Located at the intersection of South, Central, and East Asia, the massive Tibetan Plateau is often considered to be Earth’s “Third Pole.” A land of large glaciers, permafrost, and heavy snow, the plateau feeds a vast network of rivers, including major waterways like the Ganges, Indus, Mekong, Yangtze, and Yellow. These rivers, which together make up Asia’s “water tower,” provide water to nearly 40% of the world’s population.
The Tibetan Plateau also plays a substantial role in the global climate system by affecting atmospheric circulation and driving weather patterns, such as the Asian summer monsoon, around the planet. And in turn, climate crucially influences the plateau. A projected warmer and wetter climate will affect the region’s glaciers, snow cover, permafrost, runoff, and vegetation, affecting ecosystems locally and globally.
Huang et al. review the latest research investigating the Tibetan Plateau’s role in and susceptibility to the changing climate. Although inquiry into the plateau’s influence on climate dates to the 1880s, recent advances in observational data and numerical modeling are offering new insights.
This schematic illustrates ways in which the Tibetan Plateau affects the global climate system. Credit: Jianping Huang
The researchers divide their review into six thematic sections, covering observations of land-atmosphere interactions, climate system changes over the Tibetan Plateau, the plateau’s effects on atmospheric species transport, thermal and dynamical forcing of the plateau, its modulation of the global climate, and potential future changes in the plateau’s climate and forcings. For example, they discuss research demonstrating how the plateau drives surface pollutants into the upper troposphere during the Asian summer monsoon. They also outline how the plateau couples with the monsoon to influence global climate patterns in the summer, whereas in the winter, it drives the climate through its effects on planetary Rossby waves.
In addition, the authors identify a suite of needs for future research, such as the following:
improving data collection to quantitatively understand the role of climate on diabatic heating over the plateau
improving the temporal resolution of observations (e.g., hourly to daily) to model atmospheric processes like clouds and precipitation more accurately
improving regional and global climate model systems to reduce biases in their representation of the plateau
crafting a complete physical image of the Tibetan Plateau’s climate dynamics and thermal effects on the global climate
Focusing on these improvements will help scientists gain a more complete and systematic understanding of the plateau and its place in the current and future climate, the authors say. (Reviews of Geophysics, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022RG000771, 2022)
—Aaron Sidder, Science Writer
Citation: Sidder, A. (2022), Earth’s “Third Pole” and its role in global climate, Eos, 103, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EO220552. Published on 25 August 2022.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
An international crew of four representing four countries is in orbit following a successful launch to the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 26, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh commercial crew rotation mission for NASA.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, for a science expedition aboard the orbital laboratory.
“Crew-7 is a shining example of the power of both American ingenuity and what we can accomplish when we work together,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Aboard station, the crew will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, all while benefitting humanity on Earth. By partnering with countries around the world, NASA is engaging the best scientific minds to enable our bold missions, and it’s clear that we can do more – and we can learn more – when we work together.”
During Dragon’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California, and NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Named Endurance, the Dragon spacecraft will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 8:39 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 27. NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of docking and hatch opening. NASA also will cover the welcome remarks by crew aboard the orbital outpost at 11:30 a.m.
Crew-7 will join the space station’s Expedition 69 crew of NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio, as well as UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and Andrey Fedyaev. For a short time, the number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 until Crew-6 members Bowen, Hoburg, Alneyadi, and Fedyaev return to Earth a few days later.
Crew-7 will conduct new scientific research to benefit humanity on Earth and prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. Experiments include the collection of microbial samples from the exterior of the space station, the first study of human response to different spaceflight durations, and an investigation of the physiological aspects of astronauts’ sleep. These are just some of the science experiments and technology demonstrations that will take place during their mission.
“The International Space Station is an incredible science and technology platform that requires people from all around the world to maintain and maximize its benefits to people on Earth,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It’s great seeing Crew-7 launch with four crew members representing four countries who will live and work on humanity’s home in space as we continue the nearly 23 years of a continuous human presence aboard the microgravity laboratory.”
The Crew-7 mission enables NASA to maximize use of the space station, where astronauts testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted aboard the space station provides benefits for people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration trips to the Moon through NASA’s Artemis missions.
Meet Crew-7
This is Moghbeli’s first trip into space since her selection as a NASA astronaut in 2017. The New York native earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with information technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Moghbeli, a helicopter and Marine Corps test pilot, has more than 150 combat missions and 2,000 hours of flight time in over 25 different aircraft. She also is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. As mission commander, she is responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. She will serve as an Expedition 69/70 flight engineer aboard the station. Follow @astrojaws on X.
