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NIIST- Solution to turn medical waste into soil additives
September 27, 2023
The Thiruvananthapuram-based National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) announced Tuesday that it developed a new solution to safely and sustainably manage pathogenic biomedical waste by turning it into soil additives.
NIIST is an interdisciplinary research laboratory that is part of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Its ?dual disinfection-solidification system can disinfect both liquid and solid biomedical waste and convert the degradable waste into soil additives. This waste can include urine, saliva and blood, bacterial broths, cotton, tissues, and swabs.
The institute filed three patents for this process that it claims can handle, disinfect and solidify biomedical waste with minimal human intervention. NIIST has developed a fully-automated machine that can do this and transferred the knowledge to build it to Bio Vastum Solutions, a Kerala-based startup.
Source Link : https://indianexpress.com
Date : 2023-11-03
Gaganyaan: ISRO clears key step towards human space mission
October 21, 2023
Test flight success of Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) this morning heralds successive sequential trial flights before the final ?Gaganyaan? launch, said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in his first response soon after the entire exercise was accomplished as expected, with a single engine rocket carrying an early depressurised version of "Gaganyaan" Crew Module (CM) to an altitude of around 17 Kilometre followed by final descent using a parachute for its splash down.
The Minister of State for Space said, this is a critical step in the ISRO journey to launch a crewed human spacecraft through "Gaganyaan" mission. Today's exercise tested the performance of the Crew Escape System on the Crew Module of the Gaganyaan mission, he said. Basically, it tested the safety mechanism that will allow the crew of the "Gaganyaan" mission to escape the spacecraft in case the mission is aborted due to a malfunction, he added.
Coming less than two months after the successful Moon landing by Chandrayaan-3, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, today's event has paved the way for a series of tests of systems and procedures with the aim to ultimately launch an Indian astronaut on Space, possibly around the year 2025.
Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi "unlocked" the Space sector from the self-imposed regulations and shackles of the past, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the mood is upbeat at ISRO and the industry as well as private participants are vying with each other to collaborate in Space projects. This has not only given a boost but also contributed huge value addition both in terms of knowledge as well as finances and an evidence of this is that within a short span of over three years the number of successful StartUps has gone up from less than 5 to over 150.
Citing the adage, "Well Begun is Half Done", Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) accomplished today demonstrated the crew escape of the "Gaganyaan" project.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, this test flight will set the stage for the remaining qualification tests and unmanned missions, leading to the first Gaganyaan mission with Indian astronauts.
The Minister said, human safety is of paramount importance in the "Gaganyaan" mission. Crew Module (CM) is the habitable space with Earth like environment in space for the crew, while Service Module (SM) will be used for providing necessary support to CM while in orbit.
Under the able guidance of PM Modi, India's Space programme is aiming for its first manned mission to Space and later landing the first Indian astronaut to the Moon, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, building on the success of Indian Space initiatives which got a boost in the last 4 to 5 years, including the recent Chandrayan-3 and Aditya L1 Missions, Prime Minister Modi has directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up the ?Bharatiya Antariksha Station' (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the world today acknowledges India's quantum leap in India's Space prowess, spurred by unlocking of the sector by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
Source Link : https://indianexpress.com
Date : 2023-11-03
Chandrayaan 3: Vikram lander generated 'ejecta halo'
October 30, 2023
When Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the Moon's surface on August 23, it resulted in a lunar phenomenon called 'ejecta halo.' Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) have now published a paper highlighting the significance of 'ejecta halo', which has helped the space agency understand more about the lunar surface.
According to a post by the ISRO on X, scientists have "estimated that about 2.06 tonnes of lunar epi regolith were ejected and displaced over an area of 108.4 m2 around the landing site". Epi regolith is nothing but the top layer of the lunar surface, which is made out of lunar rocks and soil, commonly known as moon dust.
The paper named 'Characterisation of Ejecta Halo on the Lunar Surface Around Chandrayaan-3 Vikram Lander Using OHRC Imagery', published by Swati Singh, Prakash Chauhan, Priyom Roy, Tapas R Martha and Iswar C Das in Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing indicates that 'ejecta halo' was created due to descent stage thrusters and the consequent landing of Vikram lander.
Scientists have compared the "pre- and post-landing high-resolution panchromatic imagery from Orbiter High-Resolution Camera (OHRC) of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter," from before and after landing to understand 'ejecta halo', which looks like an "irregular bright patch surrounding the lander".
The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission made India the fourth country to land on the Moon. As a part of this mission, Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover conducted many scientific explorations, which included the detection of minor elements and more. Vikram Lander achieved a milestone with its 'hop experiment' and finally went to sleep on September 2.
Source Link : https://indianexpress.com
Date : 2023-10-31
NASA-ISRO radar satellite
October 28, 2023
The 'NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar' (NISAR), an Earth observation satellite, is poised to facilitate the exploration of how shifts in Earth's forest and wetland ecosystems impact the global carbon cycle and influence climate change.
