launch: July 30, 2020
♦ Landing: Feb. 18, 2021
♦ Landing Site: Jezero Crater, Mars
♦ Tech Demo of the Rover: The Mars Helicopter, hitching a ride on the Perseverance rover, is a technology demonstration.
Go Electric Campaign Was Initiated:
The Minister of Transport initiated the "Go Electric" Campaign.
About the Campaign:
♦ The goal of the campaign is to promote electric vehicles and charging facilities for electric vehicles and to promote the benefits of electric cooking in India.
♦ The concept of the initiative is to promote the use of electric vehicles instead of petrol and diesel vehicles.
♦ The event aims to raise awareness at the PAN-India level and is expected to improve the confidence of manufacturers of electric vehicles.
♦ An significant initiative is the "Go Electric" movement because it will be an important step towards a cleaner and greener future and will help reduce the reliance of my country on imports in the coming years.
♦ Electric fuel is the predominant alternative to fossil fuels and Rs 8 billion is the cost of importing fossil fuels.
♦ Electric fuels have low cost and reduced emissions compared with fossil fuels, and they are also indigenous.
###Microbes from Earth Can survive on Mars:
A study published in Frontiers in Microbiology indicates that on Mars, some microorganisms found on Earth may survive temporarily.
Highlights:
♦ For the success of future MARS missions, this study is of great significance.
♦ Researchers from NASA and the German Aerospace Center tested the endurance of these microorganisms.
♦ They have been checked by sending them into the stratosphere, which reflects some of the Red Planet`s main conditions.
♦ New methods of exposing bacteria and fungi under Martian-like conditions have been tested by the use of scientific balloons to carry experimental equipment to the stratosphere.
♦ Some microorganisms may survive during the journey, particularly black mould spores, even when exposed to high ultraviolet rays.
###First Country to Receive Vaccines Via COVAX Ghana:
The vaccine received through the COVAX programme has become the first country in the world to receive Ghana.
Highlights:
♦ The goal of the COVAX facility is to speed up the production and manufacture of coronavirus vaccines by pooling Member States` resources and ensuring that vaccines are equally distributed among them.
♦ COVAX is led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Advances in Disease Preparedness (CEPI) and the GAVI Vaccine Alliance.
♦ By investing in new vaccines and negotiating costs with pharmaceutical firms, COVAX assists in the production of new vaccines. By the end of 2021, the target of COVAX is to administer 2 billion doses, which should be adequate to help countries vaccinate 20 percent of the population and end the acute period of the pandemic.
♦ The CEPI is a global initiative to develop vaccines to stop potential epidemics among public, private, charitable and civil organisations.
♦ The GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunization) was founded in 2000 as a global public-private health partnership committed to creating equity for children living in the world`s poorest countries, offering access to new and underutilised vaccine opportunities. It is a central member of the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, Children’s Fund, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
♦ By growing immunisation opportunities in developing countries, GAVI`s strategy supports its goal to save the lives of children and protect the health of people.