Mogensen was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009 and became the first Danish citizen in space after launching aboard a Soyuz for a 10-day mission to the space station in 2015. Mogensen is from Copenhagen, Denmark. He completed undergraduate studies and received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Imperial College London in England before gaining his doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Mogensen has since served as a crew member for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations undersea missions 17 and 19. Mogensen was the European astronaut liaison officer at NASA Johnson from 2016 to 2022, working as a capsule communicator for astronauts aboard the station and as ground support for spacewalks. As the pilot on Crew-7, he is responsible for spacecraft systems and performance aboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 69 flight engineer and Expedition 70 commander. Follow @astro_andreas on X.
Furukawa is making his second trip to space, having spent 165 days aboard the space station as part of Expeditions 28 and 29 in 2011. Furukawa is from Kanagawa, Japan, and was selected as a JAXA astronaut in 1999. He is a physician and received his medical degree from the University of Tokyo, and later a doctorate in medical science from the same university. Furukawa served as a crew member on the 13th NEEMO mission, and later, was appointed head of JAXA’s Space Biomedical Research Group. Aboard the station, he will become a flight engineer for Expedition 69/70. Follow @astro_satoshi on X.
Borisov is making his first trip to space and will serve as a mission specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and entry phases of flight. He entered the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Corps as a test cosmonaut candidate in 2018 and will serve as a flight engineer for Expedition 69/70.
Learn more about NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission and Commercial Crew Program at:
Nursing is a noble profession. It revolves around healthcare; providing medical care to individuals or a community. As such, it is important for everyone aiming to become a Nurse to be fully equipped with the essential items and tools.
I must say that the scrub suit not only does the job when it comes to comfort, combat spreading of virus but it also identifies the profession and also fashionable. It just looks so clean and radiates an “I am here for you” feeling to anyone.
To keep your belongings like information sheet of patients and other documents in place. Medical students like nurses are constantly moving, and keeping these documents secure will save you the problem of losing important time.
Preferably choose a watch or smart watch that has a stop watch and timers. These will come useful if you need to be precise in time measurements tasks.
As a nursing student, you would be reading a lot of books. Taking notes will be common. Various terminology, parts of the body, and other important facts. Adding highlight to important sections is a good strategy, specially when reviewing for an exam.
Same with the stethoscope, another valuable piece of equipment. Mostly used to check the eyes, ears and other places that need a focused beam of light.
Time is important. Sometimes, the pocket notebook is not enough. Or you will not be fast enough to open a notebook and write there. These writable wristband is perfect for these situation. Just be careful when swiping your forehead with these, if you don’t want a temporary tattoo on your face.
Another time saver. Attachable notes to documents, that needs to be clean from handwriting are essential for these situation. It can also be used for as a footnote reviewers and books without you actually writing on these precious references.
Spacious, backpack, and has wheels. What more can you ask. As a nursing student or nurse you’d be moving a lot. A good investment on backpack will last you until you are already a fully qualified nurse. The wonderful thing about the backpack is that the handle can be fully hidden, making it like a normal backpack bag.
Student life is busy enough without hassles like paying for shipping. That’s why Amazon Prime Student is a must-have for you. For just $14.99 $7.49/month, Prime Student gets you free two-day shipping on over 100 million items, unlimited photo storage, exclusive deals, and more. Better still, it comes with a six-month free trial so you can make sure Prime Student fits your lifestyle. Join today to take advantage of membership benefits and perks tailored specifically for students! Click here to sign up now: https://amzn.to/47wkx6f
Code Llama is a state-of-the-art LLM capable of generating code, and natural language about code, from both code and natural language prompts.
Code Llama is free for research and commercial use.
Code Llama is built on top of Llama 2 and is available in three models:
Code Llama, the foundational code model;
Codel Llama – Python specialized for Python;
and Code Llama – Instruct, which is fine-tuned for understanding natural language instructions.
In our own benchmark testing, Code Llama outperformed state-of-the-art publicly available LLMs on code tasks
Today, we are releasing Code Llama, a large language model (LLM) that can use text prompts to generate code. Code Llama is state-of-the-art for publicly available LLMs on code tasks, and has the potential to make workflows faster and more efficient for current developers and lower the barrier to entry for people who are learning to code. Code Llama has the potential to be used as a productivity and educational tool to help programmers write more robust, well-documented software.
