 |
|
| SCIENCE TRIBUNE | Thursday, May 3, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
|
Biotechnology industry in
India Music of creation is
recorded Nano-coatings make waves SCIENCE QUIZ |
|
|
A big push forward for the Indian space programme THE successful launch of India’s heaviest and most prestigious space booster, the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), on April 18 from eastern launch complex on Sriharikota island is Bay of Bengal marks a quantum leap for the Indian space programme which took off with the firing of a 9-kg sounding from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TPRLS) in Thiruvananthapuram in Nov, 1963. By placing a 1540-kg experimental communications satellite G.Sat-1 into a predetermined orbit, the three-stage, 401-tonne GSLV helped India enter the elite global space club comprising the USA, Russia, Japan, China and the European Space Agency (ESA), which are capable of building and launching cryogenic fuel driven space boosters. Featuring a Russian supplied cryogenic engine stage, the 49-metre tall GSLV was perhaps technologically the most challenging project undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission objective of GSLV, which had an aborted mission on March 28, due to a deficiency in one of the four strap-on boosters attached to its first stage,is to attain indigenous capability for placing India’s INSAT series of domestic satellites into orbit. Currently INSAT series of satellites are orbited by the European Ariane boosters on commercial terms. Indeed as pointed out by Dr K. Kasturirangan, Chairman ISRO GSLV’s success will lead us to achieve self-reliance in satellite launch technology. In Paris Didier Aubin, chief of the Arianespace which markets Ariane range of booster said: “It is a significant step. Indians have shown that when they wait to do something they have the will to succeed.” Not unexpectedly, defence experts in the USA were quick to point to the military implications of the GSLV launch. For instance Jim Banke of Space.Com said that the GSLV clearly signalled that India had achieved an ICBM capability. According to the latest Annual Report of the Indian Space Department, GSLV could be harnessed for launching India’s proposed unmanned mission to moon. It was a defective plumbing in one of the strap-on boosters leading to its underperformance which ultimately resulted in the termination of the March 28 GSLV flight. The replacement of this booster paved the way for the successful GSLV flight of April 18. “This was an exceptional mission. The whole mission went without any hitch. Separation of different stages of the vehicle and the injection of the experimental payload has taken place as per ISRO’s plan”, observed Dr K. Kasturirangan, Chairman, ISRO. The G-Sat-1 satellite designed and developed at the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) in Bangalore carried two C-band transponders using 10-watts Solid State Power Amplifier (SSPA), one C-band transponder using 50-watt Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) and two S-band transponders using 70-watts TWTA. The satellite built around an INSAT bus features an innovative technological elements such as Newton Reaction Control Thrusters, Fast Recovery star Sensors and heat Pipe Radiation panels. The spacecraft positioned at 48 degrees east longitude will be used for experiments in digital audio broadcast, internet services, developmental communications and digital TV signal transmission. The $ 300-million GSLV took 10 years for development. Sources in ISRO, Bangalore, point out that GSLV will be declared operational after two more flights. It is also planned to boost the launch capability of GSLV in a phased manner and use it as a workhorse for launching INSAT class of domestic satellites. On another front, India will also be able to harness the commercial potential of GSLV and offer launch services for communications satellites. Currently the European Ariane booster accounts for 60% of the global market for launching communications satellites. As it is, India has successfully marketed its well proven Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) featuring alternate solid and liquid fuel stages as a cost-efficient vehicle for low earth orbit satellite missions. During its forthcoming flight projected to take place sometime in the third quarter of this year, PSLV will launch a Belgian Proba and a German Bird Satellite. Meanwhile ISRO has initiated work on the upgradation of the GSLV launch capability. Taking into account the need to launch the future INSAT spacecraft that could weigh in excess of 3.5 tonne GSLV Mark III capable of launching a four tonne class communications satellite into the geostationary transfer orbit is being developed. ISRO has also given quickening impetus to the development of the indigenous cryogenic engine that would ultimately replace the Russian supplied upper stage of GSLV. Of course a few initial flights of GSLV will be carried out with the Russian supplied cryogenic stages. The core first stage of GSLV is made up of a solid booster with 129-tonne of fuel and four strap on boosters each with 40-tonnes of liquid fuel. The second stage is a liquid propulsion system of 37.5-tonnes. Both these stages are derived from PSLV. The 8.7-metre upper cryogenic stage of GSLV has a propellant loading of 12 tonnes in the form of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. According to Dr Kasturirangan, the high propulsion efficiency of the cryogenic stage in terms of specific impulse makes it an ideal choice for the upper stage of GSLV. |
