Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for March 6, 2024. If you missed the March 5, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

FRONT PAGE Training for space at ISRO: Survival lessons, simulators, yoga, engineering

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Last week, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi bestowed them the “astronaut wings,” the four Indian Air Force officers, Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla, were a picture of confidence and determination

• Know about Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla

• India’s astronauts-designate for Gaganyaan-know in detail

• What is Mission Gaganyaan?

• When Gaganyaan will be launched?

• Gaganyaan Mission-Know the key features

• Gaganyaan Mission-What makes this Mission very Unique?

• India’s Manned Mission to Space-Know in detail

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)-About the Organisation

• For Your Information-Group Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap, and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla are India’s astronauts-designate for Gaganyaan, India’s first crewed space mission.

Behind this is a rigorous training regimen the four astronauts-designate for Gaganyaan, India’s first crewed space mission, have been undergoing at the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) new astronaut training facility in Bengaluru. This includes training in engineering disciplines with a focus on spaceflight, propulsion and aerodynamics; yoga classes; and training on simulators that mimic the jerks, vibrations, acceleration and shocks that a space flight entails.

Currently, the astronauts are doing mission-specific training, as part of which they familiarise themselves with the spacecraft and its operations ahead of the space mission, which is currently scheduled for next year. This follows the training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Russia’s Moscow Oblast that started in 2020 and continued through the pandemic. Sometime in 2021, the training at ISRO’s Bengaluru facility followed. ISRO officials described the training as a “continuous process”. “The astronauts are getting used to the various sub-systems within the crew module of the spacecraft or the Gaganyaan vehicle. They are trying these out, and working with our teams to make some changes. These trainings will continue till they fly the mission,” an ISRO official said.

The astronauts are currently training on various sub-systems such as navigation systems and bio-toilets, said another official. The initial part of the training took place in Russia because when the human spaceflight programme was announced, India did not have its own astronaut training infrastructure. Russia, on the other hand, sends astronauts regularly and has elaborate training facilities, which the Indians were able to access. Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go to space, and Ravish Malhotra, the astronaut who was on standby, too, trained at Moscow’s Gagarin Centre in the 1980s.

In Russia, the four Indian Air Force officers chosen for the Ganganyaan mission did generic spaceflight training, which every astronaut going to space undergoes. This part involves acclimatising oneself with the environment in outer space and getting used to conditions like weightlessness.

At the Gagarin Centre, the astronauts practised living and operating in zero-gravity conditions, changes in atmospheric pressures, and surviving in complete isolation. They spent a lot of time in parabolic flights — aircraft that fly up and down at 45-degree angles so that passengers experience a period of weightlessness and increased gravity just like on a roller coaster. They also trained for surviving in extreme weather and climatic conditions such as mountains, woodlands, marshes, deserts, the Arctic, and the sea to prepare for different landing situations on their return to Earth after their spaceflight. Their training in Russia also included theoretical classes on orbital mechanics and astro-navigation (navigating using celestial bodies as markers).

Back in India, the astronauts are familiarising themselves with the crew module of the spacecraft. With a capacity to house three astronauts, the crew module – the habitable part of the spacecraft – is attached to the service module that houses the spacecraft’s propulsion system. Together, they make up the orbital module, which will be launched in the low-Earth orbit using the human-rated LVM3 rocket.

The mission-specific training at the ISRO facility in Bengaluru includes theoretical courses on engineering disciplines such as the basics of spaceflight, propulsion and aerodynamics, besides practical training on the Gaganyaan systems. The astronauts also undergo continuous physical and psychological training, including yoga. They are also undergoing aero-medical training as part of their course.

To train on flight procedures, the course includes training with at least four different simulators – the independent training simulator, virtual training simulator, static mock-up simulator and the dynamic training simulator. * The independent training simulator is a tabletop system that mimics the user interface in the crew module. It uses similar display systems, alerts, and control buttons for procedural training for various activities. * Virtual training simulators use a VR headset, software, and a hand controller to familiarise the astronauts with the interiors of the crew module, the electronic hardware, and the locations of the different elements within the module. In this simulator, astronauts virtually interact with the switches and control panels in the crew module and read real-time data that is on display. * The static mock-up simulator brings together different components such as avionics, environment control and life-support system that will be present in the crew module. This simulator is meant to provide a realistic ambience of the crew module to acquaint the astronauts with the distance and approach estimations to various controls. The spaces available for crew activity in this simulator will also be the same as the actual crew module. * Then comes the dynamic training simulator that lets the astronauts experience the motions and sensations that are expected to be felt during the actual flight. It will train the astronauts in jerks, vibrations, acceleration and shocks during the separation of rocket stages, parachute deployment, touchdown, or when the Crew Escape System gets triggered.

