Science and Technology
Indian Navy Inducted Russian Origin Submarine
The Indian Navy on 4 April 2012 inducted a Russian origin nuclear Submarine, INS Chakra into its flotilla. The nuclear submarine has placed India into the elite group of nations which operate nuclear vessels. The Akula II class submarine K-152 Nerpa, renamed INS Chakra II is on a 10 years lease from Russia at a cost of nearly 1billion dollar.
AWACS Test Flight Sucessful
Achieving a major milestone, India has successfully carried out the maiden- test flight of its second indigenous Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft in Brazil on 5 April 2012 the DRDO said. The successful flight is seen as a major boost as the aircraft are scheduled to be delivered in June 2012 to the (IAF) Indian Air Force.
World’s First Flying Car
Woburn, mass based Terrafugia said that its prototype flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle dubbed the transition has two seats, four wheels and wings that folds up so it can be driven like a car. It flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes, Terrafugia will be introduced in the New York Auto show and is expected to cost $ 279,000.
Fossilized Bone Of a Foot In Ethiopia
Scientists in the first week of April 2012, unearthed fossilized bones of a foot in Ethiopia which they believe could be a new species of human that roamed the planet some three million years ago and could offer insight into how man evolved to walk on two feet. The shape of the bones shows that the creature could walk upright at times. The ability to walk upright is an important feature that separate humans from other great apes.
New ISRO Centre to Control Spy Satellite Launch
The Indian rocket that will carry the 1,850 kg indigenous surveillance Satellite- Radar Imaging Satellite(Risat-1) to the skies in April month will be controlled by the new mission control centre at Sriharikota, said by senior officials of Indian space agency ISRO. The second mission control centre was inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil this January. The forth coming rocket launch would be controlled and monitored from the new mission control centre. The new mission control centre is modern and has layer area to accommodate more space scientist.
Pre-Magalithic Period Discovered In Tamil Nadu
Pottery & iron age megaliths dated the Pre -Megalithic/ iron age period in Tamil Nadu 1,800 BC-1,500BC found at Mandapam village, near Aarpakkam intersection, about 14 km from Kancheepuram in April 2012. The importance of the vast urn- burial site is that it belongs to a period earlier than the Megalithic age or 1 run age in Tamil Nadu.
Gravity Changes Along Moon’s Surface
Planetary Scientists claim to have coated a new gravity map of the Moon which shows that the gravity pull changes from location to location oves the surface of the Earth’s Natural Satellite. Using detailed top graph-phase information from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbitar Mission an international term was able to reveal the fine structure of the Moon’s gravity field in brand new detect.
Agni-V Test Fired Successfully
India on 19 April 2012 emerge as a regional super power with the successfully test fired of 5000 km-plus Long Range Ballistic Missile (LRBM) Angi -V from the Integrated Test Range on the Wheeler Island in Odisha. India entered into the elite club of nations with Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Technology by successfully test firing nuclear capable Angi-V. This missile is 17.5 metre long, can carry 1 to 1.5 tonne conventional and nuclear warheads. Which can hit targets in large parts of China including Beijing. And can also target whole of Pakistan and South Asia .
India To Join Project To Build Largest Telescope
In a giant leap for astronomy, India will help to build the World’s Largest and most advanced telescope. About 20 institutions like the India Institute of Astrophysics, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences and many other will join to construction of the Thirty Metre Telescope (TMT), a Telescope that will have nine times the collecting areas of the current largest optical /infrared telescope and will provide unparalleled high sensitivity spatial resolution more than 12 times sharper than what is achieved by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Six Scientists Of Indian Origin Elected Fellows Of Royal Society
Bangalore based biologist Krishnaswamy Vijay Raghavan and Professor Tejinder Singh Virdee of Imperial College, London who was associated with the design and construction of the large Hadron Collider,proff Chandrashekhar Bhalchandra Khare, Proff Mathukumalli Vidhyasagar, Proff Shankar Balasubramanian, Proff Varinder Kumar Aggarwal are among six internationally renowned scientists of Indian origin elected to the prestigious fellowship of Royal Society, Britain’s Premier Science Academy. They join the ranks of some of the world’s most famous names including Albert Einstein Isaac newton and Stephen Hawking etc.
Pakistan Test Fired Hatf-IV Missile
Pakistan Successfully test fired a nuclear capable international range ballistic missile on 25 April 2012. Intermediate range ballistic missile could reach targets up to 1000 km. The Hatf -IV, which was launched in the sea, was a version of the Shaheen-I with improvements in range .It can carry nuclear and conventional warheads. It can hit targets anywhere in India.
Indigenous Imaging Satellite PSLV-C19 Launched
India’s first indigenously built all weather Radar Imaging Satellite, RISAT-I with applications ranging from agriculture to natural disaster management, is now in polar orbit after its carrier the PSLV-C19 was launched with clinical precision from the Sriharikota Spaceport of The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 25 April 2012.RISAT-I, weighing 1,858 kg and the heaviest satellite launched yet by the PSLV is a state of the art active Microwave Remote Sensing satellite carrying a Synthetic Aperture Radar ( SAR) that will operate in the C-band. RISAT-I can imaging of the Earth surface features at day and night and under all imagined weather conditions.
Indian Navy Inducted Stealth INS Teg
The Indian Navy on 26 April 2012 added one more war fighting capabilties missile stealth frigate INS Teg to its navy. An advanced version of the Talwar class frigate which are already in service with its Teg was commissioned by Vice-admiral K.N Sushil at the ceremony at the Yantar shipyard at Kalingrad Russia . INS Teg had been built to meet the specific command and control needs of the navy for coordinated surface, air and water missions. The weapons suits of the 125 metre, 4,000 tonne frigate includes the Brohmos surface to surface missile system.
India To Build Anti-Radar Missile
After the success of the Agni-v project, India had set to take its defense capabilities a stride further, It is developing an Anti- Radiation Missile ( ARM) which can hugely multiply the strike capabilities by destroying the enemy’s advance warning system production of the Anti- Radiation Missile, Which is among the most advanced missiles is being undertaken on priority basis by the Defense Research & Development Laboratory. Such missiles can be mounted on Sukhoi fighter planes SU-30 MKI, 140 of which have already been acquired from Russia and around 100 more are expected to be delivered in due course of time.
China Launches Two More Satellites For Navigation System
China on 29 April 2012 successfully launched two more satellites for its proposed Beidou global navigation & positioning network being built to counter the US Global Position System (GPS). China had so far launched 13 satellites. The Beidou 2-satellites launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the province of Sichvan, was boosted by a long march 3B carrier rocket and has entered the sheduled orbit. It is the first time China has launched two Navigation Satellites with one rocket and two satellites will help to improve the accuracy of the Beidou and compass system.