SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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NIOT to build India’s first offshore desalination plant near Chennai coast
Director of National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) Satheesh C Shenoi said that, scientists from NIOT will build India’s first offshore desalination plant about 40km from the Chennai coast.
India’s first offshore desalination plant near Chennai coast:
i. This desalination plant is estimated to cost Rs. 2,000 crore. It will be designed and built by NIOT scientists off the shores of Ennore. The capacity of the plant will be 10 million litres of water per day.
ii. The plant will operate on Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD), a low cost and environment friendly technology to get potable water. The technology is based on the temperature difference in seawater at different depths.
iii. At the beginning, the plant will be diesel powered. Eventually, scientists are hoping to operate the plant with electricity generated through Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Technology (OTEC).
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About National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT):
♦ Headquarters – Chennai
♦ Director – Satheesh C Shenoi
♦ Functions under – Ministry of Earth Sciences
India’s first wave-powered navigational buoy launched in Chennai
On 13th November 2017, India’s first wave-powered navigational buoy, developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), to guide ships in and out of ports was launched in Chennai.
India’s first wave-powered navigation buoy:
i. The wave-powered navigation buoy has been deployed at Ennore Kamarajar Port, in Chennai. It would help ships, moving in and out of the harbour, navigate through a designated channel.
ii. The wave-powered navigational buoy would record data on wind speed and direction, which would be relayed to port authorities. It gets energy from waves to power its beacon. Whereas, conventional buoys are solar-powered.
iii. The buoy was launched by Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences M Rajeevan at the 33rd executive committee meeting of International Energy Agency-Ocean Energy Systems Collaboration Programme (IEA-OES) and as part of a workshop ‘Harnessing Energy from the Oceans — A global Scenario’.
About International Energy Agency:
♦ Focuses on – effectual energy policy: energy security, economic development, and environmental protection
♦ Executive Director – Fatih Birol
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Virtual nation Asgardia launched its first satellite ‘Asgardia-1’ into space
On 12th November 2017, the Space Kingdom of Asgardia (virtual nation) launched its first satellite ‘Asgardia-1’ into space from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.Asgardia – launched ‘Asgardia-1’ into space:
i. The Asgardia – so-called ‘virtual nation’ is the project of Russian scientist and billionaire Igor Ashurbeyli. In 2016, he proposed a new nation which would be based in space in order to be outside of the control of nations on Earth.
ii. The Asgardia-1 satellite, which is about the size of a loaf of bread, contains half a terabyte of data. It holds the foundations of the project – the nation’s constitution, its national symbols, and data from its 115,000 citizens.
iii. It was launched aboard a Cygnus spacecraft on an Orbital ATK Antares rocket. The Cygnus craft docked with the International Space Station on 14 November 2017. After a month, it will release Asgardia’s satellite into orbit.
About NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility:
♦ Purpose – rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other Federal agencies
♦ Operated by – Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
♦ Director – William Wrobel
China launches world’s first fully electric cargo ship
China has launched the world’s first all-electric ship, which can travel up to 80 km with 2000-tonnes cargo after a two-hour charge.
i. The ship is 70.5-metre-long and weighs about 600 tonnes.
ii. It was launched in Guangzhou in South China’s Guangdong Province.
iii. The ship has been manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd.
iv. It is powered by a 26-tonne lithium battery and can cruise at the top speed of 12.8 km per hour.