The generative AI space is evolving rapidly, and we believe an open approach to today’s AI is the best one for developing new AI tools that are innovative, safe, and responsible. We are releasing Code Llama under the same community license as Llama 2.
How Code Llama works
Code Llama is a code-specialized version of Llama 2 that was created by further training Llama 2 on its code-specific datasets, sampling more data from that same dataset for longer. Essentially, Code Llama features enhanced coding capabilities, built on top of Llama 2. It can generate code, and natural language about code, from both code and natural language prompts (e.g., “Write me a function that outputs the fibonacci sequence.”) It can also be used for code completion and debugging. It supports many of the most popular languages being used today, including Python, C++, Java, PHP, Typescript (Javascript), C#, and Bash.
We are releasing three sizes of Code Llama with 7B, 13B, and 34B parameters respectively. Each of these models is trained with 500B tokens of code and code-related data. The 7B and 13B base and instruct models have also been trained with fill-in-the-middle (FIM) capability, allowing them to insert code into existing code, meaning they can support tasks like code completion right out of the box.
The three models address different serving and latency requirements. The 7B model, for example, can be served on a single GPU. The 34B model returns the best results and allows for better coding assistance, but the smaller 7B and 13B models are faster and more suitable for tasks that require low latency, like real-time code completion.
The Code Llama models provide stable generations with up to 100,000 tokens of context. All models are trained on sequences of 16,000 tokens and show improvements on inputs with up to 100,000 tokens.
Aside from being a prerequisite for generating longer programs, having longer input sequences unlocks exciting new use cases for a code LLM. For example, users can provide the model with more context from their codebase to make the generations more relevant. It also helps in debugging scenarios in larger codebases, where staying on top of all code related to a concrete issue can be challenging for developers. When developers are faced with debugging a large chunk of code they can pass the entire length of the code into the model.
Additionally, we have further fine-tuned two additional variations of Code Llama: Code Llama – Python and Code Llama – Instruct.
Code Llama – Python is a language-specialized variation of Code Llama, further fine-tuned on 100B tokens of Python code. Because Python is the most benchmarked language for code generation – and because Python and PyTorch play an important role in the AI community – we believe a specialized model provides additional utility.
Code Llama – Instruct is an instruction fine-tuned and aligned variation of Code Llama. Instruction tuning continues the training process, but with a different objective. The model is fed a “natural language instruction” input and the expected output. This makes it better at understanding what humans expect out of their prompts. We recommend using Code Llama – Instruct variants whenever using Code Llama for code generation since Code Llama – Instruct has been fine-tuned to generate helpful and safe answers in natural language.
We do not recommend using Code Llama or Code Llama – Python to perform general natural language tasks since neither of these models are designed to follow natural language instructions. Code Llama is specialized for code-specific tasks and isn’t appropriate as a foundation model for other tasks.
When using the Code Llama models, users must abide by our license and acceptable use policy.
Evaluating Code Llama’s performance
To test Code Llama’s performance against existing solutions, we used two popular coding benchmarks: HumanEval and Mostly Basic Python Programming (MBPP). HumanEval tests the model’s ability to complete code based on docstrings and MBPP tests the model’s ability to write code based on a description.
Our benchmark testing showed that Code Llama performed better than open-source, code-specific LLMs and outperformed Llama 2. Code Llama 34B, for example, scored 53.7% on HumanEval and 56.2% on MBPP, the highest compared with other state-of-the-art open solutions, and on par with ChatGPT.
As with all cutting edge technology, Code Llama comes with risks. Building AI models responsibly is crucial, and we undertook numerous safety measures before releasing Code Llama. As part of our red teaming efforts, we ran a quantitative evaluation of Code Llama’s risk of generating malicious code. We created prompts that attempted to solicit malicious code with clear intent and scored Code Llama’s responses to those prompts against ChatGPT’s (GPT3.5 Turbo). Our results found that Code Llama answered with safer responses.
Details about our red teaming efforts from domain experts in responsible AI, offensive security engineering, malware development, and software engineering are available in our research paper.
Releasing Code Llama
Programmers are already using LLMs to assist in a variety of tasks, ranging from writing new software to debugging existing code. The goal is to make developer workflows more efficient, so they can focus on the most human centric aspects of their job, rather than repetitive tasks.
At Meta, we believe that AI models, but LLMs for coding in particular, benefit most from an open approach, both in terms of innovation and safety. Publicly available, code-specific models can facilitate the development of new technologies that improve peoples’ lives. By releasing code models like Code Llama, the entire community can evaluate their capabilities, identify issues, and fix vulnerabilities.