The first mission flight, Gaganyaan-1, an unmanned test flight to check technology readiness, is expected by the end of 2024. The manned mission, which will take a three-member crew into a low earth orbit of 400-km altitude and return to Earth after three days, will follow. In 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian in space when he flew to the Salyut 7 space station on a Soviet spacecraft. In 2006, India started work on an orbital vehicle mission that was later named Gaganyaan.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????What is Gaganyaan?

????Gaganyan: How to send an Indian into space

????PM Modi announces 4 astronauts for Gaganyaan: Current status of the mission

HC acquits Saibaba, others in Maoist case; Maharashtra moves SC

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday (March 5) acquitted former Delhi University professor G N Saibaba, who was arrested for suspected Maoist links, and other co-accused in the case.

• Who is GN Saibaba?

• What was the case against him?

• For Your Information-The appeals were filed by wheelchair-bound G N Saibaba, Mahesh Kariman Tirki, Hem Keshavdatta Mishra, Pandu Pora Narote and Prashant Rahi, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, and Vijay Tirki, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail by a special court in 2017.

They were convicted of alleged involvement in Maoist activities in March 2017. Five of the convicts, including Saibaba, were given life imprisonment; the sixth, Vijay Tirki, was given rigorous imprisonment for ten years as he was a first-time offender. Saibaba and other accused persons were arrested between 2013 and 2014 by the Gadchiroli police in Maharashtra on allegations that they were members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and its frontal group Revolutionary Democratic Front.

As per police, many documents, a hard disk and pen drives were seized from Saibaba’s residence. The professor, who was placed under suspension by the university, was jailed till he was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on health grounds in May 2015. He was jailed again before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2016. The family of the former professor, whose services were terminated by DU’s Ram Lal Anand College in 2021, had repeatedly demanded his release given his health condition, and as he is wheelchair-bound.

• What did the High Court observe in October 2022 while discharging the accused?

• What made SC immediately suspend and later set aside the October 2022 HC verdict?

• What did the Bombay HC hold on Tuesday?

• On what grounds has the HC acquitted Saibaba?

• Why the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was invoked?

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)-Key Highlights

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Human Rights-Connect the dots

• Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Article 22 of the Constitution-Connect the Dot

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Why HC acquitted Saibaba again

GOVT & POLITICS

Govt considers ‘Art 371-like’ shield for Ladakh

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-In the backdrop of protests across Ladakh, the Centre is mulling granting Article 371-like protection to the Union Territory. Sources said during a meeting of the representatives of the region — Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance — with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, the minister told them that all their concerns about land, jobs and culture would be addressed through special provisions under Article 371 of the Constitution.

• Part XXI of the constitution says what?

• What Article 371 of the constitution?

• Articles 371 to 371-J in Part XXI of the Constitution of India contain special provisions for certain states-know in detail

• What is the purpose of Article 371?

• Article 371 like for Ladakh-Why?

• Do You Know-Article 371 of the Constitution includes special provisions for 11 states, including six of the Northeast. The Sixth Schedule of Constitution under Article 244 has provisions for formation of autonomous administrative divisions within a state, with certain legislative, judicial and administrative autonomy.

Recently, Ladakh witnessed massive protests demanding statehood, legislature and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, apart from concerns about environmental degradation due to possible industrialisation. “Right now people have no say in the administration of the region. Everything has become bureaucratic. One of the key demands of the region is public representation through a legislature. However, there is no commitment from the Centre on that,” another leader said.

A government-appointed high-powered committee is already looking into these demands from the region. Sources in the ministry said the government was inclined to provide protection for culture, language, land and jobs for Ladakh but not in the way that representatives seek. Sources among the Ladakh leaders said they would continue to push for their demands through democratic means.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Despite govt assurance, Ladakh shuts over statehood demand

THE IDEAS PAGE

For the Gaya Lals of today

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Abhishek Singhvi Writes: The existing legislation must be replaced to ensure anyone who changes party affiliation must resign and seek re-election

• What is the anti-defection law, and what is its purpose?

• Has the anti-defection law ensured the stability of governments?

