ISRO's analogue space mission kicks off at Leh
Bengaluru, Nov 1: ISRO on Friday said its analogue space mission has taken off at Leh in Ladakh, where it will simulate life in an interplanetary habitat as India prepares to send a human to the moon.
The initiative is a collaborative effort of the Human Spaceflight Centre, ISRO, AAKA Space Studio, University of Ladakh, IIT Bombay, and supported by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.
The month-long mission, kicked off mid-October, comes in the wake of India's plans to set up lunar habitats, which could provide a base to launch inter-planetary missions.
The geographical features of Ladakh are considered to closely resemble Martian and lunar landscapes and are an ideal training ground for scientific missions aimed at exploring planets "India's first analog space mission kicks off in Leh...this mission will simulate life in an interplanetary habitat to tackle the challenges of a base station beyond Earth," ISRO said in a post on X.
The team of AAKA Space Studio is testing environment suits and conducting geological studies in Leh's low-oxygen environment, simulating space-like conditions, studies that could be crucial for future space missions.
The team is also studying how the human body adapts to the harsh weather conditions in Ladakh that could be useful in understanding how astronauts could get used to space like conditions.
🚀 India’s first analog space mission kicks off in Leh! 🇮🇳✨ A collaborative effort by Human Spaceflight Centre, ISRO, AAKA Space Studio, University of Ladakh, IIT Bombay, and supported by Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, this mission will simulate life in an… pic.twitter.com/LoDTHzWNq8
— ISRO (@isro) November 1, 2024
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MLAs demand funds, highlight bureaucratic apathy to Karnataka CM at CLP meeting
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Demand for development funds for their constituencies and apathy of bureaucrats were among the issues raised by party MLAs during the CLP meeting here, party sources said.
Congress legislators are said to have asserted before the leadership that guarantee schemes alone were not enough, development was also needed, they said on Tuesday.
The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is also the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP), was attended by Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, who is the state Congress chief, ministers, and legislators.
During the meeting, some Congress legislators demanded funds for their constituency development, and expressed reservation regarding the functioning of bureaucrats.
Officials sitting on files of MLAs and some corruption allegations were also raised, they added.
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According to sources, the CM promised legislators that out of Rs 50 crore assured per MLA, the money will be released in a phased manner and that he would speak to the Finance Department regarding this.
Siddaramaiah, during the meeting, asked party legislators to effectively counter the opposition's attack against the government on issues concerning north Karnataka, and sugarcane and maize farmers' issue.
The CM told legislators that the central government did not stand by sugarcane and maize farmers. He also accused the BJP of trying to instigate farmers against the state's government, despite its best efforts to provide relief to them.
Apparently, a handout is said to have been given to legislators regarding the Congress government's contribution to north Karnataka and farmers' issues, to counter the opposition, they added.
The meeting took place amid a power tussle within the ruling party and speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation was fuelled by an alleged "power-sharing" agreement involving Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in 2023.