Code Llama’s training recipes are available on our Github repository.
Our research paper discloses details of Code Llama’s development as well as how we conducted our benchmarking tests. It also provides more information into the model’s limitations, known challenges we encountered, mitigations we’ve taken, and future challenges we intend to investigate.
We’ve also updated our Responsible Use Guide and it includes guidance on developing downstream models responsibly, including:
Defining content policies and mitigations.
Preparing data.
Fine-tuning the model.
Evaluating and improving performance.
Addressing input- and output-level risks.
Building transparency and reporting mechanisms in user interactions.
Developers should evaluate their models using code-specific evaluation benchmarks and perform safety studies on code-specific use cases such as generating malware, computer viruses, or malicious code. We also recommend leveraging safety datasets for automatic and human evaluations, and red teaming on adversarial prompts.
The future of generative AI for coding
Code Llama is designed to support software engineers in all sectors – including research, industry, open source projects, NGOs, and businesses. But there are still many more use cases to support than what our base and instruct models can serve.
We hope that Code Llama will inspire others to leverage Llama 2 to create new innovative tools for research and commercial products.
Vikram lander touches down at lunar south pole shortly after 6pm India time
India has become the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon, in a historic moment that drew cheers at watching parties around the country.
“India is on the moon,” Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, the chair of the Indian Space Research Organisation, said as the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s Vikram lander touched down shortly after 6pm (1230 BST) near the little-explored lunar south pole in a world first for any space programme.
The successful landing marks India’s emergence as a space power as the government looks to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.
People across the country were glued to television screens as the spacecraft approached territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water and precious elements.
Guardian graphic. Source: Indian Space Research Organisation
“This is a victory cry of a new India,” said the prime minister, Narendra Modi, who was seen waving the Indian flag as he watched the landing from South Africa, where he is attending the Brics summit. “We are witnessing history.”
A wave of nervous excitement has gripped Indians in recent days as the scheduled descent approached. Temples and mosques held special prayers for a safe landing. On the banks of the River Ganges in Varanasi, Hindu monks bestowed blessings on the mission and blew conch shells.
At street parties on Wednesday evening, Indians celebrated the double triumph of being the first to land on the south pole and the fourth to land on the moon.
In the final few minutes before touchdown, the lander executed a complex manoeuvre, slowing down from 3,730 miles an hour to nearly zero and turning from a horizontal to a vertical position.
The right tilt and thrust at this moment were vital. If too much force was applied, the lander would have toppled. Too little force and it might have hit the lunar surface at the wrong place.
It was this end manoeuvre that went wrong in the final few minutes of India’s last moon mission in 2019, when the lander failed to change position and hurtled towards the surface during the final braking phase.
Chandrayaan-3 – “moon craft” in Sanskrit – took off from a launchpad in Sriharikota in southern India on 14 July, taking much longer to reach the moon than the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s, which arrived in a matter of days.
India is using rockets much less powerful than the US did back then. Instead, the probe orbited Earth several times to gain speed before embarking on its month-long lunar trajectory.
If all goes to plan, a rover called Pragyaan, the Sanskrit word for wisdom, will roll out of the belly of the lander on a ramp then roam around the moon’s surface for two weeks. It has been designed to take pictures, conduct experiments on the geology and the origins of the Earth, and investigate the presence of water ice.
Chandrayaan-3 – “moon craft” in Sanskrit – took off from a launchpad in Sriharikota in southern India on 14 July, taking much longer to reach the moon than the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s, which arrived in a matter of days.
India is using rockets much less powerful than the US did back then. Instead, the probe orbited Earth several times to gain speed before embarking on its month-long lunar trajectory.
If all goes to plan, a rover called Pragyaan, the Sanskrit word for wisdom, will roll out of the belly of the lander on a ramp then roam around the moon’s surface for two weeks. It has been designed to take pictures, conduct experiments on the geology and the origins of the Earth, and investigate the presence of water ice.
Isro staff celebrate the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon at the command facility in Bengaluru. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP
If found in significant quantities, water ice could allow future crew missions to set up base there as it could be used to extract oxygen and fuel. Some scientists believe that the south pole, which is hidden from Earth’s view and is full of craters and trenches, may be the most promising site for a future base.
India’s successful landing comes days after Russia said its first moon mission in 47 years, which also targeted the south pole, had failed after its Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed. Russia’s head of the state-controlled space corporation, Roscosmos, attributed the failure to lack of expertise due to the long break in lunar research that followed the last Soviet mission to the moon in 1976.
