Science and Technology - 5 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Tokyo Atacama Observatory

Why in News?

The University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) has recently been inaugurated. It is now the highest astronomical observatory in the world, situated at an altitude of 18,500 feet, surpassing the famous Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), which is located at 16,570 feet.

What is the Tokyo Atacama Observatory?

• About: The TAO telescope, with a diameter of 6.5 meters, is located at 18,500 feet on Mount Chajnantor in Chile's Atacama Desert. This region is renowned for its optimal conditions for astronomical observations due to its high elevation, low humidity, and clear skies.
• Advantages of Location: The combination of high altitude, thin atmosphere, and consistently dry climate allows for observing almost the entire spectrum of near-infrared wavelengths. Infrared radiation has longer wavelengths than visible light but shorter than microwaves, making it crucial for various astronomical studies.

Instruments: TAO features a 6.5-meter telescope equipped with two advanced scientific instruments intended for infrared observations:

• SWIMS: The Simultaneous-colour Wide-field Infrared Multi-object Spectrograph is designed to explore the evolution of galaxies.
• MIMIZUKU: The Mid-Infrared Multi-field Imager for gazing at the Unknown Universe focuses on studying planet formation and the origins of various materials.

What are Some Other Major Observatories in India and Around the World?

India:

• Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, Pune (Maharashtra)
• Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu)
• Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), Hanle (Ladakh)

Other International Observatories:

• Mauna Kea Observatories (Hawaii, USA)
• Kitt Peak National Observatory (Arizona, USA)
• Mount Wilson Observatory (California, USA)
• Square Kilometre Array Observatory

India's Initiative for Bio-Bitumen Production

Why in news?

India is set to initiate large-scale production of bio-bitumen derived from biomass and agricultural waste. This initiative is led by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, aiming to reduce reliance on imported bitumen. A pilot study will be conducted on a 1-km road segment using bio-bitumen, targeting a transition to this sustainable alternative within the next decade.

CRRI New Initiative:

• Objective: Reduce dependence on imported bitumen.
• Expected Outcome: Replace imports with bio-bitumen over the next ten years.
• Establishment: CRRI was established in 1952 and is located in New Delhi.
• Focus: The institute conducts research and development in road and runway infrastructure.

About Bio-Bitumen:

• Definition: Bio-bitumen is a sustainable alternative to traditional bitumen, free from petroleum.
• Also Known As: Bio-asphalt.
• Source Materials: Made from organic materials like bio-char and bio-oil.
• Usage: Can supplement or partially replace traditional bitumen in road construction.

How is Bio-Bitumen Made?

• Composition: Derived from lignins, which are natural biopolymers found in plant cell walls.
• Production Process: Involves heating a mixture of waste materials to approximately 500°C in an oxygen-free environment, known as pyrolysis.
• Similarity: This process is akin to charcoal and biochar production and is also utilized in biofuel manufacturing.

Benefits of Bio-Bitumen:

• Reduced Imports: Aims to decrease dependency on foreign bitumen.
• Environmental Impact: Utilizes organic waste, addressing issues like stubble burning.
• Economic Benefits: Offers significant savings in foreign exchange.
• Promotion of Bio-economy: Encourages the use of renewable resources in construction.

About Bitumen:

• Definition: Bitumen is a viscous black substance primarily sourced from crude oil.
• Composition: It consists of complex hydrocarbons and contains calcium, iron, sulfur, and oxygen.
• Properties: Known for its waterproofing and adhesive qualities, making it essential in construction.

India's Current Situation – Bitumen

• Demand Growth: Bitumen consumption in India has significantly increased alongside road construction activities.
• Consumption Trends: Average annual consumption rose from 5.94 million tonnes (2014-19) to 7.7 million tonnes.
• Import Dependency: India imports about 50% of its annual bitumen needs.
• Import Figures: In FY 2023-24, India imported 3.21 million tonnes of bitumen.
• Domestic Production: During the same period, India produced 5.24 million tonnes of bitumen locally.

Pushpak, ISRO’s Reusable Launch Vehicle

Why in news?

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved a significant milestone by successfully conducting the third and final Landing Experiment (RLV LEX-03) for the Pushpak vehicle. This experiment showcased the vehicle's capability to land autonomously under challenging conditions, including severe wind.

What is RLV LEX-03 Mission?

• The RLV LEX-03 mission involved the release of the Pushpak vehicle from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km.
• After release, the winged vehicle autonomously performed cross-range correction maneuvers to accurately approach the runway and executed a precise horizontal landing at the runway's centerline.
• The vehicle achieved a high-speed landing, initially exceeding 320 km/h, which was successfully decelerated to approximately 100 km/h using its brake parachute and landing gear brakes.

Technologies and Capabilities Demonstrated:

• Precise Landing: The LEX-03 utilized multisensor fusion technology for controlled and accurate landing.
• Autonomous Flight: The Pushpak vehicle exhibited its capacity for self-landing, including course correction during descent.
• Reusable Design: This mission made use of critical components from a previous flight, underscoring the cost-saving potential of reusable launch vehicles (RLVs).

