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MrunalSpaceISRONASArelatedcurrentaffairs201213

Mrunalhttp://mrunal.org

[SpaceTech]CurrentAffairsCompilation201213forSSCCGL,UPSCCSAT
PostedByMrunalOn02/04/2013@8:07pmInScience|125Comments

1. Prologue
2. TheBasics
1. Basic:WhatdoesISROdo?
2. Basics:ISS
3. Basics:TiangongandShenzhou
4. Basics:AtlantisSpaceshuttle
5. Basics:Soyuzspacecraft
6. Basics:spacewalking
7. Basics:Dragoncapsule
8. Basics:Antisatellitemissiles
3. Spaceprograms:India
1. IndiasLaunchVehicles:PSLVvsGSLV
2. IndiasSatellites:IRSvsINSAT
3. ISROs100thmission
4. IndiasownGPS:IRNSS
5. GAGAN
6. SpaceVisionIndia2025
7. CryogenicEngine
8. Chandrayaan1
9. MarsMission
4. Spaceprograms:USA(NASA)
1. USA:MARSrelated
2. Curiosity
3. GaleCrater
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

5.
6.

7.
8.

9.
10.

BlackBeauty
NASA:Moonrelated
EbbandFlow,SallyRide
GRAIL
LCROSS
MoonKAMs
NASA:Misc.Missions
SpacePrograms:Russia
SpacePrograms:China
1. Beidou
2. HXMT
3. Shenzhous10
4. Shenzhous9
SpacePrograms:Othercountries
Telescopes
1. Groundtelescopes
2. SquareKilometreArray(SKA)
3. Solartelescope
4. Spacetelescopes
5. Herschel
6. HXMT
7. Kepler
8. NuSTAR
PIN:PersonsinNews(Space)
MockQuestions

Prologue
PreviousIreleasedtwoCurrentAffairscompilations(201213)
1. Personsinnews,books,sports,Misc.GK=clickme
2. Defense,missilesetc=clickme.
Nowmovingtothethirdarticleontheseries:Spacetech.
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Forcompetitiveexams,theSpacetechisfurtherdividedintotwoparts:
Part
1. Theory
/static

What?

Source

Basicinfoonplanets,stars,supernova,bigbang
theory,blackholesetc.

NCERTsciencetextbooks/GS
Manual/GKbooks.

2. Current Variousspaceprograms,satellitestelescopes,
affairs
astronautsinnews.

Newspaper,magazine,internet.

WhenitcomestoMCQs(spacetech):
BoththeoryandcurrentaffairsareimportantforForSSCCGL(Tier1),UPSCCSAT,CDS,NDA,
CAPF,StatePSCprelimsexams.
However,forIBPS,SBI,LICtypeexams,theyusuallydontgointotheory.Iftheywanttoaskspace
relatedquestions,theygenerallyaskitfromthecurrentaffairsportion.
WhenitcomestoDescriptivepaper(Mains)ofUPSC/StatePSC
Forspacetechrelatedquestions,onlycurrentaffairsisimportant(mostly2marker,5marker
questions.)Thetheoryportiondoesntcomeintopicture,inthedescriptivepapers.
Thebestwaytoprepare^this(formains)=maintainnotesoutofnewspapersandmagazines
throughouttheyear,andreviseitoften.
Mainlytherearetwotypesofplayersincompetitiveexam(basedontheirapproachforSpaceTech):
1. Thosewhodonotpreparespacetechatall,thinkingThikhaifor23marks,whybotheratall!?
2. Thosewhopreparetoomuchspaceteche.g.OnApril18,2001,at04.22PM,GSLV1was
launched.Itsweightwas1540kgandheightwas49m.
Eitherapproachisdangerous.Keepthemiddlepath.

TheBasics
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beforedwellingintoreadyrevisionofSpaceTechcurrentaffairs,Imgoingtowriteaboutafew
basicconcepts.
Pleasenote:followingbasicsarenotnecessarilytechnicallycorrect.Theyrejustmeanttohelpyou
visualizeandrememberthings.

