Daily Current Affairs

Russia unveils model of its new space station Ross (GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)

Why in news?

• Weeks after the Russian space agency declared that there are plans to quit the partnership with the west on the International Space Station by 2024, Roscosmos unveiled a physical model of its new space station.
• The latest development also indicates the Russian plans to withdraw from the alliance in space with the US, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency are going forward and it is taking the Chinese way in building their own flying laboratory in Earth's orbit.

What is the Russian space station?

• Roscosmos presented a model of the planned space station, dubbed "ROSS" at "Army-2022", a military-industrial exhibition outside Moscow.
• The new space station would be launched in two phases and that the first phase would see a four-module space station begin operations and science experimentation.
• This will be followed by a further two modules and a service platform and, when completed, it would be capable of housing up to four cosmonauts as well as scientific equipment.
• The space station plans show Russian prowess in building their own orbital outpost, especially with the experience of living and working on the ISS for over two decades.
• The launch of the first stage is planned for 2025-26 and no later than 2030. The launch of the second and final stage is planned for 2030-35.

 

Wider view:

• The new station would afford Russian cosmonauts a much wider view of the Earth for monitoring purposes than they enjoy in their current segment.
• The Russian station, unlike the ISS will not have a permanent human presence and that it would be staffed twice a year for extended periods.

 

Reducing dependency on West:

• The plans to construct its own space station have been in the works in Russia for a while, and the Ukraine war followed by western sanctions pushed it ahead.
• Russia is pushing to reduce its dependency on Western nations and forge ahead on its own or cooperate with countries like China and Iran when it comes to space exploration.
• Meanwhile, the West has accused Russia of prosecuting an unprovoked imperial-style war of aggression against Ukraine and imposed harsh sanctions aimed at breaking the Russian military modernisation and space campaigns.

 

Background:

• Yuri Borisov, whom President Vladimir Putin appointed to head Roskosmos, has said Russia will quit the ISS after 2024 and is working to develop its own orbital station.
• The ISS has been a hub of international experiments, deep space exploration campaigns, and a center to test future science required by humans in their campaigns on Moon and Mars.

 

International Space Station (ISS):

• The ISS is the most complex international scientific and engineering project in history and the largest structure humans have ever put into space.
• This high-flying satellite is a laboratory for new technologies and an observation platform for astronomical, environmental and geological research.
• The ISS is built with the cooperation of scientists from five international space agencies — NASA of the US, Roscosmos of Russia, JAXA of Japan, Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency.
• Each agency has a role to play and a share in the upkeep of the ISS. Both in terms of expense and effort, it is not a feat that a single country can support.
• Russia’s part in the collaboration is the module responsible for making course corrections to the orbit of the ISS.

 

Made in India F-INSAS, Nipun, LCA handed over to Indian Army

(GS Paper 3, Defence)

Why in news?

• Recently, Defence Minister handed over the much-awaited indigenously manufactured Future Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) to the Indian Army.
• The latest anti-personnel mine Nipun, the Made in India Landing Craft Assault (LCA) as well as a drone system to help keep an eye on enemy troops in the forward areas along the Line of Actual control were also handed over.

 

What is F-INSAS?

• The F-INSAS project aims at modernising infantry and enhancing the operational capability of the soldier.
• Under it, soldiers are to be equipped with modern systems which will be lightweight, all-weather-all-terrain, economical and would require low maintenance.
• It looks to transform the soldiers deployed in the border areas into 'a self-contained fighting machine'.
• The F-INSAS system includes an AK-203 assault rifle, a Russian-origin gas-operated, magazine-fed, select fire assault rifle with a range of 300 metre as well as a ballistic helmet, ballistic goggles, a bulletproof jacket, elbow-pads, and knee pads.
• The helmet and bulletproof jacket offers protection against lethal weapons such as a 9mm bullet even from point blank range and from AK-47 rifle.
• Infantry soldiers will also be provided holographic vision mounted on their rifles to aid with target and acquisition with a 200 metre range.
• F-INSAS also includes a hands-free head-set which will help enhance the operational capabilities of an infantry soldier and improve communication effectively. 