The former Soviet Union, the US and China have already achieved a soft landing on the moon but in another region, near the moon’s equator.
With nuclear-armed India emerging as the world’s fifth-largest economy last year, Modi’s nationalist government is eager to showcase the country’s rising standing as a technology and space powerhouse. A successful moon mission dovetails with Modi’s image of an ascendant India asserting its place among the global elite and would help bolster his popularity ahead of a crucial general election next year.
The anticipation for a successful landing rose after Russia’s failed attempt and as India’s regional rival China reaches for new milestones in space. In May, China launched a three-person crew for its orbiting space station and hopes to put astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade.
By: Amrit Dhillon Originally published at The Guardian
NEW DELHI (AP) — India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the moon’s south pole on Wednesday — a historic voyage to uncharted territory that scientists believe could hold vital reserves of frozen water, and a technological triumph for the world’s most populous nation.
After a failed attempt to land on the moon in 2019, India now joins the United States, the Soviet Union and China as only the fourth country to achieve this milestone. A lander with a rover inside touched down on the lunar surface at 6:04 p.m. local time, sparking celebrations around India, including in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, where space scientists watching the landing erupted in cheers and applause.
Schoolchildren celebrate the successful landing of spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, in a school in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
The successful mission showcases India’s rising standing as a technology and space powerhouse and dovetails with the image of the country that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to project: an ascendant country asserting its place among the global elite.
“India is now on the moon. India has reached the south pole of the moon — no other country has achieved that. We are witnessing history,” Modi said as he waved the Indian tri-colored flag while watching the landing from South Africa, where he is participating in the BRICS nations summit.
The lunar rover will slide down a flap from the lander within hours or a day and conduct experiments, including an analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface, said S. Somnath, chairman of the state-run Indian Space Research Organization.
The mission, which began more than a month ago at an estimated cost of $75 million, is expected to last another two weeks. Somnath said that India would next attempt a manned lunar mission.
Nuclear-armed India grew to become the world’s fifth-largest economy last year, and the success of the lunar mission will likely help Modi’s popularity ahead of a crucial general election next year.
India’s success comes just days after Russia’s Luna-25, which was aiming for the same lunar region, spun into an uncontrolled orbit and crashed. It would have been the first successful Russian lunar landing after a gap of 47 years. Russia’s head of the state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos attributed the failure to the lack of expertise due to the long break in lunar research that followed the last Soviet mission to the moon in 1976.
Excited and anxious people across India crowded around televisions in offices, shops, restaurants and homes. Thousands prayed Tuesday for the success of the mission with oil lamps on the river banks, temples and religious places, including the holy city of Varanasi in northern India.
Schoolchildren celebrate the successful landing of spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, in a school in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)People celebrate as they watch a live telecast of the landing og Chandrayaan-3, or “moon craft” in Sanskrit, in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)Schoolchildren celebrate the successful landing of spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, in a school in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)A girl stands with the Indian national flag as she watches a live telecast of the landing og Chandrayaan-3, or “moon craft” in Sanskrit, in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) staff watch prime minister Narendra Modi speak after the successful landing of spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon at ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network facility in Bengaluru, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
As the lander approached the lunar surface, dozens of people in a government-run planetarium started praying with folded hands. They switched to cheering and clapping once the lander touched down.
A man waved a banner reading ’’The Moon in India’s arms.”
Shrini Singh, a New Delhi resident, said she got goosebumps. ’’It’s a very happy moment … you can see the energy. It’s beyond words.”
Mitakshi Sinha, a student, said the successful mission motivated her. “And now I also want to be part of ISRO,” she said, referring to the country’s space agency.
Congratulations poured in from around the world, cementing India’s emergence as a modern space power.
“Your success will power the imagination and light the future of people around the world,” the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Incredible!” European Space Agency’s director general Josef Aschbacher tweeted.
NASA’s former science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen, who now works at ETH Zurich, a public research university in Switzerland where he is leading its space initiative, said he felt proud of the achievement.
India’s Chandrayaan-3 — “moon craft” in Sanskrit — took off from a launchpad in Sriharikota in southern India on July 14.
Many countries and private companies are interested in the south pole region because permanently shadowed craters may hold frozen water that could help future astronaut missions use it as a potential source of drinking water or to make rocket fuel.
