Science and Tech

11/05/2019 Science and Tech
1. Seven minutes of terror related to Martian landing
2. Jiuquan Satellite Centre Chinese launch facility in Gobi desert
3. Munnar Highest elevation cloud physics laboratory in Tropical South Asia
4. Risk of dying of NCD in low/lower middle income country is almost double that in high income
countries
5. Bombay Blood Group can accept blood only from Bombay Blood Group donor
6. Diseases eliminated/eradicated in India are Smallpox, Rinderpest, Polio, Yaws,
Maternal/Neonatal tetanus and Trachoma
7. Moscow Declaration Eradicate tuberculosis by 2035
8. Mental Health Atlas WHO
9. IIT Hyderabad First in India, 3rd in the world to offer B.Tech in AI
10. IIT Ropar Android App Roshni that would help visually impaired recognise currency notes
11. DRISHTI Runway visibility measuring mechanism to facilitate landing and takeoff
Developed by CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories
12. Asch Conformity Test Extent to which a person’s opinion is influenced by a group
13. Malware WannaCry, NotPetya, CrySis, Cryptomix, Spora, Locky
14. Kessler Syndrome Proliferation of space debris in low earth orbit
15. Param Padma Supercomputer developed by India
16. National Cancer Institute Jhajjar, Haryana (under AIIMS)
17. Advanced Astroculture Ethylene removal system developed in Space removes viruses,
bacteria, mould and prolongs the shelf life of fruit and vegetables
18. Bangabandhu1 Bangladesh’s first geostationary satellite
19. AsiaPacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) governed by Japan
20. Scutoid New shape discovered while studying Epithelial cells
21. Arecibo Observatory Puerto Rico
22. Arecibo Message Humankind’s first communication with intelligent life beyond our own planet. Three
minute radio message—the Arecibo message—was aimed at a cluster of stars 25,000 light years away
from earth
23. SpyLite Mini UAV for high altitude aerial surveillance India/Israel partnership
24. World’s first Hydrogen powered train Germany
25. SA 21 Growler/Triumf Advanced long range defence system built by Russia
26. CIMON first AI robot to fly into space (AI is IBM’s Watson system) Launched on Space X’s
dragon cargo capsule Developed by Airbus on behalf of German Space Agency
27. Gene Drive Technology spread of specified genetic alterations through wild populations over
many generations
28. Standard Essential Patents Communication Technology
29. Type Metal in Printing Press Lead and Antimony
30. Polymer used in making parachutes Viscose
31. German Silver Zinc, Copper, Nickel
32. Roadeo Pune move around city roads, functioning as a quasitraffic policeman and
cautioning commuters about traffic rules and offences
33. Bandicoot India’s first manhole cleaning robot
34. GIMPS software discovered the world’s largest prime number
35. India is the world’s first country to perform a tele robotic heart surgery

IIT Guwahati developed sensors to detect adulteration in milk
IIT Hyderabad 1st IIT to start Full time 4 year's B Tech course on Artificial intelligence
IIT Kharagpur developed app to help smokers quit smoking using sensors & habit metrix
IIT Roorkee Signed MoU with ISRO for setting up space technology cell
IIT Madras created space fuel in lab
IIT Kharagpur launches scholarship programme for SAARC students

Image of Black Hole
Hydrogen Masers Atomic clocks used to synchronise the units of Event Horizon telescope
Technique Very long baseline interferometry
ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 1/97

Will be named Powehi
Centre of a galaxy called Messier 87

Rural connectivity Projects
Project Loon Google High altitude balloons in stratosphere
Aquila Facebook Solar powered drones
White Spaces Microsoft Unused bandwidth for rural connectivity
Kuiper Amazon constellation of satellites in LEO

Recombinant Technologies
Lispro Insulin Fast acting recombinant Insulin
Epoetin Alfa Recombinant protein used in curing anaemia
CRISPR Targeted destruction of genes

Mars Missions

InSight mission NASA using seismometer heat flow probe, Deep interior study of Mars
Exo Trace Mars ESA search for evidence of methane and other trace atmospheric gases
MAVEN Mars orbiter NASA MAVEN, which stands for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
Evolution mission, has provided firstofitskind measurements to address key questions
about Mars climate and habitability and improve understanding of dynamic processes in the
upper Martian atmosphere and ionosphere
Mars Orbit Mission (MANGALYAN) ISRO technology demostrator to explore Mars's orbit
Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity
Mars Express & Beagle 2 ESA Mars Express has detected surprising concentrations of
methane and evidence for recent volcanism on Mars

Chain Melted State

Solid and liquid at the same time Atoms can exist as both solid and liquid simultaneously
Conditions of extreme temperature and pressure
Applying pressure to the atoms leads to the formation of two interlinked solid lattice structures
Chemical interactions between atoms in one lattice are strong stay in a solid form when the
structure is heated
Other atoms melt into a liquid state
Elements like sodium and bismuth etc. cn exist in this state

Maintained by IUPAC (HQ Zurich)
7 periods, 8 groups Mendeleev
Periodic Table
Mendeleev’s Periodic Law Properties of elements are periodic
functions of their atomic masses
1001 Inventions
UNESCO
Educational material and science experiments to help young people
improve their understanding of chemistry and its numerous uses

Digital currency
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia financial settlements
Aber between the two countries through Blockchains and Distributed
Ledgers technologies
Restricted to a limited number of banks in each state
Hub of ISRO’s manned missions
Human Space
Bangalore
Flight Centre
Responsible for implementation of Gaganyaan
Computes hash values of images, video and audio files to identify
similar images
PhotoDNA
Ministry of Home Affairs is in talks with Microsoft to commercially
Microsoft
acquire PhotoDNA tool that aids in finding and removing known
images of child exploitation
ISRO + AAI
GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation
GAGAN Satellite based augmentation system for Indian airspace
Originally meant for the aviation sector, but will also benefit transport,
maritime, highways, surveying
Traditional X Ray + Medipix (Particle tracking technology developed for
LHCCERN)
Medipix like a camera detecting and counting individual subatomic
particles as they collide with pixels
High Resolution, High Contrast
Coloured X Ray Traditional X Rays records passing through the body or getting
absorbed by bones
Color X Ray Records the precise energy levels of X Rays as they hit
each particle in the body, translates the measurements into different
colours
Can help in 3D printing a lost limb
Investigate electrical activity from thunderstorms
Between 10 and 100kms in the atmosphere, the interaction between
charged particles produces electric phenomena
Thor Experiment
Observe from International Space Station
Understand how electric discharges influence water vapour levels,
cloud formation and changes in climate
In honour of Stephen Hawking British Royal Mint
Available in three metal finishes, aims to celebrate the life and “ground
Black Hole Coin breaking” achievements of Hawking
Hawking’s name in capital letters + Drawing of concentric circles intended to
represent a black hole + Mathematical formula
RadioFrequency
Identification Use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag
(RFID) attached to an object
Tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be
within direct lineofsight of the reader to be tracked (unlike barcodes)
Made up of two parts: a tag/label and a reader
RFID tags or labels are embedded with a transmitter and a receiver
RFID readers can scan up to 200 tags simultaneously
RFID readers are costlier than barcode scanners

Near Field Communication: exchange between devices situated 10cm
apart. e.g. Credit card payments
Barcode Scanner: Detects the light reflected form the barcode. Several
inches to several feet
QR code: 2D matrix readable barcode, data stored can be recovered even if
it is partially damaged
Bluetooth: Radio Waves, upto 10m

Speed Frequency Hopping is a technique that removes the problem of
radio interference

ESPN Cricinfo + IITM

Combination of stats metrics – Luck Index, Forecaster and Smart Stats
Superstats Smart Stats Pitch conditions, quality of opposition, and match situation – in
terms of the pressure on the player
Luck Index Identifying every lucky event that happens in a match, and then
calculating the run value
Ooty
Gamma Ray Astronomy PeV EnergieS phase3
TIFR + Osaka University
Study cosmic rays with an array of air shower detectors and a large area
muon detector

Measured the electrical potential, size and height of a thundercloud that
passed overhead
Learning about the properties of thunderclouds can be useful in navigation
of aircraft and preventing short circuits.

GRAPES3 How muons were used?
Muons and other particles are produced when cosmic rays bombard
air particles surrounding the earth. The muons produced can have
positive or negative charge. When a positively charged muon falls
through a cloud, it loses energy. If its energy falls below 1 giga electron
volt (GeV), which is the threshold of detection of the GRAPES3 muon
telescope, it goes undetected.
Negatively charged muon gains energy when falling through the cloud
and gets detected. Since there are more positive than negative muons
produced in nature, the two effects don’t cancel out, and a net change
in intensity is detected.
Free Space Google X
Optical
Communications Uses beams of light to deliver highspeed, highcapacity connectivity over
long distances
Mostly Lasers are used, but LEDs or IR emitting diodes can also be used
Theoretically similar to fibre optic communication but energy is sent
through open space instead of cables
Wireless transmission of electrical energy
Triboelectric effect type of contact electrification
Triboelectric
Pyroelectric nano generators harvest thermal energy from time dependent
Nanogenerators
temperature fluctuation
Types of nano generators Triboelectric, Piezoelectric, Pyroelectric
High Nitrogen Corrosion resistant material
Steel Army vehicles, mine resistant vehicles
World without fuel or electricity, converts all waste except glass and
concrete into ash
Tesla’s Blackhole Need not segregate dry and wet waste
Based on Plasmic Decomposition
Developed by Tesla Energy
Global team of people from UN Global Compact, CDP, WWF, World
Resources Institute
Targets are considered “sciencebased” if they are in line with level of
decarbonisation required to keep global temperature rise below 2°C
Science Based
from preindustrial levels
Targets
SCOPE 3 targets if more than 40% emissions of a company occur in
supply chain, it must reduce those
Mahindra Sanyo steel is the first company in India and first steel
company in the world to set Science Based Targets
Water disinfection system based on anodic oxidation
Better than RO as it retains all essential minerals
Useful for continuous treatment of water and eliminates all disease causing
pathogens
Developed by CSIR and Indian Institute of Toxicology Research
Oneer TM CSIR
Eliminate all diseasecausing pathogens such as virus, bacteria, fungi,
protozoa to provide safe drinking water to communities
Useful for continuous treatment of water to meet National and
International standards prescribed for potable water (BIS, WHO etc.)
Smaller unit is suitable for domestic purposes
Biomimetics use and implementation of concepts and principles
from nature to create new materials, devices and systems
GPS and AI enabled small drones which can carry out pollination
Colony Collapse Disorder Majority of worker bees in a colony
Robinsects
disappear, leaving behind a queen, food and nurse bees to take care
of the queen
Why are pollinators decreasing —> Use of herbicides, EM radiation
from towers, invasive species, diseases, climate change

4D Printing 3D + Time Dimension
Can reshape or self assemble over time with external stimuli like
mechanical force, magnetic field, temperature
Uses Light to transmit information WiFi uses microwaves
LiFi is more secure, but less coverage as it cannot penetrate opaque
walls
LiFi
By bouncing light waves off walls, communication can be maintained
without line of sight interaction
LiFi is faster than WiFi
Piles of ultra thin layers held together by ultra thin bonds
Applications in Quantum Computing
VdW materials
VdW forces exist between molecules of same substance when molecules
are in close proximity
Low cost and energy efficient PV integrated Micro Solar Dome
Surya Jyoti DST + MNRE has taken it up for larger distribution
Off grid can supply areas without electricity
Brainwave Microsoft deep learning platform for AI
Irradiation doses are recommended by IAEA
Food irradiation
Done in a plant authorised by Atomic Energy Regulation Board
Low pressure tube with capsules transported throughout the tube
Hyperloop First Hyperloop between Amravati and Vijaywada
Can travel at twice the speed of a commercial aircraft
Developed by CDAC (under MEITY)
Jatan and Jatan 3D view of artefacts
Darshak Darshak improve museum experience of differently abled by providing
details about artefacts
Country’s firstever indigenouslybuilt SPARC ISA architecturebased
microprocessor
IIT Bombay
AJIT
Comes under India’s ‘Made In India’ initiative which aims to make India
a global manufacturing hub
AJIT will be used in India's satellites like NAVIC
China plans to send 3 artificial moons made of reflective material like a mirror
Can light up an area 1080km in diameter
Artificial Moon Orbit at 500km from the earth
Idea first given by a French artist, Russia tried sending a Space mirror but the
idea was put off
Air delivery service developer through Drones
Wing
Owned by Google parent company Alphabet


Raman Effect Change in wavelength of light, when reflected by molecules
Can be used to characterise properties of these molecules
Applications in geology, material science, forensic science, nuclear
science, pharmacology
Defined by the weight of a platinumbased ingot Le Grand K
(platinum and iridium)
Master kilogram and its copies were seen to change – ever so slightly –
as they deteriorated
Fluctuation is about 50 parts in a billion, less than the weight of a single
eyelash
Weight can be defined in terms of the amount of electricity needed to
counteract it (gravitational force acting on a mass)
Planck’s constant relates weight to electrical current
Bryan Kibble built a superaccurate set of scales to measure Planck’s
constant The Kibble balance
Has an electromagnet that pulls down on one side of the scales and a
weight
Electrical current going through the electromagnet is increased until the
two sides are perfectly balanced.
Kilogram Le Grand K to be deposed by “die kleine h”.
General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) is the highest
international body of the world for accurate and precise measurements
and comprises of 60 countries including India and 42 Associate
Members

Definitions
Meter Speed of Light
Kilogram Planck’s constant
Second Radiation from Caesium 133
Ampere Charge on electron
Kelvin Boltzmann’s constant
Mole Avogadro’s number
Candela efficacy of light of a particular frequency
2nd most abundant element in the Universe after Hydrogen
Abundance is due to very high nuclear binding energy
Helium Found in volcanic lava plumes originating from Earth’s mantle ancient
Helium from when the Earth was formed
Helium hydride is the oldest known element
Belongs to Platinum group
Fourth element to have magnetic properties at room temperature
After Fe, Co, Ni
Resistant to oxidation, high thermal stability
Ruthenium

Magnetism in Ferromagnetic materials is due to alignment patterns of their
constituent atoms, which act as elementary electromagnets i.e. possess a
magnetic moment

SI Unit Genera conference on weights and measures
Highest international body for weights and measures
India became a signatory in 1957
International Bureau of Weights and Measures is the main executive
body of CGPM

SI system was adopted in 1960
CSIR National Physical Laboratory maintains Indian Standard Time

In the Northeast, the sun rises at four in the morning and in winter it
sets by four in the evening. By the time offices/schools, many daylight
hours are already lost (worse in winters)
Proposed line of demarcation between Assam and West Bengal
Andaman and Nicobar would also follow this time zone, apart from 7
NE states

Time Zone
Benefits
Increase productive daylight hours in the NE save energy
Biomedical research physical and psychological benefits to aligning
sleep rhythm to circadian rhythm

Darjeeling has Bagan time 1 hour ahead of IST

Countries with most number of time zones France (12) > USA (11), Russia
(11) > UK (9)

ENERGY

Rechargeable battery with high energy density commonly used in
consumer electronics
Uses intercalated lithium compound instead of metallic lithium as its
electrode
Cycle 5000 times, compared to 400500 cycles in lead acid
Lithium Ion
Relatively low self discharge
Battery
Can power hearing aids, vehicles, small villages
Don’t contain Cadmium
Higher in cost than NickelCadmium batteries

At present, lithium ion batteries are not manufactured in India
Thermal Battery First ever thermal battery plant inaugurated in Andhra Pradesh
Thermal batteries use energy created by temperature differences cool
zone (sink) and hot zone (source)
Both the sides contain phase changing materials
Low carbon footprint
Last longer than Lithium batteries
Transport systems, remote areas, telecoms infrastructure, Evehicles
Importance in global electronics industry strength, electrical
conductivity and elasticity
Alternative to lithiumion batteries
Form of carbon that can be used to develop smaller, slimmer batteries
but with higher capacity
Since graphene is made out of graphite, its production is both
expensive and has significant environmental impact
Graphene is a carbon material that is one atom thick
Thin composition and high conductivity, transparent
Applications ranging from miniaturised electronics to biomedical
devices
Enable thinner wire connections extensive benefits for computers,
Graphene solar panels, batteries, sensors and other devices.
Solar cells, lightemitting diodes, touch panels and smart windows
Graphene super capacitors serve as energy storage devices with a
capacity for faster charging and longer life span
Potential applications water filtration and purification, renewable
energy, sensors, personalised healthcare and medicine

Graphene Based Super Capacitors
Produced by the waste/discarded lithium ion battery
Graphene oxide collected from lithium ion battery show high specific
capacity at low current
High energy and power density
World’s first Hydrogen Fuel Cell powered trains Germany
Manufactured by Alstom Europe’s largest railway manufacturers
Coradia iLint Running cost is cheaper than the diesel trains
Noise free, Zero emissions water is the only by product
Hydrogen through anode, Oxygen through Cathode
Fuel cells do not need to be periodically recharged
Nuclear Energy Apsara U
Made indigenously
Applications Medical, Nuclear Physics, Material Science, Radiation
Shielding
Apsara was the first research reactor in Asia to become operational
Uses plate type dispersion fuel elements made of Low Enriched
Uranium

Kamini (Kalpakkam Mini)
Only reactor in the world operating on 233U fuel
Fuel produced by Fast Breeder Reactor

Dhruva
At BARC in Trombay
India’s largest research reactor
Primary source of weapons’ grade plutonium

Academic Lomosonov Russia
World’s first floating nuclear plant
Owned by State run nuclear energy corporation Rosatom
Northernmost nuclear installation in the world

Roc by Stratolaunch

World’s largest aircraft recently took off over the Mojave Desert in California
Carboncomposite plane built by Stratolaunch Systems Corp
It has a wingspan the length of an American football field and is powered by six engines on a
twin fuselage
The plane is designed to drop rockets and other space vehicles
Making satellite deployment as “easy as booking an airline flight.”

Scientific Achievements in 2018
PolyOxime
Gel that can be applied on skin and can break down toxic chemicals into safe substances, preventing pesticides
from going deep into the skin and organs in farmers
World’s thinnest material
Onenanometre in thickness using Magnesium diboride a compound of boron (nextgeneration batteries to
ultraviolet absorbing films)
CRISPR/Cas9 in Banana Genome: National AgriFood Biotechnology Institute, Mohali
First such work in any fruit crop in India
Banana is the fourth most important food crop after wheat, rice and corn in terms of gross value of production
Gene editing could be deployed to improve nutritional quality, agronomical important traits as well as pathogen
resistance in banana.
Faster tuberculosis diagnosis
Aptamer Linked Immobilized Sorbent Assay (ALISA) and Electrochemical Sensor (ECS) for detection of a
bacterial protein in the sputum.
Autism screening
In many cases, autism is misdiagnosed as mental retardation and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Early identification and interventions may help children with autistic disorders
Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s patients: IISc
How memory deficit develops in early stages, resulting in Alzheimer’s disease? Early breaking down of Factin
in the brain leads to disruption in communication among nerve cells and consequently memory deficits
Plaster of Paris pollution: CSIRNCL

Disinfects waste and converts it into useful products like ammonium sulphate and calcium bicarbonate
Can also be used to disintegrate PoP waste from idols immersed in water bodies.
Stone Age tools + Genetic studies
Stone Age tools discovered in a village near Chennai suggest that a Middle Palaeolithic culture was present in
India around 385,000 years ago
Roughly the same time that it is known to have developed in Africa and Europe
Challenges the theory that Middle Palaeolithic was brought to India by modern humans dispersing from Africa
only around 125,000 years ago
Realtime landslide warning system in Sikkim: Amrita university + Sikkim SMA (Ministry of Earth Sciences)
Over 200 sensors that can measure geophysical and hydrological parameters like rainfall, pore pressure and
seismic activities.
HPC 6.8 petaflop: IITM
Weather forecasting and climate monitoring
Now 4th fastest behind UK, Japan and USA
Silk based bioartificial disk IITGhy may find use in disc replacement therapy in future, mimics internal intricacy
of human disc and its mechanical properties too are similar to those of the native ones, can reduce the cost of
artificial discs in future
Transgenic rice with reduced arsenic accumulation: CSIRNational Botanical Research Institute (Lucknow)
Inserted novel fungal gene (Arsenic Methyltransferase), which results in reduced arsenic accumulation in rice
grain
Flowering mustard: TERI early flowering transgenic variety of mustard

DNA Technology Regulation Bill, 2018

Provisions
Regulates the use of DNA technology for establishing the identity of persons criminal
matters (e.g. under IPC) and civil matters (parentage disputes, emigration or immigration,
transplantation)
Establishes a National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks (for each state, or two
or more states)
Every Data Bank will maintain crime scene index, suspects’ or undertrials’ index, offenders’
index, missing persons’ index, and unknown deceased persons’ index
DNA Regulatory Board Every DNA laboratory that analyses a DNA sample to establish the
identity of an individual, has to be accredited by the Board
DNA data will only be used for identification
Cross identification of persons missing with dead bodies found in another part
Written consent by individuals is required to collect DNA samples from them
Consent is not required for offences with punishment of more than seven years of
imprisonment or death.
Removal of DNA profiles of suspects on filing of a police report or court order, and of
undertrials on the basis of a court order.
Profiles in the crime scene and missing persons’ index will be removed on a written request

Human Microbiome

Diverse communities of microorganisms (mainly bacterial) in the human body
Consists of Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, Protists, Virus,
2% of body mass of adult
10 times as many outside organisms as there are cells in the humn body
Symbiotic interaction
Different parts of the human body are occupied by characteristic microbial communities
Various factors contribute in shaping the composition of the microbiome genetics, dietary
habits, age, geographic location and ethnicity

