The ISRO Chairman, Dr G. Madhavan Nair (left), with fellow scientists at a press conference after the successful launch of the PSLV-C10 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
Madhumathi D.S.
Bangalore, Jan. 22 ISRO’s arm Antrix Corporation may be snapping up some more satellite launch contracts from global customers.
The ISRO Chairman, Dr G. Madhavan Nair, indicated as much. “We expect that in the near term, two major contracts will come through. We have already signed a contract for half a dozen small satellites,” he told Business Line. The small or nanosats have been built by Canadian and Dutch universities.
One of the prime but domestic contracts, which may be coming up in February, is Cartosat-2A. Mr Nair said the spacecraft, built at the Bangalore satellite centre, “has just been shifted today”. The earth observation satellite is a Ministry of Defence mission, with no details coming from ISRO.
He was speaking from Chennai hours after a PSLV rocket put an Israeli reconnaissance satellite, the 300-kg TecSAR/ Polaris, into orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
There are reports that the launch contracts of two more upcoming TecSARs may also be coming to Antrix. Mr Nair merely said, “They [Israel] are happy with this launch perfect. If they come with a request for any other launch, we will have to see the merit of the case, if it is attractive and comes with a good price, etc.”
Mr Nair admitted a delay in the launch of TecSAR. “We had some technical problems around September-October. By the time we resolved them, we got into the severe monsoon period of Sriharikota.”
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
ISRO planning to launch satellite to study the sun
100-kg ‘Aditya’ should be up in space by 2012 to study the dynamic solar corona, the outermost region of the sun.
Bangalore: In the midst of the buzz about Chandrayaan, the moon mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a satellite to study the sun.
‘Aditya’ should be up in space by 2012 to study the dynamic solar corona, the outermost region of the sun. This fiery region has temperatures of over one million degrees, with raging solar winds that reach a velocity of up to 1000 km a second. The satellite will carry as its payload an advanced solar coronagraph.
“Aditya will be a small satellite weighing 100 kg, placed most likely in a near-earth orbit of 600 km,” said G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO. “The satellite is intended to study one of the most fundamental problems of coronal heating, and other phenomena that take place in the magnetosphere. “This will be one of the first projects scheduled in a road map formulated by the Advisory Committee for Space Research, said Mr. Nair.
Beyond being a research exercise, Aditya has a unique practical application: to protect ISRO’s satellites from the vagaries of solar phenomena, said R. Sridharan, Programme Director, Space Science Office, ISRO.
“The sun’s corona is highly active, releasing energy during solar flares in the form of bursts — manifesting as geomagnetic storms on earth. These associated charged particles can distort the earth’s magnetic field, and have a huge bearing on near-earth space where our satellites are located,” he explained.
The launch of Aditya will coincide with a ‘solar maximum’ a phase of high solar dynamism, which will occur in 2012, said Prof. Sridharan.
“The sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity — we crossed the solar minimum in 2006,” he said. The coronagraph will study the solar corona through an artificial eclipse that will prevent sunlight from directly entering the instrument, revealing to the telescope only the halo of the corona.
The advisory committee has constituted a national-level study group to work out the optimum configuration for the coronagraph, among other parameters.
The study group comprises individuals from the ISRO Satellite Centre, Udaipur Solar Observatory, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Radio Astronomy Centre, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, and several universities, said Prof. Sridharan. Their report will be out by May, and the project finalised by the end of 2008, he added. The projected cost of the satellite is approximately Rs. 50 crore.
“We want to cut costs by avoiding a dedicated launch. With ISRO’s multiple launching capability, Aditya could go as a co-passenger in one of the many launches scheduled for the next four years,” said Prof. Sridharan. “The cost of the instrument can also be reduced by nearly a factor of 10 by using screened industrial grade components. We do not need this satellite for more than two years — it would have gathered an enormous amount of data in this span of time.”
