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The correct answer is Mengtian

Key Points

• China’s third and final module called Mengtian docked with its permanent space station called Tiangong to further a more than decade-long effort to maintain a constant crewed presence in orbit, as its competition with the U.S. grows increasingly fierce.
• 3 astronauts arrived for a six-month stay on board, during which they will complete the station’s assembly, conduct spacewalks, and carry out additional experiments.

About Mengtian:

• Mengtian is the third and final module that was blasted into space from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on the southern island province of Hainan.
• Mengtian, or “Celestial Dream,” joins Wentian as the second laboratory module for the station, collectively known as Tiangong, or “Celestial Palace.” Both are connected to the Tianhe core module where the crew lives and works.
• Like its predecessors, Mengtian was launched aboard a Long March-5B carrier rocket, a member of China’s most powerful family of launch vehicles.

The correct answer is Mauna Loa.

Key Points

Mauna Loa:

• Mauna Loa is an active volcano located in the Hawaiian islands.
• It is the largest subaerial volcano in both mass and volume.
• It is a shield volcano.
• Mauna Loa is the second youngest volcano on the Hawaiian island.

The correct answer is Shehan Karunatilaka 

Key Points

Shehan Karunatilaka

• Shehan Karunatilaka received the 2022 Booker Prize for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.
• The award was presented to the Sri Lankan novelist by Queen Consort Camilla at the Roundhouse in London on Monday night at the awards event for his work, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.
• The novel is based on the murder of a war photographer in Colombo in the 1990s and examines life after death in a civil war-torn Sri Lanka.
• Karunatilaka becomes only the second Sri Lankan-born novelist to get the honor.
• Karunatilaka was born in Galle, but he spent his childhood in Colombo. He studied in New Zealand and worked in Amsterdam, London, and Singapore before relocating to Sri Lanka.​

The correct answer is Space and Sustainability.

Key Points

World Space Week 2022

• The General Assembly declared World Space Week on December 6, 1999, to recognize the contribution of space research and technology to the advancement of humanity.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared in 1999 that World Space Week would be held each year from 4^th-10^th October. These dates commemorate two events:
• 4^th October 1957: Launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, thus opening the way for space exploration.
• 10^th October 1967: The signing of the Outer Space Treaty (Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space including the Moon and other celestial bodies).
• Objectives:
• Provide unique leverage in space outreach and education.
• Educate people around the world about the benefits that they receive from space.
• Encourage greater use of space for sustainable economic development.
• Demonstrate public support for space programs.
• Excite young people about science, technology, engineering, and math.
• Foster international cooperation in the space sector.
• The World Space Week 2022 theme is “Space and Sustainability” focusing on achieving sustainability in space and achieving sustainability from space.
• The theme is inspired by how sustainability in space relates to how humanity uses space, most pressingly, the orbital area surrounding Earth.

Additional Information

2020 Theme: “Satellites Improve Life.”

• It shows the importance of satellites in daily life and how human lives are affected by satellites such as in communications, environmental monitoring, transportation, weather forecasting, telemedicine, science, and in many other ways.
• Indian examples: EMISAT, RISAT-2B, Cartosat-3, Microsat-R and Kalamsat-V2, etc.

The correct answer is Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory 

Key Points

• A few scientists at the Lawrence Livermore facility, the US have achieved a net gain in energy from a nuclear fusion reaction, which is seen as a big breakthrough.
• China’s Artificial Sun, the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) device replicates the nuclear fusion process carried out by the sun.

Additional Information

• The experiment forced a minuscule amount of hydrogen into a peppercorn-sized capsule, for which scientists used a powerful 192-beam laser that could generate 100 million degrees Celsius of heat.
• It is also called ‘Inertial Fusion’.
• At some other places, including the international collaborative project in southern France called ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in which India is a partner; very strong magnetic fields are used for the same purpose.
• The laser beam was hotter than the Sun’s centre and helped to compress the hydrogen fuel to more than 100 billion times that of Earth’s atmosphere.
• Under the pressure of these forces, the capsule started imploding on itself and leading to the fusion of hydrogen atoms and the release of energy.

The correct answer is Permacrisis.

Key Points

• Collins Dictionary has announced that its word of the year 2022 is "permacrisis."
• The word is a new edition to Collins, which indicates an era of instability and insecurity.
• It indicates the ongoing Ukraine War, the consequent rise in the cost of living, & the political upheaval the world has witnessed in 2022.​

Additional Information

• The Collins English Dictionary is a printed and online dictionary of English.
• It is published by HarperCollins in Glasgow.
• Originally published: 1979
• Original language: English

Important Points

Collin’s Word of the Year - Permacrisis 

• Meaning: Collins describes permacrisis (noun), as “an extended period of instability and insecurity”.
• Significance: The Collins dictionary Word of the Year 2022 heavily reflects the “ongoing crises the UK and the world have faced and continue to face.” These include political instability, ongoing wars, including the devastation caused in Ukraine, climate change, and the depletion of cost-of-living.
• Usage: With permacrisis being the reality nowadays, staying alive is difficult indeed.