|
Biotechnology industry in
India BIOTECHNOLOGY is a fast emerging area of science which has direct impact on several activities such as healthcare, agriculture, food processing, aquaculture and others. The area offers unparalleled growth potential with the advent of bio-informatics, genetic engineering, cell fusion technology, bioprocess technology and structure-based molecular designing. Recent developments in biotechnology infrastructure and sound industry base in India offer vast opportunity for biotech products in the sectors like biopharmaceuticals, agriculture, food and nutrition. The pharmaceutical biotech-based products — biodrugs, vaccines and diagnostics have largest market share nowadays. Economic liberalisation and globalisation have led many multinational firms in this area to expand their activities either through the establishment of wholly-owned new subsidiaries, share holding-based majority of minority ownership, joint venture companies or through alliances in R & D and marketing. Companies like Piramal, Wockhardt, Ranbaxy, Lupin, Torrent, Dr Reddy’s Labs, UB, Cadila and RPG Life Sciences are involved in biotech research and development in India. Several MNCs like Glaxo Wellcome, Novartis and Aventis are also expanding their biotech business in the country. Eli-Lilly — Ranbaxy with a joint venture in India has been marketing a range of biotech products such as Humalog, and Huminsulin for diabetes. Hoechst Roussel Vet has developed a cow anti-abortion IBH vaccine in India. Chiron-Beehringer is setting up a vaccine venture in India. A recombinant hepatits B virus (by Shanta Biotechniques), a leprosy vaccine (Cadila) and several immunodiagnositic kits and plant tissue culture products have been developed from indigenous technology. Shanta Biotechnique’s Shavac-B for hepatitis B virus has a 46 per cent of the competitive domestic market share and is targeted for the export. Biotechnology in agriculture is an important R&D an business section in India. By the year 2020, India can become the world’s largest exporter of agro-commodities. The genetically-modified seed market is another emerging area with an expected sales of $ 1.5 billion in 2001. There are about 50 private seed companies in India. About 400 organisations are doing commercial research on agriculture, with 20 research labs, 150 companies and 50 service firms. Some medical foods and naturaceutical are also under development. Hindustan Lever, Dupont, India-American Hybrid Seeds, ITC Zeneca, Hoechst Schering AgrEVO-PGS, Pioneer-Hi-Breed, SPIC Novartis, AV Thomas, EID Parry, National Organic Chemical Industries Limited, Rallis, Cadila Plant Biotechnology and Godrej Biotech are active plant biotech companies in India. Monsanto, which is expanding its Indian subsidiary, has joint ventures called Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech India and Mahyco-Cargill India, a seed joint venture, Monsanto and Pro-Agro are likely to launch India’s first genetically-modified corn, soyabean and cotton. In 1995, India exported $5 billion worth agricultural produce (foodgrains, fruits, vegetables seeds, processed foods, flowering and ornamental plants) a 20 per cent increase over the previous year. The Indian commercial seed market has been established at close to $300 million and with new seed policy, the government will promote the entry of multinational corporations to establish their R&D and marking of their seeds. There are about 40 Indian private companies working in the development and marketing of agricultural produce. Within a few years, several genetically-modified agricultural products — canola, cotton, potato, tomato, soyabean, squash, and seeds — will enter the Indian market. India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables. However, it accounts for only 1 per cent of the total world exports of fruits and vegetables due to inadequate postharvest technologies and management. If food processing industry utilise biotechnology in India, the country could become world’s largest exporter — contributing over 20 per cent by the year 2020 — of fruits and vegetables. The enzymes, amino acids and different flavours are also important fields having biotechnological potential. Similarly, packaging and storage of foodstuffs in India have a huge market potential for domestic and foreign companies. During the next 10 years, total investment in agricultural biotechnology in India could reach $ 100 million. Major share in public sector research is of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which has targeted cereals, pulses, vegetables and floricultural crops by funding about 200 projects at 15 institutions and 28 universities. The Department of Biotechnology has invested substantial amount in biotechnological research and development. The National Research Centre for Biotechnology at the IARI, focuses on plant genetic engineering related research activities to boost