'Shux' is back from his space sojourn but India to wait till August 17 for astronaut's true homecoming
Waving and smiling to cameras, Shubhanshu Shukla and three other Axiom-4 mission astronauts emerged from the Dragon Grace spacecraft on Tuesday, taking their first breath of fresh air after completing their 20-day space sojourn.
Credit: @Axiom_Space
The Axiom-4 mission had blasted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS the next day.
Parachutes of the Dragon Grace spacecraft carrying crew members of the Axiom-4 mission deploy before splashing down off California.
Credit: @Axiom_Space
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla aboard the Dragon Grace spacecraft during his journey back to Earth after an 18-day stay at the International Space Station with other crew members of the Axiom-4 mission
Credit: @Axiom_Space
The Axiom-4 crew were undergoing a medical check-up on board the recovery vehicle before being taken ashore in a helicopter.
Credit: @Axiom_Space
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Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Data breach at ICAR hits key recruitment, agri research projects
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), the country's apex research organisation in the sector, suffered a security breach earlier this year that led to the loss of 'crucial data' related to a range of areas, from recruitment to research projects, The Indian Express has learnt. Documents reviewed by this newspaper show that ICAR constituted a six-member committee this month to submit 'recommendations' regarding the 'non-functionality of the DC (Data Centre) and DRC (Disaster Recovery Centre)'. The panel was also asked to suggest 'suitable measures' to ensure data security and 'prevent recurrence of such incidents in future'. The committee, which was directed to submit its report by July 31, is yet to meet, one of its members told this newspaper. According to sources, the breach occurred in April and affected the ICAR's website, its server in Delhi and its replication server at the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM) in Hyderabad. 'Data related to recruitment, from Technical Officers to Deputy Directors General (DDG) and job applications sought last year, is missing. The missing data also covers a large number of projects and related information submitted by scientists online and preserved in repositories. It includes email communications,' sources said. The Indian Express spoke to several ICAR scientists, from Lucknow, Karnal, Hyderabad, Pune and Delhi, and all of them said there were 'problems on the portal' and that they have raised the issue several times. 'It is not only our email communication system that is not working. The problem is that crucial data of recruitment, finances, scientists, research projects and administrative work has vanished from the server and replication server,' said a senior scientist. When contacted, M L Jat, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, and Director General of ICAR, told The Indian Express: 'A few months back, there was some hacking of our website. Presently, everything is normal. The Ministry has constituted a committee in a follow-up of our data policy. That is a continuous process.' A senior member of the Council's Knowledge Management division said: 'Our website was restored in mid-May this year but another website is still not working.' The ICAR, which marked its 97th Foundation Day in New Delhi on July 16, describes itself as an organisation that 'has been spearheading agricultural research, education and extension activities for productivity enhancement and diversification of Indian agriculture'. Sources said the affected data was mainly related to Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board (ASRB), Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute (IASRI) and National Academy of Agricultural Research Management (NAARM), all of which function under ICAR. R C Agrawal, the then DDG of ICAR who was also acting director at NAARM, said, 'I am superannuated now. I cannot comment.' IASRI director Rajendra Prasad declined to comment. An official in NAARM said, 'We are aware of this data disruption and are facing problems. But I can't tell you anything else.' According to sources, the security breach was raised during the Annual General Meeting of the ICAR Society, chaired by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in Delhi on July 7. Chouhan subsequently directed the formation of the six-member committee to be headed by Dr D K Yadava, DDG (Crop Sciences), ICAR. Yadava did not respond to requests from The Indian Express for comment. A member of the committee said, 'We are yet to hold a meeting as we are busy with several things. But we are planning to have one soon.' Shyamlal Yadav is one of the pioneers of the effective use of RTI for investigative reporting. He is a member of the Investigative Team. His reporting on polluted rivers, foreign travel of public servants, MPs appointing relatives as assistants, fake journals, LIC's lapsed policies, Honorary doctorates conferred to politicians and officials, Bank officials putting their own money into Jan Dhan accounts and more has made a huge impact. He is member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He has been part of global investigations like Paradise Papers, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, Uber Files and Hidden Treasures. After his investigation in March 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York returned 16 antiquities to India. Besides investigative work, he keeps writing on social and political issues. ... Read More
Economic Times
10 hours ago
- Economic Times
50 years on, a pioneering ISRO project underlines tech's value in real-life use, not just in missions