Key role in many aspects of host physiology
Metabolism of otherwise complex indigestible carbohydrates and fats
Producing essential vitamins, maintaining immune systems
First line of defense against pathogens
Forms a gut lining, preventing it from being infected by pathogens
Inhibitory effect on development of colon cancer
Around 10% of our body’s energy is produced by our microbiome fermenting food in the gut
and producing short chain fatty acids
Produces Fat storing hormones

Indian Human Microbiome Initiative NCCS + NCMR
Study and map the human microbiome across the country collection of saliva, stool and skin
swabs of 20,000 Indians across various ethnic groups from different geographical regions
India does not have an umbrella Microbiome research program yet
Indian population harbours a distinct gut microbial community
Large number of tribal populations largely unaffected by “modern” diet and lifestyle
4,500 ethnic groups and presence of two global biodiversity hotspots Himalayas and Western
Ghats
Study on the tribal population would help improve knowledge of evolution of the mutualism
between gut microbiota and the host

Metagenomics sequence based approach that allows complete collection of microbes to be
analysed in their natural environment, without needing to cultivate the micro organisms

DISEASES

Polio
Highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young
children but can affect people of all ages
Virus is transmitted by persontoperson spread mainly through
the faecaloral route
Can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis
90% polio infections cause no symptoms at all
No cure, can only be prevented by immuisation
India was declared Polio free in 2014
Transmission of Polio in only 3 countries Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Nigeria
Not a Neglected Tropical Disease

Polio Vaccine

Developed by Jonas Edward Salk

Pulse Polio programme
Immunisation campaign by GoI to eliminate polio in India by
vaccinating all children under 5 years
Uses Oral Polio Vaccine weakened but live Polio virus, which
can cause paralytic polio
Vaccine virus is excreted by immunised children can move from
one person to another and provide immunity but may also lead to
evolution of more virulent forms
Two nationwide mass polio vaccination campaigns and two to
three subnational campaigns each year
Government has also introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio
Vaccine into its routine immunization program
Vellore was the first town to become Polio free through the Pulse
strategy

Injectable Polio Vaccine
IPV is produced from wildtype poliovirus strains of all three
serotype that have been inactivated (killed) with formalin
Can be administered alone or in combination with other vaccines.
India became the first country globally to introduce fractional
doses of IPV in childhood immunisation programme in 2016
Leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, ranking
above HIV/AIDS
Bacterial Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Typically affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect
other sites
Disease is spread when people who are sick with pulmonary TB
expel bacteria into the air
Diagnostic tests for TB disease – Rapid molecular test, Sputum
smear microscopy, Culturebased methods
Decades of global neglect now the leading cause of adult deaths
in most of the global south
25% of population has latent TB
Infection with HIV 2030 times more likely to develop TB
Causes more deaths than HIV
United Nations Declaration “United to End Tuberculosis: An
Urgent Global Response to a Global Epidemic”
Delhi Call for Action eliminate TB in SE Asia
Tuberculosis 40% of Tuberculosis (TB) patients in India go undiagnosed or if
diagnosed, are not reported even among those reported and/or
diagnosed with TB, many do not turn up for follow up treatment
Diagnostic delay leads to worsening of patient’s condition
lengthen the time during which the patient remains contagious
World TB Report WHO
Moscow Declaration to end TB
WHO End TB strategy

Drug Resistant TB
MDRTB: Do not respond to most powerful first line TB drugs
Isoniazid and Rifampicin
Can be treated with 2nd line drugs Bedaquiline and Delamanid
Extensively drug resistant TB don’t respond to 2nd line drugs
either

Triple Billion Goals WHO health SDGs

Diptheria Bacterial Corynebacterium diphtheria
Highly contagious respiratory disease
Produces a toxin that affects other organs
Fatal if left untreated
Mosquito borne viral infection of the brain
Flavivirus which also causes dengue, yellow fever and west Nile
Japanese disease
Encephalitis Transmitted to humans from bites of Culex mosquitos
Transmission cycle mosquitos, pigs, water birds
No cure
Infection with parasitic worms (nematodes) living in the lymphatic
system
Larval stages of the parasite (microfilaria) circulate in the blood
and are transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes.
Manifestation of the disease after infection takes time and can
result in an altered lymphatic system, causing abnormal
enlargement of body parts, and leading to severe disability and
social stigmatization of those affected
Parasites are transmitted by four main types of mosquitoes:
Culex, Mansonia, Anopheles and Aedes
Lymphatic filariasis Causal organism is Wuchereria bancroftii

Triple drug therapy
Recommended by WHO to accelerate the global elimination of
lymphatic filariasis
Albendazole + Ivermectin + Diethyl carbamazine citrate
Over 40% of worldwide cases are found in India
India has missed earlier deadlines to eradicate the disease by
2015 and 2017
Leprosy
Also known as Hansen’s disease
Chronic, progressive bacterial infection caused by the bacterium
Mycobacterium leprae
Primarily affects the nerves of the extremities, the skin, the lining
of the nose, the upper respiratory tract and the eyes
Produces skin ulcers, nerve damage, and muscle weakness
Causes severe disfigurement and significant disability
Known to occur at all ages ranging from early infancy to very old
age
Common in countries with tropical or subtropical climate
Mildly infectious, 95% of population has a natural immunity to
the disease
Completely curable
Mycobacterium indicus pranii indigenous vaccine for leprosy

India accounts for over 60% of the annual new cases of leprosy
India, Brazil and Indonesia are the only countries where more than
10000 new cases are reported every year

According to WHO
Elimination means less than 1/10000
Eradication means to reach zero level
Hepatitis = inflammation of liver
Caused by Virus
Hepatitis B and C cause 95% of mortality
Viral Hepatitis caused more deaths than HIV, comparable to
TB
India is among the 11 countries that carry 50% of global hepatitis
disease burden
Late testing and treatment of Hepatitis B/C lead to 60% of liver
cancer cases
Hepatitis D infection only happens in those who are infected with
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis
Hepatitis A Does not cause chronic liver disease, rarely fatal
Hepatitis B blood, semen, fluids vaccine available (included in UIP)
Hepatitis C blood vaccine not available

Hepatitis C can be transmitted sexually and from an infected mother to
her baby (but much less common)
NOT spread through breast milk, food, water or by casual contact

National Viral Hepatitis Control Program MoHFW Free drugs and
diagnosis for Hepatitis B and C
WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 201621 India is
a signatory
Bacterial Salmonella typhi
Spreads through direct contact with faces of infected person
Typhoid
Transmission is always human to human as no animal carries this
disease
Bacterial
Scrub Typhus Bite of infected mite larva present in soil
Acute Encephalitis Syndrome in Gorakhpur
Influenza
Viral respiratory disease
Types A, B and C
Spread easily from person to person
Wild Birds are the natural hosts
Subtypes are based on: The host of the origin, Geographical
origin, Strain in number, Year of isolation
Influenza A H5N8, H5N1
Seasonal influenza viruses evolve continuously, which means that
people can get infected multiple times throughout their lives
Oseltamivir drug for influenza (also called Tamiflu)


Influenza Vaccine Research

Under EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program over
7 years in science and industry
India + EU collaboration
Open to applicants from other countries as well

Quadrivalent Influenza Vaccine

FluQuadri Recommended by WHO, injectable vaccine produced
by Sanofi Pasteur
Will contain 4 influenza virus strains H1N1, H3N2, Victoria and
Yamagata (killed viruses)
Approved by Drug Controller General of India
H1N1, H1N2, H3N2
Affect respiratory tract of pigs
Swine Flu
Symptoms are similar to influenza symptoms
Easily transmissible among humans
Exposure to live poultry or contaminated environments
Bird Flu Does not transmit easily from person to person
H1N5 (sensitive to heat, does not transmit from one human to another)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Viral disease of zoonotic origin caused by SARS coronavirus
No vaccine
No cases reported since 2004
SARS
2003 outbreak in China caused by a single population of
horseshoe bats in Yunan
Droplets from coughing and sneezing spread the disease
SARS affected regions China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada
Malaria
Plasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent malaria parasite
(Plasmodium vivax also spreads the disease)
Bite of infected female Anopheles mosquito
Top 11 countries with highest malaria prevalence have India and
10 African countries
African region accounts for 995 of malaria cases
Congenital malaria Mother to baby at birth
Can be transmitted by organ transplant, transfusion, shared
needles
India is the only high burden country to show a significant decline
in malaria cases
India is the only Asian country with a high burden (rest are all
African)

Matibabu Device non invasive kit that can be used to test for
malaria, developed in Uganda
Mosquirix World’s first malaria vaccine, cleared by WHO for pilot
introduction in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi
Viral
Transmitted to humans by infected mosquitos (Aedes aegypti)
Shares clinical signs with dengue and zika
No cure
Mostly in Africa and Asia, but also reported in Americas
Chikungunya

Biosensor Technique to detect Chikungunya Molybdenum
disulphide nano sheet adsorb into gold electrodes and used in
electrochemical voltammetric techniques

Diabetes Diabetes mellitus

Group of metabolic disorders in which there are high blood sugar
levels over a prolonged time
Type 1 Pancreas produces little or no insulin cannot absorb
sugar
Type 2 Affects the way the body processes blood sugar
Prediabetes Blood sugar is high but not high enough to be Type
2 diabetes
Gestational diabetes High blood sugar affecting pregnant
women

Diabetes insipidus Body cannot regulate how it handles fluids
(hormonal disorder)

TB vaccine BCG
May lower blood sugar levels in Type 1 patients, several years
after they get the shot
BCG protects against leprosy, leishmaniasis
Immunotherapy against bladder cancer
Can be used for multiple clinical purposes no patent on BCG

Monogenic Diabetes

Group of disorders where mutation of a single gene causes
diabetes – Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY),
Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus (NDM) and Congenital
Hypoglycaemia.
Usually passed on in an autosomal dominant gene (a sex
independent gene that’s inherited from one of the parents) only
one copy of the mutation is needed to develop diabetes.
Usually a strong family history of diabetes (although it’s possible
for someone to have a spontaneous mutation)

Impact
Growth problems
Impaired glycogen storage in the liver
Impaired fatty acid metabolism
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Open Insulin Project California based initiative trying to develop an
open source protocol for manufacturing offpatent insulin

Bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis
Chronic disease of the eye
Cause of 1.5% blindness worldwide irreversible blindness
Poor environmental and personal hygiene
Also spread by flies who come in contact with the infected person
India is free from Trachoma
Affects pockets in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, UP and Nicobar
Trachoma
islands
GET2020 WHO International Alliance for Global Elimination of
Trachoma by 2020
WHO’s SAFE Surgery, Antibodies, Facial Cleanliness,
Environmental Improvement
WHO Vision 2020 and International Agency for prevention of
Blindness Trachoma as a priority
Bacteria or Fungi
Mycetoma Inflammatory disease of skin, connective tissue, muscle and bone
Affects rural populations
Naorovirus
Crimean Congo Fatality rate of upto 40%
Fever Mainly transmitted to people from ticks and domestic animals
Human to human transmission is also possible
Kyasanur Forest
Disease Virus isolated from a sick monkey from the Kyasanur Forest
Endemic to Karnataka
Faviviridae virus, which also causes yellow fever and dengue
fever
Between 400500 humans cases per year have been reported
Similar virus has been discovered in China and Saudi Arabia
Hard ticks (Hemaphysalis spinigera) are the reservoir of the KFD
virus and once infected, remain so for life.
Rodents, shrews, and monkeys are common hosts for KFDV after
being bitten by an infected tick
KFDV can cause epizootics with high fatality in primates.
Transmission to humans may occur after a tick bite or contact with
an infected animal
No persontoperson transmission
Large animals such as goats, cows, and sheep may become
infected with KFD but play a limited role in the transmission of the
disease
No evidence of disease transmission via the unpasteurised milk of
any of these animals.
Patients may experience abnormally low blood pressure, low
platelet, red blood cell, and white blood cell counts
More cases are reported during the dry season (NovJune)
Diagnosis by PCR
Vaccine exists for KFD
Maintenance of hydration and the usual precautions for patients
with bleeding disorders
Weil’s Disease severe form
Waterborne bacterial disease
Zoonotic
Leptospirosis No preventive vaccine
Person to person transmission is rare, can be cured with
antibiotics
Spread through urine of animals
Excessive exposure to Fluoride (>1.5mg/L)
Reduced intelligence in children
Fluorosis
Skeletal fluorosis due to interference in calcium metabolism
Slow, progressive disease which affects every organ in the body
Genetic disease abnormal structure of global chain
e.g. Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia
Haemoglobinopathies
Thalassemia underproduction of global chains due to mutations
in regulatory proteins
Immature blood cells become cancerous and crowd out healthy
cells
Most common cancer in children below 15 years
Leukemia
Different types of Leukemia depends on the blood type that
becomes cancer
WBCs are the most common type to become cancerous
Affects the blood’s ability to clot due to lack of clotting factors
Mostly due to genetic causes
Haemophilia Men are more vulnerable than women
50% of Haemophilia population lives in India
Injections with clotting factors can help
West Nile Virus
Member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese
encephalitis antigenic complex
Commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North
America and West Asia.

WNV is maintained in nature in a cycle involving birds and
mosquitoes
Human infection is mostly due to bites from infected Culex
mosquitoes does not spread from human to human i.e. humans
are 'dead end hosts'
No vaccine for humans
Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds
May also be transmitted through contact with other infected
animals, their blood, or other tissues
Very small proportion of human infections have occurred through
organ transplant, blood transfusions, breast milk
One reported case of transplacental (mothertochild) WNV
transmission
First detected in West Nile, Uganda in 1930s
Zika virus is similar to dengue fever, yellow fever and West Nile
virus
Aedes aegypti mosquito bites, but can also occur through
intrauterine infection
No vaccine or cure
First identified in 1947 in Zika Forest, Uganda from where it
derives its name.
Can transmit to fetus and by sexual transmission
Pregnant women are the most at risk due to the potential for fetal
microcephaly
Zika Virus Can also spread through blood transfusion and sexual intercourse
Neurological symptoms Guillian Barre syndrome, neuropathy,
myelitis
No specific treatment or vaccine currently available to treat Zika
— best form of prevention is protection against mosquitos
First confirmed case in India 2016
Infection remains without symptoms in 80% of the cases
Rajasthan strain is closely related to the Brazilian strain now
disputed which would mean Zikarelated birth defects such as
microcephaly were occurring even before the virus was first
detected in India
Nipah Virus
Asymptomatic infection (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection
and fatal encephalitis
Fatality rate of 40% to 75%
Can vary by outbreak depending on local capabilities for
epidemiological surveillance and clinical management
Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such
as bats or pigs) or contaminated foods
Can also be transmitted directly from humantohuman
Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah
virus
There is no treatment or vaccine available for either people or
animals
First reported in India in West Bengal
First identified in Malaysia
WHO R&D Blueprint list of priority diseases indicates that there is
an urgent need for accelerated research and development for the
Nipah virus

Reports of Nipah virus in Kerala

Zoonotic Diseases Nipah, Avian Influenza, Rabies, JE, Leptospirosis,
Hanta Virus, SARS, Anthrax, Plague, KFD
CDV causes a highly contagious and lifethreatening disease in
dogs
Also affects other wild carnivores, including wolves, foxes,
raccoons, red pandas, ferrets, hyenas, tigers, and lions.
Canine Distemper Spreads through aerosol droplets and through contact with
Virus infected bodily fluids, feces, and urine
Virus then enters the blood stream and infects the respiratory,
gastrointestinal, urogenital, epithelial, and central nervous
systems, and optic nerves
NO known cure
Ebola strains Bombali, Zaire, Sudan, Tai Forest, Bundibugyo,
Reston
Severe and often fatal infection
Ebola
Spread through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids
First identified in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (formerly Zaire)
2nd most common cancer after breast
Human Papilloma Virus is the most common cause of Cervical
Cancer (80% cases)
Cervical Cancer HPV is a group of more than 150 viruses
Not all HPV infections go on to become cancerous
1/4 of disease burden of cervical cancer is in India more Indian
women die of Cervical Cancer than in any other country
Carried by rodents
Infect lung cells and cause severe respiratory conditions
Hantavirus Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome
No treatment or vaccine
Infections are expected to increase with global warming
Respiratory tract illness
Coronavirus
SARS and MERS
Wolbachia
Tiny bacterium, present in upto 60% of all insect species
Usually not present in Aedes aegypti (dengue, chikungunya, zika)

World Mosquito Program introduce Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti
mosquitos
Wolbachia infected mosquitos correlate with reduced Dengue,
Chikungunya, Zika incidence
Similar to Rotavirus that causes Diarrhoea
Highly contagious, affects all ages
Noro Virus
Mostly transmits by oralfaecal route
Vaccines not available
Flavivirus family that includes West Nile, Dengue, Zika, Yellow
virus
Usutu Virus African origin, first detected in Austria
Causes large scale bird deaths
Humans can be infected through mosquito bites
Babies can be infected during pregnancy, labour, delivery or while
breastfeeding
Multi drug approach for HIV (WHO) Tenofovir, Lamivudine,
HIV Efavirenz (TLE)
Nevirapine Syrup
Largest infected population: South Africa > Nigeria > India
Largest rate of infection in Swaziland
Rare viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in remote parts of
central and west Africa, near tropical rainforests
Mostly transmitted to people from various wild animals such as
rodents and primates
Limited secondary spread through humantohuman transmission.
Similar to human smallpox Although monkeypox is much milder
than smallpox, it can be fatal.
Monkey Pox No specific treatment or vaccine available but prior smallpox
vaccination was highly effective in preventing monkeypox

Spread
First identified in Congo
Nigeria experienced the largest documented outbreak
Cases have been recorded in the western world too
Black fever or dumdum fever
Fatal parasitic disease of viscera
Kala Azar Parasitic agent Leishmania donovani
Transmitted by Sand Fly bites common in families living in close
proximity to livestock or in humid condition
Xlinked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) affects
mostly boys
Bubble boy disease
Mutations in a gene called IL2RG on the X chromosome
necessary for the growth and maturation of lymphocytes

Alzheimer’s Disease Chronic neurodegenerative disease
Type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and
behavior
Caused by the aggregation of the toxic protein
Neurons in the human brain make a protein called amyloid beta
India tops the number of cases for 11 different neglected tropical
diseases (lymphatic filariasis, visceral leishmaniasis,
trachoma, tapeworm, roundworm, hookworm, whipworm,
dengue and leprosy)
Neglected Tropical SDG 3.3 to end epidemics of neglected tropical diseases by 2030
Disease Defined by WHO
London Declaration on NTDs under WHO includes 10 NTDs
Guinea worm disease, Lymphatic Filariasis, Trachoma, Sleeping
Sickness, Leprosy, Helminthes, Schistomosiasis, River Blindness,
Chagas Disease, Kala Azar
Any disease that affects a small percentage of the population
(<1/1000 as per WHO)
Most rare diseases are genetic, and are present throughout a
person’s entire life, even if symptoms do not immediately appear
Most common rare diseases recorded in India are Haemophilia,
Thalassemia, sicklecell anaemia and primary immuno deficiency
in children, autoimmune diseases, Lysosomal storage disorders
such as Pompe disease, Hirschsprung disease, Gaucher’s
Rare Disease or
disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Hemangiomas and certain forms of
Orphan Disease
muscular dystrophies
Subcomponent under Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) for
provision of onetime financial assistance to those below threshold
poverty line for specified rare diseases which require onetime
treatment
Karnataka is the first state to release a rare drugs and orphan
drugs policy

PATHOLOGY

Ability to resist medication that could be previously used to treat a
disease
Require higher or alternate doses more expensive, more toxic
India and China 80% antibiotic production worldwide
Largest antibiotic consumers India > China > USA
Antimicrobial Per capita consumption of antibiotics in India is low compared to high
Resistance income countries
Pharmaceutical Waste Water discharge guidelines (CPCB) do not
include antibiotics

Red Line Campaign Anti microbial resistance awareness
Global Action Plan on AMR WHO
National
Deworming Day MoHFW conducts deworming drive twice a year
Fixed day approach for children of age 119 years
Tape, Round and Hook worms
Albendazole tablet
Worms can cause Anaemia

Intestinal Worms
Large multicellular organisms, which when mature can generally be
seen with the naked eye
Not all helmintthes reside in intestine
India carries the highest burden of worm infestation and 64% of Indian
population less than 14 years of age are at risk of Soil Transmitted
Helminths (STH)
Interfere with nutrients uptake in children; can lead to anaemia,
malnourishment and impaired mental and physical development
Bharat Biotech Typhoid Vaccine
Can be administered from 6 months to adult
Typbar TCV
Prequalification from WHO means vaccine can be supplied to
UNICEF, PanAmerican Health Organisation, GAVI
Bharat Biotech’s diarrhoea vaccine
Rotavac WHO pre qualification
Included in UIP
All children in age group 9 months to 15 years will be vaccinated
against measlesrubella
India + 10 WHO SE Asia region member countries —> eliminate
measles and control Rubella by 2020
Measles is a human disease, not known to occur in animals
Rubella is mild compared to measles
Infection during early pregnancy may result in a child born with
Measles Rubella congenital rubella
Vaccination

Campaign
Herd Immunity Vaccination of a significant proportion of the population
provides a measure of protection to the unvaccinated population

Progress Towards Regional Measles Elimination Worldwide
WHO + Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
Measles has affected nearly all regions, biggest outbreaks in
Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe
Superbug
Bacterium that carries several resistance genes, resistant to multiple
antibiotics and are able to survive even after exposure to one or more
antibiotics
When antibiotics are introduced, only the bacteria that can resist that
treatment can survive to multiply further, proliferating the line of drug
resistant bugs