Basic:WhatdoesISROdo?
1. Whensomethingissenttospace,itcanbeManned(withastronauts)orUnmanned(without
astronauts).
2. Theunmannedmissionshavetwothings:
Examples
OneLaunchVehicle
PSLV,GSLV
OneorMoreSatellite(s) INSAT,RISAT,CARTOSAT.
sometimes,insteadofsatellites,itcanberovers,spacetelescopes.
TheLaunchVehicle(e.g.PSLV,GSLV)sendsthesatellite(s)intothespace.
Aftercoveringaparticulardistance,thesatellite(e.g.INSAT,GISAT)getsdetachedfromthe
LaunchVehicle.
ThenSatelliteopensupitswingslikeabutterflyfromcocoon.Thosewingshavesolarpanels,they
provideelectricitytothesatellite.
Satelliterotatesaroundtheearthandsendssignalstoandfrothusithelpsintelecommunication,
TVsignalbroadcasting,disaster/weathermonitoring,seanavigationetc.
Ifweputthesatellite@35800kmintheequatorialplane,itllappearfixedfromanypointonearth,
andwellcallitaGeostationarysatellite.
AndtheLaunchvehiclethenreturnsbacktoEarth,usuallyfallingintheoceanoruninhibitedland.
Thescientistscollectthelaunchvehicleandreuseitspartsfornextmission.

Basics:ISS
ISS=Internationalspacestation.
ISSislikeahostelinthespace.Astronautsgothere,stayforsomeweeks/monthsdosome
observation,research,repairworkandcomebackhome.
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US,Japan,Russia,CanadaandmanyothercountrieshaveinvestedinthisISSspacestation.
ButChinaisnotapartnerinISSproject.ChinawantstobuilditsownSpacestation.Thatswere
Shenzhous9andTiangong1comeintopicture.

Basics:TiangongandShenzhou
Tiangong1=meansheavenlypalace.
ThisisChinasexperimentalspacestation.SothisisthehostelforChineseastronautsinspace.
OkbuthowwillyousendChineseastronautstothisheavenlypalace?Ans.ViaShenzhou
spacecraft.
ShenzhoumeansDivinevessel.
In2012,Chinausedthisdivinevessel(Shenzhou9)tosenditsfirstfemaleastronautLiuYangto
thatHeavenlypalace(Tiangong1)
In2013,ChinawillsendmoreastronautstothatHeavenlypalace(Tiangong1),usingShenzhou
10.

Basics:AtlantisSpaceshuttle
Okrecapagain,tosendsatellitesinthespace,youneedalaunchvehicle(e.g.PSLV,GSLV).
Similarlytosendpeopleintospace,youneedaspacecraft/rockete.g.ChinasShenzhou.
AmericasAtlantisandRussiasSoyuzalsodothesamething.
TheAtlantisisaspaceshuttleofNASA.Itlookslikeanairplane.
Atlantiscanbeusedforlaunchingspacetelescopes,satellitesaswellaspeopleintothespace,as
perthemissionrequirements.
AndAtlantiscancomebackandlandonearthlikearegularairplane(exceptthatduringthe
landing,Atlantiswillopenparachutetoreduceitsspeed).
Ithadcarried33missionsfrom1985to2011
Atlantiswasretiredin2012.
ColumbiaisanotherexampleofNASAsSpaceShuttle.Butin2003,itcrashedduringreentering
intoEarthsatmosphere.
IndiabornfemaleastronautKalpanaChawladiedinthisaccident.WenamedourWeathersatellite
afterher(KALPANA1).

Basics:Soyuzspacecraft
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JustlikeChinausesdivinevessel(Shenzhou)tosendpeopleintospace,similarlyRussiauses
Soyuztosendpeopleintospace.
In2012,threeastronauts(includingSunitaWilliams)weresenttoInternationalspacestation(ISS)
usingSoyuz.

