. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1	About the Artemis Mission	Prelims & Mains
2	Details of the Nano Urea	Prelims & Mains
3	About the NALSA	Prelims & Mains
4	Details of the Vostok 22	Prelims Specific Topic

 

1 – About the Artemis Mission:

 

GS III

 

Topic  Science and Technology

 

How does the Artemis Mission work?

 

The NASA Artemis mission, which bears the name of Apollo’s legendary twin sister, is regarded as the next development in lunar exploration.

Artemis is also the name of the goddess of the moon.

It is the first of a series of missions that will eventually enable people to go to Mars and the Moon.

By 2024, NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis programme, including the first woman and person of colour.

NASA will construct an Artemis Base Camp on the Moon’s surface and a gateway (the lunar outpost circling the Moon) in lunar orbit to aid human and robotic exploration.

The gateway is an essential component of NASA’s sustaining lunar operations and will serve as a multipurpose station circling the moon.

Other space agencies take part in the Artemis programme as well.

The International Habitat and the ESPRIT module, which will among other things provide improved communications capabilities, will be provided by the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency has committed to providing cutting-edge robotics for the gateway.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to offer accommodation and logistics resupply supplies.

 

What are the main focuses of the mission?

 

The Artemis I mission, formerly known as Exploration Mission-1: Spacecraft, will be the first integrated flight test of NASA’s Deep Space Exploration Systems. Orion: The Orion astronaut ship will orbit Earth for a lengthier period of time than any other spacecraft has ever managed without docking to a space station.

The most powerful rocket in the world, the Space Launch System (SLS), travels 2,80,000 miles beyond Earth and remains there for four to six weeks.

Recent improvements have been made to the Kennedy Space Center’s exploration ground systems in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

It is an unmanned space mission, and the spacecraft will enter orbit using an SLS rocket.

The primary operating objective of the mission is to ensure the safe entry, descent, splashdown, and recovery of the crew module.

As part of the Artemis I mission, SLS and Orion will be launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in the summer of 2022.

The mission will be declared a success when the Orion spacecraft successfully lands on Earth without incident.

 

What will the upcoming missions of the Artemis programme be?

 

During the second flight of the programme, Orion’s critical systems will be tested with people aboard.

The first astronauts’ launch to Mars will eventually include the lessons learned from the Artemis programme.

In order to further human space flight deeper into the solar system, NASA plans to use the lunar orbit to get the expertise needed.

What is the history of moon exploration?

The Soviet Union’s Luna 1 and 2 unmanned rovers were the first to reach the Moon in 1959.

The US began its attempts to send people into space in 1961.

Eight years later, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin made history by being the first people to step foot on the Moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.

Before launching the Apollo 11 trip to the Moon, the USA flew three different classes of robotic missions between 1961 and 1968.

After July 1969, 12 American astronauts made lunar landings every year until 1972.

In the 1990s, the United States resumed lunar exploration with the robotic missions Clementine and Lunar Prospector.

It began a new series of robotic lunar missions in 2009 with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS).

In 2011, NASA launched the ARTEMIS.

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) satellite investigated the gravity of the Moon in 2012.

In addition to the United States, the European Space Agency, Japan, China, and India have all launched lunar exploration missions.

China successfully deployed two rovers onto the moon’s surface in 2019, making history by being the first to touch down on the far side.

 

What is ISRO doing to investigate the moon?

 

Chandrayaan 1 Mission:

 

The Chandrayaan project began in 2007 when the Russian space agency ROSCOSMOS and the Indian space agency ISRO signed a collaboration agreement.

The lander, however, could not be finished in time by Russia, so the mission was postponed in January 2013 and rescheduled for 2016.

Findings: It has been established that moon water exists.

evidence of lunar caves formed by an ancient lava flow.

Evidence of previous tectonic activity was found on the lunar surface.

The observed cracks and fractures could have resulted from internal tectonic activity and meteorite strikes.

 

Chandrayaan 2 Mission:

 

Chandrayaan-2, India’s second moon mission, features an entirely domestic orbiter, lander (Vikram), and rover (Pragyan).

The Pragyan Rover is housed aboard the Vikram Lander.

According to the Indian Space Research Organization, Chandrayaan-3 is India’s third lunar mission and will feature a lander and a rover (ISRO).

 

Source  The Hindu

 

 

2 – Details of the Nano Urea:

 

GS III

 

Topic  Indian Agriculture

 

What is liquid nano urea?