Although antibiotic resistance develops naturally with normal bacterial
mutation, humans are speeding it up by using antibiotics improperly
Antibioticresistance is passed relatively easily from one bacteria to
the next, since it is transmitted by way of loose genetic material that
most bacteria have in common.
Tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and pneumonia are becoming harder to treat
with typical antibiotics

What Can We Do?
No use of antibiotics in viral disease
Ensure antibiotic courses are not left halfway
Curb anti biotic uses in livestock

blaNDM1 (called New Delhi Metallobetalactamase1) superbug found in
Arctic
Fight multiple pathogens Flu, Ebola, Marburg, Rabies

Vaccine Platform —> CEPI + Britain
Synthetic Self Amplifying Approach use the body’s machinery to
manufacture antigen, instead of introducing it from outside
Can be adapted to immunise against different diseases by inserting new
Vaccine for genetic sequences
multiple
pathogens CEPI
International organisations, governments, industry, public, R&D, NGOs, civil servants
Drive vaccine innovation to address public health threats
In alignment with WHO Blueprint for R&D
Develop vaccines against new and unknown diseases, collectively called “Disease X"
Emerging fungus (yeast) that presents a serious global health threat
Candida auris Can persist on surfaces in healthcare environments
Some strains have resistance to drugs
HEALTH

Chemicals used in food packaging and processing materials
Improve flexibility and durability of plastics
Pthalates Hormone disrupting chemicals in humans breast cancer,
developmental issues, obesity, asthma
Fast food consumption increases concentrations of Pthalates
Marijuana
Uruguay is the first country to legalise recreational use, followed by
Canada
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 Prohibit
recreational use of marijuana in India
Does not apply to bhang
Can be helpful for terminally ill cancer patients, epilepsy and sickle cell
anaemia
WHO’s international classification of diseases Gaming disorder as a
mental health disorder
WHO’s
Classification is only a set of guidelines but influences healthcare
international
policies in many countries
classification of
Also includes traditional medicine and sexual health
diseases
Codes for AMR in line with Global Antimicrobial Resistance
Surveillance System (GLASS)
Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems aerosols contain lead,
chromium, nickel, formaldehyde
ENDS are not approved as Nicotine Replacement Therapies under
Drugs and Cosmetics Act
Global Tobacco Epidemic Survey WHO
Ecigarettes
Do not fall within the ambit of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco
Products Act, 2003 (COTPA) which mandates stringent health
warnings on the packaging and advertisements of tobacco products.
In India, number of smokers is on the decline (WHO Global Report,
2015)
Disease states that adversely interact with each other
e.g. Undernutrition, climate change and obesity are interlinked
Syndemic
Not a single country has reversed the obesity epidemic across the
world
Cocktail of two or more active drug ingredients in a fixed ratio of doses
(cough syrups, painkillers, dermatological drugs)
Not covered under Price Control Regime
IMS Health 50% drugs sold in India in 2014 were FDC, making it a
world leader in combination drugs
Advantages increased efficacy, better compliance, reduced cost and
simpler logistics of distribution
Particularly useful in the treatment of infectious diseases like HIV,
Fixed Dose malaria and tuberculosis, where giving multiple antimicrobial agents is
Combinations the norm. FDCs are useful for chronic conditions when multiple
disorders coexist
Chandrakant Kokate Committee FDCs based on
recommendations, 349 FDCs were banned
Nilima Shirsagar Committee safety, efficacy and therapeutic
justification of FDCs
Zearalenone
Fungal toxin infesting cereals such as wheat, maize and barley
Attacks crops while they are growing, but can also develop when
cereals are stored without being dried fully
No strong evidence of toxicity in humans so far
FSSAI does not impose maximum limits for zearalenone, though the
European Union (EU) does
FSSAI regulates levels of some fungal toxins like Aflatoxin, Ergot,
Patulin
Aflatoxin led to Hepatitis outbreak in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Chronic
consumption can cause Liver Cancer (classified as Group 1
carcinogen by IARC)
Zearalenone behaves like oestrogen and could cause endocrine
disturbances in humans
Favours cool climates

Way Forward
Strong epidemiological data linking human zearalenone levels with
diseases such as breast cancer are important
More data from other cereals and other states is needed before
regulation norms are formulated
Unbranded medicines which are equally safe and having the same
efficacy as that of branded medicines in terms of their therapeutic
value
Prices of generic medicines are much cheaper than their branded
equivalent

Why are generic drugs cheaper?
When a company develops a new drug after years of research — it
applies for a patent, which prohibits anyone else from making the drug
for a fixed period
To recover the cost of research and development, companies usually
price their brand name drugs on the higher side
Generic Drug Once the patent expires, other manufacturers duplicate and market
their own versions of the drug
Since the manufacture of these generic drugs do not involve a repeat
of the extensive clinical trials to prove their safety and efficacy, it costs
less to develop them
Generic drugs are, therefore, cheaper

Generic drug has the same “active ingredient” as the brandname drug.
Inert ingredients vary between the generic and branded drug

Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002 mandates that every
physician “prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably
in capital letters”
Formalin
Toxic, colourless solution that is derived by dissolving formaldehyde
gas in water
Formaldehyde is highly reactive and flammable
Fungicide, Germicide, Disinfectant, prevents decomposition
Cancerinducing chemical used to preserve fish and is used as a
disinfectant
Used in the manufacture of pesticides, fertilisers, glue, paper and
paint, among other products
Irritation in the eyes, throat, skin and stomach
Continued exposure causes harm to the kidneys, liver, cancers
Formaldehyde is a highly reactive, flammable gas
NOT permitted in food by FSSAI
Used in production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins
Can leach into food
Bisphenol A
Endocrine system disruptor
Tiny spheres of Titanium dioxide can catch and destroy BPA
Hug hormone, cuddle chemical, moral molecule, and the bliss
hormone due to its effects on behaviour
Role in love and in female reproductive biological functions in
reproduction, lactation, social interactions
Made in the hypothalamus transported to and secreted by the
pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain.
Acts both as a hormone and as a brain neurotransmitter.
Regulates two female reproductive functions: Childbirth and Breast
feeding
Misused in the dairy industry where livestock is injected with Oxytocin
Oxytocin to make them release milk at a time convenient to farmers
Increase the size of vegetables such as pumpkins, watermelons,
eggplants, gourds, and cucumbers
Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL) was solely
allowed by the Centre to make the drug to meet the country’s needs
Banned the import of Oxytocin and its formulations
May lead to illegal imports need to strengthen mechanisms to control
such imports

Carbetocin: Safe and effective alternative to the controversial drug oxytocin
does not require refrigeration
Access Available at all times amoxicillin
WHO Antibiotics
Watch Second choice Ciprofloxacin
Protocol
Reserve Last Resort Colistin
Tata Trusts + The Global Fund
Drive innovations towards key infectious disease challenges in India
India Health Eliminate TB by 2025 and malaria by 2030
Fund Support national efforts to effectively tackle eradicate these diseases
India contributes to 27% of the global TB burden and 68% of all malaria
cases in the Southeast Asia region
Sohum
Indigenously developed newborn hearing screening device
Under School of International Biodesign of DBT

SIB develop innovative and affordable medical devices as per clinical
needs of India AIIMS + IIT Delhi
Conceived in Singapore
Iodine patch is distributed to tribal women of Maharashtra
Jeevan Bindi
Delivers daily requirement of Iodine through absorption by body
Need twice the amount of iodine during pregnancy and lactation
Lopinavir Child friendly HIV drug Cipla

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Stem Cells Potency Capacity to differentiate into specialised cell types and give rise to
any mature cell type

Embryonic Stem Cell formed during blastocyst phase of development
Adult Stem Cell Exist throughout the body after embryonic development

Totipotent Fertilised egg, cells produced by first few divisions
Pluripotent Cells derived from any of the germ layers (true stem cells
with potential to make any differentiated stem cell in the body)
Multipotent
Oligopotent
Unipotent Muscle stem cells

Draft guidelines for Stem Cell Research — ICMR + DBT
Commercial banking of all biological materials except Umbilical Cord
Blood is prohibited
Does not apply to research using nonhuman stem cells

Oesophageal Organoids
Miniature, functional versions of the human food pipe
Grown entirely from Pluripotent Stem Cells

Miniature Eyes
Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Functions of stem cells
Develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and
growth
Serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit
to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive (in
some cells they do this function continually, in some cells only under
certain conditions)

When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a
stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function,
such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by
Unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell
division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity
Can be induced to become tissue or organspecific cells with special
functions

What are the similarities and differences between embryonic and adult stem
cells?
Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because
they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are thought to be limited to
differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin
Embryonic stem cells can be grown relatively easily in culture. Adult
stem cells are rare in mature tissues, so isolating and culturing them is
challenging

Induced pluripotent stem cells
iPSCs are adult cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to an
embryonic stem celllike state by being forced to express genes and
factors important for maintaining the defining properties of embryonic
stem cells
Useful tools for drug development and modelling of diseases potential
use in transplantation medicine
Immune Checkpoint Therapy Stimulate inherent ability of our immune
system to attack tumour cells by releasing 'brakes'

Immune
B cell WBC that makes antibodies
System
T cell recognise molecular signatures of particular proteins
Macrophage First cell to recognise and engulf foreign substances, may
break down the foreign substances and present to T cells
Adalimumab protein developed through Phage display
Phage Display Allows scientists to study protein interactions on a large scale
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria
Rare phenotype < 1/1000 occurrence
P NULL P null phenotype can cause intravascular haemolytic reaction to
Phenotype incompatible blood transfusion
Can cause recurrent abortions in women
Earth
BioGenome All the DNA in each of the world’s known eukaryotes over the next 10
Project years, sequencing 1.5m different genomes
Participating institutions aim to raise the required funds from
governments, foundations and charities
Project’s first phase — producing a reference genome for each of the
9,000 taxonomic families of eukaryotic life
UK participants Darwin Tree of Life Wellcome Sanger Institute
66000 species of Britain
Similar in scale to the Human Genome Project
Backed by WEF
Human HGPRead — Produce a blue print of human genome. India did not
Genome participate
Project HGPWrite — Build an artificial human genome using bioengineering
IISc
Genome India
WGS of 2000 individuals spanning ethnic, linguistic and sociocultural
Project
sections of NE states
Led out of NTU, Singapore
Sequence whole genomes of 100k Asians
100k Genome Precise medical applications for Asian populations
Asia Project Leverage big data and AI
Pair with micro biome, clinical and phenotype information
Indian Company MedGenome is a founding member of the initiative
Editing editing organism’s native genome
Modification introduction of foreign DNA

CRISPR Cas
CRISPR Clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats
Adapted from naturally occurring system in bacteria
CAS CRISPRassociated protein 9
CRISPRCas9 technology behaves like a cutandpaste mechanism on
DNA strands that contain
Cas9 protein acts as scissors
Made gene editing simpler, faster and easily accessible to most
Gene Editing laboratories
Alter genetic expression or changing the genome of an organism
Correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of
diseases and improving crops genetic information
Scientists intervene during the autorepair process, supplying the
desired sequence of genetic codes that binds itself with the broken DNA
strand
Can also alter gene expression instead of changing the DNA
Can also function as a diagnostic tool

European Court of Justice Organisms obtained by mutagenesis are also
GMOs
Reduce or eliminate production of protein from the gene

Gene Silencing
ICRISAT Gene silencing to keep groundnuts free from Aflatoxin
contamination (fungal toxin)
Three parent
baby First allowed in UK
Mitochondrial Donation Therapy for women
Nuclear DNA is introduced into donor egg with healthy mitochondrial
DNA after fertilisation with sperm
Can be sued to avoid only complications arising from mitochondrial
genome
Only mitochondrial DNA comes from donor
Can be used to bypass harmful mitochondrial mutations that lead to
diseases
Mitochondrial DNA comes entirely from mother
Maternal Spindle Transfer technique
Transgenic male Aedes mosquito with a gene fatal only to females
GM males will breed with normal females, causing populations to
decline
GM Mosquitos
“Friendly Aedes” Project
DBT has not approved may affect trophic interactions as many species
of frogs and fish prey on mosquito larva
GM rice that contains betacarotene — by inserting bacteria and daffodil
and maize genes into it
Developed in Europe
Golden Rice
Supposedly high in Vitamin A, Iron and Zinc.
First field trials conducted by the agriculture centre of Louisiana State
University
Cry1AC crystal protein gene from Bacillus thuringiensis into genome of
Brinjal cultivars
Uses agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation
Bt Brinjal
Resistance against Lepidopteran insects Brinjal Fruit and Shoot borer
Developed by Mahyco in collaboration with Dharwad UAS and Tamil
Nadu Agricultural University
Hybrid maize bred by Indian Agricultural Research Institute, rich in
Vitamin A, Lysine and Tryptophan
PUSA Vivek Developed for NE, JK, Himachal and Uttarakhand
QPM9 World’s first ever variety rich in amino acids and provitamin A
Opaque 2 and crtRB1 genes are isolated from maize lines not
genetically modified
Bollgard I had a single resistance gene, Bollgard II has 2 resistance
genes
Bollgard Cotton
Developed by Mahyco Monsanto Biotech
Ineffective against Pink Bollworm in Maharashtra
Transgenic
Rice Reduced Arsenic Accumulation

Cloned Arsenic methyltransferase (WaarsM) gene from soil fungus
Westerdykella aurantiaca, inserted the same into the rice genome with
the help of Agrobacterium tumefaciens
Comparison of transgenic and nontransgenic rice showed that
transgenic plants accumulated less arsenic in root as well as shoot as
compared to nontransgenic lines.
Methylates inorganic arsenic to a variety of harmless organic species,
including volatile arsenicals
Higher iron and zinc than regular sorghum, was formally released.
Released for cultivation by Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi
Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Maharashtra.
Biofortified Released as ‘Parbhani Shakti’ by VNMKV
Sorghum Costeffective and sustainable solution to address micronutrient
(jowar) deficiency
ICRISAT Developed by ICRISAT under the HarvestPlus sorghum biofortification
project
It was released as a rainy season variety (Kharif) but it can be grown in
postrainy (Rabi) and summer seasons
Patient’s own immune cells (T cells) and white blood cells to fight
diseases

CART cell therapies Yescarta and Kymriah
Gene Therapy
Remove immune cells and modify them in a lab so that they can fight
cancer cells
T cells are isolated, harmless virus is added to express CAR “Chimeric
antigen receptor” on T cells
Communities of microorganisms that attach to each other and to a
surface
Biofilm Act as barriers to antibiotics
Stress response pathway that helps bacteria in surviving hostile
conditions
Bioelectrochemical device that harnesses the power of respiring
microbes to convert organic substrate directly into electrical energy
Microbial Fuel
Essentially a fuel cell that converts chemical energy to electrical energy
Cell
through redox reactions
Bacteria break down under anaerobic conditions releasing electrons
Artificial Leaf
CSIR
Absorbs carbon dioxide to generate fuel and oxygen, simulating
photosynthesis
Semiconductors stacked to mimic natural leaf system
Can convert 20% of incident solar energy into chemical energy
100x more efficient in absorbing carbon dioxide

Uses Quantum Dots which act as catalyst to convert absorbed CO2 into
bicarbonate and then formate, which can be used as biofuel
This biofuel is 100% combustible
Indicators that help in determining the presence or severity of a disease
Biomarkers
Establishes molecular signatures for cases
Chlorophyll f Chlorophyll that uses near infra red light from Sun for photosynthesis
Wheat variety with speed breeding technique Australia
Speed breeding is an artificial method of producing healthy crops at a
DS Faraday
faster pace
LED lights induce growth for 22 hours in a day
Functional Living Ink Switzerland
Contains different bacteria as ink, which makes it possible to print
FLINK
objects with biochemical properties
Biocompatible hydrogel + bacteria to give it a structure
Nanoparticle containing Luciferase, Luciferin and Co Enzyme A
Luciferase acts on Luciferin to produce light
Glowing plants
CoA removes a by product that can inhibit Luciferase activity
Glow of fireflies is because of Luciferase
RIPE Realising Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency

Translational Research Project genetically engineering plants to
RIPE increase crop yields
Aims to increase agricultural production worldwide , to help reduce
hunger and poverty in subSaharan Africa and South East Asia
Funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Bionic
Mushrooms Stevens Institute of Technology
Ordinary white button mushroom from a grocery store, supercharging it
with 3Dprinted clusters of cyanobacteria that generate electricity and
swirls of graphene nanoribbons that can collect the current
Robotic armbased 3D printer to first print an “electronic ink” containing
the graphene nanoribbons
This printed branched network serves as an electricitycollecting network
atop the mushroom’s cap by acting like a nanoprobe — to access bio
electrons generated inside the cyanobacterial cells
The amount of electricity these bacteria produce can vary depending on
the density and alignment with which they are packed, such that the
more densely packed together they are, the more electricity they
produce

Foreign substance that causes a fever
Pyrogen
Vaccines and injectable drugs must be certified to be pyrogen free

Vaccines

Live Vaccines Wild virus/bacteria that has been weakened stimulates the immune
response similar to natural infection, may cause infection in person with weak immunity
Inactivated Vaccines Killed version of the germ, don’t provide immunity which is as strong as
live vaccines, no chance of infection, require multiple diseases

Health Impacts of El Nino

Chikungunya, dengue, malaria, hantavirus, rift valley fever, cholera, plague and zika are
affected by the weather events induced by El Nino
Southeast Asia, Tanzania, western United States and Brazil — which are generally affected
by the El Nino — the spread of diseases came after shifts in rainfall, temperature and
vegetation
Excess of droughts or floods in this period which created the environmental conditions that
favoured the growth and propagation of disease causing micro organisms and their carriers
Cycles of malaria in India are also linked to El Nino

Clinical Trials Rules

Approval time 30 days for drugs manufactured in India and 90 days for those developed
outside the country.
Compensation in cases of death and permanent disability or other injury to a trial subject will
be decided by the Drug Controller General
The requirement of a local clinical trial may be waived for approval of a new drug if it is
approved and marketed in any of the countries (EU, U.K., Australia, Japan and U.S.)
specified by the Drugs Controller General with the approval of the government

Standards on Noise Pollution

WHO + ITU — International standard for the manufacture and use of musical devices prevent
young people from going deaf
Sound allowance function: software that tracks the level and duration of the user’s exposure
to sound as a percentage used of a reference exposure
Personalised profile: an individualized listening profile, based on the user’s listening practices
Volume limiting options: including automatic volume reduction and parental volume control.

WHO has recommended that governments and manufacturers adopt the standard

Nearly 50% of people aged 1235 years are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive
exposure to loud sounds
5% of world population disabling hearing loss majority live in low and middleincome countries

Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report

International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health
Pneumonia and diarrhoea two major causes of child deaths in the country (declined in the
last year)
India has highest number of casualties under 5 years of age due to Diarrhoea and pneumonia
2/3 disease burden in just 15 countries
Colistin
Antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections especially in treatment of gastrointestinal
infections of producing animals
Can treat Pseudomonas, Escherichia, Klebsiella
Help chicken remain free of disease and gain weight faster
Classified as critically important by WHO
Not used in human medicine

Trans fats

Most harmful type of fats which can have much more adverse effects on our body than any
other dietary constituent
Increases the risk of heart disease by raising the level of Low Density Lipoprotein (bad
cholesterol) and reduces HDL (good cholestrol)
Mostly produced artificially hydrogen is made to react with the oil to produce fats resembling
pure ghee/butter (Vanaspati/Margarine)
Natural TFAs are present in meats and dairy products, though in small amounts
TFAs pose a higher risk of heart disease than saturated fats
Main cause of Type 2 Diabetes and is linked to Insulin resistance
Saturated fats raise total cholesterol levels, TFAs raise total cholesterol levels but also reduce
the good cholesterol (HDL), which helps to protect us against heart disease
Trans fats consumption increases the risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
TFA containing oils can be preserved longer, they give the food the desired shape and texture
and can easily substitute ‘Pure ghee’

Metabolic syndrome: cluster of metabolic abnormalities — high blood pressure, high blood sugar,
abdominal obesity, abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels — that occur together, raising risk of
heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

WHO recommends that trans fat intake be limited to less than 1% of total energy intake and
has called for the total elimination of TFAs in global food supply by 2023
FSSAI has proposed to limit TFA limit in foods to 2% and eliminate trans fats from foods by
2022.