This satellite is the product of a partnership between the American space agency NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Scheduled for launch in early 2024, the NISAR radar satellite mission will provide in-depth insights into two crucial ecosystem types: forests and wetlands, which play a vital role in naturally regulating the greenhouse gases responsible for global climate change, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
Once in orbit, NISAR's advanced radar systems will comprehensively scan nearly all of Earth's land and ice surfaces every 12 days. "The data it gathers will enable researchers to comprehend two fundamental functions of these ecosystems: the absorption and release of carbon."
JPL pointed out that forests sequester carbon within their tree wood, while wetlands store it in their organic soil layers. Any disruption to these systems, whether gradual or sudden, can accelerate the release of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.
The global-scale monitoring of these land-cover changes will aid researchers in studying their impact on the carbon cycle, the processes governing the movement of carbon between the atmosphere, land, ocean, and living organisms.
"The radar technology on NISAR will provide us with a comprehensive view of the planet in terms of both space and time," remarked Paul Rosen, the NISAR project scientist at NASA's JPL in Southern California. "It will offer a highly reliable perspective on the evolving state of Earth's land and ice."
NISAR represents an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO, marking the first time these two agencies have cooperated in the development of hardware for an Earth-observing mission.
JPL, overseen by NASA through the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, leads the U.S. component of the project, providing the mission's L-band SAR.
NASA is also responsible for delivering the radar reflector antenna, deployable boom, high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem.
ISRO's U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, spearheading the ISRO segment of the mission, is responsible for the spacecraft bus, S-band SAR electronics, the launch vehicle, and associated launch services and satellite mission operations.
Source Link : https://www.businesstoday.in/
Date : 2023-10-30
ISRO?s TV-D1 success
October 23, 2023
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed one of the milestones to Gaganyaan, its first crewed space mission. The TV-D1 mission launched on Saturday was crucial as it tested the Crew Escape System of the future Gaganyaan mission, which will kick in to take astronauts safely away from the launch vehicle in case of an emergency.
The TV-D1 mission is just the first in a series of tests that ISRO will have to go through before it can finally put an astronaut in space. When it does that, India will join the very small list of countries that have launched a crewed space mission. This list currently includes the United States, Russia (and the Soviet Union) and China.
The Prime Minister earlier this week spelt out even loftier ambitions for the space agency?to build a space station by 2035 and to send an Indian astronaut to the Moon by 2040.
Source Link : https://indianexpress.com
Date : 2023-10-25
Chandrayaan detects sulphur, other elements on Moon: ISRO
September 1, 2023
After releasing data from an instrument studying the temperature profile of the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday said another instrument on Chandrayaan-3 had detected the presence of several elements on the Moon.
Notably, it had picked up signals that confirm the presence of Sulphur whose direct evidence was not available yet.
"The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the South Pole. These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters," ISRO said in a statement.
"Preliminary analysis.. have unveiled the presence of Aluminum (Al), Sulphur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Chromium (Cr), and Titanium (Ti) on the lunar surface. Further measurements have revealed the presence of Manganese (Mn), Silicon (Si), and Oxygen (O). Thorough investigation regarding the presence of Hydrogen is underway," it said.
Gathering information about the presence and abundance of different elements on the Moon is one of the major science objectives of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, with more than one instrument working towards this end. The LIBS instrument on the rover, developed by ISRO's Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems (LEOS), uses a high-energy pulsar to generate plasma from rocks or soil. In plasma state, elements emit characteristic wavelengths of radiation that can then be used to identify these elements, ISRO said.
The other instrument on the rover, called Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer, is also meant to study the elemental composition of the lunar surface.
The elements detected by the LIBS instrument are all known to occur on the Moon. This data would add to the existing knowledge. For example, evidence of the presence of Sulphur can reveal insights on the formation and evolution of the Moon. Sulphur usually originates in volcanic activities, and its presence on the Moon can offer indications about the Moon's history and composition.
"The data being put out by ISRO from Chandrayaan-3 needs to be processed and analysed to get more meaningful information. What ISRO is doing right now is to offer glimpses into the kind of experiments being performed on the Moon, and the nature of activities of the various instruments," said Anil Bhardwaj, director of Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory which has made significant contributions to the Chandrayaan-3 mission, including the development of the ChaSTE (Chandra's Surface Thermophysical Experiment) that is deployed on the lander module.
"For example, the data about surface temperatures that was released on Sunday was just a small snapshot of the readings being taken by that instrument ChaSTE. Those values would be different at different times. The instruments onboard Chandrayaan-3 are collecting a huge amount of data, making a number of observations, and doing several experiments at once. All this data is being relayed to the ground stations. Once the mission is over, scientists specialising in these areas would analyse these data thoroughly. Only then we would be able to tell what new or revelatory findings have come out from the mission," he said.
Source Link : https://indianexpress.com
Date : 2023-09-04
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