Important Facts for Prelims (5th September 2018)

• 05 Sep 2018

Japan to Test Mini-Space Elevator

• A Japanese team has developed and will conduct the first trials of a space elevator.
• Under the proposed project, a miniature elevator stand-in box will move along a 10m cable suspended between two mini satellites.
• This test will explore, for the first time, the movement of a container on a cable in space.
• The idea of Space Elevator was first proposed in 1895 by Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.

Different from the original concept of Space Elevators:

• This project is a far cry from the theoretical concept of Space Elevator.
• In theoretical concept, a space elevator is like a “vertical cable car” into space. Elevator cars (Climbers), powered by electricity, travel up and down the tether and carry cargo and eventually humans to and from space.

Significance of Space Elevator :

• Cargo Capacity
  • Using a Tether that is just 2.5 inches in diameter could support the lifting of three complete International Space Stations per day.
• Cost
  • Shipping cost of sending cargo in space will reduce to fraction of what it is today.
• Safety
  • Though much slower than a conventional rocket, the ride is much smoother, akin to riding on a high-speed railway line.

Typhoon Jebi

• Japan is hit by one of the biggest typhoon in the last 25 years.
• Typhoon Jebi was formed from a low-pressure area formed near Marshall island in the Pacific Ocean.
• Jebi is the most intense tropical cyclone in the Northern Hemisphere in 2018.
• Typhoon is the region-specific name of a Tropical Cyclone (swirling system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical oceans).
• In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, the term “hurricane” is used. The same type of disturbance in the Northwest Pacific is called a “typhoon” and “cyclones” in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

Coffee Board goes Digital

• In line with the digital transformation initiatives of the Government of India, Coffee Board has taken key digital initiatives for the overall technological advancement of the coffee sector and value chain.
• The Coffee Board of India is an organisation managed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to promote coffee production in India.
• The Coffee Board launched a Blockchain-based market app that will create a digital platform linking all stakeholders, including growers, processors, exporters and importers.
• “Coffee Connect” app will gather all information relating to various coffee plantations in the country, such as geographical location, plant material, age, production and machinery available.
• "Coffee Krishi Taranga", an IVR-based digital mobile extension service will provide customised information and services to coffee growers to increase productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability.
• These solution will help improve the efficiencies of field functionaries in subsidy disbursement and real-time report generation.