Ode to Timeless brilliance

Often phenomenal scientific advancements and pathbreaking discoveries with a tremendous potential fail to make indelible impression on common man. Plagued by absence of meticulous minds that can translate wonders of science into simple words, innumerable contributions of ingenious intellects remain obscure. Endowed with a unique combination of brilliance and humor, Cosmologist and inveterate science popularizer, Stephen Hawking set a new precedent in scientific outreach. Born on the 300^th birth anniversary of Galileo, Hawking breathed last on International Pi Day and Albert Einstein’s birthday, seems a cosmic connivance to pay homage to science’s brightest star. Demystifying the complex theories of Universe, Hawking, educated people about science and emerged as a new phenomenon and a celebrity scientist. Besides shaping the modern-day Cosmology with his scientific insights, he inspired millions of people. Trumping the debilitating illness which confined him to wheel chair for over five decades, he exuded rare brilliance and relentlessly engaged in scientific pursuits and popularization of science.

Unshaken by the disability inflicted by a rare disease, ALS (Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig’s syndrome, that gradually cripples brain-muscle coordination at a young age of 21, he made seminal contributions to the field of Cosmology. Defying doctors’ prognosis of survival for few years, he lived for the next fifty years. His first breakthrough, Hawking’s radiation in 1970 that postulated black holes emit radiations but will lose energy and then disappear created ripples in scientific field. This was against Quantum mechanics, which propounded that energy/information can’t be lost. This black hole paradox has created a vertical split among Astro-Physicists. Hawking believed black hole may have head of hairs while the other group backed the no-hair model based on Einstein’s theory of relativity. In 2015, revising his own calculations, Hawking proposed the concept of soft hair on black holes indicating that information doesn’t disappear in blackhole but is stored at event horizon. Not all physicists were convinced of this new description. But the crux of the issue is that he has been tirelessly working on the black hole paradox for over 45 years despite living in the shadow of death. ALS left him completely paralyzed reducing the bodily control to flexing of finger, movement of eyes but mental faculties were intact. He lost his voice muscles progressively and for the last three decade he has been communicating through an exclusive voice synthesizer.

Hawking’s absolute determination, indomitable will and single-minded approach to unravel mysteries of Universe have propelled him to make radical discoveries earning him a place in Royal Society at young age of 32. He became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a post previously held by Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Babbage, and Paul Dirac, one of the founding fathers of Quantum Mechanics when he was 37 years old. He revolutionized the field of Cosmology with dynamic ideas. In 1982 he showed that Quantum fluctuations or minute variations in distribution of matter seeded the formation of stars and planets. While Hawking’s seminal discoveries in Cosmology elevated him to towering heights in scientific field, his book, “A brief history of time” published in 1988 catapulted him to stardom and immense popularity. The book besides meticulously deciphering marvels of Universe quenched the spirit of enquiry of youngsters and science enthusiasts making it the most popular book in science. Over 10 million copies of the book were sold in past 20 years. It remained on The New York Times best seller list for unprecedented 237 weeks, making it to the Guinness Book of World records. Galvanized by the popularity of the book, Errol Morris made it into a documentary. Hawking authored 12 books in all, popularizing various aspects of Universe, made appearances in several TV shows- the Star Trek, The Simpsons and the Big Bang Theory. German composer, Rolf Riehm composed a 35-minute piece titled “Hawking” and held ode to his “ceaseless extension of limits”. In 2014, commemorating, his inspired living, James Marsh made Hawking’s biopic “The Theory of Everything”, an Academy award winner.

Hawking’s visibility as scientist is unparalleled and any pronouncement by him, makes it to the headlines. He believed that humanity should spread out into space but warned people of alien invasions and full development of artificial intelligence. He feared development of AI that equals or surpasses human intellect can spell doom for entire humanity. Being eternally optimistic, enthusiastic, and open to new collaborations, Hawking became part of Breakthrough Initiatives funded by Russian billionaire, Yuri Milner focused on space exploration and search for alien life.

Hawking won Albert Einstein Award, the Wolf Prize, the Copley Medal, and the Fundamental Physics Prize. In 2016, when Israeli physicist announced finding a convincing evidence for Hawking radiation, people expected Hawking to win a Nobel. But experts ruled that results were not conclusive, hence the Nobel Prize eluded him. Physicists are hopeful that study of black holes through gravitational waves might provide clinching evidence for Hawking’s black hole paradox. In his illustrious scientific stint, besides black holes, Hawking worked on nature of gravity and origin of Universe. He pointed that black holes are not black as they are made out to be.

Incidentally, some of his ideas about Universe its evolution, origin and more specifically Big Bang theory earned him wrath of religious leaders. Hawking openly dismissed the role of God as creator and comforts of religious beliefs. Similarly, he courted controversies for his anti-Semitic stance, strong support to BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) of Israel, declaring women a complete mystery, oblique references to Monica Lewinsky during his lecture at White House.