The six-wheeled lander and rover module of Chandrayaan-3 is configured with payloads that would provide data to the scientific community on the properties of lunar soil and rocks, including chemical and elemental compositions.
India’s previous attempt to land a robotic spacecraft near the moon’s little-explored south pole ended in failure in 2019. It entered the lunar orbit but lost touch with its lander, which crashed while making its final descent to deploy a rover to search for signs of water. According to a failure analysis report submitted to the ISRO, the crash was caused by a software glitch.
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chairman S. Somanath addresses the media after the successful landing of spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon at ISRO’s Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network facility in Bengaluru, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
The $140-million mission in 2019 was intended to study permanently shadowed moon craters that are thought to contain water deposits and were confirmed by India’s Chandrayaan-1 orbiter mission in 2008.
But India’s space program has been steadily advancing for years.
Active since the 1960s, India has launched satellites for itself and other countries, and successfully put one in orbit around Mars in 2014. India is planning its first mission to the International Space Station next year, in collaboration with the United States.
The anticipation for a successful landing rose after Russia’s failed attempt and as India’s regional rival China reaches for new milestones in space. In May, China launched a three-person crew for its orbiting space station and hopes to put astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade. Relations between India and China have plunged since deadly border clashes in 2020.
People watch the landing of Chandrayaan-3, or “moon craft” at Omani University in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Numerous countries and private companies are racing to successfully land a spacecraft on the lunar surface. In April, a Japanese company’s spacecraft apparently crashed while attempting to land on the moon. An Israeli nonprofit tried to achieve a similar feat in 2019, but its spacecraft was destroyed on impact.
Japan plans to launch a lunar lander to the moon over the weekend as part of an X-ray telescope mission, and two U.S. companies also are vying to put landers on the moon by the end of the year, one of them at the south pole. In the coming years, NASA plans to land astronauts at the lunar south pole, taking advantage of the frozen water in craters.
People celebrate as they watch a live telecast of the landing og Chandrayaan-3, or “moon craft” in Sanskrit, in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)Indians celebrate the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, or “moon craft” in Sanskrit, at the Nehru Planetarium in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)Schoolchildren celebrate the successful landing of spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, in a school in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)Schoolchildren cheer as they watch the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, or “moon craft” in Sanskrit, at the Nehru Planetarium in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)Schoolchildren celebrate the successful landing of spacecraft Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, in a school in Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)The moon shines over Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network facility in Bengaluru, India, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Pallava Bagla, a science writer and co-author of books on India’s space exploration, said the Russian failure days earlier did not put India off. He also said lessons learned from India’s failed mission four years ago were incorporated and a flawless mission was executed on Wednesday.
“Indians didn’t get derailed. They continued the journey with strength and confidence that paid off,” he said.
As Sunspots Come and Go, So Does the Cloudy Weather on the Blue Giant Planet
Weather forecast for Neptune: After sunny weather for the past few Earth years, we’ll see increasingly more clouds over the next few years.
In 1989, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft provided the first close-up images of linear, bright clouds, reminiscent of cirrus clouds on Earth, seen high in Neptune’s atmosphere. They form above most of the methane in Neptune’s atmosphere and reflect all colors of sunlight, which makes them white.
On that frozen frontier the Sun is still influential regarding the Neptunian weather that produces cloud cover. At Neptune’s distance of nearly 3 billion miles, the Sun appears starlike at 1/30th the diameter of the full Moon. This feeble radiation is 1% the amount of starlight as received on Earth.
Yet the Sun’s influence on Neptune became increasingly obvious when astronomers looked at 30 years of Neptune observations with the Hubble and Keck telescopes. Neptune’s abundance of clouds waxes and wanes over an 11-years cycle. The Sun also has an 11-year cycle where it becomes stormy as its magnetic fields become entangled, increasing sunspot number and rate of violent outbursts.
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Astronomers have uncovered a link between Neptune’s shifting cloud abundance and the 11-year solar cycle, in which the waxing and waning of the Sun’s entangled magnetic fields drives solar activity.
This discovery is based on three decades of Neptune observations captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, as well as data from the Lick Observatory in California.
The link between Neptune and solar activity is surprising to planetary scientists because Neptune is our solar system’s farthest major planet and receives sunlight with about 0.1% of the intensity Earth receives. Yet Neptune’s global cloudy weather seems to be driven by solar activity, and not the planet’s four seasons, which each last approximately 40 years.
