Awareness in space.

 

KANISHKBIOSCIENCE E -LEARNING PLATFORM - Help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event.  Also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDqLyxXg_CtLFZoWTFOWjw  

Perseverance- NASA’s mission to Mars:

Context:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has launched its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V.

    The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

This is the third launch to Mars this month, following the UAE’s Hope and China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft.

Key facts:

1    The rover’s Mars arrival is set for 18, 2021.
2    The mission is planned to last for at least one Mars year, which works out to about 687 days on Earth (it takes longer for Mars to go around the sun).
3    Landing site: Jezero crater.
4    Perseverance is loaded with seven instruments chosen to help it achieve its mission objectives.

Why is this mission significant?

  1  Perseverancewill carry a unique instrument, MOXIE or Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment: which for the first time will manufacture molecular oxygen on Mars using carbon dioxide from the carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere (ISRU means In Situ Resource Utilization: or the use of local resources to meet human needs or requirements of the spacecraft).
 2   It will carry Ingenuity, the first ever helicopter to fly on Mars. This is the first time NASA will fly a helicopter on another planet or satellite.
3    It is the planned first step to bring back rock samples from Mars for analysis in sophisticated laboratories on Earth: with the goal of looking for biosignatures: or signatures of present or past life.

These are some of the key mission objectives:

1    Look for signs of ancient microbial life.
2    Collect Martian rock and dust samples for later return to Earth.
3    Deliver an experimental helicopter.
4    Study the climate and geology of Mars.
5    Demonstrate technology for future Mars missions.

What is the reason for the near-term interest in Mars?

1    Mars is located in the very near backyard (about 200 million km away).
2    It is a planet that humans can aspire to visit or to stay for a longer duration.
3    Mars had flowing water and an atmosphere in the distant past: and perhaps conditions to support life.
4    In the near term, the increase in interest related to Mars is because of Elon Musk’s plans for commercial travel.

Background:

1    NASA has been sending rovers on Mars since 1997 when the Mars Pathfinder Mission was initiated.
2    As the mission turned out to be successful, NASA decided to continue going to Mars to find evidence.
3    Second time, the space organization sent twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity to Mars in 2003.
4    The third attempt was by sending Curiosity in 2012.
 

                                                                     Prelims Link:

1    Missions to Mars.
2    Perseverance- objectives.
3    Instruments onboard.
4    About the UAE’s Hope and China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft.
5    Pathfinder mission.

Sources: the Hindu.

                          Conservation related issues.

What is aerial seeding?

Context:

The Haryana Forest Department has started aerial seeding across the state on a pilot basis.

1    This technique will allow plantation in sections of the Aravallis that are either difficult to access or inaccessible altogether.
2    The pilot project will help determine the effectiveness of the technology and the dispersal mechanism.

What is aerial seeding?

It is a technique of plantation wherein seed balls – seeds covered with a mixture of clay, compost, char and other components – are sprayed on the ground using aerial devices, including planes, helicopters or drones.

How does this technique work?
1    Seeds balls or seed pellets are dispersed in a targeted area by the low-flying drones.
2    They fall to the ground with the help of the coating of clay, compost, char and other material, that provides the required weight for seeds to drop on a predetermined location rather than disperse in the wind.
3    These pellets will then sprout when there is enough rain, with the nutrients present within them helping in the initial growth.

                             What are the advantages of this technique?

1    Areas that are inaccessible, have steep slopes, are fragmented or disconnected with no forest routes, making conventional plantation difficult, can be targeted with aerial seeding.
2    The process of the seed’s germination and growth is such that it requires no attention after it is dispersed – the reason why seed pellets are known as the “fire and forget” way of plantation.
3    They eliminate the need for ploughing and digging holes in the soil and the seeds do not need to be planted, since they are already surrounded by soil, nutrients, and microorganisms.
4    The clay shell of these pellets along with the other items in the mixture also protects them from birds, ants and rats.

Sources: Indian Express.

                                     Facts for Prelims

Article 239A(4) of the Constitution:

Context: Lt Governor Anil Baijal has reversed the Delhi cabinet’s decision to reject the Delhi Police’s panel of lawyers for the riots cases in the High Court and the Supreme Court.

L-G used his special powers under Article 239A(4) of the Constitution to overturn the cabinet’s decision.

    Under this Article, the Delhi government is bound to follow the L-G’s orders.

Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act:

Context: US House panel passes bill to promote legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.

It was authored by John Lewis, the civil rights leader Democratic member of the House who passed away last week.

Key provisions:

1    It will establish annual scholar and student exchange programs for Indians and Americans to study the leaders’ legacies and visit historic sites in India and the U.S., relevant to the India’s freedom struggle and the U.S.’s civil rights movement.
2    The bill also seeks to establish the Gandhi-King Global Academy, a conflict resolution initiative based on the principles of nonviolence.
3    It proposes the establishment of the United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the government of India, organized under Indian law.

AIM-iCREST:

It is an incubator capabilities enhancement programme for a robust ecosystem for creating high-performance start-ups.

Atal Innovation Mission has launched the programme in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wadhwani Foundation.

    Under the initiative, AIM’s incubators are set to be upscaled and provided requisite support to foster the incubation enterprise economy, which will help them to significantly enhance their performance.
    It will also provide training to entrepreneurs through technology-driven platforms and processes.

{ With input from news agency language)

 

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