 

Background:

• The project was conceptualised in the early 2000s by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in line with the targets of the Army’s Infantry Soldier Modernisation Programme with an aim to optimise the soldier’s performance across the full spectrum and duration of a military operation.

In in order to develop F-INSAS, infantry modernisationprogrammes from the US, France, Germany and Israel were studied and quality requirements set by the army.

Anti-personnel landmine Nipun:

• The anti-personnel Nipun landmines are a replacement for the vintage NMM 14 mines.
• Anti-personnel mines are to be used against humans as against anti-tank mines which are aimed at heavy vehicles.
• They are more potent and effective than the existing anti-personnel mines and will enhance the protection provided to the troops on the borders.
• The Nipun landmines have been developed by the combined efforts of the Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune, and the Indian industry.

 

The Landing Craft Assault:

• The Landing Craft Assault (LCA) is a replacement for the boats with ‘limited capabilities’ operating in Pangong Tso lake.
• The LCA is much more versatile and has overcome the limitations of launch, speed and capacity.
• It has enhanced the capability to operate across the water obstacles in Eastern Ladakh.

 

Way Forward:

• The aim of F-INSAS is to equip the infantry soldier for the modern-day network-centric warfare scenario.
• The concept of network-centric warfare denotes the effective use of information technology and computer networking tools to form networks of various force elements in play on the battlefield.
• The government's push for indigenous production in the defence sector may be seen as a backdrop for the introduction of indigenous systems.
• This is in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pledge for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which has also been translated into efforts by the Ministry of Defense to achieve self-reliance in defence.

 

Understanding ethanol blending

(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)

Why in news?

• Recently, the Prime Minister announced that India has achieved its target of blending 10% sugarcane-extracted ethanol in petrol, ahead of schedule.
• Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 76th Independence Day, he rooted for energy independence stating that, “we need to be Aatmanirbhar (self-sufficient) in our energy sector”. India is one of the world’s biggest oil importing nations.

 

What is ethanol blending?

• Blending ethanol with petrol to burn less fossil fuel while running vehicles is called ethanol blending. Ethanol is an agricultural by-product which is mainly obtained from the processing of sugar from sugarcane, but also from other sources such as rice husk or maize.
• Though India have had an E10 or 10% ethanol as policy for a while, it is only in 2022 that it have achieved that proportion. India’s aim is to increase this ratio to 20% originally by 2030 but in 2021, when NITI Aayog put out the ethanol roadmap, that deadline was advanced to 2025.
• Ethanol blending will help bring down our share of oil imports (almost 85%) on which India spend a considerable amount of precious foreign exchange. Secondly, more ethanol output would help increase farmers’ incomes.
• The NITI Aayog report of June 2021 says, “India’s net import of petroleum was 185 million tonnes at a cost of $55 billion in 2020-21,” and that a successful ethanol blending programme can save the country $4 billion per annum. 

 

What are first generation and second generationethanols?

• With an aim to augment ethanol supplies, the government has allowed procurement of ethanol produced from other sources besides molasses, which is first generation ethanol or 1G.
• Other than molasses, ethanol can be extracted from materials such as rice straw, wheat straw, corn cobs, corn stover, bagasse, bamboo and woody biomass, which are second generation ethanol sources or 2G.
• While inaugurating the Indian Oil Corporation’s (IOC) 2G ethanol plant recently, Prime Minister referred to not only the prospect of higher farmer income but also dwelt upon the advantages of farmers selling the residual stubble to help make biofuels. This means lesser stubble burning and therefore, lesser air pollution.

 

How have other countries fared?

• Though the U.S., China, Canada and Brazil all have ethanol blending programmes, as a developing country, Brazil stands out.
• It had legislated that the ethanol content in petrol should be in the 18-27.5% range, and it finally touched the 27% target in 2021.

 

How does it impact the auto industry?

• At the time of the NITI Aayog report in June 2021, the industry had committed to the government to make all vehicles E20 material compliant by 2023.
• This meant that the petrol points, plastics, rubber, steel and other components in vehicles would need to be compliant to hold/store fuel that is 20% ethanol. Without such a change, rusting is an obvious impediment.
• The industry has committed to becoming E20 engine compliant by 2025, which means that engines would need to be tweaked so as to process petrol which has been blended with 20% ethanol.