“Heart Attack Rewind” FSSAI
Warn citizens about the health hazards of consuming transfats and offer strategies to avoid
them through healthier alternatives
Followup to an earlier campaign “Eat Right” edible oil industries took a pledge to reduce
transfat content by 2% by 2022
Campaign will concentrate on the demand side (consumers), who in turn, will push the supply
side (food manufacturers)

REPLACE WHO stepbystep guide for the elimination of industriallyproduced transfatty acids
from the global food supply.
Kerala initiative to reduce Trans fatty Acids World Bank, WHO, FSSAI
Denmark was the first country to restrict industrially produced fats in food

Eat Right India FSSAI campaign

Food processing industries and restaurants will volunteer to reduce the percentage of salt,
sugar and fat content in food.
Edible oil industries took a pledge to reduce transfat content by 2% by 2022.
FSSAI autonomous body, MoHFW
Brings together — safe and Nutritious Food Initiative + Eat Healthy Campaign + Food
Fortification
Swasth Bharat Yatra FSSAI
Aaj se thoda kam campaign

Selenium

Essential micronutrient antioxidant and immunity booster.
Can be used as an antibacterial agent
Selenium nanoparticles due to unique structure and properties, may be more effective than
antibiotics as they have a larger surface area and therefore can be more in contact with the
external environment
Selenium is found naturally in wheat, eggs, cheese, nuts and sea food
Paper kit to test freshness of milk IIT Guwahati

Alkaline Phosphatase indicator of milk quality because its presence even after
pasteurization indicates presence of microbes that may not have been rendered inactive with
pasteurization
Ordinary filter paper to prepare the detector filter paper is cut into small discs and
impregnated with chemical probes (ALP specific antibodies) that preferentially react with ALP
When ALP comes into contact with the probe, it turns white paper disc into a coloured one
The colour change on paper discs is then photographed by a smartphone camera and images
processed to obtain corresponding colour values. These values are then compared with
standard data stored in the phone. Not only the presence of ALP could be detected but the
amount of it in milk could also be measured

Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS)

Disorder of the nervous system in which the cue to breathe is lost when the patient goes to
sleep
Results in a lack of oxygen and a buildup of carbon dioxide in the body, which can
sometimes turn fatal
Adult onset is far more common than congenital presentation
Also known as Ondine’s Curse
Mutation of a gene called PHOX2B, which is crucial for the maturation of nerve cells in the
body, can cause CCHS.
It can also be genetically acquired, which is when it is congenital
Sudden mutation is more common than a transmission of the mutated gene from parent to
child.
Treatment includes mechanical ventilation or use of a diaphragm pacemaker

Asbestos in Talc
Asbestos veins can be found in talc deposits, leading to a risk of crosscontamination
Asbestos six naturally occurring silicate minerals long (roughly 1:20 aspect ratio), thin fibrous crystals, with
each visible fiber composed of millions of microscopic “fibrils” that can be released by abrasion and other
processes
Uses and applications
Manufacturers and builders use asbestos for its desirable physical properties sound absorption, average tensile
strength, affordability, and resistance to fire, heat, and electricity
When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement or woven into
fabric or mats
Inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious and fatal illnesses including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and
asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis)
Toluene

One of the petrochemical wastes that get released without treatment from industries such as
refineries, paint, textile, paper and rubber
Reported to cause serious health problems to aquatic life
Genotoxic and carcinogenic effects on human beings.

SR Innovation Exchange (SRiX) AgriBiz

India’s first agriculture and food business online learning platform
IndoUK collaboration
Under DST agriculture, clean tech, IoT
Effects of lead and MSG

Lead
WHO lead is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems liver and kidneys in
particular
Especially harmful to infant and pregnant women as it can cause damage to the central
nervous system in children.
Can get stored in the teeth and bones, where it accumulates over time
In pregnant women, prolonged exposure to lead can result in miscarriage, prematurity, low
birth weight, etc.

Monosodium glutamate
Amino acid found in your body and most foods
Flavour enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups, and
processed meats.
When consumed in excess headache, nausea, sweating, weakness, chest pain, tingling or
burning in the face
MSG can cause asthma and even brain damage
Chinese restaurant syndrome or MSG symptom complex

Food Fortification
Food Fortification is the addition of micronutrients
Hidden Hunger Deficiency of micronutrients
Complementary strategy not a substitute for a balanced diet
Micronutrient deficiency disease Anaemia (Iron), Goitre (Iodine), Xeropthalamia (Vitamin A)
FSSAI introduced +F logo to identify fortified foods
FSSAI launched Food Fortification Resource Centre
Fortification is being promoted through ICDS, MDMS, PDS, National Nutrition Mission
INFLONET Indian Food Laboratory Network System transparent food testing network by
FSSAI
Wheat, Flour, Rice Iron, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid
Milk and Edible Oil Vitamins A and D
Double Fortified Salt Iodine and Iron

Harvest Plus

Biofortification to breed higher levels of micronutrients directly into staple foods (bean,
cassava, maize, pearl millet, rice, sweet potato, wheat)
Part of CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health
Became the first recipient of funding for biofortification research from Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation
Focus on Zinc, Iron and Vitamin A

Nuclear Command Authority

Political Council (PM) + Executive Council (National Security Adviser)
Executive Council gives its opinion, Political Council authorises the attack
Strategic Forces Command within NCA manages the country’s nuclear weapons

Nuclear Recycle Board

Entity within BARC
Responsible for design, construction and operation of nuclear recycle plants involving waste processing and management

Criticality Initiation of self sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction in the reactor

SPACE

Types of Satellites

Lower the satellites orbit the earth, stronger the gravitational pull —> Satellite must travel
faster to counteract this pull
Circular Orbit Distance to earth remains the same at all times LEO, MEO,
Geosynchronous
Elliptical Orbit Distance to earth changes

ISS, Hubble Space Telescope and Space Shuttles are in LEO
Same orbital period as sidereal rotation of earth
Satellites synchronise with direction of rotation of the earth (in time,
not necessarily in direction)
Returns to the same position in sky after each day
Telecommunications and Remote Sensing

Geostationary Orbit
Geosynchronous Circular orbit directly above the equator
Satellite rotates in the same direction as rotation of the earth and
has an approximate 24 hour period
Remains in the same position relative to the earth
Direct broadcast, communications, relay systems
INSAT series, GSAT, Kalpana satellite

Geosynchronous satellites can have any inclination, geostationary orbit
lies in same plane as the equator
90 degrees inclination to the equator
Travels northsouth over the poles at low altitudes
Polar Satellite in polar orbit takes 90 minutes for a full rotation
Can observe the entire surface of the earth in 24 hours
Used to monitor crops, forests, security
Special case of Polar Orbit, moving from pole to pole, allowing
satellite to move over any given point on the planet’s surface at the
same local time each day
Sun Synchronous Imaging, Spy and Weather satellites
IRS satellites
RESOURCESAT, CARTOSAT, OCEANSAT, SARAL, SCATSAT,
MeghaTropiques
Launch Vehicles

SLV3 Solid engines in all 4 stages
ASLV 3 times the augmented capacity of SLV3
PSLV
3rd generation launch vehicle
Mainly to deliver earth observation satellites to sun synchronous polar
orbits
First Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages
Chandrayaan and Mars Orbiter Mission
4 stages: SLSL
Stage 1 has 6 solid strapon boosters
Microsat, Kalamsat, HySIS, foreign satellites, IRNSS, Cartosat

Stages
1 Large solid rocket motor + 6 solid strap boosters
2 Earth storable liquid stage
3 High performance solid rocket motor
4 Liquid stage with engines
4th generation launch vehicle
3 stages: SLcryogenic, 4 liquid strapon boosters
5000kg to LEO, 2500kg to GTO

GSLV MkII
Stages
1 Four solid strapons and a solid rocket motor at the core
2 High thrust engine that uses liquid fuel
3 Cryogenic Upper Stage (liquid hydrogen and oxygen)
3 stage heavy lift launch vehicle
2 solid strapon boosters
First indigenous cryogenic engine (CE 20)
GSLV MkIII
4000 kg to GTO, 10000 kg to LEO
CARE Crew Module Atmospheric Reentry experiment
2nd moon mission and first human space flight
Cryogenic Fuel/Oxidiser gases liquefied and stored at very low
Cryogenic temperatures
Engine Among all fuels, Hydrogen is known to provide the maximum thrust
US, Russia, France, China and Japan have cryogenic technology
Reusable Combines Launch Vehicle + Aircraft
Launch Will be scaled up to become first stage of India’s reusable 2 stage orbital
Vehicle launch vehicle
Airbreathing Ramjet
engine
Uses the forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion
without a rotating compressor
Mach 3 to Mach 6 efficiency drops at higher speeds

Scramjet
Operates at hypersonic speeds and allows supersonic combustion

Dual Mode Ramjet
Ramjet transforms to Scramjet over Mach 4 to Mach 8

ISRO’s Advanced Technology Vehicle (advanced sounding rocket) solid
rocket booster used for test of Scramjet engines at supersonic
conditions
India is the 4th country after USA, Russia and ESA to demonstrate flight
testing of a scramjet
500 kg payload at 500 km on the LEO
Small Satellite
3 solid motor stages
Launch
Can accommodate multiple satellites
Vehicle
Can be assembled both horizontally and vertically (unlike PSLV and GSLV)
Liquid fuelled rocket engines that power PSLV and GLSV
Vikas Engine
Will improve payload capacity of PSLV, GSLV and GSLV Mk III
Indian Missions

First satellite to use PS4 as an orbital platform
Reduces space debris
KalamSat
Injected by PSLV C44 (PSLVDL)
10 cm cube satellite designed by students
Military imaging satellite
Microsat R
DRDO laboratories
Country’s first hyperspectral imaging satellite for advanced Earth
observation
Study the Earth’s surface in visible, nearinfrared and shortwave infrared
regions of EM spectrum
Reads the spectrum for each pixel of a scene from space
HySPEX was first tested in Chandrayaan 1 which mapped lunar
mineral resources
Can analyse soil health without sample collection
ISRO’s first fullscale working satellite with this capability
HySIS
Hyperspectral imaging camera in space can provide welldefined images
that can help to identify objects on Earth far more clearly than regular
optical or remote sensing cameras
Watching over India from space for a variety of purposes such as defence,
agriculture, land use, minerals
India is not the first country to launch a hyper spectral satellite
Placed in sunsynchronous orbit
Hyperspectral imaging is in much narrower bands than multi
spectral imaging
Gaganyaan
India + Russia (ISRO + ROSCOSMOS)
India's first manned space mission planning to send 3 humans in LEO
Two unmanned Gaganyaan Missions will be undertaken prior to
sending humans
Crew Module + Service Module = Orbital Module
Crew will do microgravity experiments
GSLV Mk III will be used to launch
Low Earth Orbit of 300400 km

Launch scheduled from Sriharikota

Space Capsule Recovery Experiment
Crew Module Atmospheric Recovery Experiment
Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator
Crew Escape System
Pad Abort System safe recovery of crew
Environmental Control and Life Support System maintains
steady cabin pressure, removes CO2, controls temperature and
humidity

Fourth nation to send humans USA, Russia, China before India
7 satellites 4 Geo synchronous + 3 Geo stationary
IRNSS 1H was not successful
IRNSS 1A Rubidium clocks failed, will be replaced by IRNSS 1I (PSLV
C41)
NavIC Navigation with Indian Constellation

Independent regional navigation satellite system designed to provide position
information in the Indian region and 1500 km around the Indian mainland
Standard Positioning Services available to all users and Restricted Services
provided to authorised users
Applications
Terrestrial, Aerial and Marine Navigation.
Disaster Management.
Vehicle tracking and fleet management.
IRNSS
Integration with mobile phones.
Precise Timing.
Mapping and Geodetic data capture.
Terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and travelers.
Visual and voice navigation for drivers
3 Geostationary they will appear to be stationary in the sky over the region
4 Geosynchronous appearing at the same point in the sky at the same time
every day
Having a global navigation system bolsters the ability of a nation to serve
as a net security provider, especially through the guarantee of such
assurance policies
Significant role in relief efforts post disasters such as the tsunami in the
Indian Ocean region in 2004 and the PakistanIndia earthquake in 2005
Cartosat
Carried on PSLV C40, C37, C38
Cartosat is in Polar Sun Synchronous Orbit
Earth Observation Satellite high resolution scene specific spot
imagery
LIS and GIS applications

PSLV C37 launched Cartosat and 103 copassenger satellites

As part of commercial arrangements with Antrix (commercial arm of
ISRO, under Department of Space)
RESOURCESAT Remote Sensing Satellite in Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit (PSLV C36)
SCATSAT Continues Oceansat2 Scatterometer (PSLV C35)
Launched by Ariane Space on Ariane 5 from French Guiana
Telecommunications satellite by ISRO
Geostationary Orbit (36,000 km above the equator) using its
onboard propulsion system
Flexible frequency segments and flexible coverage
communication services to Indian mainland and islands.
DTH Television Services, connectivity to VSATs for ATM, Stock
GSAT 31 exchange, Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG) and e
governance applications
Augment the Kuband transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit
for at least 15 years
Continuity to operational services on some of the inorbit satellites

Ariane 5 vehicle also carried Saudi Geostationary Satellite Hellas Sat
4
ISRO’s heaviest satellite ever built
Initially placed in the GTO and will be later raised to Geostationary
Orbit
Launched from French Guiana
Part of ISRO’s new family of communication satellite Internet
GSAT 11
broadband from space to untouched areas
Multiple spot beam coverage — 32 in Ku band and 8 in Ka bands
(easier to build Ku band transponders)
Under Digital India’s BharatNet project, GSAT11 will boost
connectivity to rural India
Multiband, multibeam communication satellite serve as test bed for
several new and critical technologies
Kuband and Kaband payloads communication requirements
of remote regions like JK, NE
Q/VBand communication payload demonstrate the future high throughput
satellite system technologies
GSAT 29 Geo High Resolution Camera high resolution imaging
Optical Communication Payload data transmission at a very high rate
through optical communication link
Heaviest satellite launched from India
Launched by GSLV MkIII
Will be in Geostationary Orbit
GSAT 19
Launched on GSLV Mk III
Carries Geostationary Radiation Spectrometer (GRASP) study
nature of charged particles and the influence of space radiation on
satellites and their electronic components
India’s first high throughput satellite
Would be placed in the geostationary orbit
Heaviest satellite launched by GSLV Mk II
Communication needs of primarily the IAF and also the military
Expected to help the IAF to interlink different ground radar
stations, airbases and AWACS (Airborne Warning And Control
System) aircraft improve the IAF’s networkcentric warfare
capabilities
Dubbed as 'angry bird'
Kuband transponders and two deployable solar arrays onboard
Aircraft to aircraft communication Reduce reliance on onground
GSAT 7A control stations and take satellitecontrol of military UAVs

GSAT 7 series 2013
Dedicated communications satellite for the Indian Navy (to link
ships to land)
Made the Navy completely independent of relying on foreign
satellites for its blue water capabilities

GSAT 6A Military Communication satellite (S and C band
transponders)
South Asia satellite
Communication in Ku band with coverage over South Asian countries
GSAT 9
Launched for SAARC region Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal,
Maldives, Sri Lanka
Meteorological satellite climate, environment, disaster management
INSAT 3DR
Presently in Geo but will be transferred to to Geostationary Orbit
Launched by SpaceX along with 63 other satellites in Falcon 9 rocket
Exseed Space has become the first Indian privatelyfunded startup to
successfully send a satellite into space part of Cube Sat mission
Exseed SAT Size of Rubik’s cube, made up of aluminium alloy
Boost to private radio operators and help in coordinating messages
among them
Sun synchronous LEO
12 scientific payloads thermal camera, mass spectrometer, cloud
monitoring camera
Study Venus from a elliptical orbit
Mission Venus
Expected to complete by mid 2023.
Would become India’s third ever interplanetary probe, following
Chandrayaan (2008) and Mangalyaan (2013)
Aditya L1
First Indian Mission to study the Sun
Launched by PSLV XL
Coronal and near UV studies photosphere, chromosphere,
corona
Outer layer of the sun is Corona, extends above the disc
(photosphere)
Launched into L1 of sunearth system

Lagrange Point
Location in space where the combined gravitational forces of two
large bodies, equal the centrifugal force felt by a much smaller
body
Interaction of these forces creates a spot where a spacecraft may
be parked
L1 between Earth and Sun uninterrupted view of sun, free from
eclipses
L2 Behind earth, moon and sun clear view of deep space
James Webb telescope
L3 Behind the Sun no use known yet
L4, L5 Asteroids tend to accumulate (Trojans)
PRL Advance Radial Velocity AbuSky Search (Gurushikhar
observatory in Mount Abu)
Spectrograph for groundbased extrasolar planet search
Echelle Spectrograph developed by PRL first of its kind in Asia
PARAS Can measure the mass of a planet going around a star

EPIC 211945201 Subsaturn or SubNeptune sized exoplanet
discovered by Indians
Mass measured using indigenous PARAS
Astrosat India’s first Multi Wavelength Space observatory launched by ISRO
Optical, ultraviolet, low and high energy X ray regions
Launched by PSLV

High energy processes in binary star systems containing neutron
stars and black holes
Estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars
Detect new briefly bright X ray sources in the sky
Study star birth regions and high energy processes in star
systems lying beyond the Milky Way

US, ESA, Japan and Russia have such observatories in space

Ultraviolet lobes and jets, hurled out from a dying star NGC 6302,
popularly called the Butterfly Nebula
Ultraviolet stars in the globular cluster NGC 2808

What is a planetary nebula?
A planetary nebula is formed when a star like our Sun – or a few
times heavier – is in its dying days.
When hydrogen and helium fuel that kept the star shining gets
exhausted, the star expands in size and becomes a red giant star.
Such stars shed most of their outer layers which expands
outwards, and the inner core, made of carbon and oxygen, shrinks
further and becomes hotter. This hot core shines brightly in the
ultraviolet, and ionises the expanding gas. This glowing ionised
gas is what is seen as a planetary nebula

What are globular clusters?
Collections of thousands to millions of stars, moving as one unit
Tightly held together by gravity of the cluster itself, and are
believed to have formed together at roughly the same time
Some globular clusters could be among the oldest objects in our
Milky Way
Over 150 GCs in Mily Way
Orbit Mars in Elliptical orbit (PSLV launched)
Mars Colour Camera
Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer
Mars Orbiter (2014)
Methane Sensor for Mars
Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser
Lyman Alpha Photometer
100 km from lunar surface chemical, mineral and photogeologic
mapping of the moon
Launched by PSLV

Sixwheeled Rover which will move around the landing site in
semiautonomous mode as decided by the ground commands
Will be ISRO’s first mission to land rover on any celestial body

Chandrayaan 1 Widespread presence of water molecules in lunar soil
(2008) Hydroxyl molecules in lunar soil
Data from Chandrayaan helped generate map of water trapped in
uppermost layer of moon’s soil
Water in lunar soil can attributed to solar wind
Amount of water increases towards the poles
Does not show significant difference amongst terrains and likely
comes from moon’s mantle

NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper on Chandrayaan 1 confirm
presence of solid ice using specific signatures
Orbit Module + Lander Module (rover developed by ISRO)
First time India has attempted to land a rover on moon’s South Pole
Chandrayaan 2 Lander Sensor Performance Test in Challakere, Karnataka
USA, Russia and China have previously softlanded on lunar surface
near the equator
NISAR NASA + ISRO NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar
Dual Frequency (L and S Band) Radar Image Satellite (1st to use two
different radar frequencies)
S band by ISRO, L band by NASA
Will be launched in GSLV
Establish a pathway for Joint Mars Missions in the future
World’s most expensive earth imaging satellite
Measure causes and consequences of land surface changes
Ecosystem disturbances, icesheet collapse, natural hazards, tectonic
movements
Next Generation Earth Monitoring and Observation Aerosol
NEMOAM Monitoring
Monitor air pollutants
World’s smallest fully functional space probes, built on a single
circuit board achieving low Earth orbi
Contain solar panels, computers, sensors, and radios
Breakthrough magnetometer (to orient to Earth’s magnetic field) and gyroscope
Starshot (to move and stabilize the craft)
Launched as part of ISRO's Breakthrough Starshot project
designed to test technologies that would eventually be used in
interstellar missions
Study the effects of air flowing past a solid object and in ISRO’s
case, space vehicles
Help aerodynamic characterisation of advanced space
transportation systems in a hypersonic environment
Designed to generate a hypersonic flow field in the working
section, thus simulating the typical flow features of this flow
Hypersonic Wind
regime – including compression shocks and pronounced
Tunnel
boundary layer effects, entropy layer and viscous interaction
zones and most importantly high total temperatures of the flow
Speed of these tunnels vary from Mach 5 to 15
Power requirement of a wind tunnel increases with the cross
section, the flow density and is directly proportional to the third
power of the test velocity
Commercial arm of ISRO wholly owned by GoI
Antrix Business activities include marketing of data from Indian and
foreign remote sensing satellites
NASA

Parker Solar Probe
Assisted by gravity of Venus
Will travel closer to Sun's surface than any aircraft before it
closest ever observations
Within the orbit of Mercury
Special heat shield that will keep the temperature close to 30 °C

Science Objectives
Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar
corona and solar wind.
Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and
magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind
Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic
particles.