Hawking was bold, courageous, and remained undaunted by controversies. He traveled across the globe, visited every continent including Antarctica, celebrated 60^th birthday in hot air balloon, crashed his wheelchair while speeding in Cambridge corridor, as a prelude for space travel on Virgin Galactic’s Space Ship two, Hawking took a ride in zero-gravity aircraft in 2007. Despite his physical constraints, his spirit wasn’t disabled, he lived life to the fullest. A contemporary incarnate of amazing will power and determination, Hawking made the planet richer with his knowledge. Though he physically left his body, his vivacious scientific spirit, will pervade eternal cosmos as a brightest star…

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Space X's phenomenal success opens new frontiers for Private Players in Space Science

Space is a fascinating realm. Incidentally any milestone in space exploration catches the imagination of young and old alike. On Feb 6^th Space X, launched the World’s powerful rocket carrying a pay load, the original cherry red Tesla Roadster electric car playing the Space Oddity destined for the red planet Mars. Unlike conventional rocket launches that carry satellites slated for different orbits or interplanetary space travel, the rocket hoisted a car driven by a mannequin Star Man making it more special. To brandish rocket’s incredible load carrying capacity, Space X wanted a huge payload and what best could have served its business interests other than choosing its own product. They zeroed in on roadster, the revolutionary electric car of Musk to promote its brand and technological proficiencies.

Falcon Heavy lifted off from the NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre Cape Canaveral, the place from where powerful Saturn V rockets for Lunar Mission 1969 took off. Clearly, the third stage of Falcon blast off over performed steering the Roadster beyond the heliocentric orbit of the Mars into the asteroid orbit. Roadster having missed its original destination, will now orbit between Mars and Jupiter for eternity and might eventually turn into space debris. But this iconic launch Space X Falcon Heavy has created a history. Till 1991, Cold war rivals US and Soviet Union intensely competed to show case their dominance in every avenue and space was no exception. Their fierce competition yielded numerous scientific breakthroughs that drastically changed the contours of space exploration which has been exclusive domain of the governments. Now Space X’s spectacular launch potentially opened the territory of space for private companies.

The launch was phenomenal in terms of technological advancement. Two of three boosters of the rockets descended majestically to the designated launch area vertically are recovered and refurbished for use in next launch. Recovery of the first stage boosters is a tremendous achievement and speaks volumes of Elon Musk’s vision of reusable rockets which can tremendously reduce economies of scale. Reusability of the boosters used in the Falcon Heavy that can carry a payload of 63,800kg to Low Earth Orbits (LEO) is believed to reduce cost of launching satellites by over a quarter. Aside cost reduction, Space X has now set the bar high for its competitors.

Space X’s incredible feat is now renaissance of sorts for space science and exploration. Having already proven its capabilities in delivering cargoes to the International Space Station and successfully carried out 45 missions and planned 70 missions worth $10 billion.  Space X Falcon 9 reusable rockets have been making significant progress in satellite launching business by reducing the cost by 30% or $18.6 million with every launch. Enamored by its achievements, Space X is now working on Dragon Capsule, Falcon Heavy rocket and the BFR rocket system for its ambitious project of carrying humans on inter planetary destinations. Musk has special interest in red planet and Space X is geared up to send humans to Mars by 2019. Overwhelmed by the recent Falcon Heavy near flawless launch, Musk threw a gauntlet, challenging other rivals for a space race. He encouraged companies indicating that Space X, as a commercial entity managed with internal funds of $500 million and prompted billionaires to invest in Space Science.

Though the entry of private players into the arena of space science has been decades long, federal laws prevented them from launching their own satellites till 1984. In 2010, President Obama’s decision of ending the space shuttle program changed the situation opening the territory of Space for private players. Ever since, private companies relentless vied to fill the void imparting a commercial angle to space exploration. Among the prominent early entrants into space science include Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon who launched Blue Origin and billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. In 2015, Blue Origin successfully launched the first reusable rocket. Main stay of these two companies has been space tourism. While Musk was keen on exploring the possibility of putting up human settlements in other planets and space mining.  As of now, Space X has emerged as the leader proving its abilities by placing heavy satellites in low earth orbits at low costs.

Entry of private players has now significantly changed the dimension of space science. Reusable rockets reduced cost of satellite launches and the dream of low cost space travel no longer seems unrealistic. Steadily, an ecosystem replete of private players equipped with new technologies, started blooming across different corners of the World. These include a new genre of smaller satellite launch companies and satellite manufacturers planning to work in tandem with big players. Rocket is akin to hardware, while satellites are the software programs. Private players are slowly replacing the huge geosynchronous communication satellite which are hoisted by powerful rockets with smaller satellites placed in Low Earth Orbits (LEO) to get decent image resolution bringing down the costs to a fraction. Prominent players revolutionizing information technology with small satellites are a Finnish Company ICEYE and New Zealand based Rocket Lab which has it own launch pad on North Island’s Mahia Peninsula. As against the average satellite launch cost of $220 million, Rocket Lab intends to send small satellites for as less as $5million and as frequently as once in a week. They are even employing 3-D printing for building rocket engines.

