NSIL (NewSpace India Limited) is a Central Public Sector Enterprise of Government of India and commercial arm of ISRO handle this operation. Here is all you need to know about project.
MISSION DESCRIPTION
India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C51 (PSLV-C51), launch Amazonia-1 as primary satellite and 18 co-passenger satellites from First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota.
PSLV-C51 used 'DL' variant of PSLV equipped with two solid strap-on boosters.
PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 mission is the first Dedicated PSLV commercial mission for NewSpace India Limited, NSIL undertake this mission under a commerical arrangement with Spaceflight Inc. USA.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is finally following in the footsteps of NASA and SpaceX by developing a space program for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV) which it has been testing since 2016.
The RLV program aims to cut down on launch costs by, well, reusing the spacecraft. ISRO's current project appears to be using a hybrid design that sits somewhere between NASA's now-shuttered Space Shuttle program and SpaceX's reusable rockets.
India's RLV includes a Space Shuttle-like craft that could feature an air-breathing ramjet engine. This craft will take a payload to space and then glide back to Earth, landing like a normal aircraft, much like the Space Shuttle. The rocket that will take this shuttle to orbit will return to Earth much like Musk's Falcon 9 rockets. It will return under its own power and make a landing on a floating platform out at sea.
So far, the RLV shuttle has been tested over water.
An artist illustration of the RLV-TD concept. Image: ISRO
The scientists at ISRO will be tracking the flight and landing of the RLV at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) at Challakere in Chitradurga district, Karnataka.
The ATR has 2.2 km runway and the RLV will be dropped from a helicopter at an altitude of 3 km. According to a report in the Deccan Chronicle, an onboard computer will help the RLV glide for some distance before touching down on the runway like an aircraft.
The launch vehicle is critical to unleashing ISRO’s dreams of human space flight, Gaganyaan. It will also help to further cut the cost of launches.
The first demonstration of the rocket's concept was tested on 23 May 2016, when ISRO carried out its 'Hypersonic Flight Experiment' of a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO), fully-reusable rocket.
An illustration showing the different stages in the RLV technology demonstration, from launch to landing of both stages.
Four aspects of the vehicle are to be tested:
hypersonic flight, tested in the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX)
autonomous landing, to be tested in the landing experiment (LEX)
powered cruise flight
hypersonic flight with air-breathing propulsion, to be tested in the scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX)
ISRO plans to recover and reuse two stages of the rocket. To recover the first stage, ISRO will use a similar principle to SpaceX's Falcon 9 boosters, whereby the rocket is programmed to land on a pad in the sea after launch. For the second stage of the rocket, ISRO plans to test an advanced version of the RLV, tested in 2016.The rocket will be controlled by ISRO engineers after launch to land on an airstrip, after which it will be used again for a second launch.
New internet guidelines are India’s latest move to assert control over global tech firms. A TV screen displaying apps in New Delhi on Thursday.
India is establishing new rules to govern internet firms like Facebook Inc., FB, WhatsApp and Twitter Inc., TWTR a fresh challenge for the American giants in a huge market that is key to their global expansion.
The new guidelines, unveiled Thursday, say that in order to counter the rise of problematic content online like false news and violent material, intermediaries must establish “grievance redressal mechanisms” to resolve user complaints about postings and share with the government the names and contact details for “grievance officers” at the firms. These officers must acknowledge complaints within a day and resolve them within 15.
Social media firms must take down material involving explicit sexual content within 24 hours of being flagged. Firms must also appoint officers and contact people—who live in India—to coordinate with law enforcement agencies and address complaints. Some firms must also help identify the “first originator” of some messages, the rules say.
“We appreciate the proliferation of social media in India,” Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s minister of electronics and information technology, said Thursday. “We want them to be more responsible and more accountable,” he said.
The rules are New Delhi’s latest move to assert control over global tech firms that have experienced breakneck growth in a country of more than 1.3 billion. The regulations also come during monthslong farmers’ protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which have sparked fierce debate on social media. They have emerged as Mr. Modi’s stiffest political challenge since he assumed power in 2014.
Representatives for Facebook and WhatsApp said Facebook has “always been clear as a company that we welcome regulations that set guidelines for addressing today’s toughest challenges on the Internet.”
The indigenously developed VL-SRSAM is an advanced air defense system that provides a single integrated solution for multiple aerial threats from different ranges.