Corona is hotter than the surface of the sun (Photosphere —
Chromosphere — Corona)
Unpredictable solar winds cause disturbances in our magnetic field and
affect communications
Will help forecast changes in Earth's space

Why study the Sun?
Closest star know more about other stars
Origins of solar system and life on earth
Better handle satellites how they are affected by solar
phenomena
Solar winds affect the space in the Solar system important for
deep space missions
Disturbances in the solar wind shake Earth’s magnetic field and
pump energy into the radiation belts, part of a set of changes in
nearEarth space known as space weather
Solar wind a flow of ionized gases from the sun that streams
past Earth at speeds of more than 500 km per second (a million
miles per hour)

Previous closest pass to the Sun was by Helios 2
Focusing Optics X Ray Solar Imager
Sounding rocket mission
Focus on Sun and search for nano flares using X Ray vision
Travel above the earth’s atmosphere for a peek at space before
falling back to ground
First instrument built specially to image high energy Xrays from
the Sun
FOXSI Mission

Nanoflares
Miniature explosions invisible to naked eye
Magnetic field lines in Sun’s atmosphere tangle up and stretch
until they break like a rubber band
Energy released accelerates particles to near speed of light and
heats Solar atmosphere
Insights Mission
Mars lander listen for "Marsquakes" ahead of eventual human
missions to explore the Red Planet using SEIS
InSight Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations,
Geodesy and Heat Transport
Part of NASA’s Discovery program
Landing Site Elysium planitia
Develop maps of Mars interior
Study crust, mantle and core
Tectonic activity and meteorite impacts
DOES NOT aim to gather information about life on Mars

Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure SEIS
Study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all rocky planets
formed, including Earth and its Moon

Signatures of formation of planet can only be studied by probing
the interior
Lander has Seismometer to detect marsquakes, and a probe that
will monitor the flow of heat from the planet's interior
Positioned at Elysium Palnitia close to Equator
Made by the French space agency, CNES
First time a robotic lander dug this deep into the Martian crust
First mission to peer deep beneath the Martian surface, studying
the planet’s interior by measuring its heat output
Marsquakes are seismic events similar to earthquakes on Earth.
Use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a
map of the planet’s deep interior
Findings of Mars’ formation will help better understand how other
rocky planets are created
Previous missions to Mars have investigated the surface history
canyons, volcanoes, rocks and soil
Mars is neither too big nor too small preserves the record of its
formation and can give us insight into how the terrestrial planets
formed

MarCO Mission
Mars Cube One boarded on Insights Mission
Find out if Cube Sats can survive the mission to deep space
Rover deployed in NASA’s Mars Exploration Program
Whether Mars ever had an environment able to support microbes
Analyse soil samples for forms of carbon
Curiosity
Murray Formation Mesa and Butte on Martian surface
Duluth new way to drill rocks and extract powder from the target
Building on the successes of Spirit and Opportunity
Twin Mars Exploration Rovers
Opportunity landed 90 days after its twin rover Spirit landed
Spirit landed at Gusev Crater and Opportunity landed on the
opposite side of Mars at Meridiani Planum
Spirt & Opportunity
NASA expected 90day lifetimes for the rovers
Opportunity was the first rover to find solid evidence of water on
Mars
Now rolling down Perseverance Valley
Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment
or ASPIRE in October 2017
ASPIRE Mimic the conditions that a spacecraft would experience during a
red planet entry, descent and landing for Mars Rover Mission 7
minutes of terror
MAVEN Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution
Part of NASA’s Mars Scout Program
Explore Mars’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with sun
and solar wind
Study how early Mars lost much of its atmosphere

Mars Satellites Phobos and Deimos
Phobos is larger
Mars avoided potential collision with Phobos
Only natural satellite in the solar system with rotation period smaller
than parent planet’s day
New Frontiers OSIRIS Rex + Juno + New Horizon

OSIRISRex

Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, SecurityRegolith
Explorer.
Study asteroid Bennu (orbit for three years, send samples to earth)
Touch and Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism will collect material from the
surface of Bennu
Firstever US mission designed to visit an asteroid and return a
sample of its dust back to Earth

Scientific Mission Goals
Mapping using instruments on the probe, in order to select a suitable site
for samples to be collected
Collect a sample of regolith the loose, soillike material which covers the
surface of the asteroid.
OSIRISREx has enough nitrogen on board for 3 sample collection
attempts, and NASA are hoping to collect between 60 and 2000g of regolith
material to bring back to Earth

Findings
Bennu is an active asteroid that is regularly ejecting material into
space (which is rare) first time scientists have had closeup
observations of particle plumes erupting from an asteroid’s
surface
Hydrated minerals, including magnetite, are abundant and
widespread on the asteroid
Similar to Ryugu (obtained by Japan’s Hayabusa)

Why was Bennu chosen?
Proximity to Earth: In order for OSIRISREx to reach its destination in a
reasonable timeframe, NASA needed to find an asteroid which had a
similar orbit to Earth.
Size: Small asteroids, those less than 200m in diameter, typically spin much
faster than larger asteroids, meaning the regolith material can be ejected
into space. Bennu is around 500m in diameter, so rotates slowly enough to
ensure that the regolith stays on its surface
Composition: Bennu is a primitive asteroid, meaning it hasn’t significantly
changed since the beginning of the Solar System (over 4 billion years ago).
It is also very carbonrich, meaning it may contain organic molecules, which
could have been precursors to life on Earth.
Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA). Every 6 years, Bennu’s orbit brings it
within 200,000 miles of the Earth, which means it has a high probability of
impacting Earth in the late 22nd Century


New Horizons
Map surfaces of Pluto and Charon (largest of Pluto’s moons)
Understand how Pluto and its moons compare with other objects
in the solar system
Kuiper Belt (Ultima Thule is an object in the Kuiper Belt 2014MU69)
Used gravity of Jupiter to increase its velocity
US the first nation to space probe every planet
Kuiper Belt is similar to the Asteroid belt but much larger (Twilight Zone)
50 AU from Sun
Pluto is also a part of Kuiper belt

Ultima Thule
Reddish colour due to exposure of Hydrocarbons to the Sun for millions of
years
Irregularly shaped, 30km in diameter
Belongs to a class of Kuiper belt objects called the 'Cold
Classicals' which have nearly circular orbits with low inclinations to
the solar plane
Most distant and primitive place visited by humans
Frozen relic of early solar system

Penitentes on Pluto
Snow and ice features formed by erosion characterised by bowl
shaped depressions
Discovered using images from New Horizon
So far, Earth was the only planet with Penitentes
Pluto’s Penitentes are much larger

Ralph
Space instrument launched by NASA to explore outer solar
system
First launched on New Horizons
Images of Jupiter and its moons and Pluto
Will fly by Ultima Thule
Also on Lucy mission to study chemical footprints on Trojan
asteroids

Juno Mission

Jupiter’s composition, gravity field, magnetic field, polar
magnetosphere
Jovian moon Io is the most volcanic body in the solar system
Great Red Spot is on Jupiter
Perijove Point at which an orbit comes closest to Jupiter’s
centre
Brown Barge long, brown, oval atmospheric feature
Orion Spacecraft
Carry the crew to space farther than before
Emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and
provide safe reentry from deep space return velocities
Carry astronauts to moon and on to Mars
Launched on NASA’s new heavylift rocket, the Space Launch System
(World’s most powerful rocket)
Airbus’s European Service Module will provide propulsion, power, thermal
control and consumables to the Orion crew module
First time that NASA will use a Europeanbuilt system as a critical element
to power an American spacecraft.
Was launched to explore Jupiter and Saturn and later extended to other bodies
NASA’s longest running missions

Voyager 1
Passed Pioneer 10 to become the most distant humanmade object in
space (Pioneer series were the first to leave gravitation of Sun)
First manmade object to cross the Heliosphere

Voyager 2
Only probe ever to study Neptune and Uranus during planetary flybys
Only spacecraft to have visited all four gas giant planets — Jupiter,
Voyager Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
Discovered 16 moons, Neptune’s Great Dark Spot, the cracks in Europa’s
ice shell (moon of Jupiter) and ring features at every planet
Heliosphere
Bubble around the sun created by the outward flow of the solar wind from
the sun and the opposing inward flow of the interstellar wind
Region influenced by the dynamic properties of the sun that are carried in
the solar wind magnetic fields, energetic particles and solar wind plasma
Heliopause marks the end of the heliosphere and the beginning of
interstellar space
Outside Heliosphere, particles are cold and more concentrated
Exploration of two planet like bodies Ceres (Dwarf planet) and Vesta (in
the asteroid belt)
Spacecraft is about to run out of Hydrazine fuel It will lose communication
with earth remain in silent orbit around Ceres
Mission characterised the early solar system and processes that dominated
its formation
Only mission ever to orbit two extraterrestrial targets
Dawn
Dwarf Planets Ceres, Makemake, Haumea, Pluto, Eris
Ceres is the smallest Dwarf Planet and largest asteroid all other
dwarf planets are called Plutoids
Only dwarf planet in inner circle of the solar system
Vesta is the second largest and brightest asteroid
Asteroids are irregularly shaped
Ganymed is the largest Near Earth Asteroid

Europa Clipper Europa Moon of Jupiter
Holds evidence for ocean of liquid water under icy crust
Robotic missions to explore asteroids
Psyche is a giant metal asteroid
Lucy will explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids first mission to study
Trojans
Trojan asteroids orbit Sun in two loose groups — Greek Camp ahead of
Jupiter, Trojan Camp behind Jupiter
Stabilised in two Lagrangian points between Sun and Jupiter
Lucy mission 12year journey with a flyby to seven different asteroids
— six Trojan asteroids and a Main Belt asteroid — more than any other
Lucy and Psyche previous asteroid mission.

Lucy Instruments
Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (L’LORRI) High definition
photos of Trojans
Thermal Emission Spectrometer (L’TES) Analyse heat given off
Trojan’s surface structure
Ralph
4 identical space crafts that orbit the earth to study “Magnetic
Reconnection”
Magnetospheric Travel directly through Magnetic Reconnection Sites
Multiscale Mission Magnetic Reconnection where magnetic field lines of Earth and
Sun cross and release a burst of energy
Reconnection triggers Aurora
Research spacecrafts called Nanosatellites
Use micro propulsion devices that use ultrapurified water
Scientific, commercial and military applications

CubeSat FEMTA Thrusters
Film Evaporation MEMS Tunable Array
Capillaries small enough to harness microscopic properties of
water
Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer
First mission devoted to studying rapidly spinning Neutron Stars
Part of ISS payload
NICER

Neutron Stars Remnants of massive stars, which after exhausting their
nuclear fuel, exploded and collapsed into superdense spheres
GOLD Global Scale Observations of Limb and Disk
Geostationary Orbit above Western Hemisphere
GOLD and ICON
ICON Ionsopheric Connection Explorer LEO
Explore the Ionosphere

IMAP Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe
Positioned at L1 point
Help researchers better understand the boundary of Heliosphere
Learn about generation of cosmic rays cosmic rays can harm
explorers and technology in space
Visualising Ion Outflow via Neural Atom Sensing2
Sounding rockets to get a closer look at how the Earth’s
atmosphere is slowly leaking into space
Sounding rockets make brief, targeted flights into space and falls
back to earth a few minutes later
VISIONS 2

VISIONS 1 had studied oxygen outflow from Aurora that forms on
Earth’s night side

Part of Grand Challenge Initiative international collaboration to explore
the unusual portal between Earth and Space
Small nuclear reactor (fission based) that can power space missions
Can power spacecrafts upto years (Kilowatts magnitude)
Kilopower Uranium 235 core
NASA already uses small nuclear devices called Radiothermal
Gradients only generate watts magnitude
AIDA Asteroid NASA’s DART + ESA’s Asteroid Impact Mission
Impact and Deflection First ever mission that will deflect a near Earth asteroid
Assessment
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) NASA

Designed to protect Earth from dangerous comets and asteroids,
aims to crash DART into Didymoon in 2022 to alter its orbit
around Didymos “Kinetic Impact Technique”
Collision will change the speed of the moonlet in its orbit around
the main body (only impacts the small Didymoon)
After the collision, Hera would explore the asteroid in 2026 to
check the impact created by DART
SpaceX will launch the aircraft to explore if collision can change
the path

HAMMER Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission for emergency
Response NASA can deflect an asteroid

Hera Mission ESA

Will be the first spacecraft to explore a binary asteroid — the
Didymos pair
The moon orbiting Didymos, called ‘Didymoon’ will be the smallest
asteroid ever explored

National Near Earth Object Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan
NASA

International cooperation for potential global impact threats
enhance NEO detection, tracking and characterisation
NEO Asteroids and Comets that have been nudged by
gravitational attraction of nearby planets into orbits that allow them
to enter earth’s neighbourhood
Asteroid or Comet collision low probability but high consequence
event
Larger objects provide years of notice before intercepting the orbit
of earth
International Asteroid Warning Network (international group of
organisations involved in detecting, tracking and characterising
NEOs) is endorsed by UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of
Outer Space

Meteoroid Fragments formed due to collision of asteroids

Successor of Kepler Mission
NASA mission that will look for planets orbiting the brightest stars
in Earth’s sky.
Led by MIT with seed funding from Google
TESS will focus on stars that are 30 to 100 times brighter than
those Kepler examined better understand the structure of solar
systems outside of our Earth
Will occupy a neverbeforeused orbit high above Earth (Elliptical
orbit called P/2)
Watches distant stars for small dips in brightness, which can
indicate that planet has passed in front of them Transit
TESS Mission
Transiting Exoplanet
Survey Satellites Exoplanet in Reticulum constellation

Exoplanets
Planet outside solar system, around a different star than the Sun
Include Ice Giants, Gas Giants and Super Earths
E.g Trappist, Kepler 11, TrES4
Kepler 90 is the first star system to have as many planets as our
solar system

HD 21749c exoplanet smallest world outside our solar system that
TESS has identified Orbits the star HD 21749
TDRSM
Found that moon formed only 60 million years after birth of solar
Tracking and Data
system
Relay Satellite
Collission between early Earth and planetary embryo called Theia
Collision created a liquefied moon, which then solidified
EcAMSat E Coli antimicrobial satellite mission launched to ISS

Effects of space flight on antibiotic resistance in bacteria and its genetic
basis
Determine appropriate dosages of antibiotics to protect astronaut health
during space flight
Mapped melting ice sheets in Antarctica and Arctic and the
resulting sea level rise across the globe which could help improve
climate forecasts
Complements Operation IceBridge
Height of sea ice to within an inch, tracing the terrain of previously
unmapped Antarctic valley
Ice sheets, Forest Canopies, Shallow coastal waters, cloud and
aerosol heights
ICESat
Will help study sea level rise resulting from melting ice sheets and
glaciers, and to improve sea ice and climate forecasts
ICESat2 will measure the average annual elevation change of
land ice covering Greenland and Antarctica to within the width of a
pencil, capturing 60,000 measurements every second.
ICESat2’s Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System
(ATLAS) measures height by timing how long it takes individual
light photons to travel from the spacecraft to Earth and back
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
Measures the amount of ice that Greenland was losing
GRACE GRACE FO track changes in mass distribution around the planet
(polar sheets, sea level rise, aquifers level)
NASA + German Research Centre for Geosciences
Investigate distribution of carbon dioxide on earth
Orbiting Carbon
Carbon Monitoring System tracked sources and sinks for carbon
Observatory
and made high resolution models
SUBSEA Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and
Exploration Analog
Brings together space and ocean exploration by simulating a
space mission at sea
Focus on Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Titan, Jupiter’s moon
SUBSEA
Europa
Apply knowledge of deep oceans on earth to interplanetary
systems
Targets Loihi Seamount underwater volcano off Hawaii island
predict conditions in other ocean worlds
Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System
8 microsatellites to measure wind speeds over Earth’s oceans,
CYGNSS increasing ability of scientists to understand and predict
hurricanes
Designed to measure only in tropics

Joint Polar Satellite Monitor weather around the world
System US Space Agency + National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Orbits the earth 14 times each day from one pole
NASA + ESA + Italian Space Agency
Launched in 1997
Saturn, including its rings and natural satellites
Fourth space probe to visit Saturn (after Pioneer, Voyager 1,2)
and the first to enter its orbit
Huygens Saturn orbiter and lander for Titan
Data suggests possibility of hosting life on Saturn’s moon
Enceladus
First landing ever in outer solar system
Data from Cassini helped identify carbon chain anions in
atmosphere in Saturn’s atmosphere
Cassini Huygens
Mission Objectives
Determine the 3D structure and dynamic behavior of the rings of
Saturn
Composition of the satellite surfaces and the geological history of
each object
Determine the nature and origin of the dark material on Iapetus’s
leading hemisphere
Measure the 3D structure and dynamic behavior of the
magnetosphere
Study the dynamic behavior of Saturn’s atmosphere at cloud level
Study the time variability of Titan’s clouds and hazes
Characterize Titan’s surface on a regional scale
Jupiter’s Ganymede
Only moon with an internally generated magnetosphere
Galileo Surrounds Ganymede like a bubble and shelters it from cosmic
radiation
Magnetosphere causes Aurora near the poles
Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata
RAMA Use 3D printing to turn the asteroids into selfflying vehicles by
2030

S Band synthetic aperture satellite forest mapping, land
NovaSAR UK use and ice cover monitoring
Launched by ISRO PSLV
Optical Earth Observation Satellite
Surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban
S14 UK
management and disaster management
Launched by ISRO PSLV
Gaia ESA
Global Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics
Largest catalogue ever of Milky Way stars
Map all the stars brighter than magnitude 20 in a
broad photometric band
Formation and evolution of Milky Way
Positions in the sky for 1.7 billion stars measure of their
overall brightness at optical wavelengths
Gaia satellites rotates and orbits around the earth and
surveys with two telescopes
Land a probe on a comet
Comet 67P/ChuryumovGersimenko orbits the sun
every 6.5 years between Earth and Jupiter
Rosetta ESA
First spacecraft to accompany a comet as it enters
the inner solar system
First to attempt landing on a comet Philae
Experiment by High Energy Accelerator Research
Organisation
Study violations of standard model and dark matter
Belle Japan
Six layer particle detector indirectly probes using
electronpositron beams (LHC carries out direct
experiments)
Part of Copernicus Project of EU + ESA
Laser technology to track global winds and
improve weather forecasts
Equipped with Doppler Wind LIDAR measure
global wind patterns from space
Probe lowermost 30kms
First mission to gather information on Earth’s wind on
a global scale
Aeolus Satellite EU + ESA 5th Earth Explorer mission of ESA

Part of ESA’s Living Planet Programme
Gravity field and steady state Ocean circulation
explorer
Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity
CryoSat Mission
Swarm Magnetic Field Mission
Swarm Mission
Part of Living Planet Programme
Provide the bestever survey of the geomagnetic
field and its temporal evolution and electric field in
the atmosphere
Constellation of 3 identical satellites carrying
sophisticated magnetometers and electric field
instruments
GPS equivalent of EU
Galileo EU
European Commission + ESA
China's rival to the American GPS
Positioning accuracy of the system has reached 10 metres
globally and five metres in the AsiaPacific region
Pakistan has become the first country to use the BeiDou
system ending its reliance on the GPS

Named after the Chinese term for Big Dipper
Full constellation is scheduled to comprise 35 satellites
BeiDou China
BeiDou has two separate constellations, BeiDou1 and
BeiDou2

The four global GNSS systems are – GPS (US),
GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China)
Additionally, there are two regional systems – QZSS
Quasi Zenith Satellite System (Japan) and IRNSS or
NavIC (India)
Regional terrestrial positioning network system
4 satellites in Geosynchronous orbits
Quasi Zenith Japan
Complement use of GPS 0 improve accuracy for
smartphones and vehicle navigation systems
Mercury Planet Orbiter (internal composition and surface) +
Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter
Will be launched from French Guyana
Bepi Colombo ESA + JAXA Will take 7 years to reach its destination
Determine if Mercury contains water
Information on Mercury, and on origins of the solar system
NASA Mission to Mercury Mariner 10, Messenger
1st mission Trace Gas Orbiter + Schiaparelli (entry,
descent and landing demonstrator module)
ESA +
ExoMars 2nd mission Rover + Surface Science Platform
Roscosmos
Search for life on Mars
Land on Mars Equator Oxia Planum
Sends images of global air pollution
Launched by a Russian rocket
SENTINEL 5P ESA + EU Tropomi spectrometer that observes reflected sunlight
coming up off Earth, analysing its many different colours
Detect Nitrogen oxides, Ozone, CH4, CO
China became the 3rd country after USA and Russia to
launch its own space station
Tiangong China
Will replace ISS, which is scheduled to be
decommissioned in 2024
Relay satellite to set up a communication link between
Earth and a planned Chinese lunar exploration to Moon’s
Queqiao China
far side (Chang’e 4)
Carried by a Long March 4C rocket

Chang’e 4 China First probe ever to explore the dark side of the Moon

Orbiter, robotic lander and rover
The rover will land in the Von Karman crater
More craters on the far side of the moon than the
near side. Near side has thin crust which has
allowed volcanos to erupt and fill in large basins
Moon is tidally locked to Earth, rotating at the same
rate that it orbits our planet, so the far side is
never visible from Earth
Far side of the moon known as ‘South PoleAitken
Basin’ which includes the Von Karman crater
Aitken Basin is the oldest and largest impact feature
on the moon
Chang’e 4 is the fourth mission in the country’s lunar
mission series named after the Chinese moon
goddess
Lowfrequency radio astronomical observation,
surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the
mineral composition, and measuring the neutron
radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment
on the far side of the moon.
Communication difficulties will be the main problem
options like radio telescopes to communicate in the
absence of a transmitting medium
Yutu 2

Rover whose touchdown is part of China Chang’e4
lunar probe (Yutu was a part of Chang’e 3)
Follows the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System
Programmed to launch ground penetration radar that
would help map the moon’s inner structures
Analyse soil and rock samples for minerals, apart
from activating a radio telescope to search for
possible signals from deep space

Lunar Vibrations
North South rocking and East West wobbling of the
Moon
Due to tidal locking, 50% of the moon should be
visible, but we see 59% due to lunar vibrations
Improve understanding of maritime waters and
climate change
Detect chlorophyll, suspended sediment
HY1C China concentrations and dissolved organic matter
Survey fisheries and aquaculture for sustainable use
of marine resources
El Nino
Tianzhou China China’s first cargo spacecraft

Volunteers will live in a sealed lab “Lunar Palace” or
Yuengong World’s 3rd bioregenerative lifesupport base
Micro Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for Asteroid
For Asteroid Ryugu, on board Hayabusa 2
MINERVA JAXA World’s first manmade object to explore movement on an
asteroid surface
Collect sample from Ryugu and bring to earth for analysis
Second Japanese spacecraft to land on an asteroid
Hayabusa 1 landed on asteroid Ikotawa and collected
samples of asteroidal material (first spacecraft to return
samples to earth for analysis)

Hayabusa2 payload
Remote sensing: Optical Navigation Camera (ONC
T, ONCW1, ONCW2), NearInfrared Camera
(NIR3), ThermalInfrared Camera (TIR), Light
Detection And Ranging (LIDAR).
Sampling: Sampling device (SMP), Small Carryon
Impactor (SCI), Deployable Camera (DCAM3).
Four rovers: Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout
(MASCOT), Rover1A, Rover1B, Rover2.