Basics:spacewalking
Therearetwotypesofmissions/probes:Mannedandunmanned.
Manned=sendingpeopleintospace.
Butwhatdopeopledointhespace?
Theygotomoon,hoisttheflagoftheirnations,E.g.NeilArmstrong.
Theyspendafewmonthsontheinternationalspacestation(ISS)orHeavenlyPalace
(Tiangong)orsimilarhostel(spacestation.E.g.IndiasfirstastronautRakeshSharmaspent
8daysinaRussianspacestation.
Butoftentheoutsidebodyaspacecraft/hostel(spacestation)requiressomerepairing,maintenance
orupgrades.
So,whenastronautgoesoutofthespacecraft,wearingthatwhitesuitandballonshapedhelmet
anddoessomewalking/repairingwork,thatisknownasspacewalk.
CurrentlySunitaWilliamsholdsthelongestspacewalkrecordforfemales.(50+hours).Formales,it
isAnatolySolovyev(77+hours).
Bytheway,SunitaWilliamsalsoholdstherecordforthelongestsinglespaceflightbyawoman.
(195days).

Basics:Dragoncapsule
Oksofarweknowtherearehostelsinthespace(e.g.ISS,Tiangong).Peoplegothere,spenda
fewweeks/months.Butifitisahostel,itdrequirefoodandsupplies.
Aprivatecompany(SpaceX)hasdesignedtheDragoncapsuletodeliverthefoodandsuppliesto
spacestations.
ItsuccessfullydeliveredcargotoISSspacestationin2012.

Basics:Antisatellitemissiles
Wehavelearnedtheimportanceoflaunchvehicles,satellitesandspacestations.
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Butifanenemyshootsdownoursatellitesthenourbankingandsharemarketsystemwillcollapse,
Ourarmy,navyandairforcewillnotbeabletoattackbackeffectively,andmoreimportantlyjuntaa
willnotbeabletowatchIPLmatchesandsaasbahuserialsorlogintofacebookandorkut.
Backin2007,ChinesemilitaryusedanAntiSatellitemissiletodestroyitsownweathersatellite.
ThismadeAmericans(andIndians)verynervous.
ButwehaveAgniVmissile.Ithasrangeof5000kms.Ifwemakesomemodificationsinit,wecan
alsouseittodestroyenemysatellites.SonowChinaisalsonervous.
Basicspartisover.nowletsgettobusiness:SpaceTechrelatedcurrentaffairs(201213)forrapid
revision.FirstwelllookatthespaceprogramsofIndia,US,Russia,Chinaandothercountries.Then
welllookattelescopesandPersonsinNews(Space)

Spaceprograms:India
CarriedoutbyIndianSpaceResearchOrganization(ISRO)
Chairman=Dr.K.Radhakrishnan.HehadreplacedGMadhavanNair.(FirstChairmanofISROwas
VikramSarabhai.)
HQ
SatishDhawanSpace
centre
Physicsresearchlab
Antrix

Banglore
Shriharikota,Andhra.Weusuallylaunchsatellitesfromhere.(orfromFrench
GuianainS.America).
Ahmedabad
Banglore

IndiasLaunchVehicles:PSLVvsGSLV
PSLV
Polarsatellitelaunchvehicle
Cancarryupto1600kgsatellite
UsedforlaunchingIndianremotesensingsatellites(IRS)such
asCARTOSAT,RISAT,OCEANSAT,RESOURCESAT
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GSLV
Geosynchronoussatellitelaunch
vehicle
2500kg
ForlaunchingIndianNational
satellites(INSAT)suchasINSAT2E,
3A.,GSAT2,8,12.
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LatestversionisPSLVXL.Cancarryupto1750kg.Itwasused NextversionisGSLVMKIII,can
tolaunchChandrayaan,RISAT.Andinfuture,itllbeusedfor
carryupto4000kg
Marsmissionaswell.

IndiasSatellites:IRSvsINSAT
IRS

INSAT

Indianremotesensingsatellites
Monitoringnaturalresources,crops,
minerals,forestcoveretc.
LaunchedusingPSLV.
ExamplesofIRS=CARTOSAT,RISAT,
OCEANSAT,RESOURCESAT

IndianNationalsatellites(INSAT)
Telecom,TVbroadcast,DTH,weatherforecasting,
telemedicine,teleeducation,searchandrescueetc.
UsingGSLV.
ExamplesofINSAT=INSAT2E,3A,.AndGSAT2,8,12.

Nowletstakealookatthesatellitesthathavebeeninnewsrecently(ormentionedinYearbook)

Aditya1

ForstudyingSolarCoronas.

