Archives for February 2017

Sriharikota: Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Wednesday morning lifted off successfully with a record 104 satellites, including the country’s earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series.

The PSLV-XL variant rocket standing 44.4 metre tall and weighing 320 ton tore into the morning skies at 9.28 a.m. with a deep throated growl breaking free of the earth’s gravitational pull.

The earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 series weighs 714 kg.

The co-passenger satellites comprise 101 nano satellites, one each from Israel, Kazakhstan, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the UAE and 96 from the US, as well as two nano satellites from India.

The total weight of all the satellites carried on-board is about 1,378 kg.

By the 28th minute of the rocket’s mission all the 104 satellites would be put into orbit.

The PSLV rocket is a four stage/engine rocket powered by solid and liquid fuel alternatively.

“The Cartosat satellite is the fourth one in the Cartosat-2 series of earth observation satellites. Already three are in the orbit and two more will be launched. Once all the six Cartosat-2 series satellites are launched the Cartosat-3 series would begin,” an ISRO official told IANS preferring anonymity.

(IANS)

Kancheepuram: Police today booked AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala and its Legislature Party Leader Edappadi K Palaniswamy in connection with the alleged detention of party MLAs at a resort in this district.

The two were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to abduction and wrongful confinement.

The case was filed at Koovathur police station on a complaint from Madurai (South) MLA S S Saravanan, who has since joined the rebel O Panneerselvam camp.

Last week, while extending his support to Chief Minister Panneerselvam, Saravanan claimed that he had managed to flee from the resort by changing into a t-shirt and bermuda shorts.
On February 5, Sasikala was elected as the Legislature Party Leader.

However, two days later, Panneerselvam had raised a banner of revolt against her, alleging he was forced to step down for her.

The AIADMK MLAs have been put up at the luxury resort for the past one week, and many of those who swear allegiance to Sasikala have been insisting they were staying on their own volition. Sasikala herself had visited the resort thrice to hold discussions with her party legislators.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: A breathtaking display of thrilling manoeuvres by military aircraft and aerobatic teams left the audience spell-bound at the 11th edition of Aero India air show that started here today.

The Bengaluru skies over the Yelahanka airbase were dazzled with somersaults and stunts by metal birds with the daredevilry of world famous aerobatics teams in full flow.

Billed as Asia’s premier air show, the biennial edition of International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition – Aero India 2017 was inaugurated by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Betting high on the Defence market in India, global aerospace giants are hard selling their wares with potential deals worth billions of Dollars on offer.

Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa and Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba were also present.

Enthralling stunts were performed by helicopter display team “Sarang”, Indian Air Force’s “Surya Kiran” and ‘SKYCATS- Scandinavian Air Show’ aerobatics teams.
It was a special occasion for Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) as they marked their 500th public display since formation in 1996.

SKAT, with a fleet of brand new single engine, jet powered advanced Hawk aircraft and redefined manoeuvres was back after having skipped two editions of the Aero India.

Hawk aircraft are faster and more manoeuvrable than the Kiran aircraft SKAT used earlier.

Embraer 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft equipped with the first ever Active Electronic Scanning Array (AESA) radar, and LUH were displayed for the very first time at the Aero show.

The air display began with Mi-17 helicopters trooping in the Indian tricolour, Indian Air Force and Aero India flags.

It was followed by indigenously built HAL products comprising Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) flanked by Cheetal helicopter, Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).

A formation comprising Dornier Do 228, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, HTT-40 (Basic Trainer Aircraft) and Hawk then followed.

A total of 549 companies are taking part in the event, of which 270 are Indian and 279 foreign. About two lakh business visitors are expected to attend the show, in which 72 aircraft are participating, according to the organisers.

Enthralling manoeuvres were performed by HTT-40, LCH, LUH, Tiger Moth, homegrown LCA (Tejas), Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Gripen fighter, Rafale fighter, F16, Pilatus PC-7 aircrafts.

Also there is a static display of HTT-40, upgraded Jaguar and Mirage 2000, LCH and LUH at the air show.

(Agencies)

Houston: An Indian-origin Muslim NASA scientist has said he was detained and forced to unlock his PIN-protected work phone at the US border by custom officials.

Sidd Bikkannavar, 35, said in a post on social media that US Customs and Border Protection officers wanted his cell phone and password — before they would let him through at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

“On my way home to the US last weekend, I was detained by Homeland Security and held with others who were stranded under the Muslim ban,” Bikkannavar wrote in a Facebook post.

“I initially refused, since it’s a (NASA)-issued phone and I must protect access,” Bikkannavar wrote.

Bikkannavar, born in Pasadena, designs technology for space telescopes like the enormous James Webb telescope that’s set to be launched into orbit in 2018.

“Just to be clear — I’m a US-born citizen and NASA engineer, travelling with a valid US passport. Once they took both my phone and the access PIN, they returned me to the holding area with cots and other sleeping detainees until they finished copying my data.”

Bikkannavar spent a few weeks away pursuing his hobby of racing solar-powered cars.

As a member of a Chilean team, he visited Patagonia in early January under the Obama administration.

He returned after Trump took office and issued the executive order on travel into the United States.

Nothing about Bikkannavar should have caused concern for CBP — he’s a natural–born US citizen, enrolled in a programme that allows individuals who’ve already passed background checks to quickly enter the country.

In addition, he has never visited the countries on the immigration ban, and he’s 10-year employee of a major US federal agency.

“I don’t know what to think about this. I was caught a little off guard by the whole thing,” Bikkannavar told media here in a phone call. Bikkannavar detailed his experience on Facebook, explaining his absence to friends and coworkers.

The episode, aside from the profiling it ostensibly involved, also put him in a fix with his employers, because he was required to protect access to the phone.

“I’m back home, and JPL has been running forensics on the phone to determine what CBP/homeland security might have taken, or whether they installed anything on the device,” Bikkannavar explained in the post, adding that he has also been working with JPL legal counsel and the lab has issued him a new phone and new phone number.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed numerous complaints in January against CBP for demanding that Muslim-American citizens give up their social media information when they return home from overseas.

Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly issued a statement in response, telling the House Homeland Security Committee, “We want to get on their social media, with passwords: What do you do, what do you say? If they don’t want to cooperate then you don’t come in”.

(Agencies)