Bangalore: In the midst of the buzz about Chandrayaan, the moon mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a satellite to study the sun.
‘Aditya’ should be up in space by 2012 to study the dynamic solar corona, the outermost region of the sun. This fiery region has temperatures of over one million degrees, with raging solar winds that reach a velocity of up to 1000 km a second. The satellite will carry as its payload an advanced solar coronagraph.
“Aditya will be a small satellite weighing 100 kg, placed most likely in a near-earth orbit of 600 km,” said G. Madhavan Nair, Chairman, ISRO. “The satellite is intended to study one of the most fundamental problems of coronal heating, and other phenomena that take place in the magnetosphere. “This will be one of the first projects scheduled in a road map formulated by the Advisory Committee for Space Research, said Mr. Nair.
Beyond being a research exercise, Aditya has a unique practical application: to protect ISRO’s satellites from the vagaries of solar phenomena, said R. Sridharan, Programme Director, Space Science Office, ISRO.
“The sun’s corona is highly active, releasing energy during solar flares in the form of bursts — manifesting as geomagnetic storms on earth. These associated charged particles can distort the earth’s magnetic field, and have a huge bearing on near-earth space where our satellites are located,” he explained.
The launch of Aditya will coincide with a ‘solar maximum’ a phase of high solar dynamism, which will occur in 2012, said Prof. Sridharan.
“The sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity — we crossed the solar minimum in 2006,” he said. The coronagraph will study the solar corona through an artificial eclipse that will prevent sunlight from directly entering the instrument, revealing to the telescope only the halo of the corona.
The advisory committee has constituted a national-level study group to work out the optimum configuration for the coronagraph, among other parameters.
The study group comprises individuals from the ISRO Satellite Centre, Udaipur Solar Observatory, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Radio Astronomy Centre, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics, and several universities, said Prof. Sridharan. Their report will be out by May, and the project finalised by the end of 2008, he added. The projected cost of the satellite is approximately Rs. 50 crore.
“We want to cut costs by avoiding a dedicated launch. With ISRO’s multiple launching capability, Aditya could go as a co-passenger in one of the many launches scheduled for the next four years,” said Prof. Sridharan. “The cost of the instrument can also be reduced by nearly a factor of 10 by using screened industrial grade components. We do not need this satellite for more than two years — it would have gathered an enormous amount of data in this span of time.”
Friday, January 4, 2008
Asteroid to miss Mars, may hit Earth
Friday, 4th Jan, 2008
An asteroid that has a one in 20 chance of striking Mars on January 30, might just fly past, which would probably make it target Earth at some point in future.
Designated 2007 WD5, the 160-foot wide asteroid was originally identified as a possible risk to Earth, though later analysis showed that it actually might be on a collision course with Mars.
According to a report in Discovery News, Donald Yeomans, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has said that the odds are that the asteroid is going to fly right past Mars.
In the long run, that may not be good news for Earth, which could find itself in the asteroid's path at some point in the future. "Something of this size could take out a fairly large metropolitan area," said Yeomans.
But unlike the 1908 Tunguska event, when a large asteroid exploded over central Siberia with the force of a large nuclear bomb, now there would be advance warning of a possible strike, as well as the tools and knowledge to divert the threat.
An asteroid that has a one in 20 chance of striking Mars on January 30, might just fly past, which would probably make it target Earth at some point in future.
Designated 2007 WD5, the 160-foot wide asteroid was originally identified as a possible risk to Earth, though later analysis showed that it actually might be on a collision course with Mars.
According to a report in Discovery News, Donald Yeomans, a planetary scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has said that the odds are that the asteroid is going to fly right past Mars.
In the long run, that may not be good news for Earth, which could find itself in the asteroid's path at some point in the future. "Something of this size could take out a fairly large metropolitan area," said Yeomans.