Astrosate1

Forastronomy.

CARTOSAT
3

ISROisbuildingthisremotesensingsatellite.
Itcantakeimagesofearthwithresolutionof0.25meters.
Itllbeusedforcartographyandhighresolutionmapping.

GISAT

GeoImagingSatellite.
Itllbepositioned36,000kmsabovetheearth.
Itllbeusedfordisastermanagement,bordersecurity.
ThisisIndiasheaviestsatellitesofar.

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GSAT10

ItwasISROs101stmission.
ItwaslaunchedFrenchGuiana.
ItalsocarriedsecondpayloadofGAGAN.(FirstpayloadofGAGANwas
sentviaGSAT8).

GSAT7

ItllincreaseIndiastelecommunicationsignals.
IndianNavywillalsouseitforcommunication.

INSAT2E

afterservingfor13years,thissatellitecompleteditsmissionlifein2012.

INSAT3D

Weathersatellite(meteorology),searchandrescueoperations.
AtpresentIndiasmeterologicalobservationisdonebytwosatellites
Kalpana1andINSET3A.ThisINSAT3Dismorepowerfulandadvanced.

RISAT1

RISAT1isIndiasfirstradarimagingsatellite
Itcanscantheearthsurfaceduringbothdayandnight,evenincloudy
conditions.Soitisanallweathersatellite.
Use=paddymonitoringandmanagementofnaturaldisasterlikefloodand
cyclone.
ItwaslaunchedusingPSLVXLlaunchvehicle.

SARAL

IndoFrenchsatellite
SARAL=SatellitewithARgosandALtiKa.
ItwaslaunchedFromSriharikota,Andhra.
Itllbeusedformarinemeteorology,oceanographyclimatemonitoringetc.

ISROsfirstmissionwastosendaryabhattaSatelliteintospace.Butatthattimewedidnothave
ourownlaunchvehicle,soweusedaRussianlaunchvehicle.
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TodayISROhasbothSatellite+Launchvehicle.Andwenotonlysendourownsatellites,wealso
helpothercountriessendtheirsatellitesintospace,usingourlaunchvehicles.(ofcourseaftertaking
cashforprovidingtheTaxi/courierservice.)
Forthesetypeofcommercialactivities,ISROtakeshelpofAntarix.
AntarixisaGovernmentownedcompany,itworksasthemarketingandcommercialarmofISRO.

ISROs100thmission
ISROs100thmissionwaslaunchedfromSatishDhawanSpaceCentre,Sriarikota,Andhra
Pradesh.
Here,ISROlaunchedtwoforeignsatellitesusingPSLVlaunchvehicle.Thenameofsatellitesare:
1. SPOT6:Frenchsatellite
2. Proiteres:Japanesemicrosatellite
Bytheway,recallthatISROs101stmissionwasGSAT10.AndGSAT10istheheaviestsatellite
ISROhaslaunchedsofar.(because100thmissionisextremelyclichdandblownoutofproportion,
soifUPSCwantstoapplyitsBackbreakingTMmove,itdratheraskabout99thor101stmission
hahaha).

IndiasownGPS:IRNSS
Atpresentonlythreecountrieshavetheirownglobalnavigationsystems
USA
GPS
Russia GLONASS.Morediscussedinearlierarticleclickme
China Beidou
Todeployaglobalnavigationsystem,youneedtosetuplotsofsatelliteshoveringaroundtheworld,
sotheycanscanandsentpinpointlocationofanywheretoanywhere.
DuringtheIraqwar,theAmericanssentwrongGPSnavigationsignalstotheIraqijetsandmissiles,
thereforeIraqiscouldnotattackAmericansforcesinaccuratemanner.
Moralofthestory=Dontrelyonotherpeoplesnavigationsystem.
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Fortheshortterm,We(India)aredesigningourmissilesandfighterjetsinsuchwaythattheycan
usebothGPS(American)andGLONASS(Russian)signalsfornavigation.(soifwewanttoattack
Americaoritsally,wecanrelyonGLONASSandviceversa.)
Butforlongterm,wewillneedourownGPSlikesystem.Therefore,ISROisdevelopingIRNSS.
IRNSS=Indianregionalnavigationalsatellitesystem.
Nowifyouconnectthedots:weneedourownGPS(IRNSS)sowecanaccuratelyattackenemies.
AndwewillneedourownAntisatellitemissile,toshootdownsatellitesofenemiessotheirGPS
cannotworkaccurately.