The Short Range Surface to Air Missile
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the maiden test of Vertically Launched-Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from a defence facility off the Odisha coast on Monday.
Based on the Astra missile, the indigenously developed VL-SRSAM is an advanced air defense system that provides a single integrated solution for multiple aerial threats from different ranges.
Defence sources said the vertical launch of the missile will ensure 360-degree interception. With an active high-end radio frequency seeker for targets with low radar cross-sections and high maneuverability, the missile will add more teeth to the Armed forces.
"Final countdown has begun for the test after the range integration was over. The missile has already been integrated with the launcher and the final check-ups were on. Two rounds of the test have been planned," the sources said.
The next generation all-weather air defence missile system can provide point and area defence against various aerial targets like jets, fighter aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles.
The canister-based state of art weapon system can identify, track, engage and destroy the target with high kill probability. It has a strike range of about 40 km.
The ministry said the joint user trials of Helina (the Army version) and Dhruvastra (IAF version) have been carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) platform.
The father of all giant sea bugs was recently discovered off the coast of Java.
A close up of Bathynomus raksasa
A new species of isopod with a resemblance to a certain Sith lord was just discovered.
It is the first known giant isopod from the Indian Ocean.
The finding extends the list of giant isopods even further.
Humanity knows surprisingly little about the ocean depths. An often-repeated bit of evidence for this is the fact that humanity has done a better job mapping the surface of Mars than the bottom of the sea. The creatures we find lurking in the watery abyss often surprise even the most dedicated researchers with their unique features and bizarre behavior.
A recent expedition off the coast of Java discovered a new isopod species remarkable for its size and resemblance to Darth Vader.
The ocean depths are home to many creatures that some consider to be unnatural.
Bathynomus raksasa specimen (left) next to a closely related supergiant isopod, B. giganteus (right)
According to LiveScience, the Bathynomus genus is sometimes referred to as "Darth Vader of the Seas" because the crustaceans are shaped like the character's menacing helmet. Deemed Bathynomus raksasa ("raksasa" meaning "giant" in Indonesian), this cockroach-like creature can grow to over 30 cm (12 inches). It is one of several known species of giant ocean-going isopod. Like the other members of its order, it has compound eyes, seven body segments, two pairs of antennae, and four sets of jaws.
The incredible size of this species is likely a result of deep-sea gigantism. This is the tendency for creatures that inhabit deeper parts of the ocean to be much larger than closely related species that live in shallower waters. B. raksasa appears to make its home between 950 and 1,260 meters (3,117 and 4,134 ft) below sea level.
Perhaps fittingly for a creature so creepy looking, that is the lower sections of what is commonly called The Twilight Zone, named for the lack of light available at such depths.
It isn't the only giant isopod, far from it. Other species of ocean-going isopod can get up to 50 cm long (20 inches) and also look like they came out of a nightmare. These are the unusual ones, though. Most of the time, isopods stay at much more reasonable sizes.
The discovery of this new species was published in ZooKeys. The remainder of the specimens from the trip are still being analyzed. The full report will be published shortly.
On March 21, when asteroid 2001 FO32 sweeps past Earth, it’ll be moving at such a fast pace that observers using telescopes might be able to detect its motion – its drift in front of the stars – in real time.
This is a simulated view of asteroid 2001 FO32 on approach to Earth’s vicinity on January 6, 2021. The lines are orbits of planets in our solar system; see Earth’s orbit (3rd planet from the sun)? The asteroid is still far away, but it’ll be closest on March 21, the day after the March equinox, sweeping within about 5 lunar distances, moving at about 21 miles (34.4 km) per second.
The biggest known asteroid to pass in 2021 will sweep by on March 21. Asteroid 2001 FO32 is estimated to be about .6 miles (1 km) in diameter, not quite as long as the Golden Gate Bridge, but comparable in length. Although there’s no risk of impact, the space rock is of interest also because it’s one of the fastest space rocks known to fly by Earth. It’s traveling at about 76,980 miles per hour (123,887 km/h) or 21 miles (34.4 km) per second, relative to Earth. In contrast, Earth travels around the sun at about 18 miles (30 km) per second. Since 2001 FO32 is good-sized and occasionally passes near Earth, it’s been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid. Its orbit is well known, and it poses no risk of impact.