• What constitutes ‘horse-trading’ or defection?

• What constitutes defection? Who is the deciding authority?

• What Supreme Court of India said in Kihoto Hollohan case (1993)?

• What Supreme Court said in the SR Bommai case (1994) with respect to Horse trading and Defection?

• The 52nd Amendment Act of 1985 and the 10th Schedule of the Constitution are related to what?

• Has the anti-defection law ensured the stability of governments?

• Have any suggestions been made to improve the law?

• The 91st Amendment Act of 2003 made one change in the provisions of the Tenth Schedule. What was that?

• The disqualification of member on the ground of defection does not apply in the two exceptional cases. What is that ‘exception’?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Explained: The anti-defection law, and how it has often failed to discourage defection

Previous Year Prelims Questions Covering the same theme:

????With reference to anti-defection law in India, consider the following statements: (Please refer UPSC Prelims GS1, 2022 for complete question)1. The law specifies that a nominated legislator cannot join any political party within six months of being appointed to the House. 2. The law does not provide any time-frame within which the presiding officer has to decide a defection case. ???? Which one of the following Schedules of the Constitution of India contains provisions regarding anti-defection? (UPSC Prelims GS1, 2014) (a) Second Schedule (b) Fifth Schedule (c) Eighth Schedule (d) Tenth Schedule Previous Year Mains Questions Covering the same theme:) ????The role of individual MPs (Members of Parliament) has diminished over the years and as a result healthy constructive debates on policy issues are not usually witnessed. How far can this be attributed to the anti-defection law, which was legislated but with a different intention? (UPSC Mains GS2, 2013)

EXPLAINED

METHANESAT

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Methane is the second largest contributor to global warming, after carbon dioxide. MethaneSAT will identify how much methane is coming from where, who’s responsible, and are those emissions going up or down over time.

• What is MethaneSAT?

• What are the features of MethaneSAT?

• Why is it significant?

• Why do we need to track and measure methane emissions?

• For Your Information- The entity behind MethaneSAT is the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) — a US-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group. To develop the satellite, EDF partnered with Harvard University, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and the New Zealand Space Agency.

Essentially, MethaneSAT will orbit the Earth 15 times a day, monitoring the oil and gas sector. It will create a large amount of data, which will tell “how much methane is coming from where, who’s responsible, and are those emissions going up or down over time”, according to a statement by EDF.

• How are methane emissions driving climate change?

• Do You Know-Methane is a greenhouse gas, which is responsible for 30 per cent of the warming since preindustrial times, second only to carbon dioxide. A report by the United Nations Environment Programme observed that over a 20-year period, methane is 80 times more potent at warming than carbon dioxide. In recent years, scientists have repeatedly sounded the alarm regarding the increasing amount of methane in the atmosphere. Last year, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that the atmospheric levels of methane jumped 17 parts per billion in 2021, beating the previous record set in 2020.

Methane is an invisible but strong greenhouse gas, and the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, responsible for 30 per cent of global heating since the Industrial Revolution. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, over a period of 20 years, methane is 80 times more potent at warming than carbon dioxide. The gas also contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone — a colourless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth’s surface.

According to a 2022 report, exposure to ground-level ozone could be contributing to one million premature deaths every year. Therefore, it is crucial to cut methane emissions. And the main culprit: fossil fuel operations, which account for about 40 per cent of all human-caused methane emissions. The objective of MethaneSAT is to help achieve this goal.

• The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) annual Methane Global Tracker report- What are the findings of the report?

• The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) annual Methane Global Tracker report-Know the key highlights

• What do you understand by ‘Fossil Fuels’?

• What are the types of fossil fuels?

• How fossil fuel is formed?

• ‘The report said 75 per cent of methane emissions from the energy sector can be reduced with the help of cheap and readily available technology’-Analyse

• For Your Information-The energy sector accounts for around 40 per cent of the total average methane emissions from human activity, as oil and natural gas companies are known to release methane into the atmosphere when natural gas is flared or vented. The greenhouse gas is also released through leaks from valves and other equipment during the drilling, extraction and transportation process. Although it’s impossible to avoid all of this amount, the right policies and implementation can bring 200 bcm of additional gas to markets. It further mentioned that 80 per cent of the available options to curb the release of methane could be implemented by the fossil fuel industry at net zero cost.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Explained: What is the Global Methane Pledge, and why is methane significant for climate change?

For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com The Indian Express UPSC Key is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates.