SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS DECEMBER 2012

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS DECEMBER 2012

• India Successfully Test Fired Air to Air Interceptor Astra Missile
  India on 21 December 2012 test launched its indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air interceptor missile Astra at the interim test range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha. The missile was fired from the launch pad number two of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) run missile testing centre at around 13.30 hours to confirm its reconfigured propulsion, control and guidance systems. The launch was carried out against an electronic target and it destroyed its target - a small pilotless Lakshya aircraft - which was launched from the same base just minutes before the firing of the missile. The missile had already been test-fired from the Chandipur facility several times in the past. The test on 21 December 2012 was just development trial of the missile. After completing all the developmental trials, Astra would be ultimately integrated with combat fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30, MIG-29 and the Light Combat Aircraft.
  
• China inaugurated World’s Longest High-speed Rail Route linking Beijing with Guangzhou
  China on 26 December 2012 inaugurated world's longest high-speed rail route linking its capital Beijing with the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, covering a distance of 2298 kms. It runs at an average speed of 300 km per hour and it will save nearly 12 hours by bringing down the travel time between Beijing and Guangzhou from more than 20 hours to around eight. The route connects five provinces and has 35 stops in major cities, including Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan and Changsha. With the opening of the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railroad, China now has a network of more than 9300 km of operating high-speed railways. This is the longest high speed network China launched after the Beijing-Shanghai Bullet train in 2010, which brought down travel time to around five hours, covering over 1300 km distance between two of China's largest cities. The new train covers Beijing with China's most industrialised province Guangdong where most developed cities like Guangzhou close to Hong Kong and Maccau are located. The line is expected to be extended to Hong Kong by 2015.
  
• India on 21 December 2012 tested successfully its indigenously developed beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air interceptor missile Astra at the interim test range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.The launch was carried out against an electronic target and it destroyed its target - a small pilotless Lakshya aircraft - which was launched from the same base just minutes before the firing of the missile.The missile had already been test-fired from the Chandipur facility several times in the past. The test on 21 December 2012 was just development trial of the missile.After completing all the developmental trials, Astra would be ultimately integrated with combat fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30, MIG-29 and the Light Combat Aircraft. Astra has the capability to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at a supersonic speed and can be fitted into any fighter aircraft. 3.8 metre long, it is considered as one of the best of its kind in the world as it weighs about 160 kg and can carry explosive loaded conventional warheads up to 15 kg. It is designed to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds (1.2 to 1.4 Mach).
  
• India on 20 December 2012 successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable surface-to-surface Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur near Balasore.The missile was test fired from a mobile launcher. The missile launch was conducted as part of operational exercise by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence services. The Prithvi-II missile, developed by the DRDO, is already inducted into the Indian Armed forces. The last trial of Prithvi-II was successfully carried out from the same base on 4 October 2012.Prithvi is India's first indigenously built ballistic missile and one of the five missile developed under India’s prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). It is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads and thrusted by liquid propulsion twine engines, uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory.The Prithvi-II missile is equipped with advanced high accuracy navigation system and guided by an innovative guidance scheme.
  
• India Developed Indigenous Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Vaccine
  First vaccine of the world was developed against Japanese Encephalitis (JE) using the Indian strain of virus. National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune offered the strain of JE virus to Bharat Biotech. This JE virus was gathered from Kolar in Karnataka. Bharat Biotech had submitted results from final human trials to Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) so that it could have marketing clearance. The vaccine is an injectable one and offers protection rate of more than 90 percent. It can be used for age group of 1-15 years. The application has been sent for marketing approval to DCGI. Clinical data about the same would also be put forward to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for reviewing which would take place in January 2013. The scientific committee of ICMR would provide technical support to government in context of the effectiveness of this JE vaccine, after which decision to introduce this in public health programme would be taken. Country Programme Leader of PATH (the organisation which plays a crucial role in conducting the vaccination of JE in India in 15 states as well as 118 districts since 2006), informed that apart from providing protection against Indian strains of JE, the vaccine would also be effective against Nakayama strain (the strain from Japan) as well as Biken strain (which circulates in the Asian countries). Currently, India imports the stock of JE vaccine from National Biotech Group of China. The arrival of this indigenous Indian vaccination will help in protection of the Indian population against the disease which is largely growing in the country.
  
