Related Technology used by NASA

NEWS TODAY

VISIONIAS

19th MAY, 2021

More than two dozen U.S. space missions have used RTGs since the first one was launched in 1961 like Cassini, New Horizon, and Curiosity etc.

It says China’s involvement in the treaty is confusing since it limits US and Russia to 1,550 warheads each, whereas China is estimated to have around 290 warheads.

Increase in inflation indicates a decrease in the purchasing price of the economy and vice versa.Inflation is good when it is mild. It is presumed to support growth and reduce instability.

Low inflation will adversely impact the sustainability of high levels of public and private debt as debts are typically contracted in nominal values, a lower-than-expected inflation will keep the real value of debt high.

Rise in Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation is because of higher oil and commodity prices and a low base effect. While, fall in Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based retail inflation can be attributed to subdued economic activity because of the lockdowns. RBI has also confirmed a higher drop in the demand as compared to supply.Inflation is measured by the CPI and the WPI.

When prices are going up, people want to buy now rather than pay more later. This increases demand in the short term. As a result, stores sell more and factories produce more now.

Earlier, US proposed a successor to New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) which would be multilateral and include China. 

Recently, US has extended the New START nuclear arms control treaty with Russia for five years. 

According to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) Sulphur 2020 vision the capping standards for sulphur content in ship’s fuel will lead to a 77% drop in overall sulphur oxide emissions.

Since sulphur-light fuel can be very expensive, IMO allows ships to install exhaust scrubbers that use high-volume, high-speed, water spray to absorb pollutants from the exhaust. There are two types of scrubbers:

However, even though the ban has driven up fitting of scrubbers the data showed the scrubbers were overwhelmingly open-loop.

Against this backdrop, as India embarks on its Sagarmala programme, it needs to ensure ships are fitted with closed loop scrubbers to prevent water pollution.

US is worried that China’s nuclear stockpile could be doubled if treaty continued without China. China, however refuses to be part of it.Russia also opposed it and called that a "deliberate distortion of our position." 

Treaty, which first went into effect in 2011, limits U.S. and Russia to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads each and imposes restrictions on the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers to deliver them.New START replaced the 1991 START I treaty, which expired December 2009, and superseded the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), which was terminated when New START entered into force.

In 2020, the IMO started the enforcement of a rule banning sulphur-heavy fuel.

Open-loop scrubbers dump the wastewater into the sea/at the port.Closed loop scrubbers treat the wastewater before dumping.

This has led to dumping of 10 gigatons of scrubber wastewater containing dangerous pollutants and toxic chemicals, including carcinogenic hydrocarbons.This has endangered not just sensitive marine ecosystems and also threatens human health through seafood-consumption.

Sagarmala is India’s port led development programme that promotes water-borne transport. 

UNITED STATES SAYS CHINA IS RESISTING BILATERAL NUCLEAR ARMS TALKS

WPI INFLATION RISES TO 11-YEAR HIGH TO 10.49% AND CPI BASED RETAIL INFLATION FALL TO 4.3% IN APRIL

DARK WATER: WHILE SHIPS ARE POLLUTING THE AIR LESS, THEIR WATER-POLLUTION FOOTPRINT IS RISING

The UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) of ISRO invited proposals for the three phase development of a 100 Watt Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG).

RTGs are lightweight, compact spacecraft power systems that are extraordinarily reliable.

URSC is ISRO’s lead centre for design, development, fabrication, and testing of all Indian-made satellites.The centre envisions using RTG for power generation and thermal management of ISRO’s deep space missions.

RTGs provide electrical power using heat from the natural radioactive decay of plutonium-238, in the form of plutonium dioxide.The large difference in temperature between this hot fuel and the cold environment of space is applied across special solid-state metallic junctions called thermocouples, which generates an electrical current using no moving parts.Sometimes referred to as “nuclear batteries,” RTGs are not fission reactors, nor is plutonium the type that is used for nuclear weapons.

INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION (ISRO) PLANS FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY USE IN SPACE

CPI vs WPIThe CPI measures changes in prices of essential commodities at the consumer level, while the WPI notes changes at the producer level.

The commodities considered for measuring the WPI are manufactured products (63.75% weightage), primary articles such as food (20.02%), and fuel and power (14.23%).

For the CPI, the commodities are food and products (45.86%), housing (10.07%), clothing (6.53%), and fuel among others.

RBI uses CPI for inflation targeting.