Objectives
Hayabusa 2 JAXA
To characterize the asteroid from remote sensing
observations (with multispectral cameras, near
infrared spectrometer, thermal infrared imager, laser
altimeter) on a macroscopic scale
To analyse the samples returned from the asteroid
on a microscopic scale analyse for north of solar
system and origin of life

Significance
Ryugu is a Ctype asteroid – a relic from the early
days of the Solar System
Ctype asteroids contain both organic matter, and
trapped water, and might have been responsible for
bringing both to Earth, thereby providing the planet
with the materials necessary for life to originate
Germany + Sent to asteroid Ryugu to study the origins of Solar
MASCOT
France System
Ibuki JAXA
Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)
Earth observation satellite and the world's first
satellite dedicated to greenhousegasmonitoring.
Measures the densities of carbon dioxide and
methane from 56,000 locations on the Earth's
atmosphere
See how countries are doing in terms of fulfilling their
commitments to reduce GHG under 2015 Paris
agreement

Other GHG monitoring satellites
Orbiting Carbon Observatory NASA
GeoCarb (Geostationary Carbon Observatory)
NASA GHG above Americas
Gaofen China will monitor GHG and other
environmental parameters
Venus Israel
First military communication satellite launched by H
2A rocket
Kirameki Japan
First of three civilian satellites currently used by
Japan’s military
Unmanned probe to orbit Mars (first Arab country to
Hope Mission UAE
do so)
Earth observation satellite
Khalifa Sat UAE
UAE’s first locally made satellite, launched by Japan
Israel’s First Lunar Lander
Launched on board Falcon 9
Will attempt to become the first Israeli spacecraft,
and the first privatelyoperated mission, to land on
the Moon
Controlled Soft landings on Moon have been done
Beresheet Israel previously by USA, Soviet Union, China
India's Moon Impact Probe, Japan's SELENE, ESA's
SMART 1 intentionally crashed
Built by Israeli nonprofit space venture SpaceIL
Data will be relayed via NASA’s Deep Space
Network to SpaceIL’s Israelbased ground station
Yehud
Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Micro
Satellite
Monitor Earth’s vegetation using a camera capable
Venus Israel + France of recording 12 narrow spectral bands
High resolution photos to track climate change and
aid efforts to tackle desertification, erosion and
pollution
REMOVE UK
Debris Led by Surrey Space Centre
Satellite with two cubesats that will release simulated
space debris so that it can then demonstrate several
ways of retrieving them
Launched to ISS in a capsule aboard SpaceX rocket
GHG observing satellite
Submeter resolution optical satellite, used for
Gaofen China surveying
Will be used for land surveys, urban planning, road
network design, agriculture, and disaster relief
Reusable launch vehicle designed and launched by
Space X
Launched from NASA’s Florida pad
Falcon Heavy
Most powerful operational rocket
Can lift twice the payload as Delta 4 rocket (largest
till now)
Proposed type of planettospace transportation
system
Cable anchored to the surface and extending into
space
Vehicles to travel along the cable from a planetary
surface directly into space or orbit, without the use of
large rockets
Space elevator Japan Earthbased space elevator would consist of a cable
with one end attached to the surface near the
equator and the other end in space beyond
geostationary orbit
The competing forces of gravity (stronger at the
lower end) and centrifugal force (stronger at the
upper end) would result in the cable being held up
under tension
Launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility
Take pictures of Sri Lanka and its neighbouring
countries
Raavana1 Sri Lanka
Attitude Determination and Control Mission trying to
reduce the angular velocity of the satellite using
magnetic torquers
Space

Sun Corona is much hotter than the visible photosphere
Due to constant eruption of tiny solar flares in the solar atmosphere
Solar flares produce hard Xrays, whose wavelengths are much smaller
than what humans can see

Solar Cycle (Sun Spot Cycle)
Periodic variations in amount of solar flux that rises upto Sun’s
surface
11 years on average

Sunspots
Cooler than surrounding regions on the Photosphere
Solar magnetic field is very strong
Usually concentrated in 2 bands 1520° wide in both hemispheres
around the sun’s equator
Lyrid Meteor Caused due to comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher
Shower Meteor shower happens when Earth passes through the path of a comet
Water on Moon
Chandrayaan 1 Frozen water deposits in the lunar poles could
act as a resource for future moon missions
NASA’s EPOXI spacecraft showed evidence of water across lunar
surface
More water towards the poles
Water ice in shadows of craters in Moon’s polar region
Moon
Super Blood Wolf Moon = Full Moon + Perigee + Total Lunar Eclipse +
January
Blue Moon = Second Full Moon in a month
Super Blue Blood Moon = Perigee + Total Lunar Eclipse + Blue Moon
Pink Moon = Full moon in April
Native Americans referred to the moon in each month with a name to
track months
Longest eclipse When moon is at its apogee and is moving very slowly
Mars in Opposition Sun, earth and Mars in a straight line
Olympus Mons Largest volcano in Solar System, found on Mars

Lake under south polar cap of Mars
Mars
Liquid form despite temperature being 68 °C
Radar profile similar to subglacial lakes beneath Greenland and
Antarctica
Dust swarms trapped between competing gravitational fields of
Earth and Moon
Occupy Lagrange points L4 and L5
Dust ‘moons’ are huge but they are made of tiny dust particles that
barely measure one micrometre across
Kordylewski Clouds When sunlight hits the dust particles, they glow very faintly
Difficult to find amidst the star light, sky glow, galactic light and
zodiacal light in the sky though they are as close to us as the moon
Kordylewski clouds are always changing ingredients that make the
clouds — the dust particles — are always getting swapped for
others
Planet IAU is the authorised body to define criteria for any body to be designated
as a planet

Category to be a planet
Needs to be in orbit around a fully fledged star
Enough gravity to pull itself into a spherical shape
Cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit — point where planets
and dwarf planets differ

Recognises 5 dwarf planets Ceres, Eris, Makemake, Pluto, Haumea
Except Ceres, others are Eris
Higher orbit where the satellites are transferred to after they reach the
Graveyard Orbits end of their mission
Mostly used to dispose Geostationary Satellites
Planetary mass that orbits the galaxy directly
Rogue Planet Either ejected from planetary system in which they were formed or were
never gravitationally bound to any star
Small, naturally occurring solar system body that orbits the sun
Composed of rock forming material mostly Olivine and Pyroxene
Asteroid
Also metals, sulphides, clay and organic compounds
Also found outside the Asteroid belt
Dusty material + Icy volatiles like water and CO2 formed in cold outer
Comet
solar system
MU69 Binary body comprising of Ultima and Thule (contact binary)
Named after a mythical island in medieval literature
Ultima Thule MU69 Body in Kuiper belt
Discovered in 2014 with the help of Hubble Telescope oldest cosmic
body ever photographed
Dwarf Planet 2018 VG18
Far Out 2018 Mostdistant body ever observed in our solar system 120 AU
VG18 Secondmostdistant observed solar system object is Eris, at about 96 AU
First known Solar System object detected at a distance > 100 AU
First interstellar body to stay in our solar system
2015 BZ 509 Orbit is retrograde
Orbit of asteroid almost coincides with Jupiter
First known interstellar object to enter our solar system
Oumuamua
Accelerated faster away from the Sun than expected
Exoplanet Planets outside solar system, orbiting another star
Zone which is neither too far nor too near to a star, potentially having
liquid water
Depends on the temperature of the parent star
Water exists if there is suitable atmospheric pressure
Goldilocks zone

Wolf 1061c in Wolf planetary system entirely in habitable zone, with an
atmosphere similar to Venus, climate is chaotic as the orbit around the
star changes at a faster rate than earth
TRAPPIST System of 7 earthsized planets orbiting an ultra cool dwarf star
Largest collection of earth like planets in the Goldilocks zone of a star
All of them could possibly have water
Discovered using Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope
(Chile)
Lower densities than earth
Enormous LymanAlpha Nebule
MAMMOTH 1
Nebula is interstellar cloud of dust, helium, hydrogen and ionised gases
NorthWest Africa 7635
Meteorite discovered in Algeria, Africa
Insights into volcanic activity on Mars
NA 7635
Martian volcanos get hot magma from interiors for billions of years
continuously as Mars does not have plate tectonics to shuffle the
surface
IAU has named mountain ranges in Pluto after Tenzing Norgay and
Pluto Edmund Hillary
First geographical features to be named after the New Horizons flyby
Larger than earth (upto 7x) but smaller than the Gas giants
Super Earth Receive half as much sunlight from the Sun as the Earth
A super earth orbiting Red Dwarf LHS 1140 has been discovered
Incredibly bright and distant points of light, powered by super
massive black holes
Quasars
Brightness of quasars is due to super massive blackholes in their
centre
Large galaxies with super massive blackholes in their centre, which
accretes gas and dust from its surroundings
Radio Galaxy Most distant radio galaxy was found using GMRT
Distance to this galaxy measured by Gemini North Telescope in
Hawaii and Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona
Closest star to sun
Faint Red Dwarf in Centaurus constellation
Orbited by Proxima b which is the closest exoplanet to the solar
Proxima Centauri
system
ALMA observatory (Chile) observed dust clouds around Proxima
Centauri
NASA found another Solar System with 8 planets
First star to host as many planets as our solar system
Kepler 90i
Kepler 90i is a small rocky planet, very close to its Sun
Orbits its Sun every 14 days, 30% bigger than earth
Neutron Stars
Ultra dense cores of massive stars that collapse and undergo a
supernova explosion

Black Holes are formed by same process in case of much larger
stars
Identified using NASA’s Chandra X Ray observatory and European
Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile
Super massive black hole in Milky Way
Passing by of a star S2 was observed by VLT
Sagittarius A
Einstein’s general theory of relativity When light passes very close to a
massive source of gravity, it would lose some of its energy
'Supercluster' of galaxies
Largest structure of stars, planets and other heavenly bodies in the
Saraswati
Universe
Milky Way is part of Laniakea supercluster
SPT 0615 JD Farthest known galaxy spotted by NASA
Stars and clouds are concentrated mainly in one or more spiral arms
Spiral Galaxy
Exceptionally rare in early universe
Tabby’s Star Most mysterious star as it keeps dimming and brightening irregularly
KIC8462852 Dimming is caused by ordinary dust particles
Most massive structure in early universe Identified at a high red
shift using Visible Multi Object Spectrograph
Understanding Hyperion and how it compares to similar recent
Hyperion
structures can give insights into how the universe developed in the
past and will evolve into the future, and allows us the opportunity to
challenge some models of supercluster formation
Celestial object that emits regular pulses of radio waves and other
electromagnetic radiation at rates of up to one thousand pulses per
second.
Pulsars are superdense, rapidly spinning neutron stars left behind when a
massive star explodes.

PSR J0002+6216 New pulsar
Radioemitting tail pointing directly towards the expanding debris of
Pulsar
a recent supernova explosion
Discovered in 2017 by a citizenscience project called
Einstein@Home, which uses time on the computers of volunteers to
process Fermi gammaray data.
Located in Cassiopeia
Rapid motion through interstellar gas results in shock waves that
produce the tail of magnetic energy and accelerated particles
detected at radio wavelengths using the Very Large Array (VLA)
Natural Moons Hippocamp

Newly discovered moon of Neptune (smallest of known moons)
With help of Hubble Telescope
Other moons Triton (largest), Nereid, Neso

Triton's orbit is retrograde to Neptune's rotation meaning it was
gravitationally captured, instead of being formed with Neptune

Natural Moons

Saturn Titan, Thethys, Mimas, Rhea, Dione, Enceladus
Uranus Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon (Green Planet due
to presence of Methane)
Jupiter Ganymede, Callisto, Europa (Jupiter is fastest rotating
planet, has the largest number of moons), Io (most volcanic body in
the solar system)
Mars Phobos and Deimos
Ganymede is the largest moon (Not bigger than Earth)
Pluto Nix and Hydra

Except Uranus, moons of other planets are named after Greek/Roman
mythology
Except Earth, other planets are named after Greek/Roman mythology
VY Canis Majoris Largest known Supergiant Star 2100x Sun
Frozen planet with a mass over three times that of the Earth,
orbiting the closest solitary star to the Sun
'SuperEarth’ larger than Earth but smaller than the Gas giants
Barnard B Lies at a distant region from the star known as the ‘snow line’ This is
well beyond the habitable zone in which liquid water could exist
Barnard’s star b is the second closest known exoplanet to our Sun.
Closest Proxima b, orbits around the red dwarf Proxima Centauri
Observatories and Telescopes
NASA + Stratospheric Observatory for InfraRed Astronomy
German World’s largest airborne astronomical observatory
SOFIA Aerospace Boeing aircraft with a reflecting telescope
Centre Observes the universe in infrared wavelength
Hubble NASA + ESA
Launched in 1990 by the Space Shuttle Discovery
1993 Astronauts space walked from shuttle Endeavour to fix the
telescope in Space for a spectral problem
Can observe nearby asteroids to distant star forming galaxies
James Webb Telescope will replace Hubble more resolution and
sensitivity than Hubble Telescope
Sun is the source of energy
World’s first space based large optical telescope

Achievements

3D map of mysterious dark matter
Discovered Nix and Hydra moons of Pluto
Determine rate of universe expansion
Nearly every major galaxy is anchored by a black hole
X Ray observatory
Looks at sources of high energy in the Universe black holes,
quasars, super novas
Chandra NASA Previously called Advanced XRay geophysics Facility
Space based telescope X rays are not measurable from
earth based telescopes as the atmosphere absorbs
majority of them
NASA + ESA Most sophisticated and expensive space observatory
James Webb + Canadian ever designed
SA Will be launched from French Guyana to orbit at L2
Launched in 2009 as part of NASA’s Discovery program
Transit photometry detection method to search for
exoplanets
Survey Milky Way galaxy to discover hundreds of Earth
Kepler NASA size and smaller planets in or near the habitable zone
Most of these planets were discovered in a small region
of the constellation Cygnus
Kepler 69c first planet close to the size of earth in
habitable zone of a star, discovered by Kepler
Explore components of life and origin of universe
Survey the sky in optical and near IR
First spectral all sky survey at IR wavelengths
SPHEREx NASA Understand evolution of universe and how common
ingredients of life are in our galaxy
Spectrophotometer for history of the Universe,
Epoch of reionisation and Ices explorer
Ground based telescope, to be located in Chile’s Atacama
Giant
NASA Desert
Magellan
10x resolving power than Hubble
StarPlanet Activity Research CubeSat
Study habitability and high energy environments around M
SPARCS NASA Dwarf
M Dwarf is the smallest kind of star with masses ranging from
50% to 8% of Sun’s mass
Very Large Chile
Telescope World’s most advanced visible light astronomical
observatory
Located on mountain Cerro Paranal in Chile

4 telescopes with mirrors can operate individually or
together as an interferometer
Telescopes are named after native Mapuche people
Metre wavelength part of radio spectrum has been
GMRT Pune particularly chosen because manmade radio
interference s considerably lower in this part of spectrum
Located at Devasthal, Nainital largest ground based
optical telescope IndoBelgian collaboration
India, Russia,
ARIES Operated with remote control from anywhere in the world
Belgium
Study and exploration of planets, stars, magnetic field
and astronomical debris
Launched from McMurdo Station in Antarctica on a
helium balloon
Analyse X rays arriving from Neutron Stars, Black Holes
etc.
X Calibur USA
Primarily observe Vela X1 (neutron star in binary orbit
with a supergiant star)
Experiments in Quantum Electrodynamics and General
Relativity
Global Relay of Observations Watching Transients
Happen

India’s first robotic telescope, funded by SERB
Operates at Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle,
Ladakh
Time domain astronomy how astronomical objects
change with time due to movement or physical changes
in the object itself
E.g. Pulsar Variability, variability of accreting black holes,
variable stars and Sun
Mostly an imaging telescope
Supernova, GW waves, Asteroids
GROWTH India US, UK, Japan, Germany, India, Israel etc. are
collaborators
Messier Catalogue list of nearby, bright astronomical
sources from the northern hemisphere which allow image
quality tests

Transient Events
Short lived burst of energy in a system caused by a
sudden change in state
Caused due to flares of stars, accretion of matter on
compact objects, stellar merger and explosions
Flash in the sky for a period and then slowly fade away

INO Project India
Bodi Hills, TN
When completed, it would house the largest magnet in
the world Iron Calorimeter Detector
Neutrinos

Second most abundant particles in the universe after Photons
Almost massless, travel at near light speeds
Difficult to detect as they have very little interaction with matter
Do not carry any electric charge not affected by EM forces
Only affected by weak subatomic force of much shorter range
Can pass through great distances in matter without being affected by it
Three types of neutrinos, related to Electron, Muon and Tau can change from one form to
another (Neutrino Oscillation)
Produced in radioactive decay, exploding stars, nuclear fusion, gamma ray bursts and
artificially in nuclear reactors
Core of the Sun is an important source of neutrinos
Large number of neutrinos were produced at the time of the Big Bang
Neutrinos are not harmful as they don’t interact with matter
Both neutrinos and antineutrinos are Leptons they do not interact via strong nuclear force

Blazar Galaxy with a supermassive blackhole at its centre. Blazar produces neutrinos

Neutrino detectors around the world

ANTARES Under Mediterranean sea off coast of Toulon, France. (Underwater neutrino
telescope)
MiniBooNE at Fermilab in the US
IceCube – AmundsenScott South Pole Station, Antarctica (Underice detector)
Borexino – Gran Sasso, Italy (Underground experiment)
Sudbury Neutrino Observatory – Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (Underground experiment)
Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment In Daya Bay near Hong Kong, China
MINOS Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search – is an experiment at Fermilab designed to
study the phenomena known as neutrino oscillations
SuperKamiokande under Mount Ikeno, Japan
KATRIN Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment
DUNE Deep underground Neutrino Project USA
LAGUNA Large Apparatus Studying Grand Unification and Neutrino Astrophysics Europe

Applications of studying Neutrinos
Understand evolution of universe
Understand Dark Matter
Role in nuclear nonproliferation
Earthquake mapping
Map natural resources
NASA’s Great Observatories

Compton Gamma Ray and hard X ray
Hubble Space Telescope Vis and UV (will be replaced by James Webb)
Spitzer IR

Chandra Soft X ray
International Space Station (ISS)
Habitable artificial satellite in LEO
Largest artificial body in orbit
Space X delivers cargo, Soyuz delivers astronauts
ISS components have been launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets as well as
American Space Shuttles.
Russian unit was called 'Zarya' took off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, US unit
called 'Unity' assembled in Space (First Zarya, then unity)
Microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which crew members conduct
experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology and other fields
Maintains an orbit with an altitude of between 330 and 435 km by means of reboost
manoeuvres using the engines of the Zvezda module or visiting spacecraft
Completes 15.54 orbits per day
ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews, following the Soviet and later Russian
Salyut, Almaz, and Mir stations as well as Skylab from the US
Joint project of NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA
Ownership and use is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements
Station is divided into two sections, the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and the United
States Orbital Segment (USOS), which is shared by many nations
Third brightest object in night sky after Moon and Venus

Instruments on the ISS

ECOSTRESS Water use and water stress in vegetation. Take observations at different times
of the day across seasons
GEDI Fine scale measurements of tree canopy height and internal structure using lasers
OCO3 Space based measurements of atmospheric CO2 to assess its distribution and
variability

Soyuz

Russian spacecraft
Astronauts travel to the ISS on the Soyuz lifeboat for the space station.
At least one Soyuz is always docked at the space station
The Soyuz is the only means of reaching the ISS since the U.S. retired the space shuttle in
2011
Cargo carried by Space X

Space Debris

NASA Space Debris Sensor orbits the Earth on the ISS attached to the outside of the
space station’s European Columbus module in December 2017
Information on whatever hits it such as size, density, velocity, orbit and will determine whether
the impacting object is from space or a manmade piece of space debris
REMOVEdebris
Deorbit mission Grasp the wayward space junk

Remove DEBRIS
Satellite research project intending to demonstrate various space debris removal technologies
Manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL)
Test the efficacy of several debris removal technologies on mock targets in Low Earth Orbit
Net experiment – DebrisSat 1 will deploy a balloon meant to simulate a piece of space debris.
From a short distance away, the RemoveDEBRIS satellite will attempt to capture the debris in
a net and then manoeuvre this package to fall into Earth’s atmosphere and burn up
Visionbased navigation – DebrisSat 2 will be released and the RemoveDEBRIS satellite will
undergo a series of manoeuvres in order to obtain data and images using both lidar and
optical cameras
Harpoon and deployable target – A harpoon connected by a tether will be fired at a plate
attached to an arm extending from the RemoveDEBRIS platform itself
Dragsail — Bring RemoveDEBRIS from the relatively low orbital altitude of the space station
into the planet’s atmosphere to safely disintegrate

GUSTO NASA

Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO)
UltralongDuration Balloon (ULDB) carrying a telescope with carbon, oxygen and nitrogen
emission line detectors
Provide the first complete study of all phases of the stellar life cycle, from the formation of
molecular clouds, through star birth and evolution, to the formation of gas clouds and the re
initiation of the cycle
Help researchers map out parts of the Milky Way galaxy and a nearby galaxy known as the
Large Magellanic Cloud

Point Nemo

Officially known as “the oceanic pole of inaccessibility,” Point in the ocean that is farthest
away from land
Known as a “spacecraft cemetery” because hundreds of decommissioned satellites, space
stations, and other spacecraft have been deposited there upon reentering the atmosphere

Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

All pervasive, weak EM radiation from early universe
Best evidence for hot Big Bang model of the universe
Comes from a time when matter and radiation were in thermodynamic equilibrium
Experiment to detect CMBR in Timbaktu (Andhra Pradesh) “Radio Quiet” area free from
signal interference of modern technology

Green Propellants ISRO

Eliminate the emission of chlorinated exhaust products from rockets
Propellants are based on Glycidyl Azide Polymer (GAP) as fuel and Ammonium DiNitramide
(ADN) as oxidiser
ISROSENE Rocket grade version of Kerosene as an alternative to Hydrazine rocket fuel
ELISA Pathfinder ESA

Test the concept of gravitational wave detection in free fall
Put two test masses in a near perfect gravitational free fall and control and measure their
motion with unprecedented accuracy
Objective is to detect gravitational waves not dark matter and dark energy
ESA Mission that also carries a NASA payload

Tissue Chips in Space

NASA initiative seeks to better understand the role of microgravity on human organs. Made of flexible plastic,
tissue chips have ports and channels to provide nutrients and oxygen to the cells inside them

Roll Out Solar Array NASA

Flexible new type of solar panel that rolls out like a tape measure and can be easily adapted
to different sizes, including very large arrays
Power for a variety of future spacecraft and satellite

ARTEMIS NASA

ARTEMIS stands for “Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the
Moon’s Interaction with the Sun”
Made up of two probes P1 and P2 originally members of the successful mission THEMIS in
Earth orbit studying Earth’s aurora
Study objectives Earthmoon Lagrange points, Solar Wind, Moon’s plasma wake, How the
Earth’s magnetotail and the moon’s own weak magnetism interact with the solar wind

Solar wind and the Moon’s crustal magnetic fields work together to give the Moon a distinctive
pattern of darker and lighter swirls
Every object, planet or person travelling through space has to contend with the Sun’s
damaging radiation
Sun releases a continuous outflow of particles and radiation called the solar wind
Because the solar wind is magnetised, Earth’s natural magnetic field deflects the solar wind
particles so that only a small fraction of them reach the planet’s atmosphere
Moon has no global magnetic field magnetised rocks near the lunar surface do create small,
localised spots of magnetic field
Under these miniature magnetic umbrellas, the material that makes up the Moon’s surface,
called regolith, is shielded from the Sun’s particles
As those particles flow toward the Moon, they are deflected to the areas just around the
magnetic bubbles, where chemical reactions with the regolith darken the surface
This creates the distinctive swirls of darker and lighter material

Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE)


Understand and forecast the vast space weather system around the Earth
Will be launched in August 2022 and will be attached to exterior of International Space Station
(ISS).
Study and focus on airglow, a colourful band of light in Earth’s atmosphere to determine what
combination of forces drive space weather in upper atmosphere
Global observations of important driver of space weather in dynamic region of Earth’s upper
atmosphere that can cause interference with radio and GPS communications
Mission of Opportunity under NASA’s Heliophysics Explorers Program, which conducts focused
scientific research and develops instrumentation to fill the scientific gaps between the agency’s
larger missions
Studying space weather is significant as it can have profound impacts affecting technology and
astronauts in space, disrupting radio communications and overwhelming power grids

Global Precipitation Measurement NASA + JAXA

Global observations of rain and snow to better understand Earth’s water and energy cycle
Precipitation is estimated from passive microwave sensors
Data generated every half an hour tracks rainfall almost in real time

Ghost of Cassiopeia

Nebula in the Cassiopeia constellation (bluewhite sub giant, bigger and brighter than the Sun)
Shaped by radiation from a nearby unpredictably variable star

eROSITA X Ray Telescope

Built by Max Planck Institute
Will be launched by ROSCOSMOS on the SpektrRG Spectrum Roentgen Gamma (which
will also carry Russian telescope ARTXC), from Baikonur and placed in an L2 orbit
First all sky imaging survey in medium energy Xray range
High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
Camera aboard Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has captured the image of the InSight lander, which
recently touched down on the Red Planet
Operates in visible and near IR
Highresolution images will provide unprecedented views of layered materials, gullies, channels, and other
science targets, as well as characterize possible future landing sites.

LOFAR Telescope

LowFrequency Array or LOFAR large radio telescope network located mainly in the Netherlands
By Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy and its international partners
Consists of a vast array of omnidirectional antennas using a new concept in which the signals from
the separate antennas are not combined in real time as they are in most array antennas. The
electronic signals from the antennas are digitized, transported to a central digital processor, and
combined in software to emulate a conventional antenna.
The mission of LOFAR is to map the Universe at radio frequencies from ~10–240 MHz with greater
resolution and greater sensitivity
Insights into physics of black holes and how clusters of galaxies evolve

PRISMA Italian Space Agency


Earth observation satellite
Provide information about environmental monitoring, resources management, pollution and
crop health.
Medium resolution camera that can view across all visual wavelengths
Hyperspectral imager that can capture a wider range of wavelengths between 400 and 2500
nanometers.
Sunsynchronous orbit circles the Earth in such a way that the sun is always in the same
position as the satellite takes pictures of the planet below
Observations of natural resources
Study of key environmental processes interaction between atmosphere, biosphere and
hydrosphereObservation of global climate change and effects of human activities ecosystems

Gravitational Waves

First predicted by Einstein General Theory of Relativity
Massive accelerating objects (neutron stars or black holes orbiting each other) would disrupt
spacetime in such a way that waves of distorted space would radiate from the source
Ripples in the fabric of spacetime travel at the speed of light carrying information about their
cataclysmic origins

What are Gravitational Waves?
Ripples in the fabric of spacetime that are produced
When black holes collide, Stars explode, ultra dense stars collide
Throws up the possibility of detectors that can look at the beginning of the universe.
2017 Nobel Physics Prize for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the
observation of gravitational waves
Theory of General Relativity pair of black holes orbiting around each other lost energy,
through the emission of gravitational waves.

India’s GW consortium INDIGO Hingoli district, Maharashtra
Partners are Australia, Germany, UK
DAE + DST
Institute for Plasma Research (Gandhinagar), IUCAA (Pune), Raja Rammana Centre for
Advanced Technology (Indore)
Further the distance between the observatories, the greater will be the accuracy in locating
gravity waves
Adding a new detector to the existing network will increase the expected event rates, and will
boost the detection confidence of new sources and ability of localizing GW sources

GW detectors
LIGO USA L shaped instrument that tracks GW using physics of laser light and space
KAGRA Japan
Ngari China World’s highest altitude GW telescope in Tibet (Tibet is considered the best
location in northern hemisphere to detect GW due to thin air and dry climate)

Predictions of General Theory of Relativity
As light gets closer to the sun, it bends towards the sun twice as much as classical physics
(the system used before general relativity) predicts.

Redshift from gravity: When light moves away from an object with gravity, it is stretched into
longer wavelengths confirmed by the PoundRebka experiment
Shapiro delay: Light appears to slow down when it passes close to a massive object first
seen in the 1960s by space probes headed towards the planet Venus
Einstein had posited that large gravitational forces could stretch light

Black Holes

Region of spacetime exhibits strong gravitational effects, due to which particles and
electromagnetic radiation cannot escape from it
Acts like an ideal black body reflecting no light continues to grow, by absorbing mass from
its surroundings
GW astronomy is a way of mapping out some of the most violent processes in the universe
such as black hole or neutron star mergers that cannot be detected with light or the
conventional methods
Gravitational waves transport energy as gravitational radiation, a form of radiant energy
similar to electromagnetic radiation
Newton’s law of universal gravitation does not provide for their existence

Event horizon Boundary at the edge of a black hole, which is the point of no return (any light or
matter that crosses that boundary is sucked into the black hole)

If black holes are invisible, how can we detect or photograph them?
By looking for the effects of their extreme gravity, which pulls stars and gases toward them
While anything past the event horizon is invisible, outside that boundary there is sometimes a
spiral disk of gas that the black hole has pulled toward, but not yet into itself Event Horizon
Telescope
Gases in that accretion disk are heated up as they accelerate toward the black hole, causing
them to glow extremely brightly
Colours they glow are invisible to us, but are detectable with an Xray telescope

Properties
Small black holes are called stellarmass black holes masses similar to those of larger stars
Supermassive black holes millions to billions of times more massive than the sun
Event Horizon Telescope is trying to photograph bigger objects
Because they are very dense, they are small in size
Supermassive black holes are found at the centre of most galaxies, including our own Milky
Way Sagittarius A
Supermassive black holes are believed to form at the same time as the galaxy that surrounds
them
Large star runs out of fuel, explodes into a supernova and collapses into an extremely dense
core that we know as a black hole — something predicted by Albert Einstein’s general theory
of relativity
Einstein’s theory also predicts the size and shape of the black holes that the Event Horizon
Telescope is trying to photograph


Space Elevator Japan

World’s first experiment to travel between two minisatellites in space
Earth’s water
According to a recent study, Earth’s global ocean water may have originated from both asteroidal material and
gas left over from the formation of the Sun
Since comets contain a lot of ices, it could have supplied some water. Asteroids, which are not as waterrich yet
still plentiful, could be a source as well.
The early ocean known as Arabia was formed 4 billion years ago on Mars, while the Deuteronilus ocean was
formed 3.6 billion years ago. Both coexisted with the massive volcanic province Tharsis, located on the unseen
side of the planet, which may have helped support the existence of liquid water; the water is now gone, perhaps
frozen underground and partially lost to space, while the ancient seabed is known as the northern plains.
The study challenges widelyaccepted ideas about hydrogen in Earth’s water by suggesting the element partially
came from clouds of dust and gas remaining after the Sun’s formation, called the solar nebula
Apollo 8
Second manned spaceflight mission in the United States Apollo space program
First manned spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it, and safely return.
The threeastronaut crew—Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders—became the first humans to travel
beyond low Earth orbit, see Earth as a whole planet, and enter the gravity well of another celestial body. They
were also the first humans to orbit another celestial body, see the far side of the Moon, witness and photograph
an “Earthrise”, escape the gravity of another celestial body (the Moon), and reenter Earth’s gravitational well

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) NASA

Launched along with LCROSS (Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite)
Part of Lunar Precursor Robotic Program
LRO is the first mission of NASA’s `New Vision for Space Exploration’, which was announced in
2004

Objectives
Identify potential lunar resources
Gather detailed maps of the lunar surface
Collect data on the moon’s radiation levels
Study the moons polar regions for resources that could be used in future manned missions or
robotic sample return missions
Provide measurements to characterize future robotic explorers

Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP)
Instrument aboard LRO — measured sparse layer of water molecules temporarily stuck to the
Moon’s surface, which helped characterise lunar hydration changes over the course of a day.
Lunar water can potentially be used by humans to make fuel or to use for radiation shielding
or thermal management
If these materials do not need to be launched from Earth, that makes these future missions
more affordable

Scientists had hypothesised that hydrogen ions in the solar wind may be the source of most
of the moon’s surface water.
When the moon passes behind the earth and is shielded from the solar wind, the ‘water
spigot’ should essentially turn off
Water observed by LAMP does not decrease when the moon is shielded by the earth and the
region influenced by its magnetic field suggesting water builds up over time, rather than
‘raining’ down directly from the solar wind.
Water molecules remain tightly bound to the regolith until surface temperatures peak near
lunar noon
Molecules thermally desorb and can bounce to a nearby location that is cold enough for the
molecule to stick or populate the moon’s extremely tenuous atmosphere or exosphere, until
temperatures drop and the molecules return to the surface

Heavenly Palace

The International Space Station – a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan
– has been in operation since 1998 and is due to be retired in 2024.
China will then have the only space station in orbit, though it will be much smaller than the ISS
Nova Observation
Explosive events involving violent eruptions on the surface of white dwarf stars, leading to temporary increase in
brightness of the star. Unlike a supernova, the star does not go on to die but returns to its earlier state after the
explosion.
The recurrent nova, named M31N2008, has been observed to erupt several times, the most recent eruption
happening in November 2018
Sunspots
Temporary phenomena on the Sun’s photosphere that appear as spots darker than the surrounding areas.
Regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic field flux that inhibit convection
Sunspots usually appear in pairs of opposite magnetic polarity.
Why study sunspots?
Understanding the longterm variations of the sun and its impact on our climate Aditya mission.
Forecast will be also useful for scientific operational planning of the Aditya mission.
Effects on space weather effect of radiation, particle flux and magnetic flux in the region around the sun
During extreme events, space weather can affect electronicsdriven satellite controls, communications systems,
air traffic over polar routes and even power grids
Correlated with climate on earth focuses on predicting the way the next sunspot cycle will shape up
Speculations that the sun may be heading towards a period of prolonged low activity described as a ‘Maunderlike
minimum’.
The Maunder minimum refers to a period from 1645 to 1715 minimal Sunspot activity — the number of
sunspots reduced by a factor of nearly 1,000, over a period of 28 years.
Some parts of Europe and North America experienced lowerthanaverage temperature

Sunspots follow a cyclic pattern of growing in number and disappearing in approximately 11 years
Researchers simulated the behaviour of the sun using magnetic field evolution models and observational data.
Simulated solar activity, and using inputs from observed data from one cycle, predicted the behaviour of the sun
over the next cycle, about ten years in advance

Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
Santiago, Chile
International partnership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation
(NSF), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) Japan, NRC (Canada), NSC and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI
(South Korea)
DSHARP campaign Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project highres images of photoplanetary
disks depicting birth of planets
Large planets, likely similar in size and composition to Neptune or Saturn, form quickly, much faster than current
theory would allow
May also help explain how smaller rocky planets manage to survive in the chaos of young systems
Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS) China

International research project in the field of quantum physics
World’s first quantum satellite launched by China
Help China to establish hackproof communications system by transmitting uncrackable keys
from space to the ground

Saturn Rings
Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 & 2 observations
Rings are being pulled into Saturn by gravity as a dusty rain of ice particles under the influence of Saturn’s
magnetic field.
Saturn’s rings are made up of billions of particles ranging from grains of sand to mountainsize chunks
Composed mainly of waterice, rings also draw in rocky meteoroids as they travel through space.
The rings are named alphabetically in the order of discovery
Main rings are, from farthest from the planet to closest, A, B and C
A gap known as the Cassini Division, separates the A and B rings.
The rings themselves contain a number of gaps and structures.
Some are created by Saturn’s many small moons
Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also contain faint ring systems
Super Earth
Extrasolar planet with a mass higher than Earth’s, but substantially below those of the Solar System’s ice giants,
Uranus and Neptune, which are 15 and 17 times Earth’s, respectively
Does not imply anything about the surface conditions or habitability
Super Earth discovered in constellation Cassiopeia mass almost five times that of Earth, core of calcium,
aluminium, magnesium and silicon
Hongyun project China
Build a spacebased communications network to provide broadband internet connectivity to users around the
world, especially those in the underserved regions.
Will cover the whole world and offer roundtheclock communication services to users in polar regions, who now
have difficulties accessing telecommunication and internet services, even from on board an aircraft or a ship or in
a remote area.
Hongyun system will feature lower production and operational costs and fewer occurrences of data transmission
delays compared with existing communication satellite networks

WFIRST

Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope NASA observatory designed to settle essential
questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and infrared astrophysics
Wide Field Instrument + Coronagraph Instrument

Wide Field Instrument will have a field of view that is 100 times greater than the Hubble
infrared instrument, capturing more of the sky with less observing time
Coronagraph instrument will directly image ice and gas giant exoplanets.
WFIRST will use gravitational microlensing in its search for new planets
Gravitational microlensing is a technique that relies on the gravity of stars and planets to bend
and magnify the light coming from stars that pass behind them from the telescope’s viewpoint
Korolev Crater
Icy crater on Mars found recently captured by European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express mission
Deeper than Earth’s Grand Canyon.
Mars Express Mission was launched back in June 2003
Space Activities Bill, 2017

Bill to promote and regulate the space activities of India

Encourages the participation of nongovernmental/private sector agencies in space activities
under the guidance of Dept. Of Space
Shall apply to every citizen of India and to all sectors engaged in any space activity in India or
outside India
Nontransferable licence shall be provided by the Central Government to any person carrying
out commercial space activity
Licenses places an obligation to insure oneself
Central Government will formulate the appropriate mechanism for licensing, eligibility criteria,
and fees for licence.
Govt. will maintain a register of all space objects (any object launched or intended to be
launched around the earth)
Govt will provide professional and technical support for commercial space activity
Govt will ensure safety requirements and supervise the conduct of every space activity of
India and investigate any incident or accident in connection with the operation of a space
activity.
Govt will share details about the pricing of products created by space activity and technology
No legal proceedings can lie against govt. with respect to anything done in good faith in
pursuance of space activity
Penalties in case of unauthorised commercial activity, false information, environmental
damage, entry into prohibited areas

1st ISRO mission of 2019
MicrosatR military use
Kalamsat Communication nanosatellite, World’s lightest and first ever 3Dprinted satellite

Polarimetry Doppler Weather Radar ISRO

Developed by BEL, Launched by ISRO
Severity of weather systems can be quantitatively estimated more precise advance warnings
Detailed information on a storm’s internal wind flow and structure
Improve accuracy of rainfall estimation improve flood forecasts
7th such radar under Make in India

Mission Shakti

DRDO + ISRO
Antisatellite (ASAT) weapon was launched and targeted an Indian satellite which had been
decommissioned
Missile did not carry any ammunition, only used its kinetic energy
Carried out from DRDO’s testing range in Odisha’s Balasore.
Entire effort is indigenous
Earlier, US, Russia and China have ASAT
Test was done in the lower atmosphere debris that is generated will decay and fall back onto
the earth within weeks
Low earth orbit refers to an altitude up to 2,000 km.
A satellite in the LEO can monitor activities on the ground and water surfaces can be used
for espionage and pose serious threat to the country’s security in the instances of war
No country has used ASAT against another country till date
Mission Shakti will not have any effect on India’s status in the MTCR (Missile Technology
Control Regime) or other such treaties

EMISAT MISSION

Country’s first electronic surveillance satellite EMISAT by ISRO
Launched onboard PSLVC45

Advanced electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite jointly developed by ISRODRDO
Meant for electromagnetic spectrum measurements
Modelled after a famous Israeli spy satellite called SARAL (Satellite with ARgos and ALtika)
EMISAT has a special altimeter (a radar altitude measuring device) called ‘AltiKa’ that works
in the Kaband microwave region
Electronic surveillance payload of EMISAT was developed under a DRDO’s project called
KAUTILYA
Main capability of EMISAT is in signal intelligence — intercepting signals broadcasted by
communication systems, radars, and other electronic systems
Can scan through ice, rain, coastal zones, land masses, forests and wave heights with ease
Increase situational awareness of the Armed Forces as it will provide location and information
of hostile radars placed at the borders

PSLV C45 launch

First time ISRO is launching satellites in three different orbits
First PSLV rocket to use four strapon motors. The four strapon motor rockets are from the
PSLVQL range.
1st time Microgravity environment for research organizations and academic institutes to
perform experiments.
1st time Solar panels to make the fourth stage last longer in orbit
First Launch Vehicle to Use Solar Propulsion

India UN Small Satellites Program

Launched by ISRO
Train 90 qualifying engineers from various countries to build and test three small satellites
each year
Training at UR Rao Satellite Centre
UNISPACE+50 50th year of UN Conference on exploration and peaceful uses of outer
space


TECHNOLOGY

Drones in India Ministry of Civil Aviation

DGCA has defined 5 categories
Nano, Micro, Small, Medium, Large
Except Nano, other categories need Unique Identification Number

Regulations
Drones will only be allowed to fly during the day and within visual line of sight upto maximum altitude of
400ft
No Drone Zones around airports, near International Borders, Strategic Locations, State Secretariat
Complexes
Not allowed within 5km of airports at Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Bangalore. 3km for other airports
Not allowed within 25 km of LoC, LAC, Actual Ground Position Line
Operators of civil drones need Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit from DGCA valid for 5 years, not
transferrable
Mandatory insurance to cover thirdparty damage
No remote pilot can operate more than one RPA at a time
Can be flown only by someone older than 18 years
Mandatory insurance to cover 3rd party damage

Drone Task Force Jayant Sinha
SENSAGRI Drone based crop and soil health monitoring system using hyper spectral
remote sensing

Digital Sky Platform
National unmanned traffic management platform
Before very single flight, drone polite are required to request permission to fly via mobile app
“no permission, no take off”

ICAO leads the global drone governance efforts

Atmospheric Water Generator

BEL (Navaratna Defence PSU)
Collaboration with CSIRIICT and MAITHRI (startup company based in Hyderabad)

Uses heat exchange for condensing the atmospheric moisture to produce pure, safe and clean
potable water
Mineralisation Unit is used to add minerals which are required to make the water potable
Avilable in different capacities, in both static and mobile models
Can be used to provide drinking water in community centres and public places

WEF Centre for 4th Industrial Revolution

Mumbai (partnership with GoI through NITI Aayog)
Drones, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain first three project areas
Bring together government and business leaders

NITI Aayog will coordinate on behalf of govt
WEF has partnerships with Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh

Other 3 centres San Francisco, Tokyo, Beijing

1st IR Britain 1750s mechanisation of textile industry, steam power, modern factories
2nd IR 1850s Electricity and transport Production line
3rd IR 1970 Digital applied electronics and information technology