Parallelly, billionaires across the World are now getting enthused by the prospect of exploring the infinite realm of mysteries, the Space and to use space for the benefit of earth. The list of enthusiastic new entrants includes- Robert Bigleow who intends to send an inflatable hotel to orbit the Moon, Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Starshot initiative to probe the Alpha Centauri (closet star to our Solar System), Larry Page and Eric Schimdt’s asteroid mining mission and Ashurbeyli’s Space Nation project. Ashurbeyli aspires to build first space nation, Asgardia and any individual over 18 years from any part of the World can apply for citizenship. He intends to send arks of pensioners into space and eventually colonize the moon. Investments are now pouring into space sector into the global space economy worth $329 billion with three-fourths coming from private players. Clearly, Space X’s tremendous success has bolstered the spirits of iconic dreamers and inveterate space enthusiasts.

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Monkey clones raises ethical concerns of human cloning

The alarming pace of discoveries which garnered momentum with unraveling of structure of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) the basic blue print of living organisms in the year 1953 has transformed Life Sciences. This phenomenal discovery besides cracking the fundamental unit of inheritance (genes), ignited the latent curiosity of manipulation of genetic material among scientists. Incidentally the collective efforts accelerated the genesis of a gamut of molecular biology techniques culminating in the evolution of new branch of study, Genetic Engineering which encompasses all the processes aimed at altering the genetic code of an organism. Till 1970s, selective breeding was widely practiced to manipulate genetic material. Initially, biomedical techniques like artificial insemination, invitro fertilization (test-tube babies) were included under genetic engineering. The discovery of restriction enzymes in 1968, an indispensable tool for gene cloning accelerated the pace of genetic engineering. Eventually genetic engineering invariably refers to gene cloning.  Cloning refers to the process wherein a target DNA (gene) is inserted into a circular piece of DNA or plasmid of a bacterium and generation of hundreds of identical copies of gene. DNA cloning is used in production of biopharmaceuticals, gene therapy and gene analysis. The term cloning became immensely popular when scientists at University of Edinburgh cloned the sheep Dolly in 1996.

In fact, Dolly had three mothers: one provided DNA, another egg and the third one was a surrogate mother. Using the technique of somatic cell nuclear technique (SCNT), nucleus from the mammary gland is inserted into an unfertilized egg, whose nucleus was removed. This hybrid cell was implanted in a surrogate mother. The success of Dolly prompted scientists to use this technique for other animal species like dogs and pigs. While cloned animals are widely hailed as symbols of scientific excellence, the fear creating designer babies and an army of clones began to haunt the scientific community.

On 24^th January China announced the creation two cloned monkeys Zhong Zhong, Hua Hua, the first primate clones developed with a technique similar to one used in Dolly. To achieve this humongous feat, scientists at Institute of Neurology (ION) Shanghai made few modifications. They erased chemical modifications of DNA that potentially turn the embryonic cell into a specialized cell. Similarly, they used DNA from fetal cells and added few factors to turn on genes responsible for embryonic development. They thus created 79 clone embryos and implanted them into 21 surrogate mothers and obtained two clones of long tailed monkeys, Macaca fasicularis. Cloning primates is extremely arduous and has abysmally low success rate.  Scientists across the World lauded their Chinese counterparts on their outstanding achievement who unabashedly expressed concerns that this technique might be used to clone humans. Besides humans the subclass of primates (the big brained mammals) includes monkeys, apes, lemurs, bushbabies and lorises.  Allaying fears, scientists at ION clarified that they have created the clones to study genetic factors responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. By creating a population of genetically identical monkeys’ scientists want to deactivate the genes responsible for causing diseases individually and study its effect. Besides there is huge demand for cloned monkeys to test drugs.

Primates have been preferred models for studying human mental disorders and degenerative diseases. Hundreds of monkeys are used to investigate Parkinson’s disease. Incidentally, genetic closeness and similarity makes the study of primates significant and informative. Genome sequencing revealed that humans are 96% similar to the apes. A section of scientists believe that the latest development is highly significant since SNCT technique can be used to save endangered animals.

Human cloning includes therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning involves cloning of human cells or tissues for medical purposes like transplants while reproductive cloning is about making an entire clone of a human being.  

Amidst burgeoning reports of production of various animal clones and rapid advancements in genetic engineering international community contemplated the possibility of elaborating a convention for addressing the concerns on human cloning. Accordingly, in 2005 UN General Assembly has adopted a declaration urging member states to prohibit all forms of human cloning “in as much as they are incompatible with human dignity and protection of human rights”. But the declaration was toothless since it was non-binding and owing to the ambiguity of wordings, countries failed to arrive at a consensus. Compelled by the urgency to address the ethical concerns of cloning, countries began to urge UN for a binding treaty for prohibiting human cloning. As of now, countries are still divided with each country legislating its own laws. As of 2015, seventy countries are reported to have banned human cloning. EU, Canada explicitly bans human reproductive cloning. India doesn’t have specific law on cloning. It allows therapeutic cloning and use of embryonic stem cells and issued guidelines banning reproductive cloning. UK grants licenses to Universities for carrying out research on diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease and permits research on human-animal hybrid embryos. As of now US promotes stem cell research and development of pluripotent stem cell lines not involved in creating a human embryo.  Though there are no federal laws banning human cloning completely, human reproductive cloning is banned in fifteen states while three states prohibit use of federal funds for the same.