GAGAN
GPSaidedgeoaugmentednavigation(gagan)
ItisajointeffortbytheISROandtheAirportsAuthorityOfIndia(AAI).
ItsmainuseistohelpAirtrafficcontrolandhelpspilotsfly/landaircraftsinbadweather.
ButasthenamesuggestsGPSaidedmeaningitisnotaseparateindependentnavigation
system.ItdependsonGPS(Americannavigationsystem).ThereforeweneedIRNSS.

SpaceVisionIndia2025
ThisiswhatISROplanstoforfuture:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Usesatellitesforruralconnectivity,securityandmobileservices
Increaseimagingcapabilityfornaturalresourcemanagement,weatherandclimatechangestudies
Getbetterunderstandingofsolarsystemanduniverse
exploreplanets.
DevelopHeavyliftlauncher
DevelopReusableLaunchVehicles.
SendHumanstospace.

CryogenicEngine
Cryogenicenginesworkatverylowtemperature.
ISROisdevelopingcryogenicengines
1. forGSLVlaunchvehicles.
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2. forChandrayaan2moonmission
earlierISROhadtriedthisin2010butitwasan#EPICFAIL.

Chandrayaan1
ItwasIndiasfirstunmannedmoonmission.
ItfoundevidenceofwateronMoon.Italsodidthesurvedthetopography,craters,polarregions
andenvironmentofMoon.
Thishappenedin2008hencetoooldandtooclichdtobeaskedforMCQs.
ISROisnowworkingonChandrayaan2jointprogrammewiththeRussianFederalSpaceAgency,
ButRussianssufferedasetbackduetotheirPhobosgruntmission.

MarsMission
IndiaplanningaMarsmissionsimilartoCuriositymissionofNASA.(probablyinOctober/November
2013.)
MohanmadeofficialannouncementaboutthisduringIndependencedayspeech.
MarsmissionwillbelaunchedusingPSLVXL.
PSLVXListhemostpowerfulversionofPSLVlaunchvehicle.EarlieritwasusedforChandrayaan
Mission,RISATandGSAT12.
ThisleadstoEssay/groupdiscussion/interviewtopicthatwhenmillionsofIndiansaresufferingfrom
povertyandmalnutrition,whatspointofspendingcroresofrupeesonMoonandMarsmission?Butthis
articleiswrittenforMCQs,soletsnotdwellintothatforthemoment.

Spaceprograms:USA(NASA)
NASA=NationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration.
ThereisnoendtoNASAmissionseither,butfromthecurrentaffairspointofview,Iwouldclassify
themintothree:1)Marsrelated2)Moonrelated3)Misc.

USA:MARSrelated
Curiosity
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ThisisMahaclichdtopicforMCQsbutanyways
NameofthemissionisMSL:MarsSciencelaboratory.
UnderthisMSLmission,NASAlaunchedCuriosityrovertoMarsin2011.
In2012,CuriosityroversuccessfullylandedonMarssurface.
Thismissionhasfollowingaims
1. DidlifeeverexistonMars?
2. Findpresenceofwater,andotherlifesupportingelements.
3. Collectdatarelatedtogeology,radiationlevelsetc.forplanningnextmannedmissiontoMars.
Deviceon
Curiosity

Function
ChemistryandMineralogyinstrument
ItisusedforsoilanalysisonMars.
CheMinfoundthatmineralsontheRedPlanetaresimilartothosefoundin
volcanicsoilsinHawaii

CHEMIN

TunableLaserSpectrometer(TLS)
Presenceofmethaneinaplanetsatmosphereindicatesthatlifemayhave
existedinthepast.
TLSanalysedasmallsampleofMartianairanddetectedverysmallamountof
methane.

TLS

GaleCrater
LocatedonMarsplanet.
Curiosityroverlandedhereandfoundsignsthatwatermayhaveflowedinthepastthroughthis
GaleCrater.