4th Industrial revolution
Greater speed (exponential rather than linear)
Changing production, management and governance in almost every industry in every country
Cyberphysical systems Builds on infrastructure of previous IRs, entirely new ways in which technology
will be embedded in societies
Term coined by Klaus Schwab
Acinetobacter junii
Isolated from soil and effluents near an oil refinery, researchers from the University of Delhi and IITBHU
degraded Toluene into less toxic byproducts
Toluene petrochemical waste refineries, paint, textile, paper and rubber genotoxic and carcinogenic effects on
human beings.
These bacteria change the morphology of toluene to remove its toxicity Toluene used as carbon source
Train 18 Engine less train
First prototype has been built by Integral Coach Factory
100% ‘Make in India’ project
T18 is a selfpropelled engineless train (similar to the Metro trains) and is energyefficient as its coaches will be
fitted with LED lights.
Automatic doors and retractable footsteps, Biotoilets
Faster than Shatabdi Express

Excitonium

Condensate form of matter
Made up of excitons which are made from an escaped electron
Exhibits superconducting
5 states Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, BEC
Main difference is in densities of particles

ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor)

International nuclear fusion research (not fission) and engineering megaproject
World’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment.
Experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor located in southern France.
ITER Members China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, USA
India is not a founding member
Hydrogen is the fuel material in nuclear fusion reaction

Ensemble Prediction Systems

Probabilistic weather forecasts upto next 10 days
IMD + IITM + National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (all under Ministry of Earth Sciences)
Reduce area of spatial resolution make district level warning possible
Only European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast has a better resolution (9km)

CWC + Google

Better management of water resources and flood control
Technical expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial mapping
Improve flood prediction systems using Google Earth engines
Online exhibitions on Rivers of India

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Defines personal data
BN Srikrishna Consent based data processing except in certain cases
Committee Right to access, confirm and correct data; Right to object data
processing; Right to be forgotten
India does not have any dedicated legal framework
IT act has some provisions only for corporations, NOT govt.,
restricted to sensitive personal information only like medical history
Data Protection and biometric information

General Data Protection Regulation Every EU citizen’s data must be
stored within EU
Recommended by TRAI
Approved by Telecom Commission highest decision making body
in Dept. Of Telecom
Net Neutrality Prohibits discrimination or interference in treatment of content and
practices like blocking, degrading or slowing down speeds
Specialised services like telesurgery, voice over internet protocol
are exempted
AJ Paulraj Committee 5G deployment roadmap

5G uses radio waves to transmit and receive data
Final standard for 5G will be set up by ITU
5G Latency time it takes for one device to send a packet of data to another
device
Ericsson has installed the first public access 5G test bed at IIT Delhi
South Korea is the world’s first country to launch 5G networks
Shanghai is the world’s first city with 5G network coverage
Connected place in a rural part of the country, where citizens can
Digital Village avail various eservices of the Central Govt, State Govt. and
private players

Digital Payment Financial Market Infrastructure
RTGS
Collateralised Borrowing and Lending Obligation
Forex Clearing
Govt. Securities

Retail Payments Segment
Cheque Truncation System
NEFT
UPI
Immediate Payment Service
Decentralised electronic payment system
Allows transacting parties to remain anonymous while confirming
the transaction is valid
No regulatory authority
Mathematics of Bitcoins system is set up in such a way that it
becomes progressively difficult to mine bitcoins over time
Finite number of bitcoins 21 million
Divisible units of Bitcoin are called Satoshi After their creator
Bitcoin Satoshi Nakamoto
Every single bitcoin transaction is recorded in a blockchain ledger

Other Cryptocurrencies
Ripple cryptocurrency + digital payment framework
Petro is cryptocurrency launched by Venezuela, backed by its oil
reserves
Coined by Artur Samuel based on the idea that systems can
learn from data, identify patterns and make decisions with
Machine Learning
minimum human intervention
Deep Learning technique for implementing Machine Learning
Blockchain
Public ledger an ordered and timestamped record of
transactions
Supports crypto currencies such as bitcoin
Protect against double spending and modification of previous
transaction records where transactions are recorded and
confirmed anonymously
Record of events that is shared among many parties (nodes)
Once information is entered, it cannot be altered
Distributed ledger is a permanent, secure tool that makes it easier
to create costefficient business networks without requiring a
centralized point of control
The ownership of digital assets of any type (money, deeds,
Government records, financial instruments) can be securely
stored, transacted and tracked

True value lies in creating consensus and trust between the
strangers
Shared publicly

Kerala Blockchain Academy Indian Institute of Information Technology
and ManagementKerala (IIITMK) + Blockchain Education Network
(BEN)
First of its kind in the country
World’s largest supercomputer designed to work in the same way
as the human brain
It has been switched on for the first time.
Spiking Neural Network Architecture (SpiNNaker) Built in
University of Manchester
Biological neurons are basic brain cells present in the nervous
system that communicate primarily by emitting ‘spikes’ of pure
electrochemical energy
SPINNAKER
Neuromorphic computing uses large scale computer systems
containing electronic circuits to mimic these spikes in a machine
Mimics the massively parallel communication architecture of the
brain, sending billions of small amounts of information
simultaneously to thousands of different destinations.
SpOmnibot robot uses the SpiNNaker system to interpret real
time visual information and navigate towards certain objects while
ignoring others.
NITI Aayog National AI Strategy
Applications Health, Education, Agriculture, Smart Cities, Transport

Artificial Intelligence
AIRAWAT AI Research, Analytics and Knowledge Assimilation
Platform
Centre for Excellence in AI NIC
Indian version of 'Sophia' (Sophia is world’s first humanoid robot,
introduced by Saudi Arabia)
Can speak Hindi, Bhojpuri, Marathi, English
Rashmi World’s first Hindi speaking humanoid
Linguistic interpretation, AI, visual data and facial recognition

Sophia was named UNDP’s first ever Innovation Champion
Super Computer PARAM Shivay first supercomputer under National Supercomputing
Mission by CDAC
Pratyush and Mihir are the fastest supercomputers in India
PARAM 8000 first supercomputer of India built by CDAC
BullSequana CDAC + ATOS

Top 500 Project
Ranks the 500 most powerful nondistributed computers
China has 229 supercomputers

Summit USA World’s most powerful supercomputer according to
LINPACK benchmarks
Develop industrialgrade microprocessors and other components
of the microprocessor ecosystem.
Microchip fabricated in ISRO’s SemiConductor Laboratory at
Chandigarh.
Partly funded by MeiTY
Reduce dependency on imported microchips especially in
communication and defence sectors and thus eliminate risk of
cyberattacks.
Can be used in mobile computing, wireless and networking
Shakti IIT M systems
Power to mobile phones, smart meters and surveillance cameras
Parashakti advanced microprocessor for supercomputers

RISECREEK
Industry standard microprocessor
Can meet demands of NAVIC and for IoT
Produced under Project Shakti (IIT Madras initiative)
National Mission on DST
Interdisciplinary Smart Grid Networks, Smart Transportation Systems, AI, IoT,
Cyber Physical Quantum Encryption, Deep Learning
Systems Unlike IoT, CPS are not necessarily connected to the Internet
UNESCO Internet Governance Forum aims to develop common
Paris Call
principles for securing cyberspace
RAT = Remote Access Trojan
Gravity Rat Malware Detected by CERTIn
Malware = Virus, Worm, Trojan, Spyware

Domain name system

Translates domain names to Internet Protocol or IP addresses that allows browsers to load
websites
Database that stores all of the domain names and corresponding IP numbers for a particular top
level domain (TLD) such as .com or .net.
DNS identifies and locates computer systems and resources on the Internet

Government will launch a public Domain Name System (DNS) server that could protect users from
any malware or phishing
Enhanced inbuilt security features compared to the earlier created by the National Informatics
Centre (NIC)
Capability to host as many as 5 million users that can be scaled up further if needed
If a user inadvertently accesses a malicious or phishing site, the new public system would
immediately open up a page or popup to alert the user of such potential threat

Open Transit Data Platform

Realtime data third party app developers and researchers geocoordinates of all bus stops, route maps,
timetables as well as the real time GPS feeds of bus locations which will be updated every 10 seconds.
IIIT Delhi on behalf of the Delhi government.
Major step to promote collaboration and cocreation of innovative and inclusive transport solutions for the people
of Delhi
Train 18
First prototype has been built by the Integral Coach Factory, Chennai
100% ‘Make in India’ project and is claimed to be built at half the cost of a similar train set that is imported.
T18 is a selfpropelled engineless train (similar to the Metro trains), energyefficient, has biotoilets
It will be interconnected with fully sealed gangways of Bio toilets

Additive Technology 3D Printing

3D printing is defined as “fabrication of objects through the deposition of a material using a print head, nozzle or
other printer technology"
Eliminates the need to hold a large inventory of parts, set up an assembly line and purchase costly machines
reduce capital and space requirements as well as the carbon footprint.
Physical object to be built is first designed in software design is fed to computerised machines, which build that
object layer by layer
Additive manufacturing is the industrial version of 3D printing that is already used to make some niche items,
such as medical implants, and to produce plastic prototypes for engineers and designers.

Additive manufacturing machines work directly from a computer model, so people can devise completely new
shapes without regard for existing manufacturing limitations gives designers far more flexibility
Benefits
Greater range of shapes can be produced
Designs that can’t be manufactured in one entire piece with traditional means can easily be achieved shapes
with a scooped out or hollow centre can be produced as a single piece, without the need to weld or attach
individual components together.
Quicker process making changes at click of mouse
Results of Successful Utilization of Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (AM) creates opportunities for improving sustainability
Opportunities are being realised across the product and material life cycles
AM can improve resource efficiency and enable closedloop material flows
Established organisations are focusing on product and process redesign
New ventures are exploring niches and growing the AM ecosystem
Opportunities in India
Eliminates large capital outlays Machines are cheaper, inventories can be small and space requirements are not
large
Jumpstarting manufacturing does not face the massive hurdle of large capital requirement and the traditional
small and medium enterprises can easily be adapted and retooled towards high technology manufacturing.
Indian software industry is wellestablished plans to increase connectivity are well under way as part of ‘Digital
India’ foster industrial development outside of major cities.
Possible to build products that are better suited for use in harsh environmental conditions.
Products that required assembly of fewer parts also implies that they may be better able to withstand dust and
moisture prevalent in our tropical environment and be more durable
Discourage use and throw culture maintaining old products is far easier because parts can be manufactured as
needed and product lifecycles can be expanded.
Maintaining uniform product quality is far easier because the entire system is built at the same time and assembly
is not required.
Conclusion:
Design now drives the production In the past, the limitations of production have all too often influenced
design ruling out ideas because they weren’t practically achievable.
If ‘Make in India’ is to succeed, it needs to encompass ‘Make it the Indian Way’. It need not emulate mass
production technologies, fuelled in Detroit by massive capital investment or in Beijing by cheap labour
Airbreathing jet engine that uses the vehicle’s forward motion to
compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor
Ramjet
Fuel is injected in the combustion chamber where it mixes with the hot
compressed air and ignites
Missile propulsion technology jointly developed by India and Russia
Solid Fuel Based on Ramjet propulsion system
Ducted Help both India’s surfacetoair and airtoair missiles to perform better
Ramjet and enhance their strike range
India can have fastest longrange missiles in two categories



Recent achievements by ISRO
Launching 104 satellites with one rocket
South Asia Satellite (GSAT9) launch
Launch of ISRO’s ‘Fat Boy’ GSLV Mk III
31 satellites in a single flight
Sending another communication satellite in the space
GSLV MkIIID2 completion of the experimental phase of GSLV Mark III
India’s three Stage Nuclear Power Program

Formulated by Homi Bhabha through use of uranium and thorium in coastal states
At present, Thorium is not viable because global Uranium prices are much lower
Thorium must be transmuted to U233 using Pu239 and U235 (Use India’s limited Uranium reserves)

U238 ——> Pu239 + Heat
In PHWR, U238 can be directly fed without enrichment for U235 It was easier to
Stage I
create Heavy Water production facilities than Uranium Enrichment facilities
Except two reactors in Tarapur, all the first stage reactors in India are PHWRs
Pu239 recovered by processing spent fuel from Stage I
Fast Breeder Reactors use Pu239 + U238 (natural uranium)
Pu239 undergoes fission, U238 transmutes to more Pu239
Stage II Designed to breed more fuel than they consume
Once Pu239 is built up, thorium is introduced as a blanket material and transmuted
to U233 for Stage III

Breeder reactor uses 40% Uranium
Envisaged as a self sustaining Th232 U233 reactors
Stage III
Not yet finalised

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam

Shortage of fissile material hinders deployment of coriumfuelled reactors in India
Thorium can transmute to a fissile radioisotope U233, but cannot keep a chain reaction going
In a thorium reactor, fissile material like uranium or plutonium is blanketed by Thorium

Possible solution is to purchase Pu239 no law expressly prohibits commerce in Pu239

Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)

Experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor Hefei, China
Artificial Sun designed to replicate the process our Natural Sun uses to generate energy hit
a new temperature milestone of 100 million °C
Uses a ring to house heavy and superheavy isotopes deuterium and tritium
Heated by powerful electric currents within the tokamak, tearing electrons away from their
atoms and forming a charged plasma of hydrogen ions
Powerful magnets lining the inner walls of EAST then contain the plasma to a tiny area to
maximise the chance that the ions will fuse together
When the ions fuse they give off a large amount of energy, which can then be harnessed to
run a power plant and produce electricity
Plasma temperature milestone minimum temperature scientists believe is needed to
produce a selfsustaining nuclear fusion reaction on Earth
Nuclear Fuel
Thorium has several advantages over Uranium as a nuclear power source.
Thorium = 3x abundance than Uranium
Thorium deposits contain other mineral resources of value (rare earths elements in particular).
All the Thorium that is mined can be used in a reactor, (compared to <1% of Uranium)
Th232 14 billion year halflife, safer than Uranium and Plutonium.
Significant Thorium deposits United States, Brazil, India, and Australia
Imported fuel (natural uranium) contains fissile isotope (Uranium235), which undergoes nuclear fission in a
reactor to produce energy.
Not possible to build a nuclear reactor using thorium (Thorium232) alone due to its physics characteristics.
Thorium has to be converted to Uranium233 in a reactor before it can be used as fuel.
KAMINI is the only reactor in the world operating with U 233 fuel
Thoriumbearing mineral Monazite occurs in association with ilmenite, rutile, zircon, garnet and sillimanite in
unconsolidated form along the coastal and inland placer sands of the country.
Largest Thorium deposits Andhra > Odisha > TN > Kerala

Higgs Boson
God Particle Gives mass to subatomic particles
Discovered at LHC, CERN (world’s largest nuclear and particle physics laboratory)
LHC hosts Compact Muon Solenoid, Toroidal LHC Apparatus
Decays into fundamental particles called Bottom Quarks
Decay particles Bottom Quarks (60%), W Bosons, Z Bosons, Tau Leptons, Photons

Standard Model
Higgs field endows quarks and other fundamental particles in Physics
Standard Model does not include dark matter (85% of universe), or a description of how
gravity works at quantum level

Quark
Fundamental particle in Physics
Join to form hadrons like protons and neutrons
Particle Physics = study of quarks and interaction between them through strong forces
Quarks and Anti quarks are the only two fundamental particles that interact with all four
fundamental forces of physics gravitation, electromagnetism, strong interaction, weak
interaction
Confinement Quarks are never found independently, always in combination with other
quarks difficult to measure properties independently

Stephen Hawking's Theory

Stephen Hawking primordial black holes are a source of dark matter
Computed that the mass of the primordial black holes could range from as low as onehundredth of
a milligram to as high as more than the mass of a thousand Suns.

Primordial Black Holes At the initial instant of the big bang, the densities would have been very
high at many points, resulting in the formation of small black holes

Black holes are not radiant and will not be visible through any telescope

Gravitational Lensing Albert Einstein
If a tiny primordial black hole eclipses a distant star, light rays of the star will bend around the
black hole due to gravitational effect, resulting in the star appearing to be brighter than it
originally is for a short while
Can occur only when the star, the black hole and the observer on the Earth are aligned in a
straight line
When the black hole is in alignment with a distant star, due to gravitational attraction, light
rays are bent inwards like a lens, making the star appear brighter

Hyper SuprimeCam on the Japanese Subaru Telescope located, Hawaii
Evidence of primordial black holes between Earth and Andromeda galaxy using gravitational
lensing technique
Based on images of Andromeda Galaxy did not find evidence to support Hawking's
postulate that Universe is filled with tiny primordial black holes

What is dark matter?
In most galaxies, the stars closer to the centre and the stars at the edge of the galaxies take
almost same time to make one revolution
Implied that something invisible and enveloping the galaxies was giving an extra push to the
outer stars, speeding them up.
Remained as one of the central unresolved puzzles in cosmology since 1930s. It is named
`Dark Matter’
Almost 85% of total mass of the Universe is composed of Dark Matter
Don’t emit or interact with EM

XENON Experiment

Dark matter research project
Gran Sasso National Laboratory Italy
Deep underground research facility featuring increasingly ambitious experiments aiming to
detect dark matter particles
Detect particles in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) by looking for
rare interactions via nuclear recoils in a liquid xenon target chamber

IceCube Experiment

Experiment at the South Pole
Cubic Kilometre in size, uses deep arctic ice as a target for neutrinos
Neutrinos can produce a charged particle when they occasionally do interact with with the
fundamental particles that make up ice
Resulting particle travels through the ice and produces a trail of faint light

Charge Parity Violation Matter/Anti Matter asymmetry

CP refers to the transformation that swaps a particle with the mirror image of its antiparticle.
Weak interactions of the Standard Model of particle physics are known to induce a difference
in the behavior of some particles and of their CP counterparts, an asymmetry known as CP
violation
One of the key ingredients required to explain why today’s Universe is only composed of
matter particles, with essentially no residual presence of antimatter
Physicists from LHC have observed in the decays of a D0 meson (subatomic particle made
up of a charm quark and an up antiquark)

Matter and Antimatter
Universe consists of a massive imbalance between matter and antimatter
Antimatter and matter are actually the same, but have opposite charges
There’s hardly any antimatter in the observable universe
When antimatter and matter meet, they annihilate, and the result is light and nothing else
Given equal amounts of matter and antimatter, nothing would remain once the reaction was
completed.

“Baryon asymmetry” problem
Baryons are subatomic particles, including protons and neutrons
All baryons have a corresponding antibaryon

PolarGAP project ESA

Measurement over the South Pole “pole of ignorance”
Satellites cannot survey this area beyond 83°S/N latitudes

Peak power of 6.8 peta flops
Machines housed at IITM, Pune and National Centre for Medium Range
Weather Forecast, Noida
Pratyush
Will be used for monsoon forecasting through a dynamic model
Fourth fastest super computer dedicated to weather research follows Japan,
USA, UK
Mihir HPC installed at National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting
India’s largest HPC facility

Weather forecasts for predicting extreme weather events

High resolution seasonal/extended range forecasts of active/break spells
of Monsoon
Very high resolution prediction of cyclones with more accuracy
Ocean state forecasts like marine water quality forecasts and Tsunami
forecasts
Air quality forecasts for various cities
Special type of resistive device that can perform logic and store data
Memristors
Can be used in AI Neural Networks
Semiconductor nanocrystal made of specific materials, 210 nm
Discrete quantised energy spectrum
Intermediate between bulk semiconductors and discrete molecules
Can be made to emit or absorb different wavelengths of light by
controlling their size
Quantum Dots
Small finite number of conduction band electrons, valence band holes or
excitons
Applications in solar cells, transistors, LEDs, medical imaging, display
screens
Most of them are toxic
Development of fifth generation of computers more efficient algorithms
than traditional computing
Quantum computing relies on quantum physics by taking advantage of
certain quantum physics properties of atoms or nuclei
Store information in ‘qubits’ instead of the typical ‘bits’ of 1 and 0
Qubits can perform certain calculations exponentially faster than
conventional computers

India Raman Research Institute (Bangalore) and IISc are working on
quantum computing
Quantum China combined Quantum Mechanics and satellite technology to transmit
Mechanics secret information over thousands of kilometres

Applications
Huge impact in defence and intelligence
Weather predictions
Scientific breakthroughs on commercial applications such as data
encryption
Drug discovery
Financial Analysis
Logistical Planning and Supply chains
Make Machine learning more powerful
Help doctors 'see through' organs and tissues Augmented reality
Holo Lens
Microsoft’s Project Baraboo
Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Mix of real world and virtual world, can differentiate between real and virtual,
accessed from smart phone
Virtual Reality Entire virtual world, cannot differentiate what is real and what is not real, wearing
goggles

Flammable Ice
Frozen mixture of water and gas methane molecules are caged in by the water molecules.
Formed at very low temperatures and under high pressure.
They can be found in sediments under the ocean floor as well as underneath permafrost on land.
Highly energy intensive fuel

Japan, India, Korea are pioneers in research and exploration
Gas hydrates

Formed when a gas such as methane gets trapped in welldefined cages of water molecules
forming crystalline solids
Potential source of natural gas
Terrestrial conditions formed naturally under the sea bed and glaciers under high pressure, low
temperature conditions
IIT Madras – The methane and CO2 hydrates were produced in the lab at very low pressures and
temperature (as low as 263 degree C) to simulate the conditions of deep space

Science and Tech

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Science and Tech

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

11/05/2019 Science and Tech

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 1/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 2/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 5/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 6/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 7/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 10/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 13/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 15/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 16/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 19/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 20/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 22/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 24/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 32/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 33/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 34/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 37/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 39/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 41/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 43/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 49/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 51/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 53/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 54/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 55/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 56/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 57/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 60/97

Chang’e 4 China First probe ever to explore the dark side of the Moon

Tianzhou China China’s first cargo spacecraft

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 61/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 67/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 68/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 69/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 70/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 71/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 72/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 75/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 76/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 77/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 79/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 81/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 84/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 86/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 87/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 88/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 89/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 91/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 95/97

ﬁle:///Users/sashibhusanmishra/Documents/Science/Science and Tech.html 97/97

You might also like