Page 140 - Environment

India successfully launches EMISAT satellite

India's EMISAT satellite was Monday successfully launched onboard the polar rocket PSLV-C45 from this spaceport. After a perfect lift-off at the end of the 27-hour countdown, the nearly 50 metre-tall PSLV C-45 injected the 436 kg EMISAT into the orbit about 17 minutes later. The EMISAT satellite is aimed at electromagnetic measurement. The 28 foreign customer nano-satellites would be released into different orbits nearly two hours later after restarting the fourth stage of the rocket, ISRO said. After the release of all the satellites, ISRO would undertake orbital experiments, including on maritime satellite applications, making the mission a first of its kind for the space agency.

PSLC-C45 carrying India's EMISAT and 28 foreign satellites lifts off

ISRO's PSLV C45 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here on Monday, carrying India's EMISAT satellite along with 28 nano satellites of global customers. As the 27-hour countdown concluded, the nearly 50-metre tall rocket, a new variant of ISRO's trusted work horse PSLV-QL, blasted off from the second launch pad at the spaceport of Sriharikota, about 125 km from here, at 9.27 am. The EMISAT satellite is aimed at electromagnetic measurement. The mission marks several firsts to the credit of the space agency as it would manoeuvre satellites in various orbits and orbital experiments, including on maritime satellite applications. According to ISRO, a new variant of the rocket PSLV-QL equipped with four Strap-On motors in the first stage is used for the launch. PSLV, also used in India's two key missions, "Chandrayan" in 2008 and Mars Orbiter in 2013, is a reliable and versatile launch vehicle for ISRO with 39 consecutive successful flights till June, 2017 and five-in-a-row from .

China leads India by massive margin in "space race" (Part 1)

India's conduct of an anti-satellite (ASAT) test on 27 March showed that Delhi is taking seriously neighbouring China's own space capabilities. While India was preening itself over its technological prowess, the fact is that India is at least twelve years behind China in this "space race", and that gulf is only going to widen given the vast resources China is pouring in.Indeed, China performed its own direct-ascent ASAT test against a weather satellite in January 2007, employing an SC-19 interceptor. However, that mission resulted in a large and hazardous field of space debris that drew the ire of the world.Even China's so-called civil space program, which has put a research lab in space and plans to put a man on the moon, is subservient to the military. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is undoubtedly using the manned space program for military purposes. For instance, all Shenzhou space capsule missiles carried military payloads or performed military missions.An example is ...

Venezuela cuts workday, extends school cancelation over blackouts

Venezuela's government announced Monday that it is reducing the length of the workday and keeping schools closed due to devastating electricity blackouts plaguing the country. Crippled infrastructure, little investment in the power grid and poor maintenance mean that the widespread blackouts that have hit Venezuela throughout the month of March are likely here to stay. Add to that the country's economic deep crisis, eye-popping inflation rate and the "brain drain" of qualified personnel -- some 25,000 people in the electricity sector have left the country, part of the 2.7 million Venezuelans who have emigrated since 2015 -- and you have the makings of a crisis with no end in sight. On Sunday, authorities acknowledged that there was not enough electricity to go around. "To achieve consistency in the provision of electricity, the Bolivarian government decided to maintain the suspension of school activities and establish a workday until 2:00 pm in public and private institutions," ...

Looking at birds through their sounds: Gujarat birder Viral Joshi captures birdcalls of over 500 Indian species

Calls of birds such as bar-headed goose, plum-headed parakeet and a flame-throated bulbul are among over 500 avian species from different corners of India recorded by Amreli-based naturalist Viral Joshi, who has put them on an online database dedicated to sharing bird sounds from all over the world.Joshi advocates the concept of looking at birds through their calls, songs and other sounds."I was attracted to birds through their calls. Often it is difficult to see birds perched high up on trees or places difficult to see with your naked eyes. But if you can identify their calls it is easy to identify them," says Joshi.Scientists across the world have been using bird calls to keep track of bird species by recording their calls using often expensive equipment, including acoustic devices worth lakhs of rupees. However, Joshi who says he has been an avid birder for almost a decade has fashioned his own recording equipment at minimal cost.Joshi has created his own recording gear that ...

China launches new data relay satellite

China sent a new data relay satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province late Sunday night.

Mass culling in Cuttack after outbreak of bird flu

Panic gripped the residents of Cuttack and nearby areas on Sunday, following an outbreak of bird flu in the city, prompting authorities to start culling of poultry. Samples collected from a state-run duck breeding centre at Khapuria on the outskirts of the city, have tested positive to the deadly strain of avian influenza, said District Chief Veterinary officer (CDVO) Loknath Behera. Veterinary teams, after receiving the test reports on Saturday, have undertaken a drive to cull all the poultry birds and destroy the eggs within one km radius of the duck breeding centre. Blood samples of the people within a 10-km radius of the locality, who have consumed eggs and bird meat over the week, will be collected, officials said. Reports said that the breeding centre witnessed deaths of at least 10 to 15 birds everyday over the past 10 days, following which samples were sent to several laboratories within the state and outside. The teams culled over 400 ducks within the breeding .

Mars still has active deep groundwater: Scientists

Deep groundwater could still be active on Mars and be the origin of surface streams in some near-equatorial areas of the "Red Planet", researchers suggest.

With opening of tulip garden in Srinagar, tourist season begins in Kashmir

Asia's largest tulip garden overlooking the famous Dal Lake here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir was Sunday thrown open to public, marking the beginning of new tourism season in the valley. The garden witnessed an impressive footfall of locals and tourists on the first day of its opening this year. "The tulip garden was thrown open for public today and we expect a very good number of visitors this year," Director Floriculture Abdul Hafiz Shah told PTI. Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was opened in 2008 by then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The idea of the garden, spread over 30 hectares in the foothills of snow-clad Zabarwan range, was conceived to advance the tourism season in the valley by two months. The average life span of tulip flower is three to four weeks, but heavy rains or too much of heat can destroy them. The Floriculture Department plants tulip bulbs in a phased manner so that the flowers remain in the garden for a month

Farmer mauled by bear in TN

A farmer suffered serious injuries after he was mauled by a bear in Kandamanur forest area in the district, police said Sunday. Ganesan of Siraparai village was on his way to a neighbouring farm when the bear suddenly came from behind a bush and attacked him. On hearing his cries, locals rushed to the spot and chased the bear away. Later, Ganesan was admitted to the government medical college hospital here. Police said bear attacks were very rare in the area and believed that the animal would have come in search of water.

Sun's magnetic field is ten times stronger than thought

The Sun's magnetic field is ten times stronger than previously believed, according to study which can potentially change our understanding of the solar atmosphere and its effects on Earth. Working from the Swedish one metre Solar Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, in the Canary Islands, David Kuridze, Research Fellow at Aberystwyth University in the UK studied a particularly strong solar flare which erupted near the surface of the Sun on September 10, 2017. A combination of favourable conditions and an element of luck enabled the team to determine the strength of the flare's magnetic field with unprecedented accuracy. The researchers believe the findings have the potential to change our understanding of the processes that happen in the Sun's immediate atmosphere. "Everything that happens in the Sun's outer atmosphere is dominated by the magnetic field, but we have very few measurements of its strength and spatial characteristics," Kuridze said. "These are critical ...

Asia's pollution exodus: Firms struggle to woo top talent

From smog breaks to pollution bonuses, Asia's businesses are promising increasingly inventive perks in a desperate bid to lure executives to a region where toxic air engulfs major cities for much of the year. Health concerns are putting off those initially attracted by Asia's growing economic opportunities, experts warn, so firms are struggling to recruit -- and retain -- people with the expertise they need. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, some 92 per cent of people in the Asia-Pacific region are exposed to levels of air pollution that pose a significant risk to health. This means that on top of large salaries, businesses are having to offer extra incentives. These include paying for smog breaks every few months, or allowing non-traditional working arrangements so people can commute from less polluted areas, says Lee Quane, Asia director for consultancy ECA International. At "a location with a higher level of pollution, you're likely to see us recommend ...

