Science/Tech / The Times of India
ISRO is preparing for the Gaganyaan G1 mission, an uncrewed test flight scheduled for December 2025, featuring the Vyommitra humanoid robot. This mission will validate critical technologies and safety protocols for future crewed flights. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's ISS experience will inform the mission, highlighting the importance of international collaboration and rigorous testing to ensure astronaut safety and mission success.
Hurricane Erin is a Category 2 storm in the Atlantic. It churns away from the US East Coast. The storm generates rip currents and coastal flooding. Astronauts on the International Space Station captured the storm. Warnings are issued from North Carolina to New York. The storm will bring rain and winds to Canada.
NASA is changing its focus. The agency will now prioritize space exploration over climate research. Sean Duffy announced the change. NASA will scale back Earth science programs. The agency will concentrate on Moon and Mars missions. This includes lunar bases and crewed Mars missions. The decision has sparked controversy. Scientists worry about the impact on climate monitoring.
Russia launched Bion-M No. 2 from Baikonur Cosmodrome. The mission carries mice, fruit flies, plants, and lunar dust. Scientists will study microgravity and cosmic radiation effects. Lunar simulants will be exposed to space conditions. The aim is to understand moon-like dust reactions. Animals will help explore radiation effects. This mission shapes future human space exploration and medical science.
Starlink, under Elon Musk, is partnering with UIDAI to streamline KYC for Indian users via Aadhaar-based verification. This collaboration enables quick, secure, and paperless onboarding, ensuring regulatory compliance and a user-friendly experience. The initiative highlights the scalability and reliability of India's digital infrastructure, demonstrating how Aadhaar supports innovative technology adoption while maintaining transparency and user control over personal data.
NASA, in collaboration with IBM, has unveiled 'Surya,' a groundbreaking AI model designed to revolutionize space weather forecasting. Trained on nine years of Solar Dynamics Observatory data, Surya accurately predicts solar flares and eruptions, crucial for safeguarding satellites, communication systems, and power grids. Early results show a 16% accuracy boost and two-hour advance visual forecasts.
A 120-million-year-old Hyphalosaurus fossil, unearthed in China, reveals a rare case of axial bifurcation, resulting in a two-headed reptile. This remarkable find, published in Biology Letters, represents the oldest known instance of this congenital defect in the vertebrate fossil record. The discovery provides valuable insights into developmental anomalies and evolutionary challenges faced by ancient species.
Kairan Quazi, the 16-year-old prodigy, is transitioning from SpaceX's Starlink project to Citadel Securities as a quant developer. After graduating from Santa Clara University at 14, he defied age barriers at SpaceX. Now, he's set to apply his unique engineering and problem-solving skills to quantitative finance, overcoming challenges related to age-based biases in the professional world.
Recent research indicates Mercury, the solar system's smallest planet, is shrinking due to its cooling interior. As Mercury's core loses heat, the crust adjusts, forming thrust faults and scarps. New measurements reveal a radius decrease of 2.7 to 5.6 kilometers, offering insights into Mercury's tectonic activity and geological evolution, enhancing our understanding of small rocky planets.
A large asteroid, 1997 QK1, will safely pass Earth on August 20, 2025. NASA and ISRO will monitor this event. The asteroid is large, but poses no threat. Such flybys help scientists refine orbital models. They also help in planetary defense strategies. ISRO plans future missions to study near-Earth asteroids. International collaboration is key for planetary defense.