What is PSLV AND GSLV

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

The four stages PSLV is capable of launching up to 1,600 kg satellites into a 620 km polar orbit. It has provision to launch payloads from 100 kg micro-satellites or mini or small satellites in different combinations. It can also launch one-ton class payloads into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). So far, it has performed nine missions with eight consecutive successes. The latest launch of PSLV (PSLV-C6) was on 5 May 2005 during which the vehicle precisely placed the 1560 kg CARTOSAT-1 and the 42 kg HAMSAT into a 620 km high polar SSO.

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle

The GSLV was successful on its very first test flight. After its successful second flight on 8 May 2003, it was commissioned. This was followed by the success of its third flight on 20 September 2004. The GSLV is capable of launching 2,000 kg class satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The development of Indigenous cryogenic stage to be used as the third stage of GSLV made further progress during the year. The cryogenic engine which forms part of this stage has already been successfully qualified. GSLV-Mk III, a new version of GSLV and capable of launching spacecraft weighing up to 4 tones to GTO is under development.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince- 6

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince….. First half of the story is the arrival of a new teacher at Hogwarts, Horace Slughorn, who is helpful to Harry. Next, Harry obtains a Potions book which teaches him a few helpful and dangerous spells along the way.

Harry is starts private lessons with Professor Dumbledore, during which Harry learns the dark secrets of Voldemort's past.

Harry's gets even more stressful with the distrustful actions of Draco Malfoy. Harry becomes determined, and slightly obsessed, to find out exactly what Malfoy has been up to and putting an end to it.

Ron gets a new girlfriend, Lavender Brown, Gryffindor student, and Hermione is unhappy about it. Harry, meanwhile, is facing a romantic quandary of his own- he falls for his best friend's sister, Ginny Weasley, but Ginny Weasley is unfortunately dating Harry's classmate, Dean Thomas. Harry's longing for Ginny and Ron's comical relationship with Lavender give the story a huge dose of reality.

India’s National tree and National River

Indian fig tree (Ficus bengalensis), the tree branches grow like a new tree over a large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India. Even today, the banyan tree is the focal point of village life and the village council meets under the shade of this tree.

The Ganga or Ganges is the longest river of India flowing over 2,510 kms of mountains, valleys and plains. It originates in the snowfields of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas as the Bhagirathi River. It is later joined by other rivers such as the Alaknanda, Yamuna, Son, Gumti, Kosi and Ghagra. The Ganga river basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world and covers an area of 1,000,000 sq. kms. There are two dams on the river - one at Haridwar and the other at Farakka. The Ganges River Dolphin is an endangered animal that specifically habitats this river. The Ganga is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth. Key religious ceremonies are held on the banks of the river at cities such as Varanasi, Haridwar and Allahabad. The Ganga widens out into the Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans swamp of Bangladesh, before it ends its journey by emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

Arctic Ice Islands

When oil companies discover for oil offshore, they need a drilling place to work from. In most areas of the world, drilling platforms are constructed of steel. In the Arctic the oil companies can use sea water to build an ice island to use as a drilling platform. It takes very cold temperatures to freeze sea water and even colder temperatures to build an ice island. In fact, if the temperature is above minus 20 degrees F, it is too warm to build one.

Mars Ice Island, Beaufort Sea Alaska although the sea ice naturally freezes to several feet each winter, the ice may not be thick enough to support a drilling rig. One way to thicken the ice is to pump water on top of the ice and let it freeze. This process can be repeated many times until the ice is thick enough to support the drilling equipment.

In areas were the ice moves, the ice island must touch (ground) on the bottom of the sea floor. One of the fastest ways to thicken the ice is to spray sea water up into the cold Arctic air where it super-cools and falls back down onto the exterior of the ice. As the weight of the ice island increases it sinks deeper and deeper into the ocean until it grounds on the sea floor.

Spraying Seawater to Create an Ice Island in the Beaufort Sea, ice island building can begin in late December. It can take up to two months to build an ice island. After the island is constructed, the oil companies need enough time to drill the well and remove all of the drilling equipment before the ice begins to melt.

Facts about coconut

Scientists like to refer to the coconut as a water dispersal fruit and seed. A seed is the reproductive unit of a flowering plant. From a reproductive point of view, a seed has the “baby” plant inside, with two basic parts: the embryo root (hypocotyl) and the embryo leaves (epicotyl). In the coconut’s case, if you look at one end of the coconut, you’ll see three pores (also called eyes). The coconut seed germinates and a shoot emerges from one of the pores. In addition to the “baby” plant in the seed, there is the food to kick off its life called the endosperm. The endosperm is what makes up most of the seed and, in the coconut’s case, is the tasty white stuff we eat.

The word coconut itself can also be puzzling because the word “nut” is contained in the word. A nut can be defined as a one- seeded fruit. With that meaning, a coconut can also be a nut. However, a coconut is not an accurate nut. A true nut, such as the acorn, are indehiscent or do not open at maturity to release its seeds. The seeds are released when the fruit wall decays or are digested by an animal.

Facts
• Every bit of the coconut is used. As a result, coconuts are called the “Tree of Life” and can produce drink, fiber, food, fuel, utensils, musical instruments, and much more.
• When intra-venous (IV) solution was in short supply, doctors during World War II and Vietnam used coconut water in substitution of IV solutions.
• Botanically, the coconut palm is not a tree since there is no bark, no branches, or secondary growth. A coconut palm is a woody perennial monocotyledon with the trunk being the stem.
• Possibly the oldest reference is from Cosmas, a 5th century AD Egyptian traveler. He wrote about the “Indian nut” or “nut of India” after visiting India and Ceylon, Some scholars believe Cosmas was describing a coconut.
• Soleyman, an Arab merchant, visited China in the 9th century and describes the use of coir fiber and toddy made from coconuts.
• In 16th century, Sir Francis Drake called coconut “nargils”, which was the common term used until the 1700’s when the word coconut was established.
• It takes 11 -12 months for the coconut to mature.
• At one time scientists identified over 60 species of Cocos palm. Today, the coconut is a monotypic with one species, nucifera. However, there are over 80 varieties of coconut palms, which are defined by characteristics such as dwarf and tall.