At present, the cloud coverage seen on Neptune is extremely low, with the exception of some clouds hovering over the giant planet’s south pole. A University of California (UC) Berkeley-led team of astronomers discovered that the abundance of clouds normally seen at the icy giant’s mid-latitudes started to fade in 2019.
“I was surprised by how quickly clouds disappeared on Neptune,” said Imke de Pater, emeritus professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study. “We essentially saw cloud activity drop within a few months,” she said.
“Even now, four years later, the most recent images we took this past June still show the clouds haven’t returned to their former levels,” said Erandi Chavez, a graduate student at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard-Smithsonian (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led the study when she was an undergraduate astronomy student at UC Berkeley. “This is extremely exciting and unexpected, especially since Neptune’s previous period of low cloud activity was not nearly as dramatic and prolonged.”
To monitor the evolution of Neptune’s appearance, Chavez and her team analyzed Keck Observatory images taken from 2002 to 2022, the Hubble Space Telescope archival observations beginning in 1994, and data from the Lick Observatory in California from 2018 to 2019.
In recent years, the Keck observations have been complemented by images taken as part of the Twilight Zone program and by Hubble’s Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.
The images reveal an intriguing pattern between seasonal changes in Neptune’s cloud cover and the solar cycle – the period when the Sun’s magnetic field flips every 11 years as it becomes more tangled like a ball of yarn. This is evident in the increasing number of sunspots and increasing solar flare activity. As the cycle progresses, the Sun’s tempestuous behavior builds to a maximum, until the magnetic field beaks down and reverses polarity. Then the Sun settles back down to a minimum, only to start another cycle.
When it’s stormy weather on the Sun, more intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation floods the solar system. The team found that two years after the solar cycle’s peak, an increasing number of clouds appear on Neptune. The team further found a positive correlation between the number of clouds and the ice giant’s brightness from the sunlight reflecting off it.
“These remarkable data give us the strongest evidence yet that Neptune’s cloud cover correlates with the Sun’s cycle,” said de Pater. “Our findings support the theory that the Sun’s UV rays, when strong enough, may be triggering a photochemical reaction that produces Neptune’s clouds.”
Scientists discovered the connection between the solar cycle and Neptune’s cloudy weather pattern by looking at 2.5 cycles of cloud activity recorded over the 29-year span of Neptunian observations. During this time, the planet’s reflectivity increased in 2002 then dimmed in 2007. Neptune became bright again in 2015, then darkened in 2020 to the lowest level ever observed, which is when most of the clouds went away.
The changes in Neptune’s brightness caused by the Sun appear to go up and down relatively in sync with the coming and going of clouds on the planet. However there is a two-year time lag between the peak of the solar cycle and the abundance of clouds seen on Neptune. The chemical changes are caused by photochemistry, which happens high in Neptune’s upper atmosphere and takes time to form clouds.
“It’s fascinating to be able to use telescopes on Earth to study the climate of a world more than 2.5 billion miles away from us,” said Carlos Alvarez, staff astronomer at Keck Observatory and co-author of the study. “Advances in technology and observations have enabled us to constrain Neptune’s atmospheric models, which are key to understanding the correlation between the ice giant’s climate and the solar cycle.”
However, more work is necessary. For example, while an increase in UV sunlight could produce more clouds and haze, it could also darken them, thereby reducing Neptune’s overall brightness. Storms on Neptune rising up from the deep atmosphere affect the cloud cover, but are not related to photochemically produced clouds, and hence may complicate correlation studies with the solar cycle. Continued observations of Neptune are also needed to see how long the current near-absence of clouds will last.
The research team continues to track Neptune’s cloud activity. “We have seen more clouds in the most recent Keck images that were taken during the same time NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed the planet; these clouds were in particular seen at northern latitudes and at high altitudes, as expected from the observed increase in the solar UV flux over the past approximately 2 years,” said de Pater.
The combined data from Hubble, the Webb Space Telescope, Keck Observatory, and the Lick Observatory will enable further investigations into the physics and chemistry that lead to Neptune’s dynamic appearance, which in turn may help deepen astronomers’ understanding not only of Neptune, but also of exoplanets, since many of the planets beyond our solar system are thought to have Neptune-like qualities.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore conducts Hubble science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.
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Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Mari-Ela Chock W. M. Keck Observatory, Mauna Kea, Hawaii
Robert Sanders University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California
The mobile launcher, carried by the crawler-transporter 2, rolls out from its park site location to Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 16, 2023. While at the pad, it will undergo testing for the agency’s Artemis II mission. Under Artemis, the mobile launcher will transport NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft to pad 39B for liftoff. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
After an approximately four-mile journey over the course of two days, mobile launcher 1 arrived on Aug. 17 at Launch Pad 39B from its park site location at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will remain at the pad for several months as teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program prepare for Artemis ll, the first crewed mission under Artemis.
