Science & Technology Current Affairs May 2016

World Bank Unveiled its Climate Change Action Plan

• The World Bank launched its Climate Change Action Plan on April 8, 2016. It will help developing countries to add 30 gigawatts of renewable energy, bring early warning systems to 100 million people and develop climate-smart agriculture investment plans for at least 40 nations. The World Bank has set the target for achieving this by 2020.
• The new Climate Change Action Plan aims to accelerate efforts to tackle climate change over the next five years and help developing countries deliver on their national climate plans submitted for the historic climate agreement reached at CoP21 in Paris in December, 2015.
• The World Bank has a goal to expand the investment of $ 3.5 billion a year by 2020. It also intends to mobilise $ 25 billion in commercial financing for clean energy over the next five years.

Space Current Affairs

Three Earth-like Planets Discovered Orbiting Dwarf Star

• Three Earth-like planets orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth discovered on May 3, 2016. The planets have potential life and water. The sizes and temperatures of these worlds are similar to those of Earth and Venus.

• This path breaking discovery was made by a group of international astronomers from MIT, NASA, the University California at San Diego, the University of Liege and other institutions.
• The ultra-cool dwarf star has been named TRAPPIST-1. It is located in the constellation of Aquarius (The Water Carrier). TRAPPIST-1 is about one eighth the size of the Sun and cooler than Sun.

ISRO Successfully Launched 7th Navigation Satellite IRNSS-1G

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (1SKO) has successiully launched India’s seventh navigation satellite IKNSS-IG of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) on April 28, 2016. The satellite was launched into a Sub-Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO) on-board of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C33 from SatishDhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

• IRNSS- 1G satellite has a lift-off mass of 1425 kg. Its configuration is the same as IRNSS-1A, IB, 1C, ID, IE and IF. It equipped with two types of payloads viz. navigation payload and ranging devices. The navigation payload will be mainly used to transmit navigation service signals to the users.
• The ranging payload consists of a C-band transponder that will facilitate accurate determination of the range of the satellite. IRNSS system is similar to other satellite navigation systems like United State’sGPS , Russia’s Glonass, Japan’s Quasi Zenith, Europe’s Galileo and China’s Beidou.

China Launched Sounding Rocket

• China launched a sounding rocket Kunpeng-IB on April 28, 2016 which is designed to conduct research, take measurements and scientific experiments at Hainan Province in China.
• The rocket reached a maximum height of 316 km (196 miles), With the total flight time coming to 10 minutes. These rockets are low-cost launch vehicles. Earlier, the country first launched a Kunpeng-1 rocket in April, 2013.

Russia’s Cosmodrome Launched First Ever Rocket

• Russia launched its maiden rocket from a new launch pad Cosmodrome on April 28, 2016. Satellites launched on the unmanned rocket called Soyuz-2.1A rocket. Soyuz rocket have been successfully deployed to their specified orbits.
• The existing roadmap aims the cosmodrome should have up to 10 launches every year in the next several years.

NASA Launched X-plane

• NASA unveiled the launch of a new generation of X-planes on April 27, 2016 that are fueled by greener energy uses half of the fuel, and are half as loud as commercial aircraft and generate less pollution than current planes.
• The X-plane uses Supersonic Technology. The 17 month and $ 20 million is required to complete a preliminary design for Quiet Supersonic Technology.
• The first design contract, to develop a supersonic jet with a quiet boom, was awarded to Lockheed Martin in February. It is expected to fly in 2020.

First Habitat Room Launched by Falcon 9 Rocket

• Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched the first inflatable habitat room on April 8, 2016. It will attach to the International Space Station (ISS) for 2 years and it is the first such habitat to hold humans in the orbit.
• Falcon 9 rocket for the first time successfully landed on an ocean (floating) platform, known as a drone ship, off the coast of Florida. It is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX). It is powered by Liquid OXygen (LOX) and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) propellant.
• It is made up of Aluminium and soft fabric. It expands in space and is light weight and also takes minimal space. It creates place for astronauts to live and work.