• NASA Scientists have spotted the longest extra-terrestrial river system ever , on Saturn’s moon Titan and it appears to be a miniature version of Earth’s Nile river. Reports says that,the river valley on Titan stretches more than 400 kilometres from its “headwaters” to a large sea. In comparison, the Nile river on Earth stretches about 6,700 kilometres. Images by NASA’s Cassini mission have revealed for the first time a river system this vast and in such high resolution anywhere other than Earth. Titan is known to have vast seas — the only other body in the solar system, apart from Earth, to possess a cycle of liquids on its surface. However, the thick Titan atmosphere is a frigid one, meaning liquid water could not possibly flow. The liquids on Titan are therefore composed of hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane. The radar image taken on September 26, 2012 shows Titan’s north polar region, where the river valley flows into Kraken Mare, a sea that is, in terms of size, between the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea on Earth.
  
• India on 12 December 2012 successfully test-fired it’s indigenously developed nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile with a strike range of 700 kmfrom a test range off Odisha coast. The missile was test-fired under a practice trial by the Strategic Force Command of the Indian Army from a mobile launcher on 12 December 2012 from Wheeler Island, about 100 km from Balasore,Orissa .Agni- I is a single-stage missile which is powered by solid propellants and has a specialised navigation system which ensures that it reaches the target with a high degree of accuracy and precision. It Weighs around 12 tonnes and is 15-metre-long which is capable of carrying payloads up to 1000 kg.Agni-I has been developed by advanced systems laboratory, the premier missile development laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Defence Research Development Laboratory and Research Centre Imarat and integrated by Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad. The last trial of the Agni-I missile was successfully carried out on 13 July 2012 from the same test range off Odisha Coast.
  
• Scientists at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have developed a prototype laser device capable of detecting tiny traces of explosive vapour, an invention that has the potential to put bomb sniffer dogs out of a job.The prototype -- a pulsed, quantum laser-based, cavity ring-down spectrometer -- is being tested at the US government's Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.The laser machine is "about 100 times more sensitive and 100 times faster than any other detection device," Associate Professor Charles Harb from UNSW's School of Engineering and Information Technology said in an interview with UNSW's quarterly publication Uniken.The laser device could sniff bags travelling along a conveyor belt and instantly alert security personnel if it detects explosive vapours from a passing object, such as a suitcase.The device could replace intrusive airport security checks such as pat downs and full body scans and bomb sniffer dogs, UNSW said. Scientists expected that it would take two years of testing and calibrating the prototype -- to detect "unique signatures of other substances and different types of explosives" -- before it's ready for commercial use.Harb and his team at UNSW began working on the device in 2005 when they were asked by the Australian Federal Police to create a machine that could assist with forensic investigations and detect explosive residue at crime scene.Harb and his team, Scientia Professor Ian Peterson and research associates Dr Toby Boyson and Dr Abhijit Kallapur, developed the device after receiving a grant from the Australian Research Council in 2005.
  
• Indian Coast Guard Ship H-188, the second in the series of twelve Air Cushion Vehicles (ACVs) designed and built by M/s Griffon Hoverworks Limited (GHL), UK was commissioned by Deputy Director General of Coast Guard, Inspector General Rajendra Singh at Haldia in West Bengal on 12 december. The 21 metres long Air Cushion Vehicle with 31 tonnes displacement can achieve a maximum speed of 45 knots. The ACV is capable of undertaking multifarious tasks such as surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue and rendering assistance to small boats/craft in distress at sea.
  
• With the commissioning of H-188, the force level of ICG has gone up to 77 ships & boats and with the planned inductions the force level would be doubling by 2018. The Air Cushion Vehicle H-188 will be based at Haldia under the Administrative and Operational Control of the Commander Coast Guard Region (North-East).
  
• NASA plans to send a new rover to Mars in 2020 as it prepares for a manned mission to the Red Planet.The announcement came on 4 deceme, a day after NASA released the results of the first soil tested by the Curiosity rover, which found traces of some of the compounds like water and oxygen that are necessary for life. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement that the administration of President Barack Obama is committed to a robust Mars exploration program.
  
