Current Affairs Sep 2019 - Science
1 - ISRO sets up Space Situational Awareness Control Centre in Bengaluru
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set up a Directorate of Space Situational Awareness and Management aiming at protecting high valued space assets from space debris close approaches and collisions. A control centre is being established at Bengaluru. The Control Centre would facilitate the intensified activities foreseen for SSAM.
ISRO is currently dependent on North America Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) datafor keeping track of space debris and monitoring our active and passive (dead) satellites.
2 - ISRO lost contact with Moon lander "Vikram"
Indian Space Research Organisation has announced that it lost contact with the Moon lander "Vikram". Chandrayaan-2 consisted of three components — an orbiter, a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan.
The three components were together launched to the moon on July 22 atop a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV Mk III) rocket. The lander separated from the orbiter on September 2 to begin its descent to the lunar surface.
3 - "Oscar Of Science" Award for team behind world's first Black Hole image
A team of 347 scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration project won the ‘Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics’ for having produced the world's first image of a black hole. The award carries prize money of $3 million dollars and is considered to be the "Oscars of science."
The winners in other categories
2020 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Awarded to Jeffrey M. Friedman, F. Ulrich Hartl and Arthur L. Horwich, David Julius, and Virginia Man-Yee Lee.
2020 Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics Awarded to Alex Eskin.
Six New Horizons Prizes Worth $100,000 Each Awarded for Early-Career Achievements in Physics and Math.
4 - DRDO successfully flight-tests indigenously developed Antitank Guided Missile
Defence Research and Development Organisation successfully flight tested indigenously developed low weight, fire and forget Man Portable Antitank Guided Missile (MPATGM) in the ranges of Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. The missile was launched from a man portable Tripod launcher and the target was mimicking a functional tank. The missile hit the target in top attack mode and destroyed it with precision. All the mission objectives were met.
This is the third series of successful testing of MPATGM. The missile is incorporated with state-of-the-art Infrared Imaging Seeker along with advanced avionics.
5 - Water discovered on habitable ‘super-Earth’ K2-18b
Researchers from University College London have discovered water vapour on a potentially habitable super-Earth called K2-18b. The scientists analysed data from the Hubble Space Telescope. The discovery has been published in Nature Astronomy. This is the first successful atmospheric detection of water on an exoplanet.
K2-18b orbits a cool dwarf star and is about 110 light years away from Earth in the Leo constellation. The super-Earth is eight times the mass of Earth and was located in 2015.
6 - First Indigenous Fuel Cell System launched on CSIR Foundation Day
The President of India, Shri Ram NathKovind, unveiled the first Indigenous High Temperature Fuel Cell System developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in partnership with Indian industries under India’s flagship program named “New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI)”.
The Fuel Cells developed are based on High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HTPEM) Technology. This system will also meet the requirement of efficient, clean and reliable backup power generator for telecom towers. The Fuel Cells fit well in India’s mission of replacing diesel with green and alternate fuels.
7 - 5th India International Science Festival to be held in Kolkata
The 5th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2019 will be held at Kolkata from 5th to 8th November, 2019. The theme for this year’s festival is RISEN India – Research, Innovation, and Science Empowering the Nation.
The IISF 2019 is the fifth edition since its inception in 2015 and expects to host a gathering of approximately 12,000 participants from India and abroad. It is organised jointly by science & technology- related Ministries and Departments of the Government of India and Vijnana Bharati (Vibha), 2019.
8 - Japan launched "World's Biggest Transport Space Ship" for Space Station
Japan's space agency JAXA has launched 'the world's biggest transport space ship' called Kounotori8. It will help replenish essential supplies at the International Space station (ISS) and was launched by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI).
The unpiloted cargo ship carried more than 4 tons of supplies, batteries, and a prototype laser-communications system. The launch took place from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Tanegashima Space Centre in southwestern Japan.