BlackBeauty
Itisa320gramspacerockfromMars.
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DiscoveredinMoroccosSaharaDesertin2011
ItcontainsmorewaterthananyotherMartianmeteoritepreviouslyfound.
couldunlockvitalcluestotheevolutionofMars.

NASA:Moonrelated

EbbandFlow,
SallyRide

TwoNASAspacecraftEbbandFlow,equippedwithMoonKAMs.
TheywereorbitingaroundMoonsince2011underGRAILmission.
Buttheydidnothavesufficientaltitudeorfueltocontinuescience
operations.
HenceNASAteamcrashlandedthemonMooninDec2012.
TheplacewheretheycrashlandedisnamedafterSallyK.Ride,
Americasfirstwomanastronaut.

GRAIL

GravityRecoveryandInteriorLaboratory(GRAIL)
TostudythegravityfieldandgeologicalstructureoftheMoon.

LCROSS

NASAsLunarCraterObservationandSensingsatellite,
Ithasdetectedpresenceofwaterlockedinsidethesoilofmoon.

MoonKAMs

MoonKAM=MoonKnowledgeAcquiredbyMiddleSchoolStudents.
TheMoonKamscapturesimagesofthemoonssurfaceandsends
themtothestudentsforstudy.

NASA:Misc.Missions
Cassini

ItfoundevidenceofwateronTitan.
TitanisthelargestmoonofSaturnplanet.

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Dragon
SpaceX

DragoncapsulewasdesignedbyaprivatecompanyspaceX.(andnotby
NASA)
Itdeliveredfood,suppliesandcargotoInternationalspacestation.
ItwaslaunchedusingFlacon9rocket.

FireFly
Cubesat

ItisasmallsatellitedesignedbyNASAaimedtocapturethedetailsofthe
lighteningthathappensindeepspace.
Thiswillhelpsolvingthemysteryofterrestrialgammarays,orTGFs.

Kepler
telescope

ItisaspaceobservatoryofNASA.
Itisusedfordiscoveringearthlikeplants.

Mercury
Messenger

MercuryistheinnermostplanetintheSolarSystem.
NASAsMESSENGERspacecrafthasreportedpresenceofwatericeon
Mercury.

NuSTAR

NuSTAR(theNuclearSpectroscopicTelescopeArray)
ItisaspacebasedXraytelescope.
NASAlaunchedthisunderPegasusmission.
NuSTARtelescopewillusehighpowerXraystolocateblackholes,collapsed
starsandsupernovaremnants.

PREDICCS

webbasedtoolforpredictingandforecastingtheradiationenvironmentin
nearEarth,lunarandMartianspace.
Itwillprovidecriticalinformationaspreparationsaremadeforpotentialfuture
mannedmissionstotheMoonandMars.

SpacePrograms:Russia
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Luna
Glob

RoboticLunarMissionin2015.
JointexperimentsconductedbyEU,Russia,Chinaforsendinghumanmissionson

Mars500 Mars.
Phobos
Grunt

Marshastwomoons.Phobosisthelargestofthem.RussiansentPhobosgrunt
missiontostudyit.ButthespacecraftfailedandcrashedintoPacificocean.

Rus

NameofthetwoseaterspaceshipdevelopedbyRussia

Soyuz
rocket

LaunchedfromKazakhstan,carriedthreeastronautstoInternationalspacestation
(ISS),includingSunitaWilliamsin2012.

SpacePrograms:China

Beidou

BeforeBeidou,onlytwocountrieshadNavigationsystems:USA=GPSand
Russia=GLONASS.
BeidouisChinasownversionofglobalnavigationsystem.
Projectwillbefullyoperationalby2020.

HXMT

Hardxraymodulationtelescope
Chinasfirstspacetelescope.
forstudyingblackholes.(recallthatAmericasNuSTARisalsomeantfor
studyingblackholes).

Shenzhous
10

Chinasnextmannedspacemission.
ItwillalsocarryChineseastronautstoTiangong1.
ItmeansdivineVessel.