But unlike the 1908 Tunguska event, when a large asteroid exploded over central Siberia with the force of a large nuclear bomb, now there would be advance warning of a possible strike, as well as the tools and knowledge to divert the threat.
Insects caused dinosaur extinction?
Thursday : 3rd jan, 2008
A new study by scientists has suggested that dinosaurs might have been wiped off the face off the Earth by biting, disease-carrying insects over a long period of time.
According to the study, the rise and evolution of insects, especially the slow-but-overwhelming threat posed by new disease carriers, could have been an important contributor to the demise of the dinosaurs.
The evidence for this emerging threat has been captured in almost lifelike-detail in the form of various insects preserved in amber that date to the time when dinosaurs disappeared.
As a semi-precious gem that first begins to form as sap oozing from a tree, amber has the unique ability to trap very small animals or other materials and – as a natural embalming agent – display them in nearly perfect, three-dimensional form millions of years later.
"We found in the gut of one biting insect, preserved in amber from that era, the pathogen that causes leishmania – a serious disease still today, one that can infect both reptiles and humans. In another biting insect, we discovered organisms that cause malaria, a type that infects birds and lizards today," said George Poinar Jr., a courtesy professor of zoology at Oregon State University.
"In dinosaur feces, we found nematodes, trematodes and even protozoa that could have caused dysentery and other abdominal disturbances. The infective stages of these intestinal parasites are carried by filth-visiting insects," he added.
These facts make the authors of the study argue that insects provide a plausible and effective explanation for the slow, inexorable decline and eventual extinction of dinosaurs over many thousands of years. This period is known as the famous "K-T Boundary," or the line between the Cretaceous and Tertiary Period about 65 million years ago.
In the Late Cretaceous period, the world was covered with warm-temperate to tropical areas that swarmed with blood-sucking insects carrying leishmania, malaria, intestinal parasites, arboviruses and other pathogens. These insects caused repeated epidemics that slowly-but-surely wore down dinosaur populations.
In fact, ticks, mites, lice and biting flies would have tormented the giant reptiles and weakened them considerably.
According to Poimar, back in the Cretaceous, these diseases were new and invasive, and vertebrates had little or no natural or acquired immunity to them. Massive outbreaks causing death and localized extinctions would have occurred, he said.
Also, insects could have spread plant diseases that destroyed large tracts of vegetation, and they could have been major competitors for the available plant food supply.
"We don’t suggest that the appearance of biting insects and the spread of disease are the only things that relate to dinosaur extinction," said Poinar. "Other geologic and catastrophic events certainly played a role. But by themselves, such events do not explain a process that in reality took a very, very long time, perhaps millions of years. Insects and diseases do provide that explanation," he added.
A new study by scientists has suggested that dinosaurs might have been wiped off the face off the Earth by biting, disease-carrying insects over a long period of time.
According to the study, the rise and evolution of insects, especially the slow-but-overwhelming threat posed by new disease carriers, could have been an important contributor to the demise of the dinosaurs.
The evidence for this emerging threat has been captured in almost lifelike-detail in the form of various insects preserved in amber that date to the time when dinosaurs disappeared.
As a semi-precious gem that first begins to form as sap oozing from a tree, amber has the unique ability to trap very small animals or other materials and – as a natural embalming agent – display them in nearly perfect, three-dimensional form millions of years later.
"We found in the gut of one biting insect, preserved in amber from that era, the pathogen that causes leishmania – a serious disease still today, one that can infect both reptiles and humans. In another biting insect, we discovered organisms that cause malaria, a type that infects birds and lizards today," said George Poinar Jr., a courtesy professor of zoology at Oregon State University.
"In dinosaur feces, we found nematodes, trematodes and even protozoa that could have caused dysentery and other abdominal disturbances. The infective stages of these intestinal parasites are carried by filth-visiting insects," he added.
These facts make the authors of the study argue that insects provide a plausible and effective explanation for the slow, inexorable decline and eventual extinction of dinosaurs over many thousands of years. This period is known as the famous "K-T Boundary," or the line between the Cretaceous and Tertiary Period about 65 million years ago.
In the Late Cretaceous period, the world was covered with warm-temperate to tropical areas that swarmed with blood-sucking insects carrying leishmania, malaria, intestinal parasites, arboviruses and other pathogens. These insects caused repeated epidemics that slowly-but-surely wore down dinosaur populations.
In fact, ticks, mites, lice and biting flies would have tormented the giant reptiles and weakened them considerably.
According to Poimar, back in the Cretaceous, these diseases were new and invasive, and vertebrates had little or no natural or acquired immunity to them. Massive outbreaks causing death and localized extinctions would have occurred, he said.
Also, insects could have spread plant diseases that destroyed large tracts of vegetation, and they could have been major competitors for the available plant food supply.
"We don’t suggest that the appearance of biting insects and the spread of disease are the only things that relate to dinosaur extinction," said Poinar. "Other geologic and catastrophic events certainly played a role. But by themselves, such events do not explain a process that in reality took a very, very long time, perhaps millions of years. Insects and diseases do provide that explanation," he added.
Insects caused dinosaur extinction?
A new study by scientists has suggested that dinosaurs might have been wiped off the face off the Earth by biting, disease-carrying insects over a long period of time.
According to the study, the rise and evolution of insects, especially the slow-but-overwhelming threat posed by new disease carriers, could have been an important contributor to the demise of the dinosaurs.
The evidence for this emerging threat has been captured in almost lifelike-detail in the form of various insects preserved in amber that date to the time when dinosaurs disappeared.
As a semi-precious gem that first begins to form as sap oozing from a tree, amber has the unique ability to trap very small animals or other materials and – as a natural embalming agent – display them in nearly perfect, three-dimensional form millions of years later.
"We found in the gut of one biting insect, preserved in amber from that era, the pathogen that causes leishmania – a serious disease still today, one that can infect both reptiles and humans. In another biting insect, we discovered organisms that cause malaria, a type that infects birds and lizards today," said George Poinar Jr., a courtesy professor of zoology at Oregon State University.
"In dinosaur feces, we found nematodes, trematodes and even protozoa that could have caused dysentery and other abdominal disturbances. The infective stages of these intestinal parasites are carried by filth-visiting insects," he added.
These facts make the authors of the study argue that insects provide a plausible and effective explanation for the slow, inexorable decline and eventual extinction of dinosaurs over many thousands of years. This period is known as the famous "K-T Boundary," or the line between the Cretaceous and Tertiary Period about 65 million years ago.
In the Late Cretaceous period, the world was covered with warm-temperate to tropical areas that swarmed with blood-sucking insects carrying leishmania, malaria, intestinal parasites, arboviruses and other pathogens. These insects caused repeated epidemics that slowly-but-surely wore down dinosaur populations.
In fact, ticks, mites, lice and biting flies would have tormented the giant reptiles and weakened them considerably.
According to Poimar, back in the Cretaceous, these diseases were new and invasive, and vertebrates had little or no natural or acquired immunity to them. Massive outbreaks causing death and localized extinctions would have occurred, he said.
Also, insects could have spread plant diseases that destroyed large tracts of vegetation, and they could have been major competitors for the available plant food supply.
"We don’t suggest that the appearance of biting insects and the spread of disease are the only things that relate to dinosaur extinction," said Poinar. "Other geologic and catastrophic events certainly played a role. But by themselves, such events do not explain a process that in reality took a very, very long time, perhaps millions of years. Insects and diseases do provide that explanation," he added.
According to the study, the rise and evolution of insects, especially the slow-but-overwhelming threat posed by new disease carriers, could have been an important contributor to the demise of the dinosaurs.
The evidence for this emerging threat has been captured in almost lifelike-detail in the form of various insects preserved in amber that date to the time when dinosaurs disappeared.