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP):NTP systems work by pumping a liquid propellant, most likely hydrogen, through a reactor core. Uranium atoms split apart inside the core and release heat through fission.

NTP systems won’t be used on Earth. It is not designed to produce the amount of thrust needed to leave the Earth's surface.NTP systems offer greater flexibility for deep space missions. They can reduce travel times to Mars by up to 25% and, more importantly, limit a flight crew’s exposure to cosmic radiation.

VISIONIAS

VISIONIASALSO IN NEWS

COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX)

Bubble curtain

Micro-Climatic Changes

Animals in news

Places in news

The effects of microclimate may either provide a buffer against climate change or they may amplify its effects in the form of temperature peaks, droughts, irregular rains or delayed rainfall.

India has lost the ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL)-discovered Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf after Iran awarded a contract for developing the giant gas field to a local company.

It was discovered on the Farsi offshore exploration block in 2008 by OVL, the overseas investment arm of India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).

It is an offshore natural gas field located in Persian Gulf (Iran).

WHO, GAVI, CEPI and the UNICEF as the implementing partners.

It is the most vulnerable to climate change as the food production in this zone of Africa is under threat.

COVAX is an initiative that was started to ensure the poorest of countries too had access to the vaccine. 

This technology is being used for the first time in India to stop plastic from entering the river Yamuna. It is a non-invasive solution to stop plastic from entering the oceans. 

The bubble screen is created by a specially designed air tube which is placed diagonally on the bed of the canal or river. It brings waste to the surface, channels the plastic onto the banks where it can be extracted.

Ships and fish can pass through the air bubbles, but plastics will be stopped. 

The initiative was started by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and the government of France in April 2020. 

However, the initiative has not succeeded in its goal so far due to over-dependence on a few manufacturers, advance booking of vaccines and fund shortage.

Recently, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) report finds that rise in cyclone intensity, frequency in India is due to micro-climatic changesMicro-climates are the local interplays between factors such as soil temperature, air temperature, wind directions, soil moisture and air humidity—affected by day-night effects and seasonal effects.

Coelacanth fish

The cicadas, known as Brood X or Brood 10, have begun emerging from the earth in portions of the Cicadas are herbivores and live in the soil and feed on tree roots for a period of 3 to 17 years depending on the species.

Coelacanth is an extremely rare deep sea species of fish which has been found alive in the Indian Ocean.

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered. Sulawesi Coelacanth is listed as ‘vulnerable’.  

These were thought to have gone extinct with the dinosaurs 65 millions of years ago.There are only two known species of coelacanths: one lives near the Comoros Islands off the east coast of Africa, and other found in the waters off Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Cicadas

Farzad-B gas field:

Sudano- Sahelian Zone (SSZ)

INDIA REITERATES ITS SUPPORT FOR THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE AND ITS UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION

India has refused to pick a side while giving a statement at the UNSC and has adopted a balanced approach while calling for a two-state solution to the crisis and announcing strong support to the 'just Palestinian cause'.Historically, India has supported the Palestinian cause. In 1948, India voted against the creation of Israel until 1992 and India did not establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

The proximity between India and Israel did not come at the cost of India's relationship with Palestine.

Later, India decided to pursue a de-hyphenated policy with respect to its relations with Israel and Palestine.

In 2003, India voted for a UN resolution against the construction of the West Bank wall by Israel. In 2011, it voted in favour of accepting Palestine as a full member of UNESCO and in 2014, India supported a UNHRC resolution to probe Israel's offensive in Gaza.

However, Israel had helped India in 1971 as well as in war in the Kargil war.By 2013, India had become Israel's third-largest trading partner in Asia.

De-hyphenation of relation with Israel

De-hyphenation means delinking two entities and consider them as individuals.

India’s relationship with Israel would stand on its own merits, independent and separate from India’s relationship with the Palestinians.

De-hyphenated policy certainly doesn’t imply India shifting towards any one party rather this is indication of a new assertive & proactive foreign policy built on national interest.

IMD issues orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, PalgharIMD issues colour-coded warnings depending on intensity of any weather system in ascending order, green, yellow, orange and red.These warnings are mainly meant for administrators to keep ready and position their resources to handle situations arising out of weather-related disastrous events.

Colour-coded warnings of India Meteorological

Department (IMD)

The semi-arid SSZ is located between the Saharan desert and the humid Guinean zone and stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea coast.