SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS JULY 2009

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS JULY 2009

• Technology and market research firm Forrester Research projected India to have 3rd largest online population by 2013 in its ‘Global online population forecast 2008-13’ report.

  
  
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over the first batch of four Cheetal helicopters to the Indian Air Force at HAL’s Barrackpore Division near Kolkata.

  
  
• India launched her first indigenous nuclear powered submarine Arihant on July 26. The submarine designed and constructed in India as Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project. ‘Arihant’ means ‘Destroyer of Enemies’.

  
  

  Some interesting features of indigenous nuclear powered submarine Arihant are:

  
  

  - It was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Ship Building Center, Vishakapatnam naval dockyard.

  
  

  - It is among the five in the class approved by the government for construction.

  
  

  - The other countries having capabilities to operate nuclear powered submarines are: U.S, Russia, U.K, France and China.

  
  

  - It is jointly developed by Indian Navy, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) with Russian assistance.

  
  

  - It is the nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN)

  
  

  - It is about 110 metres long, 6000 tons, 22 knots speed, 11 metre-wide with complement of around 23 officers and 72 men

  
  

  - The 80 MW mini-nuclear reactor to power the submarine has been installed

  
  

  - The K-15 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) for the submarine was tested successfully from an undersea platform on February 26, 2008

  
  

  - It can launch 12 SLBMs, even under ice-cap.

  
  

  - The necessary crew training to operate the submarine, is planned through Russian Akula II submarine expected to join Indian Navy on lease by year end.

  
  

  - The ATV project started making significant progress only after the land-based reactor became fully operational in December 2004 at Kalpakkam, near Chennai.

  
  
• Space shuttle Endeavor was successfully launched from International Space Center. It was launched with 7 members from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.