UPSC required Daily Topic-Wise Quiz: Science and Technology MCQs on Spadex Mission, Jetson Orin and more (Week 90) | UPSC Current Affairs News

1. It will see two satellites – SDX01 or the chaser and SDX02 or the target – aligned in the same orbit.

2. India’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C60 will launch this mission.

3. This mission will use a docking mechanism.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

explanation

– The Indian Space Research Organization will end its flagship Spadex mission – the launch of two small satellites to demonstrate docking in space – at 9:58 am on December 30 from the first launch pad at Sriharikota, the country’s only space station. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

– The Spadex mission will involve aligning two satellites, SDX01 or the chaser and SDX02 or the target, in the same orbit, reducing the distance between them, connecting and transferring electrical power, and finally separating. After they separate, the payloads on both satellites will continue to operate for two years. Therefore, statement 1 is correct.

– India’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C60) will launch two 220 kg satellites into a circular orbit of 470 km, with the launch vehicle providing the relative speed between the two. Within a day, the distance between these two satellites will be about 10 to 20 km. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

– The propulsion system of the target satellite will then be used to prevent the satellites from separating. This means that both spacecraft will continue to move at the same velocity at a separation of 20 km – this is known as ‘distant rendezvous’. The chaser satellite will continue to approach the target satellite, gradually reducing the distance between them by 5km, 1.5km, 500m, 225m, 15m, and 3m before docking together.

– Once the satellites are docked, electrical power transfer between them will be performed. They will demonstrate control of both spacecraft simultaneously. The satellites will then separate and begin carrying their own payloads.

— The Chaser or SDX01 satellite is equipped with a high-resolution camera, which is essentially a miniature surveillance camera. The target or SDX02 satellite will carry a multispectral payload to monitor natural resources and vegetation, as well as a radiation monitor to conduct space radiation research and compile a database. Docking is more difficult due to the smaller size and bulk of satellites, which require better precision than larger spacecraft.

– Docking is the process of aligning two satellites and then connecting them in space, which is necessary for missions that the space agency hopes to accomplish in the future, such as Chandrayaan-4 or the installation of the Indian Space Station.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Question 2

Regarding natural neurons and artificial neurons, consider the following statements:

1. Natural neurons made up of cells can send signals to each other through synapses while artificial neural networks are made up of nodes that are coded with values.

2. Natural neural networks are large collections of nodes connected by “synapses”.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

explanation

– Nobel Prize in Physics to John J. Hopfield and Jeffrey E. Hinton “for fundamental discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

– The brain’s neural network is made up of living cells called neurons, which contain advanced internal machinery. They can communicate through synapses. When we learn something, the connections between some neurons become stronger while others become weaker. Artificial neural networks are composed of nodes that are coded with values. Nodes are connected together, and when the network is trained, connections between active nodes become stronger, while connections between inactive nodes become weaker. Therefore, statement 1 is correct.

– An artificial neural network is meant to replicate the brain. inspired by biological neurons in the brain, Artificial neural networks are vast collections of “neurons” or nodes, which are connected by “synapses”. or weighted couplings, and trained to execute certain tasks. An artificial neural network processes information throughout its network structure. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Question 3

“Jetson Orrin” was in the news. It is:

(a) AI supercomputer

(b) Asteroids

(c) Moons of Saturn

(d) Galaxy

explanation

– Nvidia, a leading manufacturer of graphics processing units (GPUs), unveiled its A new miniaturized AI supercomputer. Jetson Orion Nano Super There are cheaper prices, improved performance, and software upgrades.

– According to Nvidia, the Jetson Orion Nano Super Developer Kit can fit in the palm of your hand. From professional AI developers to academics, the Jetson Orin Nano Super offers the AI ​​features and performance to let them create their own AI tools.

– Nvidia describes its latest product as a “compact, yet powerful computer” that reimagines generative AI for small edge devices. When it comes to performance, the Justin Orin Nano Super can produce up to 67 TOPS AI, which is a 1.7 times improvement over its predecessor.

– A supercomputer can implement a variety of general generative AI models, including vision transformers, large language models, vision-language models, and so on.

– It has a memory bandwidth of 102 GB/s and a CPU frequency of 1.7 GHz. The computer has no built-in storage, so the user needs to download the operating system to a microSD card to boot it, comparable to the Raspberry Pi.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Question 4

The annual Ursid meteor shower occurs during this month:

(a) January

(b) December

(c) March

(d) November

explanation

– The Ursid (URS) meteor shower will light up the sky From December 17th to December 24th. This year, the Ursids will also be the last big meteor shower, with a peak around December 23rd.

– The annual Ursid meteor shower occurs between December 13 and December 24. It always reaches its peak around the winter solstice in December.

– This makes it the optimal day to see this natural phenomenon, which occurs once a year and was discovered by British astronomer William F. Denning in the early twentieth century.

– For those living in North America, nighttime and early morning may be the greatest periods for viewing Ursid Baths. During this period, with diligent study, you can see up to 10 meteors every hour.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

Question 5

The South Pole-Aitken Basin is:

(a) Antarctica region

(b) Largest impact basin on Venus surface

(c) The region at the south pole of Mars

(d) Largest and oldest impact basin on lunar surface

explanation

– According to a paper published by scientists at PRL Ahmedabad, ‘Chandrayaan-3 Landing Site Evolution by South Pole-Aitken Basin and Other Impact Craters’, the Chandrayaan-3 mission landed inside a buried impact crater much older than the SPA Basin. The SPA basin is located 350 km from the South Pole-Aitken basin rim.

– The The South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) is the largest impact structure on the Moon, extending from the small Aitken Crater to the South Pole, or about a quarter of its surface.

– It is on the far side of the Moon, so from Earth it is only visible as a mountain range along its southern border.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Topic-Topic-Quiz

Daily Topic-Wise Quiz – History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 89)

Daily Topical Quiz – Politics and Governance (Week 90)

Daily Thematic Quiz – Science and Technology (Week 89)

Daily Topic Quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 89)

Daily Topical Quiz — Economics (Week 89)

Daily Topic Quiz – International Relations (Week 89)

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