• With an aim to equip the Airmen with requisite skill sets enabling them to seek sustainable and befitting career prospects in civil industry sector post retirement, Indian Air Force (IAF) in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has embarked on a project of setting up a Vocational Training Centre (VTC) named “Happy Landings”. This project is one of the many HR initiatives undertaken by the IAF to ensure the well being of Air Warriors and address their professional and personal aspirations. Towards this, aMemorandum of Understanding has been signed between Air Vice Marshal Amit Aneja AVSM VM VSM, Asst Chief of Air Staff (Training), IAF and Ms. Supriya Banerji, Deputy Director General, CII on 07 December 2012 at Air Headquarters, New Delhi. Air Marshal Anil Chopra AVSM VM VSM, Air Officer-in-Charge Personnel, Indian Air Force presided over the MoU Signing ceremony which was also attended by delegates from CII as well as the industry. According to the MoU, CII will train Airmen due for retirement in the near future, focusing on bridging the gap between existing skills possessed by the airmen and those required by the civil industry and also facilitate suitable placements for the personnel in civil sector.
  
• A drone that can put out a country's electronics system
  From sci-fi to reality! A new missile which uses electromagnetic pulses to target buildings can permanently shut down a country's electronics without harming people, Boeing has claimed. The US aircraft manufacturer claims to have successfully tested the weapon on a one-hour flight during which it knocked out the computers of an entire military compound in the Utah desert. It's thought the missile could penetrate the bunkers and caves believed to be hiding Iran's alleged nuclear facilities, the 'Daily Mail' reported. However, experts have warned that the technology could be used to bring Western cities to their knees if it falls in the wrong hands. During Boeing's experiment, the missile flew low over the Utah Test and Training Range, discharging electromagnetic pulses on to seven targets, permanently shutting down their electronics. Boeing said that the test was so successful that even the camera recording it was disabled. Codenamed the Counter-Electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP), it is the first time a missile with electromagnetic pulse capability has been tested. Boeing declined to release a film of the test, citing security reasons, but instead issued an artist's impression of it on video.A stealth aircraft in the clip deploys a missile that emits radio waves from its undercarriage which knock out the computer systems inside the buildings below, the report said. The company also released a real film showing a row of computers that can be seen shutting down when the electromagnetic pulse is switched on.Experts believe the missile is equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon, which uses a super-powerful microwave oven to generate a concentrated beam of energy which causes voltage surges in electronic equipment, rendering them useless before surge protectors have the chance to react.
  
• The Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah informed the Lok Sabha on 30 November that the total installed capacity of renewable energy based power in the country is 26,267 MW. A capacity addition of 30,000 MW is targeted from renewable energy during the 12th Plan period. The contribution of renewable energy based power generation is likely to be in the range of 6-8% in the total electricity mix of the country and major part of power generation would continue to come from thermal and hydro power. He further said the Government is implementing the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission (JNNSM), to promote harnessing/utilization of solar energy for power generation and other applications in the country. The Mission envisages installation of 20,000 MW capacities by the year 2022. Solar projects /systems can be installed throughout the country. The places receiving higher direct solar insulation are better suited for installation solar power projects. A target of 10,000 MW has been fixed for solar power projects during the 12th Plan. So far, 1045 MW of solar power projects have been installed in the country.
  
• Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on 30 November that, the Mother and Child Protection Card (MCP Card) has been introduced through a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India The MCP card is a tool for informing and educating the mother and family on different aspects of maternal and child care and linking maternal and childcare into a continuum of care through the Integrated Child Development Services(ICDS) scheme of Ministry of Women and Child Development and the National Rural Health Mission(NRHM) of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW). The card also captures some of key services delivered to the mother & baby during Antenatal, Intranatal & Post natal care for ensuring that the minimum package of services are delivered to the beneficiary. MCP card has already been disseminated in the year 2010-11 for implementation by the States. The MCP card helps in timely identification, referral and management of complications during pregnancy, child birth and post natal period. The card also serves as a tool for providing complete immunization to infants and children, early and exclusive breast feeding, complementary feeding and monitoring their growth.
  