Teams will conduct a variety of tests and continue ground systems upgrades on both structures. These preparations include testing the pad’s new 1.4-million-gallon liquid hydrogen sphere and emergency egress system.
After testing at the pad is complete, the mobile launcher will travel to the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for rocket stacking operations ahead of launching Artemis ll.
By: Antonia Jaramillo Botero Originally published at NASA Blog
In an ever-changing geopolitical landscape, one question endures: “Who runs the world?” Historically, the answer to this question has swung like a pendulum between different power centres. Those of us over 45 will recall a time when the world was essentially divided between two titans: the United States and the Soviet Union. This bipolar world order was straightforward; each superpower ruled its half of the world with iron fists and concrete ideologies.
For the generation below 45, however, the narrative changed. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US emerged as the undisputed global power—a unipolar world. However, over the past 15 years, this narrative has grown more intricate as America shows signs of weariness from playing global policeman and economic architect, and emerging nations challenge the old order.
“Who runs the world?”
Three key developments have fueled this shift. First, Russia, once a formidable power, now dwindles on the periphery of Western integration, a state of affairs met with resentment. Second, China, despite integration into Western economic structures, retained its core values and ideologies, surprising those who anticipated Westernisation in exchange for wealth. Third, globalisation’s disillusioned victims—citizens of prosperous democracies—have expressed growing discontent, feeling marginalised by a system that benefits only the elites.
These elements provide the backdrop for over 90% of today’s geopolitical tension and conflict, creating a world without clear leadership. However, this leaderless world is merely a transient phase. The question now is: what comes next?
The forthcoming decade will not simply be a return to a bipolar, unipolar, or even multipolar world. Instead, we will navigate through three distinct, overlapping orders, each wielding significant implications for our lives, aspirations, and how we perceive and interact with the world.
Firstly, there is the Global Security Order. Here, the United States and its allies hold the reins. America’s unmatched military capability results in a unipolar security order, a situation likely to endure for the next decade.
Next, we have the Global Economic Order. Unlike the security sphere, economic power is dispersed. The US, despite its military prowess, cannot dictate the economic trajectory of other nations. Economic interdependence between the US and China means neither can impose its will on the other. Meanwhile, the EU, India, and Japan hold significant stakes in the global economic arena, creating a multipolar economic order.
Tensions naturally arise between these two orders. The US leverages its national security prowess to attract more economies into its orbit, while China uses its economic might to tilt global diplomacy in its favour. Countries caught in the middle strive to maintain equilibrium, ensuring neither order suppresses the other.
However, beyond these two orders emerges a third: the Digital Order. Here, technology companies, not nations, are the prime movers. These digital behemoths shape global events, influence identities, and hold sway over discourse. They hold the power to dictate who can communicate with millions in real-time, defend nations from cyber threats, and ultimately determine our identities in an increasingly digital world.
These technology titans aren’t just corporate entities; they are global influencers with unprecedented power. As we advance into a new era, they face tough questions on accountability, data privacy, monetisation of user information, and their role in propagating hate and misinformation.
We find ourselves in an age where tech giants have the power to either bolster or undermine democracy. As we navigate this new reality, we must ask: Are these tech leaders content being the principal exporters of tools that can potentially subvert democracy, or will they act responsibly to preserve it?
The future of our world order hinges on the answers to these questions. As we sail into uncharted territory, we must scrutinise the actions of these technology companies, recognising their power to shape not just markets, but our collective destiny.
While Engineers and Architects have some common tools with each other. Architects specialize in design and the aesthetics. With these in mind we have selected a few items that every architect should have in order to save time and focus on more important matters.
A complete drafting set. It includes 2 Compasses, 2 triangles, 1 6-inch ruler, 1 protractor, 2 pencils for compass, 2 fineliners, 1 metal mechanical pencil, 1 pencil sharpener, 1 eraser, and 2 pencil lead refills.
A huge timer saver, drawing templates can serve as guides for drawing on plans. While you can still draw using the usual rulers, compass and protractors, these can be used for quick drafts.
Dual use between a laptop and tablet. These laptop is both portable and powerful. It comes with Windows 10 S operating system. Has a sufficient memory of 4 GB, 64GB of hard disk and Intel HD Graphics.
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