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Shenzhous
9

MannedspacemissionofChina.
ItcarriedChinasfirstwomanastronautLiuYangtoanorbitingmodule
Tiangong1.
Tiangong1meansHeavenlypalaceitisChinasprototypeforfuture
spacestationsimilartoISS.

Yaogan

Forcropassessmentanddisastermanagement.

Chinasat

Itischinasnewmilitarycommunicationsatellite.

SpacePrograms:Othercountries

Korea

KoreaSpaceLaunchVehicle1(KSLV1)
SouthKoreawilllaunchthissatelliteandgainentrytoaneliteglobalspaceclub
thatincludesAsianpowersChina,IndiaandJapan.
EarlierUSAdidnotletS.Koreadevelopedlaunchvehiclesforthefearofarmsrace
betweenNorthandSouthKorea.

Iran

Pishgam=nameofMonkeythatwasrecentlysenttospaceandreturnedback,
underIranianspacemission.InFarsi,Pishgam=Pioneer.

Telescopes
Therearetwotypesoftelescopes:
1. Thoseontheground(e.g.SKA,SolartelescopeinLadakh)and
2. Thoseinthespace.(Kepler,NuSTAR,HXMTandHerschel.)
^thislistisnotexhaustive,butthesetelescopeswereinnewsrecently.

Groundtelescopes
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SquareKilometre
Array(SKA)

worldslargestandmostsensitiveradiotelescope
willbecompletedin2024
WillbesetupinSouthAfricaandAustralia.
Applications:signaltransport,signalprocessing,computing,
softwareanddataarchiving
Indiaisactivelyinvolvedinthisproject

Solartelescope

AlsoknownasNationalLargeSolarTelescope(NLST)
WillbebuiltintheLadakhregionofJammuandKashmirbyDeptof
ScienceandTechnology.
Thiswillbeworldslargestsolartelescope.
Canworkinbothdayandnight.
Willhelpinunderstandingsunspots:processoftheircreationand
decay.
Sunspotsandsolarwindsposeathreattothecommunication
systemonearthaswellasspacesatellites.

Spacetelescopes

Herschel

largestspacetelescopeeverlaunched(2009)
ItisnamedafterSirWilliamHerschelwhohaddiscoveredUranus
planet.
Thistelescopeisinnews,becausesoonitsonboardliquidhelium
supplywillbeexhaustedanditllstopworking.
HeliumisrequiredtocooltheinstrumentsonHerschelespace
telescope.

EU+US

Hardxraymodulationtelescope

HXMT

Chinasfirstspacetelescope.

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China
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forstudyingblackholes.(recallthatAmericasNuSTARisalsomeant
forstudyingblackholes).

Kepler

Launchedin2009.
Todiscoverearthlikeplanets.
KeplerwasaGermanastronomerwhogavelawstodescribethe
motionofplanetsaroundtheSun.

US

NuSTAR

NuSTAR(theNuclearSpectroscopicTelescopeArray)
ItisaspacebasedXraytelescope.
NASAlaunchedthisunderPegasusmission.
NuSTARtelescopewillusehighpowerXraystolocateblackholes,
collapsedstarsandsupernovaremnants.

US

PIN:PersonsinNews(Space)
LiuYang
NeilArmstrong
SallyRide
SunitaWilliams
Dr.K.
Radhakrishnan

firstChinesewomanastro.
Apollo11.1969.Firstmantolandonmoon.Dead.
FirstAmericanwomanastro.Dead.AMooncratenamedafterher.
Longestspacewalk(female).Tookcommandofinternationalspacestationin
Sep12.
ISROChairman.