 

What are the challenges before the industry when it comes to 20% ethanol blended fuel?

• The auto industry prefer the use of biofuels as the next step, compared to other options such as electric vehicles (EV), hydrogen power and compressed natural gas. This is mainly because biofuels demand the least incremental investment for manufacturers. 
• Even though the industry is recovering from the economic losses bought on by the pandemic, it is bound to make some change to comply with India’s promise for net-zero emissions by 2070.
• The NITIAayog report points out that the challenges before the industry are: “optimisation of engine for higher ethanol blends and the conduct of durability studies on engines and field trials before introducing E20 compliant vehicles.”

 

What have been the objections against this transition?

• Ethanol burns completely emitting nil carbon dioxide. By using the left-over residue from rice harvests to make ethanol, stubble burning will also reduce.
• The 2G ethanol project inaugurated will reduce greenhouse gases equivalent to about three lakh tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum, which is the same as replacing almost 63,000 cars annually on our roads. However, it does not reduce the emission of another key pollutant — nitrous oxide.

 

Land:

• The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) in a report in March talks about the inefficient land use in ethanol production. The land can be usedfar more efficiently by generating renewable power for EV batteries.
•  For example, to match the annual travel distance of EVs recharged from one hectare generating solar energy, 187 hectares of maize-derived ethanol are required, even when one accounts for the losses from electricity transmission, battery charging and grid storage. 

 

Water:

• The water needed to grow crops for ethanol is another debating point. For India, sugarcane is the cheapest source of ethanol. On average, a tonne of sugarcane can produce 100 kg of sugar and 70 litres of ethanol meaning, a litre of ethanol from sugar requires 2,860 litres of water.
• There has been, therefore, a move toward waste-based extraction, such as through coarse grains.
• The sugar cane would likely continue to be the primary source for ethanol even with the 12 planned farm waste distilleries. The first has a capacity to produce 100 kilolitres a day, or 3.65 crore litres a year.
• The 2021 Ethanol Roadmap forecasts that an additional 800 crore litres of ethanol is needed annually to meet the target.

 

What about food security concerns?

• There are already indications that more sugarcane is being grown and that the Government of India encouraged more corn production at the India Maize Summit in May, with its use for ethanol production cited as a reason for this push.
• Sugar and cane production that end up in the petrol tank cannot also appear on the dinner plate, in animal fodder, be stored in warehouses, or be exported.
• As was evident in India’s wheat harvest earlier this year, climate change-induced heatwaves are a worrying factor and can lead to lower-than-expected harvests with little notice.
• Global corn, or maize, production is down, and this adds an incentive for India to try and export more. In France, the corn harvest has dipped 19%, and reductions in forecast production have been seen for at least seven other countries in Europe. U.S. production expectations have also been revised slightly downward.

 

Way Forward:

• Given the uncertainty about future production, India may not find it easy to simultaneously strengthen domestic food supply systems, set aside adequate stocks for lean years, maintain an export market for grains, and divert grain to ethanol at the expected rate in coming years, and this is an issue that warrants continued monitoring.

 

India at 75 | High points in science, technology and innovation

(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)

 

Context:

• Reflecting on 75 years of Independence makes one proud of the socio-economic developments of India. The long period of colonial rule had robbed India of most of its wealth, and, more importantly, the skills required to sustain economic growth.

Starting off as a poor country in 1947, with its GDP a mere ₹2.7 lakh crore, and food grain production a meagre 50 million tonnes, the challenges of educating the people, feeding the population, implementing democracy, promoting industry and trade, and ensuring the country’s security remained daunting.

Establishment of CSIR:

• It is against this backdrop that the responsibility of developing the science, technology and innovation ecosystem fell upon the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which had been founded in 1942.
• The immediate priority of the CSIR was to establish a number of national laboratories under its umbrella, and also promote similar organisations independently.
• The CSIR started five of its own laboratories with support from the government and industry and raising resources through crowdsourcing.
• Similarly, in collaboration with the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Government of Bombay, the Government of India (through the CSIR) started the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, with the CSIR providing substantial financial support in the initial years.