As a semi-precious gem that first begins to form as sap oozing from a tree, amber has the unique ability to trap very small animals or other materials and – as a natural embalming agent – display them in nearly perfect, three-dimensional form millions of years later.
"We found in the gut of one biting insect, preserved in amber from that era, the pathogen that causes leishmania – a serious disease still today, one that can infect both reptiles and humans. In another biting insect, we discovered organisms that cause malaria, a type that infects birds and lizards today," said George Poinar Jr., a courtesy professor of zoology at Oregon State University.
"In dinosaur feces, we found nematodes, trematodes and even protozoa that could have caused dysentery and other abdominal disturbances. The infective stages of these intestinal parasites are carried by filth-visiting insects," he added.
These facts make the authors of the study argue that insects provide a plausible and effective explanation for the slow, inexorable decline and eventual extinction of dinosaurs over many thousands of years. This period is known as the famous "K-T Boundary," or the line between the Cretaceous and Tertiary Period about 65 million years ago.
In the Late Cretaceous period, the world was covered with warm-temperate to tropical areas that swarmed with blood-sucking insects carrying leishmania, malaria, intestinal parasites, arboviruses and other pathogens. These insects caused repeated epidemics that slowly-but-surely wore down dinosaur populations.
In fact, ticks, mites, lice and biting flies would have tormented the giant reptiles and weakened them considerably.
According to Poimar, back in the Cretaceous, these diseases were new and invasive, and vertebrates had little or no natural or acquired immunity to them. Massive outbreaks causing death and localized extinctions would have occurred, he said.
Also, insects could have spread plant diseases that destroyed large tracts of vegetation, and they could have been major competitors for the available plant food supply.
"We don’t suggest that the appearance of biting insects and the spread of disease are the only things that relate to dinosaur extinction," said Poinar. "Other geologic and catastrophic events certainly played a role. But by themselves, such events do not explain a process that in reality took a very, very long time, perhaps millions of years. Insects and diseases do provide that explanation," he added.
Scientists discover new planet outside solar system
Thursday, 03 January , 2008.
Heidelberg: Scientists in Germany have discovered what is believed to be the youngest planet outside the solar system, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics announced on Wednesday.
The giant young planet, called TW Hydrae b, "is still linked to the dusty disk surrounding its parent star", the institute said ahead of publication of the discovery in the British science journal Nature.
The planet has a mass ten times greater than that of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, and orbits its mother star every 3.65 days at a distance of 6 million kilometres.
The astronomers estimate that the age of the new planetary system is about 10 million years, which is only about 0.2 per cent of the age of the solar system.
Planets are believed to form within disks of dust and gas around newly born stars, enabling them to tell scientists something about how their planetary systems were formed.
The discovery of the newborn extra-solar planet, located in the constellation of Hydra, shows that it formed rapidly after the birth of its nearby star, the institute said.
Heidelberg: Scientists in Germany have discovered what is believed to be the youngest planet outside the solar system, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics announced on Wednesday.
The giant young planet, called TW Hydrae b, "is still linked to the dusty disk surrounding its parent star", the institute said ahead of publication of the discovery in the British science journal Nature.
The planet has a mass ten times greater than that of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, and orbits its mother star every 3.65 days at a distance of 6 million kilometres.
The astronomers estimate that the age of the new planetary system is about 10 million years, which is only about 0.2 per cent of the age of the solar system.
Planets are believed to form within disks of dust and gas around newly born stars, enabling them to tell scientists something about how their planetary systems were formed.
The discovery of the newborn extra-solar planet, located in the constellation of Hydra, shows that it formed rapidly after the birth of its nearby star, the institute said.
SatNav launches World Class PND at Rs 12000/-
SatNav Technologies, a Hyderabad based IT Products Company; the pioneers of GPS Technology in India since 2002, today announced the launch of Personal Navigation Device (PND) for the Indian market at a remarkably low price of Rs. 12,000 /- only. The PND is a dedicated navigation device that guides users to their destination with SatNav’s very own SatGuide map software and maps.