With the development of primate clones, human cloning seems to have moved away from the realms of science fiction to a real possibility. Currently, certain sections of scientific community fervently back therapeutic human cloning for its potential benefits in organ transplanting. Similarly, childless heterosexual couples suffering from genetic disorders are pitching for reproductive human cloning.

Human cloning while offering promise of ameliorating genetic disorders like cystic fibrosis, Down disease, Tay-Sach’s disease can enliven slew of fictional realities of designer babies and genetic upgrades like smarter babies posing serious ethical concerns. It is a tight rope walk. In absence of a binding international concerns, nations are free to make their own legislations and issue guidelines to laboratories. Crux of regulating human cloning lies in strict enforcement. In any case, scientists must exercise discretion and shoulder the responsibility of defining their research activities for the betterment of society.

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Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO)s: Hard to ignore

The idea of existence of alien life, exploration of extra-terrestrial life and spotting of vague flying objects always enticed the scientific community. Fueling scientific passions, a genre of writers began producing a manifold variety of scientific fiction to whet the inherent curiosity and inquisitiveness of the science enthusiasts. Soon, flying saucers or flying discs/ Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO)s became extensively used terms in common parlance. Colloquially, references to UFO became synonymous to an alien space craft. While there has always been a latent obsession towards UFO, the issue started gaining more momentum ever since US government’s public disclosure.

On 16^th December 2017 US Defense Department conceded that it funded a program on UFO till 2012 which existed in various avatars. The $600 million Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) which was shut down in 2012, started in 2007 at the behest of Nevada Senator Harry Reid. New revelations suggest the program was run by an aerospace company run by billionaire entrepreneur Robert Bigleow, a friend of Reid who is currently working with NASA for developing an expandable raft for humans in space. Upon repeated questioning senator Reid confided that black money was used to fund the program on UFO which was classified and designated as “restricted special access program”. Backing the program in 2009 government argued that “what was considered as science fiction is now a science fact”. AATIP which was started with much fanfare was mysteriously terminated suddenly in 2012. Now hell broke loose with several Pentagon officials questioning government funding since earlier projects on UFOs were called off for negative conclusions. 

In US, for long, scientific communities and defense personnel locked horns over the existence of UFOs. Scientists asserted that the overwhelming banner of UFO included not only rare sightings but unusual phenomenon that are largely unexplained by science. Experts argued often certain unusual natural phenomenon which are categorized as UFOs merited serious investigation and should be taken up case by case. Debunking the myth of UFOs researchers implored government to exercise caution and not attribute everything to the existence of alien creatures.

Post-world war II, US initiated projects to extensively investigate UFO’s on grounds of national security which intensified during the cold war era.  In 1948, US instituted Project Sign, a highly classified program to probe the extraterrestrial origins of flying saucers and was dismantled within a year without making the details of study public. This was soon followed by Project Grudge which was replaced by Project Blue Book which was officially closed in 1970 marking the end of US government’s official support to UFO program. Ambiguous denouements of the projects frustrated defense personnel who soon withdrew from these projects. But nonetheless enthusiastic astronomers and scientists soon formed private scientific consortiums and pursued investigations of UFO with renewed vigor. Parallelly, bewitched by the mysteries of alien life, NASA started looking for signs of life in the Solar System. Currently, UFO investigations in US are collectively taken up by SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) which searches for signs of life by monitoring electromagnetic radiations, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope and Mars Science Laboratory.

Despite the overwhelming frenzy to reconnoiter and explore UFOs, focused investigations on the same are not discussed openly even now. UFO study is still considered a stigma by US defense personnel who questioned the justification behind allotment of huge amounts of funds for UFO investigations.

Interestingly though existence of UFOs is often dismissed as conspiracy theory, fib of occultism and fictitious, harrowing experiences of Naval personnel and Sailors have prompted institutions and countries to investigate UFOs. Now countries like France, Sweden, Russia, China, UK, Canada and Latin American countries are pursuing UFO investigation in a big way. Soon the study of UFOs has graduated into a neologism referred to as Ufology. In a major boost towards searching for extraterrestrial life, in 2015 Stephen Hawking, spearheaded a new program, Breakthrough Initiatives funded by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner to search for intelligent alien life.

While contrarian views regarding UFOs their relevance, existence and need for investigations continue to trigger huge debate, a new sighting by sky observers is enthralling scientists. The team of Breakthrough Listen has identified a 260ft long cigar shaped space craft hurtling through the Solar system at speeds of 196,000mph in October 2017. Ever since scientists have been closely monitoring the interstellar object initially believed to be an asteroid or a comet. Discovered by Pan-Starrs Project at the University of Hawai, it was termed as Oumuamua, a Hawaiian term meaning scout or messenger. International Astronomical Union (IAU) designated this object as I1/2017U1, I as in Interstellar, 1 since it is first object to enter our Solar System from the outer confines. Scientists found that the object has been emitting electromagnetic radiations not produced in nature. Though scientists haven’t arrived at unanimity with regards to its origin they found that the interstellar object is unusual for a rock. Travelling at speeds several fold more than light, it is unlikely to be bound by gravitational force of Sun. Its architecture suggests that it was designed to minimize damage from interstellar dust and gases. Based on its speed and trajectory, scientists estimated that it will soon bypass Jupiter and exit our Solar System. Investigations contended the object to be first ever craft to have visited our solar system suggesting the possibility of existence of alien civilizations. This discovery added more heft to the claims of Stephen Hawking who unequivocally believed in the existence of advanced aliens and their colonization of planets whichever they can reach. This new celestial discovery can span out be a turning point in the study of UFOs.