Poor air quality to remain a problem in India, despite pollution control policies

A recent study has found that more than 674 million Indian citizens are likely to breathe air with high concentrations of PM2.5 in 2030, even if India were to comply with its existing pollution control policies and regulations.The study was released by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW).The study shows that only about 833 million citizens would be living in areas that meet India's National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in 2030 and that implementation failure could increase these numbers significantly.However, aligning sustainable development policies to the implementation of advanced emission control technologies could provide NAAQS-compliant air quality to about 85 per cent of the Indian population.In 2015, more than half of the Indian population, about 670 million citizens, were exposed to PM2.5 concentrations that did not comply with India's NAAQS for PM2.5 (40 mg/m3).Further, less than 1

NASA's Mars helicopter completes flight tests

NASA's Mars Helicopter, designed to fly in thin atmosphere and low gravity, has successfully completed flight tests and is prepared for its journey to the Red Planet scheduled to take off in 2020, the US space agency said. Weighing in at no more than 1.8 kilograms, the helicopter is a technology demonstration project currently going through the rigorous verification process certifying it for Mars. The majority of the testing the flight model is going through had to do with demonstrating how it can operate on Mars, including how it performs at Mars-like temperatures, NASA said in a statement. The helicopter has to function in extremely cold temperatures, including nights with temperatures as low as minus 90 degrees Celsius. The helicopter is scheduled to reach the surface of the Red Planet in February 2021, when the firmly nestled under the belly of the Mars 2020 rover. A few months later, it will be deployed and test flights will begin -- the first from the surface of another world, ..

Sun's magnetic field stronger than believed: Study

The sun's magnetic field is 10 times stronger than previously believed, finds a study which can potentially change understanding of the processes that happen in the sun's immediate atmosphere.

India's pollution control policies unlikely to improve air quality: Study

Over 674 million Indians are likely to breathe highly polluted air in 2030, even if the country were to comply with its existing pollution control policies and regulations, according to a study. The study, released by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria and the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) in New Delhi, shows that only about 833 million citizens would be living in areas that meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in 2030. Indian citizens are likely to breathe air with high concentrations of PM2.5 in 2030, even if India were to comply with its existing pollution control policies and regulations, the report said. The study also found that the Indo-Gangetic plain, covering parts of states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal, has the highest population exposure to significant PM2.5 concentrations. This is mainly due to the high density of polluting sources and reduced ventilation by the

Cities go dark for Earth Hour, bring light to climate change

Cities around the world marked Earth Hour on Saturday by turning off lights at 8:30 p.m. local time in a call for global action on climate change. Earth Hour, spearheaded by the World Wildlife Fund, calls for greater awareness and more sparing use of resources, especially fossil fuels that produce carbon gases and lead to global warming. Beginning in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour has spread to more than 180 countries, with tens of millions of people joining in. The Empire State Building participated as clocks hit 8:30 p.m. on the U.S. East Coast with a dimming of the skyscrapers' lights. In Hong Kong, major buildings along Victoria Harbour turned off their non-essential lights and the city's popular tourist attraction known as the Symphony of Lights was cancelled. Over 3,000 corporations in Hong Kong signed up for Earth Hour 2019, according to the WWF Hong Kong website. Iconic skyscrapers including the Bank of China Tower and the HSBC Building in Central, the city's major business ...

Remote Cape with 'world's cleanest air' offers smog respite

As much of Asia wheezes, coughs and sniffles its way through another smog season, one isolated and windswept corner of Australia is serving as the global standard for clean air. With panoramic views of swaying tussock grass and the vast crystalline expanse of the Southern Ocean, Tasmania's beautiful Cape Grim peninsula is an unlikely reference point for the scientific world. But since 1976, this wild and blustery spot has been home to the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station -- a small Australian government facility with the seemingly eccentric task of bottling air. "Our job is essentially to find air as clean as you're likely to find anywhere in the world and measure just how polluted it is," Sam Cleland, the officer in charge of the station, told AFP. Looking out from his office atop the high sea cliffs, the nearest landmass to the west is Argentina, and there is nothing to the south except Antarctica. The facility's isolated location makes it perfect for collecting what many ...

US judge scraps Trump order, restores Obama-era drilling ban in Arctic

Presidents have the power under a federal law to remove certain lands from development but cannot revoke those removals, Judge Sharon Gleason said

Trump's order to revive drilling in Artic, Atlantic 'unlawful': federal judge

A federal judge has termed US President Donald Trump's order to withdraw an Obama-era ban on oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans as "unlawful".U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason on Friday said, Trump's 2017 order "is unlawful, as it exceeded the president's authority."The Obama administration's leasing withdrawals of about 120 million acres of the waters "will remain in full force and effect unless and until revoked by Congress", she added.Former President Barack Obama issued a ban on drilling in his second term through the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which allows presidents to instate leasing withdrawals but does not allow presidents to revoke such withdrawals without approval from Congress, reported The Hill.