Daily Quiz #51 UPSC Prelims Marathon – January 2, 2020

Explanation: The consortium led by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is implementing the Facilitating Offshore Wind in India (FOWIND) project. The other consortium partners include the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), DNV GL, the Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL) and the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE). National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) joined the consortium as knowledge partner on 15 June 2015.
It was formed in response to a project proposal call under the Indo-European co-operation on Renewable Energy Program and is funded through a grant from European Union. In close consultation with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and State governments, this project will facilitate offshore wind power development in India and in turn contribute to India’s transition towards use of clean technologies in the power sector. The project focuses on the States of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for identification of potential zones for development through techno-commercial analysis and preliminary resource assessment. It will also establish a platform for structural collaboration and knowledge sharing between stakeholders from European Union and India, on offshore wind technology, policy, regulation, industry and human resource development. FOWIND activities will also help facilitate a platform to stimulate offshore wind related R&D activities in the country.

Explanation: The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the first detector of its kind, designed to observe the cosmos from deep within the South Pole ice. An international group of scientists responsible for the scientific research makes up the IceCube Collaboration. Encompassing a cubic kilometer of ice, IceCube searches for nearly mass-less subatomic particles called neutrinos. These high-energy astronomical messengers provide information to probe the most violent astrophysical sources: events like exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, and cataclysmic phenomena involving black holes and neutron stars.

Explanation: WISE launched into the morning skies above Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California on Dec. 14, 2009. By early 2011, it had finished scanning the entire sky twice in infrared light, snapping pictures of three-quarters of a billion objects, including remote galaxies, stars and asteroids. Today, astronomers continue to mine a cosmic quarry of data provided by WISE. Upon completing its surveys in 2011, WISE was put to sleep. But in Sept. 2013, NASA reactivated the mission with the primary goal of scanning for near-Earth objects, or NEOs. Though the WISE mission had been doing asteroid searches before it entered hibernation, through a project called NEOWISE, that had not been its main purpose until now. For its new chapter in life, the mission is officially renamed NEOWISE.

Explanation: Exploring space is one of humanity’s most hopeful activities. By going out into the great unknown of the Universe, we hope to extend our reach, find new resources and life forms, while solving many of our earthly problems. But going to space is not something to take for granted—it can actually become impossible. There is a scenario, called the Kessler Syndrome that can cause the end of all space exploration and dramatically impact our daily lives. In 1978, the NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler proposed that a chain reaction of exploding space debris can end up making space activities and the use of satellites impossible for generations. He predicted that the number of objects that we keep launching into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) can create such a dense environment above the planet that inevitable collisions could cause a cascading effect. The space junk and shrapnel generated by one collision could make further collisions much more possible. And if you have enough collisions, the amount of space debris could overwhelm the orbital space entirely.

Explanation: During the peak of the Second World War, the Royal Navy felt the need to augment training facilities in the domain of Torpedo handling and operations. HMIS Valsura was created to fulfill this need and serve as the Torpedo Training School. The establishment was built on Rozi Island in Jamangar, a site donated by the ruler of Nawanagar state, Colonel Digvijay Singhji Jadeja Sahed Bahadur, Jamsaheb. A kind and noble hearted royal, he agreed to part with 30 acres of land from his game reserve for a token rent of Rs.1 per annum.