For decades, several scientific groups believed that UFOs are real and represent advanced technology. But none of the groups could convincingly authenticate their claims. Rapid advancements in science, synergistic cooperation between various institutions backed by financial resources is now offering new hope for UFO enthusiasts. While UFO investigation is still considered a taboo, the longing excitement to unravel vast expanses of Universe and alien civilizations continues to propel science zealots to relentlessly fathom the enchanting mysteries of unexplored realms. 

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Breaking of Antarctic Larsen C Ice Shelf: An inimical off-shoot of Climate Change

Debates of climate changed picked up traction with ignoble US president announcing the withdrawal of America from the Paris Climate Accord. Protesting the indifference of politicians towards the climate change environmentalists expressed their discontentment with massive protests at Hamburg where G-20 leaders assembled for the summit meet. Days after conclusion of the summit, European Space Agency, Sentinel-1 mission, announced that Larsen C ice-shelf, the fourth largest in the World (5800 sq km) comprising of 12% of total area of Antarctica broke off from the frozen continent.

Ice-shelves are humongous repositories which are formed when glaciers on land begin to spread out over the sea. They essentially prevent the drifting of glacial ice into sea and thereby regulate sea level rise. In general, glacial ice, chips off to form icebergs. Now snapping of 12 trillion cubic meters of ice, larger than Haryana, is believed to change the landscape of Antarctica. While the immediate effects of this event are not ominous, scientists are carefully monitoring rest of the ice-shelf closely. The ice shelf which looks like a crooked finger is pointing towards tip of the South America is an extension of huge West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The ice-shelf when ripped off completely will exist as a 190-meter-thick iceberg nearly four times the height of Qutub Minar.

Indeed, fissures in the Larsen C ice-shelf first appeared in 2010. The tear which spread 10 meters per day gradually accelerated to 36 mt before finally snapped away on July 12th. Splintering of ice shelf has already begun and the smaller ice bergs are now heading towards Weddell Sea. Experts at Scripps Institute of Oceanography said that ice fragments might eventually move further north towards South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.

Breaking of ice-shelf is a natural process. Antarctica ice is tightly compressed at the edges of its rocky base and under the weight of huge ice accumulations, ice shelves break off from time to time. Hence breaking of ice shelves can’t be attributed to global warming directly. But what caught the attention of the scientists is the shortened frequency of the calving (breaking of ice-shelves) process. Ice shelves which form 75% of coastal Antarctica are susceptible to changes in atmospheric temperature from above and ocean warming from below. Though the role of warm climates in triggering calving is not scientifically established as of now, experts believe don’t belie its role.

Gigantic Icy continent is firmly edged by ice-shelves which form the coastal region while glaciers impound inlands. Thwaites glaciers, a gigantic bulk of ice part of the West Antarctica Ice Sheet, located further inland has become cause of intense concern. Rapidly changing climates led to melting and sliding of the glaciers into sea pushing up sea levels. Unchecked greenhouse gas emissions accentuate melting of glaciers. It is estimated that melting of West Antarctica Ice Sheet can increase sea level by 3 meters. On the contrary, ice-shelf breaking may not increase the sea-level since this portion of ice was already in water. Volume of water produced after the ice shelf melting is equal to volume of ice that was displaced. But calving of ice-shelf and its gradual melting will greatly destabilize the land ice. Though scientists are hopeful that ice-shelf will regrow but chipping away of huge chunks of ice-shelves at regular intervals will inadvertently make Antarctica less stable. If the newly calved iceberg drifts into warm oceans, it can just long for few decades. Ice shelves act as sinks for glaciers and their calving will eventually hasten melting of glaciers leading to increase in sea-level. In 2015, a report in reputed journal Science warned that ice-shelves in Antarctica are thinning at an accelerated pace and that ice-shelves ceased to gain volume.