 

National Calendar:

• Among the first examples of finding science and technology-based solutions was the harmonisation of existing varied calendar systems. A committee under the Chairmanship of MeghnadSahawas formed to address this issue.
• The committee’s report was published by the CSIR in 1955, which then led to its acceptance as the national calendar, now one of the national identity elements.

 

Indelible ink:

• Another example in the early years of Independence was to address the challenges in conducting democratic elections, preventing frauds, including double voting by the same person.
• The CSIR’s National Physical Laboratory developed the indelible ink made up of silver nitrate to address this concern.
• The indelible ink is used even today and exported to many countries, undoubtedly remaining one of the prized gifts of the CSIR to the nation.

 

Industries:

• At the time of Independence, India did not have well-established industries in many sectors. The informal work sector was also highly unorganised without their skills being developed for any particular industrial segment.
• A key mandate of the CSIR was, therefore, to help develop local industries by making contemporary technologies available and training requisite manpower.
• Human resource development across all sectors, dominantly that in science, technology and innovation, has been the hallmark of CSIR.

 

Example of leather industry:

• A prominent example of the CSIR’s contributions in this context has been in developing the leather industry. The making of finished leather products had remained elusive in the absence of a well-established leather industry and relevant technologies. Consequently, the leather industry employed less than 25,000 people at the time of Independence.
• In the 1970s, the Government took the decision of banning the export of raw hides and skins, and alsoimposing 25% export duty on semi-finished leather products. These decisions were a major turning point as far as the development of the leather industry in India was concerned.
• In more than 50 years since then, the leather industry now has a workforce of more than 4.5 million, a large percentage of them being women, and a thriving market for Indian leather products around the world. Indian exports in this sector are close to $6 billion. The CSIR’s footprint in this sector has been transformative.
• First, when the CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) was established in 1948, it developed technologies for finished leather products, such as the first ever indigenous manufacture of leather chemicals, making the transition from semi-finished to finished leather possible.
• Further, the CSIR-CLRI routinely trained the next generation manpower for the leather industry. As a result, more than 40% personnel employed in the leather industry have been trained directly or indirectly in the CSIR-CLRI.

 

Successes in technologies:

• The Green Revolution has been one of the crowning glories of science, technology and innovation. Similarly, the emergence of the generic pharmaceutical industry in India also has a fascinating history.
• During the Green Revolution, the CSIR’s footprint could be seen in the development of agrochemicals and the mechanisation of agriculture.
• The chemicals industry needed the necessary thrust for its maturation although the Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. had been formed by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray long before Independence.
• Two public sector companies were founded, post-Independence, based on technologies developed in the CSIR’s laboratories — the Hindustan Insecticides Ltd. and Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd., the former to make agrochemicals.
• Similarly, production of anti-HIV drugs by processes developed in CSIR laboratories provided the necessary impetus to the growth of generic pharmaceutical companies.
• The mechanisation of agriculture was achieved through the indigenous development of the Swaraj tractor at the CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), leading to the formation of Punjab Tractors Ltd. in 1970.

 

Path to self-reliance:

• A significant impact of the CSIR is also seen in the food and nutrition industry, in the aerospace sector, in the health and biotechnology industry, in protecting India’s traditional knowledge systems, and in promoting crops for enhancing farmers’ incomes.
• For example, in the 1950s, when solving the infant food problem appeared impossible, the CSIR successfully developed technologies to convert buffalo milk into powder and commercialised it with the help of Amul Industries.
• The Aroma Mission of the CSIR in recent times has been transforming the lives of thousands of farmers across the country. The cultivation of lavender in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been attracting attention worldwide as India’s ‘Purple Revolution’.
• Thus, there are many examples of science, technology and innovation, which have allowed India to take definitive steps towards becoming an Atmanirbhar country.

 

Way Forward:

• Even the growing affluence of Indian society is attributedto science, technology and innovation-led developments, the challenges for the future remain intimidating.
• Reducing dependence on natural resources, making all industrial processes circular so that no footprint of human activity is left, making technologies environmentally friendly, providing sufficient opportunities to all for living either in cities or in villages will remain priorities of science and technology.

Moreover, the ancient wisdom of integrating science and spirituality by enhancing our understanding of nature in association with that of the human mind and spirit will be the fond hope of the science and technology community of India.