A fascinating aspect of asteroids is that observers using backyard telescopes can spot them as apparently slow-moving “stars.” It typically takes at least 5 to 10 minutes for backyard telescope users to detect a space rock’s motion in front of its starfield. But asteroid 2001 FO32 will be sweeping past Earth at such a fast pace that, when it’s closest, observers using 8″ or larger telescopes might be able to detect its motion – its drift in front of the stars – in real time.
We note that the space rock will be too faint to see wth the unaided eye. It’ll be visible to observers using 8″ or larger diameter telescopes. You must aim your telescope at the correct position in the sky, at the right time. The charts in this post provide details. You might also check Stellarium online or TheSkyLive for more details on observing.
One caveat for northern observers. The asteroid is placed relatively low in the southern sky. As asteroid 2001 FO32 passes by Earth, observers using telescopes might try to spot it as it glides through the southern constellations of Scorpius and Sagittarius. For observers in the southern U.S., the asteroid will be low in the sky, above the southern horizon (about 20 degrees or lower), just before dawn on March 21, 2021. Observers at lower latitudes and in the southern hemisphere will be better placed to take a look through a telescope.
After it passes by Earth in March 2021, the next encounter of this asteroid with our planet occurs in 31 years, on March 22, 2052. However, the 2021 approach will be its closest to Earth for the next 200 years for which its orbit has been calculated.
Asteroid 2001 FO32 was discovered on March 23, 2001, by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR), near Socorro, New Mexico.
The space rock’s orbit carries it around the sun every 810 days (2.22 years). It comes as close to the sun as 0.30 astronomical units (1 AU = 1 Earth-sun distance). It travels as far from the sun as 3.11 AU. Its orbit is highly elliptical (as opposed to being closer to circular).
Location of asteroid 2001 FO32 on March 20, 2021, at 3:45 am ET, as seen from southern U.S. The space rock will be too faint to see wth the unaided eye, but visible to observers using 8″ larger diameter telescopes. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.
Location of asteroid 2001 FO32 on March 20, 2021, at 3:45 am ET. Observers using a computerized or “Go To” telescope can point their instrument at one of these reference stars a few minutes before, and wait for the asteroid, which will appear as a slowly moving “star.” Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.
Location of Asteroid 2001 FO32 on March 21, 2021, at 4:45 am ET, just hours before its closest approach to Earth, so the asteroid’s motion will be easiest to detect in real time through a telescope. Illustration – set for southern U.S. – by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.
Location of the space rock on March 21, 2021n at 4:45 am ET, just hours before its closest approach to Earth. Have a computerized or Go To telescope? Point your optics to one of these reference stars a few minutes ahead, and wait for Asteroid 2001 FO32. This illustration shows the location of the space rock on March 21, 2021 on 4:45 am ET, just hours before its closest approach to Earth, so the asteroid’s motion will be very easy to detect in real time through the telescope. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.
Another angle on the orbit of asteroid 2001 FO32. The space rock completes an orbit around the sun every 810 days (2.22 years). Image via NASA/ JPL.
Bottom line: Asteroid 2001 FO32 is the biggest known asteroid to sweep past Earth in the year 2021. It will fly by at such a fast pace that, when it’s closest, observers using telescopes might be able to detect its motion – its drift in front of the stars – in real time.
Unhealthy access: People lacking Internet access in the U.S., including some racial minorities, may be missing out on COVID-19 vaccines, The Conversation suggests. Signing up for the vaccine in the U.S. has largely happened online, meaning fewer seniors from underserved minority communities have been able to make appointments. In addition, people without Internet access have missed out on other health resources during the pandemic, as the use of telehealth services has skyrocketed during the pandemic.
Permission to be social: Mexican Senator Ricardo Monreal has proposed regulations for social media companies that would require them to “request authorization” from the country’s telecom regulator in order to continue operating in the country, Reuters reports. The Latin American Internet Association is protesting against the proposal, saying it would violate the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and create unjustified trade barriers.
No sale: U.S. President Joe Biden has paused the proposed sale of TikTok from Chinese owner Byte Dance to Oracle and Walmart after former President Donald Trump raised security concerns about the app, NPR reports. Trump had threated to ban the video sharing app unless it was sold, but the Biden administration will undertake “a wide-ranging probe into how Chinese-owned technology companies could potentially pose a risk to Americans’ privacy and data security.”
Paying for news: Microsoft is backing an Australian proposal that would require social networks, search engines, and other tech services to pay for the news they point to, The Hill reports. Microsoft has urged the U.S. to adopt a similar regulation. “The United States should not object to a creative Australian proposal that strengthens democracy by requiring tech companies to support a free press. It should copy it instead,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post.
Here, kitty, kitty: The age of the Zoom meeting comes with lots of potential problems. Texas lawyer Rod Ponton accidentally had a kitten filter on his face when he logged into a recent online court hearing, the Independent observes. As Ponton struggled to remove the filter, he told the judge that he was, indeed, human. “I’m here live, I’m not a cat.”
The tectonic plates that cover Earth like a jigsaw puzzle move about as fast as our fingernails grow, but over the course of a billion years that's enough to travel across the entire planet – as a fascinating new video shows.
In one of the most complete models of tectonic plate movements ever put together, scientists have condensed a billion years of movement into a 40-second video clip, so we can see how these giant slabs of rock have interacted over time.
As they move, the plates affect climate, tidal patterns, animal movements and their evolution, volcanic activity, the production of metals and more: they're more than just a covering for the planet, they're a life support system that affects everything that lives on the surface.
"For the first time a complete model of tectonics has been built, including all the boundaries," geoscientist Michael Tetley, who completed his PhD at the University of Sydney, told Euronews.
"On a human timescale, things move in centimeter's per year, but as we can see from the animation, the continents have been everywhere in time. A place like Antarctica that we see as a cold, icy inhospitable place today, actually was once quite a nice holiday destination at the equator."
The moving and sliding of the plates is quite a sight if you check out the video – land masses that are near neighbor's become distant cousins and vice versa, and you might be surprised at just how recently it was that the countries and continents settled into the positions that we know today.
Understanding these movements and patterns is crucial if scientists want to predict how habitable our planet will be in the future, and where we're going to find the metal resources we need to ensure a clean energy future.
Plate movement is estimated through the study of the geological record – the magnetism that provides data on substrates' historic positions in respect to Earth's spin axis and the types of material locked in rock samples that help match the pieces of past geological plate puzzles together.
Here the team went to great lengths to choose and combine the most suitable models currently available, looking at both the movements of the continents and the interactions along plate boundaries.
"Planet Earth is incredibly dynamic, with the surface composed of plates that constantly jostle each other in a way unique among the known rocky planets," says geoscientist Sabin Zahirovic, from the University of Sydney.
"These plates move at the speed fingernails grow, but when a billion years is condensed into 40 seconds a mesmerizing dance is revealed. Oceans open and close, continents disperse and periodically recombine to form immense supercontinents."
The further scientists go into the past, the more difficult it becomes to estimate how plates have moved, and in this case the Neoproterozoic to Cambrian (1,000 to 520 million years ago) eras in particular were carefully charted and brought in line to match the more modern records that we have.
Questions remain about how these plates first formed and when this formation happened, but every new data point helps us to understand the ancient history of Earth – even accounting for missing plates in some models.
The scientists admit that their work lacks some finer detail – stretched as it is across the entire planet and a billion years – but they're hoping that it can act as a useful resource and foundation for the future study of these movements and the impact they have on everything else on the planet.
"Our team has created an entirely new model of Earth evolution over the last billion years," says geoscientist Dietmar Müller, from the University of Sydney.
"Our planet is unique in the way that it hosts life. But this is only possible because geological processes, like plate tectonics, provide a planetary life-support system."
In Episode 146, late in the run of Star Trek — The Next Generation, its writers finally addressed an obvious issue with science fiction: How come no matter where we go out there, aliens look roughly like us? Obviously, the real answer is that they're played by human actors, but science fiction has helped instill in us a prevalent bias toward expecting extraterrestrial beings to have arms, legs, heads, not to mention spines, skin, and so on. Little green men are still men, after all.
But even on earth, we don't represent the norm. There are many more insects than there are humans, and in the oceans? Yipes. Consider giant tube worms.
Riftia
Why on earth (sorry) should extraterrestrials look like us, or even be recognizable as living beings to our limited imaginations? How do we know they don't already live among us, floating, slithering, flying nearby?.
The director of NASA's Astrobiology Institute, Penelope Boston, gave a keynote speech recently at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium.
“It's not like you can walk into a new environment with your lovely robot on some other planet, look at the ground and go gosh it's life! Instead it's 'gosh it's blue something, and it's got a copper signal, and I don't know' — and then you have to investigate."
The astrobiologist ended her talk with he warning that we'd better come up with the technology to recognize life in whatever form it appears before we actually meet up with aliens. If we haven't already.