Larsen Shelf is named after the Norwegian explorer Carl Anton Larsen who in 1890, sailed along the 1000km western coastal stretch. The Larsen shelf comprises of distinct shelves- Larsen A, B, C and D. In 1995, Larsen A broke away and melted completely in seven years.  The 10,000 years old Larsen B separated from Antarctica in 2002 and became an iceberg. Reports showed that Larsen B calving speeded up glacier collapse by 300 to 800%. Larsen C is five times the size of Larsen B. NASA scientist Cavin Schmidt said that complete melt down of Larsen C might increase sea level by 0.1mm.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes Fifth Assessment Report (5AR), indicated that temperatures in Antarctic peninsula where Larsen-C is located, are rising four to six times that of global average. Though role of global warming wasn’t scientifically established as of now, reputed scientific journal, Nature, opined that increased human (anthropogenic) activity in Antarctica is posing new threat. Surge in number of tourists visiting Antarctica is drastically changing the delicate ecosystem of Antarctica. Especially visitors to coastal regions has increased from 1.5 million in 2004-05 to 2.6 million in 2013-14. Interestingly, Antarctica is in news recently for being the venue for first ever wedding ceremony of expedition leaders of British Antarctica Survey (BAS).

As per IPCC reports twentieth century witnessed a linear increase of sea-level caused by warmer oceans and melting glaciers. In 21^st century rise of sea-level is exponential because of melting of fast flowing glaciers and subsequent breaking of ice-shelves of Greenland and Antarctica. Already islands in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and countries with huge coasts are facing the inimical effects of global warming. Besides the impending threats of inundation, rising sea-levels are critically endangering livelihoods of thousands of people living along the coasts. Fertile cultivable lands are rendered barren by salty depositions. Fresh water resources are becoming salty. 

Mounting evidences unequivocally indicate that unscrupulous human activity has irrevocably disturbed delicate balance of nature. The irreversible damage can be controlled through collective action and committed nurture. It is time international collaboration be ramped up to tame the disastrous cycle of events triggered by global warming. But sadly, overpowered by ritualistic nationalism, America, the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases is dragging its feet. Abdicating responsibilities towards environment will push us closer to a brink of self-inflicted catastrophic consequences. Calving of Antarctic ice-shelf is an inimical distress signal lest the World choses to brush it off at its own peril.

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ISRO creates a World record by launching 104 satellites

ISRO reached yet another milestone. From its splendid journey of transporting the rockets on the bullock carts to reaching the stars, the persistence, dedication, and commitment of scientists has transformed the organization into an epitome of excellence. ISRO today scripted history by sending 104 satellites into space in a single go. On January 4^th 2017, ISRO announced that India will launch 104 satellites in one go at the Indian Science Congress held at Tirupati. Since then there has been a palpable excitement among the scientific community. ISRO had steadily climbed the ladder of competitive global markets of small satellite launching with an incredible consistency and economy. It is now reckoned as an iconic leader in commercial satellite launches. ISRO last year launched 20 satellites in one go.  Russian rocket launcher Dpner, a transformed inter-continental ballistic missile by launching a maximum of 39 satellites into space in a single launch in June 2014 created a record. NASA in 2013 launched 29 satellites. With Tuesday’s launch ISRO aims to surpass the earlier records. ISRO with its upcoming launch aims to display India’s satellite launching prowess.

PSLV- C37, the heaviest of all the PSLV series of rocket launchers lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), SHAR, Sriharikota on Feb 15^th at 9:28 carrying 104 satellites. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) which has already earned a distinct reputation for its reliability and accuracy was specially designed to carry all these satellites. PSLV the formidable work-horse of ISRO in its XL configuration was assigned with the task of delivering the payloads.

PSLV-C37 weighing 320 ton and 44.4 m tall is a four-staged rocket launcher. On its thirty-ninth flight, 103 co-passengers accompanied the primary satellite Cartosat-2 series. Cartosat-2 with a work life of 5 years, weighing 714kg is an earth observation satellite like other four satellites in its series. This was injected into 505 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit and will soon resume its remote sensing services using its panchromatic and multispectral cameras. These images are used for cartographic applications and for monitoring road networks, water distribution and land use. It was designed to monitor activities across India’s hostile borders. The other two Indian satellites are the ISRO nano satellites- INS 1A and INS 1B. They are designed for scientific experimentation. INS 1A, with six-month mission life, weighing 8.4kg has two pay loads - Surface Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function Radiometer and Single Event Upset Monitor. INS 1B, with six-month life cycle, weighs 9.7 kg and carries two pays - Earth Exosphere Lyman Alpha Analyzer and Origami Camera.

Of the remaining 101 satellites- 96 are from US, others are from Kazakhstan, Israel, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and UAE.  The total weight of all satellites on board PSLV-C37 is 1378 kg.  Satellites from US are mostly DOVE Flock-3P (designed and operated by Planet Inc) fleet of remote sensing satellites designed to earth every day for commercial, environmental, and humanitarian purposes and LEMUR satellites of Spire Global Inc are meant for weather measurements and tracking vessels using Automatic Identification System (AIS). The average weight of DOVE and LEMUR satellites is around 4.7 kg. Satellites from other countries are basically for technology demonstration and weigh less than 4.5 kg.