 

Urea is a white chemical nitrogen fertiliser that serves as an artificial source of nitrogen, a vital nutrient required by plants.

 

Liquid nano urea is essentially urea in a nanoparticle form.

 

Which is better, liquid nano urea or imported urea?

 

The price of liquid nano urea is lower ($240 for a half-liter without a subsidy; on the foreign market, a bag of urea costs between $3,500 and $4,00). It is possible to successfully substitute a bottle of the nano urea for at least one bag of urea.

Government benefits: lowers the cost of fertiliser subsidies for the government. India is a nation that depends on imported fertiliser.

85–90% of liquid nano urea’s effectiveness is possible. (The effectiveness of conventional urea is roughly 25%.)

Due to its one-year shelf life, farmers do not need to worry about liquid nano urea “caking” when it comes into touch with moisture.

 

Additional benefits of liquid nano urea include:

 

Fertilizers in nano form deliver a targeted supply of nutrients to crops as they are absorbed by the stomata, pores found on the epidermis of leaves.

Reduces the excessive and negligent use of urea that is typically made.

Increases crop productivity.

Decreases soil, water, and air pollution.

 

Source  The Indian Express

3 – About the NALSA:

 

GS II

 

Topic  Constitutional Non-Constitutional Bodies

 

About:

 

The NALSA was created by the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987, and it was tasked with creating rules and principles for the delivery of legal services in compliance with the Act.

Additionally, it offers funding and grants to nonprofit organisations and state agencies in charge of legal aid to help the implementation of their plans and infrastructure.

 

Constitutional provisions:

 

According to Article 39A of the Indian Constitution, the State is required to ensure that the administration of justice promotes equality of opportunity and, in particular, must offer free legal aid through appropriate legislation or programmes or in any other manner to ensure that no citizen is denied the opportunity to obtain justice because of their financial situation or another type of disability.

Articles 14 and 22(1) compel the State to provide equality before the law and a legal system that advances justice based on equal opportunity for all.

 

Goals of NALSA:

 

Offer free legal advice and support.

Spread knowledge of the law.

Establish lok adalats.

Promote the use of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) processes to settle disputes. ADR procedures include arbitration, conciliation, judicial settlement, including settlement through Lok Adalat, or mediation.

Make reparations to victims of crime.

 

What are the duties of Institutions for Legal Services at Various Levels?

 

Nationally: The establishment of NALSA was made possible by the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987. The Chief Justice of India is the Chief Patron.

State-level State Legal Services Authority It is under the direction of the State High Court’s Chief Justice, who also serves as its Patron-in-Chief.

district-level District Legal Services Authority District Judge for the district serves as its ex-officio Chairman.

the taluka/subdivisional level legal services committee. It is led by an experienced Civil Judge.

High Court: High Court Committee for Legal Services.

Supreme Court: The Supreme Court’s Committee for Legal Services.

 

Which Individuals Are Eligible for Free Legal Services?

 

Women and children

Employees in SC/ST industries

Victims of violent crime, natural disasters like earthquakes and floods, and violent crimes.

people with disabilities

Detained individuals

 

Individuals whose annual income is below the cap imposed by the appropriate State Government, or less than Rs. 5 Lakhs if the issue is before the Supreme Court, if the matter is before a court other than the Supreme Court.

victims of poverty or human trafficking.

 

What projects are connected to this?

 

Law-related mobile applications:

 

In order to ensure that everyone has equitable access to justice, NALSA has made the Legal Services Mobile App available for both Android and iOS devices.

 

DISHA Scheme:

 

The Department of Justice (DoJ) has introduced a comprehensive, holistic, integrated, and systemic solution on access to justice at the national level of India through a programme called “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA),” which will be implemented from 2021 to 2026.

Under the DISHA plan, all Access to Justice Programs have been consolidated and scaled up to the level of the entire nation.

 

Source  The Hindu

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 – Details of the Vostok 2022:

 

Prelims Specific Topic

 

Vostok 2022 Exercise: What Is It?

 

A number of former Soviet governments, China, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, and Syria will all have forces present there.

The contingent representing the Indian Army was the 7/8 Gorkha Rifles.

Its primary goals are to interact and coordinate with other participating military contingents and observers.

The Vostok 2022 exercise, taking place at seven firing ranges in Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan, will involve more than 50,000 soldiers and more than 5,000 armament units, including 140 planes and 60 boats.

The Indian Army contingent is looking forward to exchanging useful ideas, putting tried-and-true drills, processes, and practising integration of new technologies through discussions and tactical exercises.

 

Source  The Indian Express