Significance:

This mission successfully simulated both the approach and landing interface and the high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle re-entering from space. It validated ISRO's advanced guidance algorithms for making longitudinal and lateral error corrections, which are crucial for upcoming orbital re-entry missions. By testing vital technologies such as autonomous landing and the reuse of parts, it lays the groundwork for developing a fully reusable launch vehicle. This advancement has the potential to significantly reduce launch costs and enhance the efficiency of space missions.

What are Reusable Launch Vehicles?

Reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) are rockets designed for multiple uses in space missions, unlike traditional expendable rockets that are discarded after each launch.

Different from Multi-Stage Rocket:

• In a standard multi-stage rocket, the first stage is typically jettisoned after its fuel is exhausted to reduce weight, allowing subsequent stages to continue launching the payload into orbit.
• RLVs, on the other hand, are engineered to recover and reuse the first stage. After detaching from the upper stages, the first stage employs engines or parachutes to land back on Earth.
• This capability allows the RLV to be refurbished for future launches, dramatically lowering the overall costs associated with space missions.

Space Agencies Currently Using or Developing RLVs:

• SpaceX (USA): The Falcon 9 rocket has completed over 220 launches, with 178 successful landings and 155 re-flights as of May 2023.
• Blue Origin (USA): The New Shepard vehicle conducts suborbital flights and is designed to land vertically.
• JAXA (Japan): Actively researching reusable launch systems to reduce the costs of accessing space.
• ESA (Europe): Engaged in research for reusable launch systems aimed at making space access more affordable.
• ISRO (India): Developed the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) and successfully executed a landing.

New Freshwater Diatom Genus Discovered

Why in news?

Recently, scientists have identified a new genus of freshwater diatom named Indiconema. These microscopic algae are vital to ecosystems and were found in the pristine rivers of the Eastern and Western Ghats.

What are the Key Features of Indiconema?

• Indiconema is named to highlight its limited distribution within India.
• This genus is characterized by unique valve symmetry and a distinctive valve structure, setting it apart from other members of the Gomphonemoid group.
• It has pore fields located at both the head and foot poles, contrasting with other species that typically only have them at the foot pole.
• Indiconema was discovered in both the Eastern and Western Ghats, showcasing the shared endemic biodiversity between these mountain ranges, similar to other endemic-rich groups like reptiles.
• Morphological features suggest a close relationship between Indiconema and Afrocymbella, a genus found in East Africa, indicating biogeographic connections between diatom species in India and East Africa.

What are Diatoms?

• Diatoms contribute approximately 25% of the global oxygen supply, playing an essential role in aquatic ecosystems as primary producers.
• They are recognized as sensitive indicators of aquatic health, responding noticeably to changes in water chemistry.
• The first recorded microorganisms in India were diatoms, with a report by German naturalist Ehrenberg in his 1845 publication Mikrogeologie.
• India is home to around 6,500 diatom taxa, with around 30% being endemic, showcasing the country's rich biodiversity.
• The diverse biogeographic zones across India support a variety of diatom species in different habitats, including freshwater, marine environments, and mountainous regions.
• The evolution of the monsoon and the resulting rainforest biome in the Indian Peninsula have significantly shaped the diatom flora.
• The distinct physiographic and climatic gradients of the Eastern and Western Ghats create a variety of habitats for unique diatom species.

Developments in HIV Vaccine Research

Why in News?

Despite four decades of research, traditional vaccination methods have failed to prevent HIV infection due to the virus's rapid mutation and its ability to evade the immune system. Experts suggest that more advanced vaccine strategies will be necessary, indicating that ongoing research and development will require additional time.

What is the Traditional Vaccine Approach against HIV?

• Definition: The traditional vaccine approach involves creating vaccines aimed at preventing infection from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using standard methods.
• Methods: This includes using inactivated or weakened virus forms, viral subunits, or other components that stimulate an immune response.
• Objective: The goal is to activate the body's immune system to recognize and attack HIV, which can prevent infection or lessen the disease's severity.
• Functionality: It trains the body to defend against new viral invaders.

Failure of Traditional Vaccine Approach Against HIV:

• Lack of Natural Self-Defense: Most human bodies struggle to build effective defenses against HIV independently.
• Rapid Mutation: HIV constantly changes its structure, which allows it to evade the immune response generated by vaccines.
• Extreme Viral Diversity: The vast array of circulating HIV variants complicates efforts to target all strains effectively.
• Complex Immune Response: An effective vaccine must provoke both antibody and cellular responses to cope with the virus's rapid changes.

What is the Progress in the Development of Effective HIV Vaccines?