Finallytwotopics:
1. CERN,Godparticle=http://mrunal.org/2012/08/sntcern.html
2. BlueMoon=http://mrunal.org/2012/08/sntbluemoon.html
OksothesewerethenotableSpacetechrelatedevents/termshappenedduringJan2012toMarch
2013.Ifyoufeelanyimportantthingwasmissed,orifthereisanycorrection,dowriteitinthecomments
below.
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MockQuestions
1. WhichofthefollowingcountryisnotassociatedwithInternationalspacestation?
a. Canada
b. Russia
c. Japan
d. China
2. CorrectStatements
a. Tiangong1istheexperimentalspacetelescopeofChina.
b. Shenzhou9isthenameofChinesespacestation
c. Both
d. None
3. LongestspacewalkrecordforFemaleAstronautsisheldby
a. KalpanaChawla
b. SallyJames
c. LiuYang
d. SunitaWilliams
4. Whichofthefollowingisnotatelescope?
a. Hubble
b. Kepler
c. NuStar
d. Beidou
5. IncorrectStatement
a. AntrixisaprivatelyownedcompanyofAirtel.
b. AntrixisthecommericalandMarketingarmofISRO
c. Both
d. None
6. FindIncorrectMatch
a. FrenchGuiana=inNorthAfrica
b. SatishDhawanSpacecentre=Banglore
c. PhysicsResearchlab=Pune
d. Allofabove
7. CorrectStatementsaboutDragonCapsule
a. ItwasdesignedbyNasa
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8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

b. ItwasusedfordeliveringcargotoInternationalspacestation.
c. Both
d. None
IncorrectStatements
a. IndianRemoteSensingsatellitesarelaunchedusingGSLV.
b. IndianNationalsatellitesarelaunchedusingPSLV.
c. Both
d. None
CorrectStatementsaboutPSLVXL
a. Itisalaunchvehicle,usedinChandrayaan.
b. ItllbeusedinIndiasMarsMission.
c. Both
d. None
IncorrectstatementsaboutIndianremotesensingsatellites
a. Theyareusedformoniteringnaturalresources.
b. TheyrelaunchedusingGSLV.
c. CARTOSATandRISATareexamplesofRemotesensingsatellites.
d. NoneofAbove.
IncorrectMatch
a. Aditya:SolarCoronas
b. Cartosat3:highresolutionmapping
c. GSAT10:Indiasheaviestsatellitesofar
d. SARAL:IndoJapaneseTsunamipredictionsatellite.
CorrectMatch
a. Spot6:Japan
b. Proiteres:France
c. Beidou:Japan
d. Noneofabove
FindtheOddsequence
a. GLONASS,Beidou,IRNSS
b. NuSTAR,HXMT,Herschel
c. GAGAN,PISHGAM,SARAL
d. NoneofAbove
whichofthefollowingcountrydoesnthaveitsownGlobalNavigationsystem?

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15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

a. Russia
b. China
c. Japan
d. NoneofAbove
whichofthefollowingisnotthemainaimofISROsSpacevision2025?
a. Developreusablelaunchvehicles
b. DevelopIndiasownspacestation.
c. Sendhumanstospace
d. Usesatellitesforruralconnectivity,securityandmobileservices.
NameofthemissionunderwhichNasasentarovertoMarsin2011?
a. MSL
b. Curiosity
c. Pegasus
d. NoneofAbove
GaleCraterislocatedin
a. Mercury
b. Saturn
c. Mars
d. Moon
BlackBeautyisaspacerockfrom
a. Moon
b. Mars
c. Saturn
d. Mercury
Who/WhatisSallyRide?
a. FirstfemaleastronautofUSA
b. APlaceonMoonwheretwoNASAspacecraftscrashlanded.
c. Bothofabove
d. NoneofAbove
WhatisthepurposeofGRAILmission?
a. StudythegravityfieldofMoon
b. StudythegravityfieldofMars
c. StudythegravityfieldofMercury
d. StudythegravityfieldofVenus

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21. CorrectStatement
a. TitanisoneofthemoonofMars
b. PhobosisoneofthemoonofSaturn
c. Both
d. None
22. Whatis/arecommonbetweenNuSTARandHXMT
a. Bothwillarespacetelescopesusedforfindingblackholes.
b. BotharelaunchedbyNASAunderPegasusmission.
c. BothAandB
d. NeitherAorB
23. Beidouisthe
a. SpacestationofChina
b. MarsmissionofChina
c. GlobalnavigationsystemofChina
d. Noneofabove
24. WorldsLargestradiotelescope:
a. Herschel
b. HXMT
c. Hubbles
d. SquareKilometerArray
25. In2012,SunitaWilliamswenttoISSusingwhichofthefollowingspacecraft?
a. Atlantis
b. Discovery
c. Soyuz
d. NoneofAbove

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upsccsat.html

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