Though ISRO has convincingly demonstrated its impeccable scientific mettle earlier by sending 20 satellites simultaneously, the latest feat is five times more challenging. Science enthusiasts are increasingly curious as how ISRO will carry out this exceedingly excruciating task of putting 100 odd satellites into different orbits with precision. Dr. K. Sivan, director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre explained that “the satellites will be separated from the launch vehicle in different directions. The separation angle and time of separation will be such that one satellite will not collide with another”. He pondered that each satellite separated from launch vehicle will have a relative velocity of one meter per second. So, the distance between satellite and vehicle after 1000 seconds will be 1000 meters. “The satellite that gets launched first will move at relatively faster velocity than the next satellite that is launched. Due to different relative velocities, the distance between the satellites will increase continuously but the orbit will be the same”. Thus, a degree of difference in separation angle together with relative velocity would ensure that no two satellites would ever collide. Further care would be taken for the orbital disturbances to die before preparing the satellite for separation. Moreover, “satellites will be injected into orbit at different locations at different angles, at different times and different orientations”. In less than 600 seconds, all satellites travelling at velocity of 27,000km per hour will be released into space. This scientific spectacle would thus be internationally judged for its immaculate execution.

ISRO’s resilient journey marred by several debacles over the decades had steadily acclaimed scientific reputation due to the phenomenal success rate of the trusted work-horse PSLV. India’s rapid march towards space exploration with its projects Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan has placed India among the elite group of technologically advanced countries. Satellite launching industry is growing at a tremendous pace. As of now there are few reliable players in the market. India till now has launched 122 satellites of which 79 are of foreign payloads. From 2011 till August 2016, the commercial wing of ISRO, Antrix Corporation made a profit of Rs 896 crores. ISRO at present is carrying out 5-6 launches and plans to increase launches to 18 to substantially increase its revenue. ISRO’s current launch slated for Feb 15^th, if successful will greatly boost its position in the global satellite launching market.

ISRO is all now gearing up for much bolder space missions. Accordingly, government has increased fund allocation to Department of Space by 26% making provisions for Mars Orbiter Mission-II and Mission to Venus. France has expressed willingness to collaborate with ISRO for the second Mars mission slated for 2021-22. NASA is willing to partner with ISRO in India’s maiden voyage to Venus, the planet named after Goddess of love and beauty.

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India’s tryst with Antarctica

Antarctica, the fifth largest, uninhabited, southern most planet of Earth holding 75% of freshwater reserves continues to enchant scientific community. The inhospitable conditions, extreme weather conditions (extreme cold, dryness and windiness) haven’t deterred the spirits of the nations to explore the humongous diversity of fauna and flora of the “white continent” with no sovereign status. As early as 350 BC, Greeks predicted the existence of a landmass in the Southern most end of like the Arctic in the North. Antarctica is named after Greek word, antarktike, meaning opposite of North. Spanning the Antarctica circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, the continent formed 25 million years ago, is spread over an area of 14 million square km. Almost 98% of the continent is covered with ice which is 1.5km thick. If all the ice of Antarctica melts, sea levels will rise by about 60mts. Like other continents, Antarctica has several geographical features like valleys, glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, rivers and lakes. Recent reports of breakdown of Western Antarctica ice sheet raised several concerns.  Being a cold desert with annual precipitation of 200mm, the continent is devoid of native inhabitants. As of 2016, around 1000 to 5000 people from 135 countries are residing the region. None of them stay there permanently and members of scientific expeditions are periodically substituted to carry out research activities.

In 1773, Captain James Cook first discovered this extremely vast and rather unique continent while he was crossing the Antarctica circle. Later expeditions from US, UK, Russia, Australia, New Zealand circumnavigated the continent to explore the marine life, sub Antarctica islands and to map the region. Unlike the Arctic region which was explored for its mineral and oil wealth, less is known about Antarctica till the late 19^th century. In 1947, US under the Operation Highjump sent largest ever expedition to the region. Gradually other countries started making forays into the region while Britain, France, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina laid claims on Antarctica. To stave off territorial claims and ban military& mining activities on the continent, Antarctic Treaty System was instituted in 1959 which entered force in 1961. 53 countries are party to the treaty as of 2016. It basically defined the continent as all the land and ice shelves south of 60˚S latitude as a scientific preserve and established freedom of scientific investigation. The original 12 signatories included the countries which were on Antarctica during the International Geographical Year (IGY) 1957-58. Apart from the aforementioned seven countries, the list included-Belgium, Japan, South Africa, Soviet Union and the US. India became party to the treaty in 1983 with the establishment of its first research station Dakshina Gangotri. The treaty didn’t recognize claims of nations, upheld the principle of common heritage of mankind and soon established a secretariat at Buenos Aries in 2004.

Dakshina Gangotri

 Antarctica is believed to be part of the southerly supercontinent Gondwana, the part containing all landmasses of Southern hemisphere. Around 140 million years ago, Africa and South America split from Gondwana under severe strain with South Atlantic Ocean separating them. From the Eastern-half Madagascar split from India, Australia and Antarctica together moved down South. Until about 45 million years ago, both clung together, Antarctica began to freeze while Australia drifted northward. Even now Australia continues to move North 1.2 inches every year. The landmass which is now the cold continent was once home to lush evergreen rain forests. Due to the extreme cold temperatures of Antarctica all the organisms that existed were fossilized and preserved in perfect conditions. Scientific community enthusiasm stems from the prospect of exploring fossilized remains, meteorites etc. Also ,  Antarctic skies are clear and free of radio interference and hence ideally suited for deep space research, satellite tracking and has a great potential for covert surveillance. Though a ban was imposed on militarization of the continent US, Chile, Argentina already have permanent military bases. Countries like China, Iran, Turkey and Pakistan are using their bases “for dual-use, scientific research that is useful for military purposes”.