• Scientists of NASA have discovered a huge mass of ice at Mercury’s North Pole on 29 November 2012. These findings come from the Mercury-orbiting probe of NASA, “Messenger”. Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun. Frozen water is found in the North Pole regions of Mercury which are always found in shadows and mainly affects the craters. It is supposed that the south pole of mercury also has ice but there is no hard and fast data which supports this. Scientist from the Johns Hopkins University opined that if all this is added, the total amount of ice comes out to be 100 billion to 1 trillion metric tons. The only thing that is uncertain is how deep it lies. It is very important to note that presence of ice on Mercury does not necessarily indicate that there is a possibility of life on Mercury. But it is evidence that Mercury might support life, considering the presence of water on its surface. Messenger was launched back in 2004. It is a NASA spacecraft orbiting around Mercury. The observations through NASA’s Messenger will continue in the next year as well.
  
• IIT develops software to detect Diabetic Retinopathy
  IIT Kharagpur has developed software that will be beneficial in detecting Diabetic Retinopathy, a disease that can lead to loss of eye-sight, in a patient in the early stages. The disease, whose root cause is diabetes, can be detected as well as categorised by just scanning the retina and taking multiple frames of it, Chandan Chakrabarty of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur said in Kolkata on 28 November. "The software uses data analytics capabilities to automatically compare and analyse retina images of the patient. It can not only tell if the patient has Diabetic Retinopathy but also provides risk categorisation ranging from low to medium and high," he said. Called the "Computer Vision Approach to Diabetic Retinopathy Screening", the project is being funded by IBM India. Started in March, 2011, the project is at present being used on a pilot basis at Susrut Eye Foundation and Research Centre (SEFRC)."The solution is being used in our clinic and the results are very encouraging. In fact, the accuracy level is as high as 92 per cent," said Anirudh Maity of SEFRC. Chakrabarty said that the project would take another year to be commercially viable. "It should take a year to be ready completely. We are using the results generated by the prototype at the SEFRC to enhance its operations. Once operational, the solution will help prevent and cure DR which has been increasingly spreading across the country," he pointed out.
  
• Sea level rising 60 percent faster than estimated
  Satellite measurements show the sea level is actually rising at a rate of 3.2 mm a year compared to the estimate of two mm a year in the IPCC report. Results were obtained by taking averages from the five available global land and ocean temperature series, the journal Environmental Research Letters reports. The study was led by Stefan Rahmstorf, professor of physics of the oceans at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany. It included researchers from Tempo Analytics, US, and Laboratoire d'Etudes en Geophysique et Oceanographie Spatiales, France The researchers believe the findings are important for keeping a track of how well past projections match the accumulating observational data."This study shows once again that the IPCC is far from alarmist. But in fact has underestimated the problem of climate change. That applies not just for sea level rise, but also to extreme events and the Arctic seaice loss," Rahmstorf said.
  
• Biggest Ever Black Hole Discovered in the Small Galaxy NGC 1277
  Astronomers claimed that they have discovered the biggest ever black hole in the small galaxy called NGC 1277 which is situated around 250 million light years away from our planet. This galaxy constitutes the mass equal to 17 billion suns. The biggest ever black hole sits in the NGC 1277 galaxy in Perseus constellation. This gigantic black hole forms around 14 percent of the mass of host galaxy. When compared with the 0.1 per cent of the usual black hole, this massive black hole adds the mass which is equal to 17 billion suns. The NGC 1277 galaxy as well as many others would alter the theories about how these galaxies and black holes evolve. This galaxy is merely 10 percent of the mass as well as size of the Milky Way, the galaxy in which Earth is situated. Even though the size of NGC 1277 galaxy is small, but the gigantic black hole which sits in the galaxy is 11 times wider as the orbit of Neptune around the Sun. A team member of the discovery at The University of Texas at Austin claimed that the galaxy is almost the black hole and possibly this was the first object in the genre of galaxy-black hole systems. Apart from this, the gigantic black holes were also observed in huge blobby galaxies known as ellipticals.