NPT, NSG, IAEA, ISRO, Aditya L1, Gaganyaan Missions (PDF)

# NPT & NSG - **Nuclear Proliferation Treaty** - To prevent spread of nuclear weapons & weapons technology. - Foster peaceful uses of nuclear energy. - Goal of disarmament. - Signed in 1968 - Came into force in 1970. - India not a member - Total members: 191 - Requi...

# NPT & NSG - **Nuclear Proliferation Treaty** - To prevent spread of nuclear weapons & weapons technology. - Foster peaceful uses of nuclear energy. - Goal of disarmament. - Signed in 1968 - Came into force in 1970. - India not a member - Total members: 191 - Requires country to give up any present/future plans to build nuclear weapons - Legally binding commitment & promise in multilateral treaty. - Nuclear weapon states = Those that manufactured/exploded nuclear weapons/other nuclear explosive devices before 14 Jan 1967. - Responsibility of IAEA. # IAEA - Intl. Atomic Energy Agency - Current Head/DG = Rafael Grossi (6th DG) - Headquarters = Vienna, Austria - Created in 1957 - In response to deep fears and expectations generated by discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear tech. - Origin: US President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" address to GA (1953) - Within UN family. - Promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear tech. - IAEA's dual mission - to promote & control the Atom (Article 11 of Statute) - Members: 178 (as of 2023) - 2024-25 period: 35 member board (new) # ISRO - Heaviest Satellite of ISRO → GSAT-11 - First Manned Mission of ISRO → Gaganyaan (2022) - ISRO has planned to set up its own space station by 2030. - Headquarters → Bengaluru - Chairman - 1st: Vikram Sarabhai - Latest: S. Somnath - Activities spread across various centres and units - Guided by its chairman (secretary of DOS) and chairman of space commission (the apex body) - formulates policies and overseas implementation of Indian Space Program. # Aditya L1 - First Indian space-based observatory class for solar mission to study Sun. - Launched in September 2023 - using PSLV-C57 rocket from SDSC in Sriharikota. - ISRO's second astronomy observatory-class mission (after AstroSat - 2015) - To be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1 of the Sun-Earth System. - (approx. 1.5 km away from Earth) - Placement in halo orbit around L1 - allows continuous observation of the sun without occultation/eclipse; advantage in monitoring solar activities. - 7 payloads-to observe photosphere (visible surface of sun), chromosphere (second layer between photosphere and corona) and the corona (outermost layers of the sun) - Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) - Solar ultra-violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) - Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SOLEXS) - High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HELLOS) - Aditya Solar Wind Articles Experiment (ASPEX) - Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) - Advanced Tri-Axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers (MAG) - Aim to provide crucial information on coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, space weather dynamics and particle and field propagation. - Mission Director - Biju SR - Leading Scientist - Dr Sanaka Subramanian - helmed the mission. - Project Director - Nigar shaji - advised the mission. - Conceptualized in Jan 2008 by Advisory Committee for Space Sciences (ADCOS) - Initially envisaged as a small satellite in a low Earth orbit (800km) with a coronagraph to study the solar corona. # Lagrange Points (L1) - Special positions where gravitational forces of two large orbiting bodies (like Sun and Earth) balance each other out. - Small object can stay at these pts without much fuel consumption to maintain its orbit. - 5 LPs - L1: most significant for solar obs, continuous view of Sun, currently home to 'solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite (SOHO)', - L2: Behind Earth as viewed from Sun, observing the larger universe without Earth's shadow interference - L3: James Webb Space Telescope orbits the Sun near L2. L3 offers positional obs of the far side of the Sun. - L4 & L5: Form equilateral Δ with the two larger bodies, maintain stable positions. Trojans (named after 3 large asteroids - Achilles, Agamemnon & Hector) - objects orbiting these two pts. - Named in honour of Italian-French Mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange. # Gaganyaan Mission - Group Captain Ajit Krishnan (President's Gold Medal recipient, Sword of Honour at Air Force Academy) - Group Captain Angad Pratap (flying instructor & test pilot) - Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla (fighter combat leader). - Awarded ‘Antriksh Yatri Pankh’ (astronaut wings) by PM - ISRO signed MoU with Glavkosmos - Russian Space Agency’s subsidiary - 4 astronauts - completed training at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. - Currently training at training facility in Bengaluru - One of 4 expected to be trained by NASA - (announcement by Bill Nelson - administrator of NASA - during 2023 Delhi visit) - First indigenous mission - send Indian astronauts in space - Demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching 3 member crew to LEO of 300–400 km - 3-day mission. - Bring them back safely to Earth, by landing in Indian sea water. - History: - ISRO Poliru Pr… - LVM3 rocket. - Gaganyaan 1: Unmanned test flight, check tech, readiness, end of 2024. - Unpressurised crew module - No environment control & life support system - For Earth-like environment. - Gaganyaan 2: Pressurised crew module, complete life support will be tested - Carry robot 'Vyonimitra', record all parameters to study impact of flight on humans. - Female Robot Astronaut - equipped with capability to monitor Module Parameters, issue Alerts and execute life support operations. (2019 unveiled by ISRO) - Can perform tasks like operating panels. # NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration. - Independent agency of executive branch of US federal govt. - Responsible for civilian space program, and aeronautics and aerospace research. - National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958. - Headquarters: Washington, DC, USA. - History: - WWII - US in direct competition with Soviet Union - "Cold war". - Soviet Union launched Sputnik - Oct 4, 1957 - first put an object into orbit around Earth. - Sputnik II - Nov, 1957 - carried dog Laika. - Jan 1958 - US launched Explorer 1, hoisted aloft by Army’s rocket team using rocket technology developed by WW2. (discovered Van Allen radiation belts) - NASA’s birth directly related to launch of Sputniks and ensuring race to demonstrate technological superiority in space. - Driven by competition of cold war on CAS - Jul, 1958 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed NAS Act - providing for research into problems of flight within Earth's atmosphere & in space. - Debate - military vs. civilian control of space & - Act inaugurated a new civilian agency - NASA. # Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) - Members elected through General Elections - On basis of universal adult suffrage (Art. 326, Part XV) - Aut 8l - LS 550 members (530 - states) (20 - UTs) - Earlier 552 (2 - Anglo Indians, nominated by President) - After 104th Amendment Act, 2019 - provision not extended further. - Reservation: - SC - 84 (max) - ST - 47 (max) - Tenure: 5 yrs - Emergency - can be extended by Parliament - 106th Amendment Act: - 1/3rd seats for women in LS, State LA, LA of NCT of Delhi (inc. SC and ST) - Each state allotted with no. of seats in LS in such a manner that ratio btw no. and population of state is same for all states. (Art. 81) - Each state divided into territorial constituencies - Ladakh - Largest (area-wise) - Chandni Chowk - smallest (area-wise) - Malkajgiri - Largest (electors-wise) - Lakshadweep - smallest (electors-wise) - Why 543 seats? - 530 States - 13 UTs - 519 → SC - 241 → ST - Clause 3, Art 81 - Original - population = population as per last preceding census - 2003 amendment - population = 1971 census, until first taken after 2026. # Eligibility for LS Elections - Art 84: - Indian citizen, at least 25 yrs old, cannot hold an office of profit under govt. must be mentally stable, follow party discipline. - MP: - Elected for a 5-yr term, unless dissolved by president on the advice of Council of Ministers. # General Elections: - Governed by Articles 324-329 of constitution. - Conducted after every 5 yrs under constitutional provisions, with laws made by Parliament. - Constitution forbids interference by courts in the delimitation of constituencies or assignment of seats. # System of Voting: - Universal Adult Franchise - Established by People's Union for civil liberties (PUCL) - V. VOI. # Freeze Extension: - Delimitation was frozen in 1976 and extended to 2026 by 84th Amendment. # Imp. Amendments: - 23-1969 - Extended SC/ST and Anglo-Indian representation. - 31-1972 - Increase in LS seats (525-545) - 41-1976 - Froze seat numbers till 2001 (based on 1971 census) & extended legislative assemblies’ tenure to 6 yrs. - 44-1978 - Restored Lok Sabha & Assembly terms to 5 yrs. - 61-1989 - Voting age reduced (21 to 18). - 91-2003 - No. of ministers in LS capped at 15% of total members. # Electoral Process: - 1. Electoral Roll: Updated every 3 months; eligible voters can register in any qualifying quarter once turn 18. - Voting list distributed before each election for public inspection. - 2. Model Code of Conduct: To ensure fairness during elections (Art. 324) - Applies from the moment elections are announced until results declared. # Important Laws: - 1. Representation of People Act, 1950 - Deals with voter qualifications, preparation of rolls and delimitation. - 2. RPA, 1951. - Covers administrative machinery, election offenses and disputes. # Election Commission of India (ECI) - Autonomous constitutional authority. - Responsible for administering elections to Union & State Legislatures. - Scope: Administers elections to: - Lok Sabha (House of the People) - Rajya Sabha (Council of States) - State legislative Assemblies - Offices of President & VP of India. - Does not administer Municipal and Panchayat Elections - Managed by separate State ECs. - Constitutional Basis: - Part XV: Deals with ECI - Established on 25 Jan, 1950 (National Voter’s Day) - Current CEC (25th): Rajiv Kumar - Election Commissioners: Gyanesh Kumar & Sukabir Singh Sandhu. - First Chief Election Commissioner: Sukumar Sen - First Female EC: S. Ramadevi. - Longest Serving LEC: Kalyan Sundaram - Tenure: 6 yrs / upto 65 yrs of age, whichever earlier. - Removal: Similar to removal of SC judge. - Proven misbehaviour / incapacity & special majority in Parliament (2/3rd of members present & voting, supported by >50% of total strength of the house) - Anoop Baranwal vs. VOI (2023): - 5-judge bench - Ruled - appointment of CEC & EC shall be made by President on advice of a committee (PM, leader of opposition in LS and CJI) - Chief Election Commissioner & other EC (Appointment, Conduct of Services and Term of Office) Act, 2023. - Passed by… in response to SC’s directive in above case.