Streaming from space Space has, once again, captured the imagination of people around the world. India, too, has seen a resurgence of interest in space, most recently through Shubhanshu Shukla's mission to International Space Station (ISS). However, the glamour and media coverage are mainly restricted to such missions, and are missing for programmes of technology it is the applications that justify the investments in space, especially for a developing country like India with so many alternative demands on resources. It is for this reason that India was a pioneer in the use of space tech for societal benefit. This year marks the 50th anniversary of a global milestone in this area. It was on August 1, 1975, that the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) began, with its first broadcast. A collaborative India-US effort, SITE took educational and development TV programmes to specially installed community TV receivers in about 2,400 villages in six states. Programmes, beamed up to Nasa's ATS-6 satellite from Earth stations in Ahmedabad and Delhi, were received in these villages through a 10-ft diameter antenna and an electronic converter - a precursor to DTH (direct-to-home). The six states were selected keeping in mind India's diversity. And, within them, the most backward districts were chosen. The villages were often remote and included, in Orissa, unelectrified villages where TV sets were operated on batteries. TV sets, for community viewing, were installed in schools or panchayat ghars where all - irrespective of caste and class - had free access.A young team, led by a few stalwarts like SITE programme manager E V Chitnis - who turns 100 today - worked with passion and deep commitment. Engineers ensured that TV sets in remote villages were maintained so well that their downtime was lower than those in urban homes. Social scientists visited these villages - some lived there for 15 months - to research the impact. Programme-makers, almost all fresh graduates from Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune, were recruited by Isro to make the science education programmes, while Doordarshan set up special studios to make programmes specifically for each state. Local language, area-specific broadcasts took the latest agricultural practices to farmers in SITE villages. Education programmes for primary school children aimed at the 'enrichment' of classroom teaching. A special teacher training programme - in person and supported by TV broadcasts - conducted in partnership with NCERT and the education ministry, covered 45,000 teachers in two sessions. Apart from state-specific broadcasts, a common 'national programme' for 30 mins each day was beamed to all six states. Concerned about the centralising potential of satellite broadcasting, SITE also included a decentralised set-up: India's first district-level rural TV station in Kheda district (the home of Amul), Gujarat. This served as the model for expansion of TV through low-power transmitters (LPTs). The Kheda Communications Project was an experiment in participatory communication and won wide acclaim, including Unesco's first Rural Communication Prize. Hailed by Arthur Clarke as 'the greatest communication experiment in history', SITE drew worldwide recognition. As the first-ever large-scale use of direct broadcasting from a satellite, SITE took TV into the depths of rural India, reaching disadvantaged people even before TV reached most urban areas. While it lacked the heart-stopping drama of a rocket launch, or the heart-in-mouth climax of the last tragic moments of Chandrayaan-2, it had many heart-warming awe, novelty and magic of seeing a moving picture come out of a box - most people in SITE villages had never been to a cinema - the excitement and spark in the eyes of children watching educational programmes: these moments will stay forever with those involved in SITE. Probably in the one year of SITE, we learned more than the villagers. SITE embodied Vikram Sarabhai's vision for Isro, which was based on two primary strands: knowledge creation, and its use for practical benefit. The former, encompassing space science, began with cosmic ray research, using balloons and sounding rockets, and progressed to the Mars mission, the successful Chandrayaan landing and the solar observatory, Aditya. Both strands were based on the philosophy of self-reliance where possible, and cooperation or collaboration where necessary. SITE exemplified this. All the ground hardware was designed, developed and made in India; the satellite and its launch were by the US. Today, India has moved many notches up with Nisar (Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission scheduled for launch on July paced and dictated technology development, the latter not being a goal in itself. To be the 'first' or 'fifth' country to do something was never an objective, and vanity projects were articulation of this - which one hopes continues to be Isro's north star - is best expressed in Sarabhai's words: '...there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But... if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society.' An apt reminder on SITE@ writer worked in Isro for over 2 decades, and was deeply involved in SITE (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. 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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Students participate in ecological awareness through community engagement
Mangaluru: In a unique blend of environmental action and community engagement, students participated in ecological awareness and hands-on learning through plantation drives, water harvesting efforts, and community participation. Vana Jeevana Yajna-2025 was recently organised by the department of computer science and engineering (artificial intelligence and machine learning), Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Mangaluru, on the premises of Shree Shankara Dhyana Mandir Posadigumpe, Kasaragod, in association with Shree Shankara Dhyana Mandir Posadigumpe. The event began with introductory remarks by Shankar Rao Kakve, president of Shree Shankara Dhyana Mandir Posadigumpe. During the event, students planted more than 100 saplings of Aragbadha, Indian rosewood, gooseberry, guava, Indian kino tree, and others, provided by the forest department of Kerala with the motto of 'Greener Tomorrow'. The students also developed water harvesting trenches and cleaned the surroundings of Posadigumpe, a hillock located in the Kasaragod district, which stands at an elevation of 1,060 feet (approximately 323m) above sea level. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gentle Japanese hair growth method for men and women's scalp Hair's Rich Learn More Undo Sathya Praksha EK, Keshava Prasad Edakkana, and their family members, along with other villagers, guided the students by extending their support throughout the event. Prof. Ganaraj K from the department of CSE (AI&ML) coordinated the event. The event concluded with a visit to Shiriya dam located nearby. The event gave exposure to the students about the geographical characteristics and awareness about water harvesting for a better tomorrow.