agricultural production. Both private and public institutions are developing hybrid tomato, brinjal, transgenic plants, tissue culture technology, seed technology and biopesticides. There are over 7,000- plant varieties and a valuable gene bank in India. The National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository is setting up a gene bank which will have a capacity to store 10 million plants. The increasing population needs increased foodgrains production and hybrid seed technology is a way to combat the situation. The hybrid seed technology for sunflower, rice,wheat, corn, tomato and vegetables is currently under development. Development of disease resistant plants, cloning genes for floral meristen initiation, and tagging genes of agronomic importance are other projects underway in both private and public sectors. The CSIR and ICAR are setting up a “patent-Watch” section to halt “biopiracy” or genetic colonialism. The CSIR has begun a project to characterise all ayurvedic medicines as a means of detecting the scientific principle behind these medicines and identifying their essential ingredients. The government is keeping a close eye on foreign pharmaceuticals and is also attempting to control indigenous plant and biologicals as some people have charged foreign researches with exporting important genetic information from India to hasten research in North America and Europe. The government has recently set up several institutes designed to maintain genetic libraries and cryogenetically preserved tissues to assure that, India companies and research institutes maintain first right on these discoveries. The National Facility for Plant Tissue Culture Repository, the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute are working on these issues. Biotech business in India has increases substantially from $ 500 million in 1997 to $ 1 billion in 1998. Human health biotech accounts for 60% of the total sales, while ag-biotech and veterinary-biotech together for 15 per cent of the total revenue and medical devices, contract R&D and reagents and supplies constitute the remainder. There is a need for new biotech-based vaccines for HIV, cancer, diarrhoeal diseases, influenza virus, contraception, rotavirus, TB, malaria, influenza and pneumonia. Recombinant protein drugs with a market potential include clotting factors, clotdissolving agents, EPO, insulin, growth factors, interferons, interleukins and anticancer therapeutics. There are also some plants to manufacture biotech products through collaborative ventures for local consumption and experts.
PTI |
|
Music of creation is
recorded SCIENTISTS have recorded the music of creation in an experiment using the astronomical equivalent of a time machine to go back to the origin of the Universe. A telescope suspended from a high-altitude balloon circling the South Pole has detected harmonic “notes”, which rang out like a bell in the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang. Cosmologists believe these minute ripples of sound became the “seeds” of matter, which eventually led to the formation of stars, galaxies and planets such as Earth. “Not only are we finding out the right notes of the Universe, we’re finding what key it’s in,” said Phil Mauskopf of Cardiff University, the British team leader of the international Boomerang project to investigate the cosmic background radiation-known to be the “echo” of the Big Bang. Paolo de Bernadis, of the University of Rome and joint leader of the Boomerang project, said the findings heralded a new era in the understanding of what happened during the moments when the universe was created. He said: “The early universe is full of sound waves compressing and rarefying matter and light, much like sound waves compress and rarefy air inside a flute or a trumpet. For the first time the new data show clearly the harmonics of these waves. “(According to Indian philosophy, “Om” is the primordial sound. Temple bells are also symbolic of the first sounds of the universe). Andrew Lange of the Californian Institute of Technology, the other joint leader, said that before these latest findings, the Boomerang telescope had been able to detect only one harmonic note of the Big Bang. “Using a music analogy, we could tell what note we were seeing. Now we see not just one, but three of these peaks, and can tell not only which note but also what instrument,” Dr Lange said. The Boomerang experiment involves 36 scientists drawn from universities and research institutes in Britain, Canada, Italy and the USA. The latest results were released on Saturday at a meeting of the American Physical Society in Washington DC. The Boomerang telescope, flying 120,000 ft above Antarctica where atmospheric interference is negligible, collected data on the microwave radiation left over from the intense hear of the Big Bang some 12 billion to 15 billion years ago. This microwave radiation was first detected in 1965, but it was not until 1991 that NASA’s Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (Cobe) detected signs of any structure within the radiation field that could explain the origin of matter. Boomerang has now deciphered the nature of these structures, or ripples in the microwave radiation, and results show they form