Prelim Bits 04-09-2019

Apache Helicopter

Eight US made Apache AH-64E stealth attack helicopters, has been inducted into IAF.
The IAF has signed a contract with ‘The Boeing’ and the US government for 22 Apache attack helicopters.
Apache is the most advanced multi-role heavy attack helicopter in the world.
It’s modern capabilities includes, fire-and-forget, anti-tank missiles, air-to-air missiles, rockets, and other ammunition.
Apaches has their ability to operate at much higher altitudes, unlike the aging Russian Mi-24/Mi-35 attack helicopters.
It also has modern electronic warfare capabilities to provide versatility in network-centric aerial warfare.

It carry a 30 mm chain gun with 1,200 rounds as part of the area weapon subsystem.
The helicopter carries the fire control Longbow radar, which has 360-degree coverage.
It also has a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night-vision systems.
The Radar systems in the helicopter will enhance the capability of the IAF in providing integrated combat aviation cover.
It is day/night, all weather capable, and have high agility and survivability against battle damage.
These are easily maintainable even in field conditions, and are capable of prolonged operations in tropical and desert regions.

Asiatic Society of Mumbai

Recently, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, elected it’s 1^st woman president (‘Prof. Vispi Balaporia’) in 215 years of its existence.
The Asiatic Society began its journey in 1804 as the Literary Society of Bombay.
It was founded by ‘Sir James Mackintosh’, a Scottish colonial administrator who had a keen interest in Oriental studies.
In 1826, the Literary Society became the Mumbai arm of the London-based Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

It came to be called the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (BBRAS).

In its early days, membership of the Society was restricted to Europeans and the natives were not allowed to join until 1841.
In 1954, the institution was severed from its London parent and became the Asiatic Society of Bombay.
In 2002, it acquired its present name and its journal has been in publication since 1841.
It’s activities include conducting historical research, awarding historians, and running an institute of post-graduate studies.
It’s library, home to over 1 lakh books, consists of rare manuscripts contributed to it by the East India Company.
It also the prized collections of,

Original copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy and
Coins issued by ‘Kumaragupta’ (5^th century), ‘Akbar’ (16^th century) and ‘Shivaji’ (17^th century).

The Society offers Junior Fellowships for research.
It recommends scholars for the ‘Tagore National Fellowship’ of the Ministry of Culture.
The Governor of Maharashtra is the Society’s Chief Patron.

Deflecting an Asteroid

NASA’s DART mission, aims to deflect ‘Didymos B’, the “moonlet” of the Didymos asteroid system.
It is an ambitious double-spacecraft mission to deflect an asteroid in space.
It is to prove the technique as a viable method of planetary defence.
Among all the causes that may cause extinction of life on Earth, an asteroid hit is widely acknowledged as one of the likeliest.
The mission, includes NASA and the European Space Agency, is known as the ‘Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment’ (AIDA).

The target is the smaller of two bodies in the “Double Didymos asteroids” that are in orbit between Earth and Mars.
Didymos is a near-Earth asteroid system.
Its main body measures about 780 m across, the smaller body is a “moonlet” about 160 m in diameter.
The project aims to deflect the orbit of the smaller body through an impact by one spacecraft.
Then a second spacecraft will survey the crash site and gather the maximum possible data on the effect of this collision.
NASA is building the Double Asteroid Impact Test (DART) spacecraft for launch in summer 2021.
It is planned to collide with the target at 6.6 km/s in September 2022.
Flying along with DART will be an Italian-made miniature CubeSat, called LICIACube, to record the moment of impact.
ESA’s contribution is a mission called ‘Hera’, which will perform a close-up survey of the post-impact asteroid.

Source: PIB, The Indian Express