The correct answer is Spain.

Key Points

• Spain and Senegal led 30 countries and 20 organizations to launch the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) on November 7 at the 27^th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).
• First announced by Spain at the 77^th session of the UN General Assembly in 2022.
• Significance: there is no global convention for land, other than UNCCD, which mostly focuses on desertification.
• To make drought resilience a priority in development and cooperation programs, along with the sharing of innovative practices, technology, and funding.
• A ‘specific solution’ for the United Nations to the impacts of climate change, and aims to move from emergency response to building long-term resilience.

The correct answer is Japan.

Key Points

• The Embassy of Japan applied for a GI tag for Nihonshu, also known as Japanese sake. Japan sought a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the first time in India.
• The Japanese Embassy in New Delhi applied for a GI tag for Nihonshu (Japanese sake) at the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai.
• Nihonshu
• In Japan, Nihonshu is regarded as a special and valuable beverage made from fermenting rice.
• People traditionally drink Nihonshu on special occasions, such as festivals, weddings, or funerals, but it is also consumed on a daily basis.
• Thus, it is an integral part of the lifestyle and culture in Japan.

The sake market (almost all are nihonshu) is the second largest brewed liquor (such as beer) market in Japan.

Additional InformationGeographical Indication (GI) Tag

• Geographical Indication (GI) is an indication used to identify goods having special characteristics originating from a definite geographical territory.
• The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 seeks to provide for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India.
• It is governed and directed by the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
• It was decided and also stated under Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention that the protection of industrial Property and Geographical Indication are elements of Intellectual Property.
• It is primarily an agricultural, natural, or manufactured product (handicrafts and industrial goods).

Validity:

• This tag is valid for a period of 10 years following which it can be renewed.

Significance:

• Once a product gets this tag, any person or company cannot sell a similar item under that name.
• GI registration of a product provides it with legal protection and prevention against unauthorized use by others.
• GI tag helps in promoting the exports of the product.
• It also provides comfort to customers about the authenticity of that product.

The correct answer is JAXA.

Key Points

• Japanese Space Agency JAXA recently announced that it had successfully used steam to propel its EQUULEUS spacecraft, which was one of the 10 CubeSats that were launched as part of the Artemis I mission on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System (SLS).

EQUULEUS spacecraft

• EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft (EQUULEUS) is a nanosatellite of the 6U CubeSat format that will measure the distribution of plasma surrounding the Earth to help scientists understand the region’s radiation environment.
• It also carries an instrument called DELPHINUS (DEtection camera for Lunar impact PHenomena IN 6U Spacecraft) for observing Lunar impact flashes and near-Earth asteroids from EML2 (second Earth-Moon Lagrange point).
• The CubeSat is expected to reach the EML2 in approximately one-and-a-half years.
• To reach the ELM2, it made use of an engine called AQUARIUS (AQUA ResIstojet propUlsion System) that uses water as fuel. It uses waste heat from the communication kit to convert the water into steam that is squirted out to produce trust.
• The use of AQUARIUS enabled the EQUULEUS to reach the EML2 at a low cost. It makes future visits to the spot more economical.
• Using the ultra-high-speed camera, a dust sensor, and an ultraviolet telescope, the EQUULEUS will be able to observe Near-Earth Objects like asteroids, comets and mini-moons as well as lunar impact flashes.

The correct answer is Optimus 

Key Points

The humanoid robot - Optimus

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently unveiled the latest prototype of Optimus – a humanoid robot developed by the American company based in Texas.

Important Points

• The prototype of Optimus was showcased during the annual Tesla AI Day presentation.
• The humanoid robot demonstrated the ability to perform simple tasks like watering plants, carrying boxes, and lifting metal bars.

Its purpose is to replace human tasks with a machine.

• This robot shares some of the artificial intelligence software and sensors with the Tesla cars’ autopilot driver assistance features.
• The mass production of these robots will cost less than 20,000 USD.
• The design of the robot mimics the human anatomy, with five independently moving fingers capable of grasping adaptively with high precision. This enables it to use tools in an accurate manner.
• This robot has uniquely designed actuators – a complex set of gears, motors, sensors, and controls that act like human muscles. There are a total of 6 actuators, which minimizes the cost, and eases the manufacturing process, speed, torque, mass, and efficiency.
• Since it is powered by AI software, it has a high cognitive ability to perceive, plan, and navigate the world. This is significant since other humanoid robots do not have this capacity.
• It was developed within a year, while other similar robots were developed after more than 10 years of effort. This feat was achieved by integrating the technology used for self-driving cars into a humanoid body.
• It is using the same AI technology behind Tesla’s FSD technology (driver assistance software requiring comparatively less driver input) to guide the robot.
• The robot will be trained by a custom data center technology called Dojo, which is under development by Tesla.
• Dojo is a supercomputer that provides video training using video data obtained from Tesla vehicles.