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Time of India
21 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
'Moment of pride': Shubhanshu Shukla, 2nd Indian in space, returns home
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla arrives in Delhi NEW DELHI: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India's second astronaut, returned to the country early Sunday after completing the Nasa-led Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Shukla, who splashed down off the coast of California on July 15 after an 18-day stay aboard the ISS, was received at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport by his wife Kamna, Union minister Jitendra Singh, and Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta. — DrJitendraSingh (@DrJitendraSingh) The Indian Air Force test pilot became the first Indian in 41 years—since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984—to travel to space, and the first ever to visit the ISS. The mission launched from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25. Ahead of his return, Shukla posted an emotional note on X, writing: "As I sit on the plane to come back to India I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past one year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is - everything all at once. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia: New Container Houses (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search Ads Search Now Undo He added that his commander, veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, often reminded him: 'The only constant in spaceflight is change.' During his stay aboard the ISS, Shukla conducted multiple scientific experiments. According to Isro, his work will feed directly into preparations for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, which begins with an unmanned mission later this year. The Axiom-4 mission marked a significant step in India's growing human spaceflight ambitions, with Shukla's contributions expected to lay the groundwork for sending an Indian astronaut to space aboard an indigenous spacecraft in the coming years.
Zawya
02-04-2025
- Science
- Zawya
Unexpected sea level rise threatens coastal ecosystems and marine biodiversity
Sea level rise is a major global issue driven by climate change, primarily due to melting ice caps and the thermal expansion of seawater. Higher sea levels lead to more frequent and severe coastal flooding. Increased erosion have seen threatening coastal infrastructure and communities around the world. Globally, sea level rose faster than expected in 2024, mostly because of ocean water expanding as it warms, or thermal expansion. According to a recent Nasa-led analysis, last year's rate of rise was 0.23 inches (0.59 centimetres) per year, compared to the expected rate of 0.17 inches (0.43 centimetres) per year. 'The rise we saw in 2024 was higher than we expected,' said Josh Willis, a sea level researcher at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. 'Every year is a little bit different, but what's clear is that the ocean continues to rise, and the rate of rise is getting faster and faster.' In recent years, about two-thirds of sea level rise was from the addition of water from land into the ocean by melting ice sheets and glaciers. About a third came from thermal expansion of seawater. But in 2024, those contributions flipped, with two-thirds of sea level rise coming from thermal expansion. 'With 2024 as the warmest year on record, Earth's expanding oceans are following suit, reaching their highest levels in three decades,' said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, head of physical oceanography programmes and the Integrated Earth System Observatory at Nasa Headquarters in Washington. Since the satellite record of ocean height began in 1993, the rate of annual sea level rise has more than doubled. In total, global sea level has gone up by 4 inches (10 centimetres) since 1993, noted Jane J Lee of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. According to Nasa, there are several ways in which heat makes its way into the ocean, resulting in the thermal expansion of water. Normally, seawater arranges itself into layers determined by water temperature and density. Warmer water floats on top of and is lighter than cooler water, which is denser. In most places, heat from the surface moves very slowly through these layers down into the deep ocean. But extremely windy areas of the ocean can agitate the layers enough to result in vertical mixing. Very large currents, like those found in the Southern Ocean, can tilt ocean layers, allowing surface waters to more easily slip down deep. The massive movement of water during El Niño — in which a large pool of warm water normally located in the western Pacific Ocean sloshes over to the central and eastern Pacific — can also result in vertical movement of heat within the ocean. In another report, Nasa noted the rate of global sea level rise doubled in the last 30 years. Citing recent findings, the premier space agency said this rate measures the average rise in sea level each year — most of it resulting from climate change. The study found that in 1993, the rate was about 0.08 inches (2.1 millimetres) per year but has since increased to about 0.18 inches (4.5 millimetres) per year in 2023. The study reports that sea level also is expected to grow by another 6.6 inches (169 millimetres) globally over the next 30 years if it follows this trend. 'We have had this succession of satellite missions over the past three decades, one building on top of another, and it's that data on a global scale that allows us to precisely track the rate of global sea level rise,' said Nasa Sea Level Change Team Principal Investigator Benjamin Hamlington, the new study's lead author. Although a number of factors contribute to sea level rise, the primary causes are warming and ice-melt due to greenhouse gas emissions, Hamlington said. © Gulf Times Newspaper 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