India after the victory of the 1971 Bangladesh war, wanted to assert its global status and steadily harbored a secret ambition to reach the south pole and setup a research station at Antarctica. To realize this dream, a young researcher from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) Paramjit Singh Shera was deputed to join the 17^th Soviet Antarctica expedition. The joint agreements between ISRO and Hydro meteorological Centre of Russia, laid the foundations for India’s Antarctic Expeditions. In 1977, Indira Gandhi commissioned a study in 1977 for establishing a station at Antarctica. In May 1981, department of Ocean Development was setup and Operation Gangotri was unveiled. India launched its first expedition in December 1981 which took off from Goa. Hiring an ice-cutter MV Polar Circle from Norway, the expedition headed by Dr. Syed Zahoor Qasim with 21 scientists, personnel, technicians, and Naval officers covered 21,366 km in 77 days and landed in Antarctica. By 1983, India built its first base in Antarctica-Dakshina Gangotri. After establishing base in Antarctica, India ratified the Antarctic Treaty as a consulting member. India’s successful Operation Gangotri caught the developed World by surprise. India has become member of Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in 1986. Before 1988, a close group of 12 signatories exerted full control over Antarctica. By ratifying treaty, India advocated for the Third World to be part of Antarctic Governance. India also favored abrogation of Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities and supported the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (AEP). Consequently, all the countries that laid claims on Antarctica had to disband their mining plans. India ratified AEP in 1992 reaffirming its commitment to protecting the environment of Antarctica.

MV Polar Circle

India’s first permanent base Dakshin Gangotri was setup during the third annual expedition 1983-84 at Princess Astrid Coast. It was a double-storey station had fully equipped laboratories to carry out studies in meteorology, seismology, geology, glaciology, microbiology, acoustics, and oceanography. Ever since establishment of the base, annual expeditions to Antarctica have become a regular feature. Unfortunately, India had to abandon the base in 1990 due to inundation.

India commissioned second permanent station Maitri in 1989 in the rocky Schirmacher Region, East of Antarctica. It is surrounded by one of the biggest fresh water lake-Lake Zublake or Priyadarshini. After its establishment, in 1990-91 over 250 scientists and Naval personnel over wintered. By 1990, studies at Antarctica have become more inter-disciplinary and several prestigious Indian Institutes participated in the annual expeditions. Slowly the studies have become more environmental centric with issues like depletion of ozone layer, monitoring UV-B radiation, greenhouse effect dominating the agenda. Ministry of Earth Sciences in 1998 established a nodal agency, The National Centre for Antarctic & Ocean Research (NCAOR) to implement India’s Antarctic Program, monitor the maintenance of permanent station, establish National Antarctic Data Centre and Polar Museum.

Maitri

By 2012, India has setup another permanent research station Bharati using 134 recycled shipping containers. It is located 3500km east of Maitri with core areas of research on tectonics, oceanography, and geological structures. The research focus of Bharati is to understand the phenomenon of continental breakup and to collect evidences of shared history of India and Antarctica. (Both shared same coastlines and were part of supercontinent Gondwanaland). Bharati built from prefabricated shipping containers, has an ambient working temperature inside so that researchers can work comfortably irrespective of the harsh temperatures outside. The temperatures range from -89C in Winter to -25 C in summer. Over 35 scientists and 10 Army personnel stay throughout the year in this station. It can be disassembled without leaving a trace of brick and completely conforms to AEP.

Bharati

To facilitate polar expeditions India has a set of Ocean Research Vehicles (ORV). The phenomenal contributions of ORV Sagar Kanya constructed in 1983 and ORV Sagar Nidhi commissioned in 2008 are highly reckoned.

ORV Sagar Nidhi

NASA, National Science Foundation (NSF) and Smithsonian Institution through Antarctic Search for Meteorite Program (ANSMET) recently renewed search for meteorites in the cold continent, to know more about the primitive building blocks of the solar system. ANSMET so far collected 23,000 specimens. Countries are keenly monitoring Antarctic ice sheets since they have larger implications on climate change. Any rapid meltdown of ice will cause steep rise in sea levels.  Antarctica has become a testing and acclimatization ground for astronauts traveling to space. The desert like conditions of Antarctica closely resemble the conditions on the surface of Mars. NASA has tested robots to be launched on Mars in Antarctica. More recently the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Resources announced a marine protected area of 598,000 sq miles in Ross Sea. The region also called “Last Ocean” is largely untouched by humans and its nutrient rich water are home to around 16,000 species.

Scientific advancement has come a long way. Gone are those days when people were skeptical of exploring rather frigid, desolate and forbidding lands. Thanks to rapid sophistication and innovation, scientific community is keen on embarking polar expedition to understand and unravel the mysteries of unexplored lands.

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