a harmonic series of angular scales like a musical score. This is important because if the background microwave radiation was perfectly “smooth” and unperturbed, then it would be difficult for existing cosmological theories to explain how matter could coalesce under the influence or gravity into larger structures, eventually leading to the formation of stars and galaxies. The findings are doubly important because they relate to the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang, when the universe expanded from a minute point in space to something billions of times bigger, the so-called inflationary period. Dr Mauskopf said: “These results are a tremendous confirmation of the inflationary model, and also agree extremely well with measurements of other astronomers using completely different methods.” The Boomerang images cover 3 per cent of the sky and are the forerunners of a project to map the microwave background radiation suing two satellites, the first of which is due to be launched this year. By arrangement with The Independent, London. |
|
Nano-coatings make waves SCIENTISTS in Germany have developed a laser-acoustic testing device which can evaluate nano-acoustic testing device which can evaluate nano-coatings on flat or cylindrical components rapidly and reliably. Nano-coatings are virtually invisible, extremely hard and microscopically thin coatings which protect tools against wear, conduct electricity and store information. Diamond-like coatings on razor blades give a closer, smoother shave, protective coatings on hard disks or complex tools such as drills milling cutters or spindles increase the life. To optimise their properties and better monitor their production, nano-coating’s mechanical properties must be tested in a quick and non-destructive way. In the new technique developed by Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden laser beam is directed on to the component for a billionth of a second, causing the surface to vibrate. The form and duration of the wave pattern. — which varies according to the coating material and quality — is recorded and evaluated within seconds by a complex process of mathematical completion. “The key element of our measurements,” explains Dr Dieter Schneider of the IWS, “is the elasticity module. This parameter depends on the micro-structure of the material, which closely correlates with other mechanical properties such as hardness and internal stresses. It therefore has an essential effect on the durability of surfaces that are to be protected by hard and ultra-hard coatings.”
PTI |
|
SCIENCE QUIZ 1. On April 18, 2001, India took a quantum jump in space technology when its GSLV-D1 blasted off successfully from SHAR. What do GSLV-D1 and SHAR stand for? 2. The most vital component of the fuel system of GSLV is an imported Russian cryogenic third ad final stage. Which fuel is used in this stage? When does India hope to produce its own cryogenic engine? 3. Using this cryogenic stage, how much payload can GSLV carry? What is meant by the term “payload”? 4. India’s satellite system is one of the largest in the world that has revolutionised the fields of communications, broadcasting, weather forecasting, disaster management, etc. Can you tell how many earth stations have been built throughout India which are linked to this system for these purposes? 5. MRS is a recoverable, reusable satellite system which India plans to build and launch in the near future. What is the full name of this satellite? 6. A satellite has to be controlled and directed from ground to perform its specific operations. This is done through its three systems called TTT. Can you name these systems? 7. What is the distance closest to the earth of a satellite in its orbit called? What is the furthest distance called? How much is the distance of a communications satellite from the earth? What is the ideal speed of the satellite at this height? 8. Sometimes small rockets are fired from a satellite system to increase the height of its orbit. What is such a rocket called? What is a retro-rocket? 9. Name the world’s first satellite. Name also India’s first satellite. When were these launched? 10. The basic principle of applications of satellites is called Remote Sensing. To create awareness among people about this important aspect of space technology, India observes every year National Remote Sensing Day on August 13, the date on which falls the birthday of a great Indian space scientist. Can you name him?
Answers
1. First developmental Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle; Sriharikota High Altitude Range (Andhra Pradesh) 2. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen; by 2003 3. 2000 kg or above; cargo carried by a launch vehicle which includes satellites for launch, instruments and other items to be put into orbit 4. More than 400 5. Microgravity Recoverable Satellite 6. Telemetry, Telecommand and Tracking systems 7. Apogee; perigee; 36,000 km; 10.2 km per second 8. Booster rocket; a rocket which slows down the motion of the satellite 9. Sputnik-1, launched on October 4, 1957, by the USSR; Aryabhatta, launched on April 19, 1975, from USSR 10. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, called the father of India’s space programme.
|
 |
|