For the PND Hardware, SatNav Technologies has partnered with Mio Technology which is a world leader in personal GPS devices that develops the most advanced personal navigation products available in the market today. The device offers a touch screen interface with simple intuitive software. It also has a built in MP3 player and a built in Photo Viewer. It runs on WinCE 5.0 which is the latest in the market, sports a 64MB Flash with 512MB RAM which allows a much higher performance of all applications. A USB charging facility coupled with both a car charger and a room charger ensures that the unit will never run out of power!
This device has sophisticated navigation functions with clear maps, turn-by-turn guidance and voice instructions. The device is extremely user friendly. The SatGuide software also comes with a demo on ‘how to use’ instructions. For people who need technical support, SatNav Technologies provides customer support from 6:30 am to 11:30 pm everyday of the working week and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays and National Holidays.
The PND is the perfect device to help the users reach their destinations with great ease. The PND device with SatGuide now has more maps, has more Points of Interests (POIs), better dependability and is about Rs.10,000 cheaper than its nearest competitor. SatNav Technologies focuses on providing the best end product at all the best price and does not bring in outdated technology into the country.
SatNav Technologies has also been pioneer in map development in India. After having spent nearly a decade on map research, SatNav Technologies came out with the first version of its map in 2005. They have now been able to bring 85% precision to their maps of India and its major cities. And, as a continued commitment to provide the best maps to its customers, the company offers updated maps every quarter. SatGuide currently covers detailed maps for 30+ cities and an All India Map to facilitate your traveling from city to city. After the maps have been surveyed over and over again and have been tried and tested by their 10300+ users, version 6 has now been launched.
For the software component, SatNav Technologies has partnered with Destinator Technologies, which is a global company that provides innovative and flexible navigation software. Through consistent innovation and with one of world’s largest research and development teams in the industry, Destinator creates the most compelling navigation experiences for the end user.
For the PND Hardware, SatNav Technologies has partnered with Mio Technology which is a world leader in personal GPS devices that develops the most advanced personal navigation products available in the market today. The device offers a touch screen interface with simple intuitive software. It also has a built in MP3 player and a built in Photo Viewer. It runs on WinCE 5.0 which is the latest in the market, sports a 64MB Flash with 512MB RAM which allows a much higher performance of all applications. A USB charging facility coupled with both a car charger and a room charger ensures that the unit will never run out of power!
This device has sophisticated navigation functions with clear maps, turn-by-turn guidance and voice instructions. The device is extremely user friendly. The SatGuide software also comes with a demo on ‘how to use’ instructions. For people who need technical support, SatNav Technologies provides customer support from 6:30 am to 11:30 pm everyday of the working week and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays and National Holidays.
The PND is the perfect device to help the users reach their destinations with great ease. The PND device with SatGuide now has more maps, has more Points of Interests (POIs), better dependability and is about Rs.10,000 cheaper than its nearest competitor. SatNav Technologies focuses on providing the best end product at all the best price and does not bring in outdated technology into the country.
SatNav Technologies has also been pioneer in map development in India. After having spent nearly a decade on map research, SatNav Technologies came out with the first version of its map in 2005. They have now been able to bring 85% precision to their maps of India and its major cities. And, as a continued commitment to provide the best maps to its customers, the company offers updated maps every quarter. SatGuide currently covers detailed maps for 30+ cities and an All India Map to facilitate your traveling from city to city. After the maps have been surveyed over and over again and have been tried and tested by their 10300+ users, version 6 has now been launched.
For the software component, SatNav Technologies has partnered with Destinator Technologies, which is a global company that provides innovative and flexible navigation software. Through consistent innovation and with one of world’s largest research and development teams in the industry, Destinator creates the most compelling navigation experiences for the end user.
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