• Broadly Neutralising Antibodies (bNAbs): These antibodies can neutralize a wide range of circulating viral strains, offering potential solutions against HIV.
• Germline Targeting Approach: This strategy employs a series of vaccines to promote the growth and development of specialized precursor B cells, which are essential for producing bNAbs capable of neutralizing various HIV strains.

Other Vaccines:

• N332-GT5 Immunogen: Designed to train B cells to generate a powerful antibody known as BG18.
• MPER-Targeting Vaccine: Focuses on a stable region of the HIV envelope that undergoes fewer mutations, making it a promising target for vaccine development.

3D Printing

Why in the News?

IIT Madras-incubated space startup Agnikul Cosmos has successfully launched the world’s first single-piece 3D printed rocket engine of Rocket Agnibaan SOrTeD.

More about the News

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently completed a successful hot test of a liquid rocket engine.
• The engine tested is known as the PS4 engine, which is the fourth stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• This engine was developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at ISRO.
• The manufacturing process used for this engine is called Additive Manufacturing (AM), commonly known as 3D Printing Technology.
• For building the engine, the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technique was utilized.

About Agnibaan SOrTeD

• Rocket Agnibaan SOrTeD is India’s first rocket flight powered by a semi-cryogenic engine.
• A suborbital flight reaches a very high altitude but does not go into orbit.
• The engine was created using 3D Printing technology.
• This rocket was launched from India’s first privately built launchpad called Dhanush, located at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• The launch received support from ISRO and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).
• It is a two-stage rocket with the ability to carry payloads weighing up to 100 kg to a height of 700 km in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
• There is an optional third stage of the Agnibaan, referred to as the baby stage.
• This rocket can reach both low- and high-inclination orbits.
• Building one rocket engine takes around 75 hours, which is much quicker than the usual 10 to 12 weeks needed for a similar-sized rocket engine using traditional methods.

About Semi-Cryogenic Engine (SCE)

• Agnilet, which powers the Agnibaan rocket, uses a fuel mix of Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Kerosene.
• The SCE (Satellite Launch Vehicle) employs a fuel that can be stored at higher temperatures than cryogenic engines, making it easier to handle and store while still providing high performance.
• Cryogenic engines rely on liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as an oxidizer, both needing very low temperatures to stay in liquid form.
• ISRO is working on semi-cryogenic propulsion systems to improve the payload capacity of the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 and for future launch vehicles.

About AM / 3D Printing:

• It is the technology that constructs a three-dimensional object from a digital 3D model by adding material layer by layer.
• It is the opposite of subtractive (traditional) manufacturing, in which an object is created by cutting away at a solid block of material.
• AM materials include thermoplastics, metal and metal alloys, ceramics, and biomaterials such as bioinks.

Process involved in AM / 3D Printing:

• Additive Manufacturing technologies can be divided into two main types: virtual models and physical models.
• The virtual model consists of computer-based designs and software used for simulation and optimization.
• A 3D model of the desired object is created using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
• The physical model refers to the three-dimensional designs that are quickly turned into real objects, a process called rapid prototyping.
• 3D printers are employed to produce these structures.
• 3D printers are machines that convert digital design files into tangible objects or components.
• This process utilizes various methods, including:
  • Material Jetting
  • Directed Energy Deposition
  • Sheet Lamination

Advantages of 3D Printing:

• Rapid Prototyping: 3D printing has significantly quickened the process of creating prototypes, acting as a key driver in developing new products. It allows ideas to move quickly from being just thoughts to actual objects.
• Design Flexibility: Complex designs that were almost impossible or very costly to make with traditional manufacturing methods can now be created easily. For example, the aerospace and automotive sectors can produce parts with detailed shapes without losing strength.
• Sustainability: This technology greatly decreases waste by using only the necessary materials for printing and supports. Additionally, it employs eco-friendly materials, such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), which is made from renewable resources like corn starch or sugarcane.
• On-demand Production: Businesses can shift from producing large quantities of items to creating customized products quickly, based on actual needs.
• Quality Assurance: With digital tools, mistakes in designs can be spotted and fixed even before printing starts. The layer-by-layer printing method also ensures that every produced item is consistent in quality.
• Supply Chain Enhancement: This approach reduces the need for large storage spaces for keeping many items or parts in stock.

Key Initiatives Taken to Promote 3D Printing:

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) introduced the “National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing” in 2022.
• This strategy aims to capture 5% of the global additive manufacturing market and contribute around US$ 1 billion to the country's GDP by 2025.
• The National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology in Aurangabad has set up a 3D printing lab.
• In 2023, MeitY established the National Centre for Additive Manufacturing in partnership with the Government of Telangana.

Recent Developments in India:

• India’s first 3D-printed post office was created in Bengaluru.
• Telangana unveiled the world’s first 3D-printed temple at Burugupally, Siddipet district.

Conclusion

• 3D Printing has changed how things are made.
• In India, this technology is still in the early stages.
• The success of 3D Printing will depend on how well the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing is put into action.
• The private sector needs to embrace this technology because it offers many advantages compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

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