NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is the United States’ government agency responsible for space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research. Established on July 29, 1958, it began operations on October 1, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). NASA’s primary goal is to advance human understanding of space and aeronautics through innovative research, exploration missions, and cutting-edge technology development.

Key Areas of Focus

1. Space Exploration
   • Leading missions to explore planets, moons, asteroids, and comets in our solar system, as well as beyond.
   • Notable missions include the Apollo Moon landings, Mars rovers like Perseverance and Curiosity, and the Voyager spacecraft.
2. Human Spaceflight
   • NASA has a rich history of human space exploration, including the Apollo program, Skylab, and the Space Shuttle program.
   • It collaborates with international partners on the International Space Station (ISS) and is developing the Artemis program to return humans to the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars.
3. Scientific Research
   • Studying Earth’s climate, weather, and natural systems using satellites and observational tools.
   • Investigating the origins of the universe, stars, and galaxies through telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
4. Aeronautics Research
   • Advancing aviation technologies to improve efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability.
5. Technology Innovation
   • Developing cutting-edge technologies for space exploration that also have practical applications on Earth.

NASA’s Achievements

• Apollo Program: Successfully landed 12 astronauts on the Moon between 1969 and 1972.
• Mars Exploration: Sent multiple robotic missions to study Mars, paving the way for potential human exploration.
• James Webb Space Telescope (2021): A next-generation telescope providing unprecedented insights into the universe’s early stages.
• Pioneer and Voyager Missions: First spacecraft to travel beyond our solar system into interstellar space.

Future Goals

• Artemis Program: Aiming to return humans to the Moon by the mid-2020s, including the first woman and person of color.
• Mars Exploration: Preparing for human missions to Mars in the 2030s.
• Earth Science: Expanding efforts to monitor and address climate change and natural disasters.

Headquarters and Facilities

NASA’s headquarters is located in Washington, D.C., but it operates multiple facilities across the U.S., including:

• Kennedy Space Center (Florida): Launch site for space missions.
• Johnson Space Center (Texas): Home to astronaut training and mission control.
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (California): Specializes in robotic planetary exploration.

A huge fossil skull found (Dragon Man) in China could be our closest relative in the human family tree than previously known Neanderthals.

The Harbin cranium (The fossil,), is the biggest of the known homo skulls, and scientists now say this skull represents a newly found human species called Homo longi, or “dragon man”.

Their findings, which appear in three articles published in the journal Innovation. According to articles, the Homo longi line could be our closest relative and that it has the potential to reshape our understanding of human evolution.

According to the author Qiang Ji, “The Harbin fossil is one of the most complete human skull fossils in the world,”.

Qiang Ji is professor in the paleontology department at GEO Hebei University in China.

“The Harbin fossil is one of the most complete human skull fossils in the world,” said author Qiang Ji, professor of paleontology at GEO Hebei University in China.

The skull was reportedly found in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China in the 1930s. The huge skull contained a brain comparable in size to modern humans, but it had-

1. Larger, almost square eye sockets,
2. Thick eyebrows,
3. A wide mouth, and
4. Oversized teeth.

“Although the Harbin skull has typical archaic human features, it has a mosaic-like combination of primitive and derived features that stand out from all other previously mentioned homo species,” said Qiang Ji, leading to his message Homo longi species designation.

In addition, the team also discovered that Homo longi is one of our closest hominid relatives, even closer to us than Neanderthals.

“Neanderthals are generally thought of as an extinct lineage that is the closest relative of our own species. However, our discovery suggests that the new lineage we identified belongs to Homo longi, which is the sister group of H sapiens,” said H sapiens Ni.

Qiang Ni also said that “The time of the divergence between H-Sapiens and Neanderthals could be even deeper in evolutionary history than is generally believed, over a million years ago,”. If so, we probably broke up with Neanderthals about 400,000 years earlier than scientists thought.

According to the Researchers, finding and results from Harbin’s skull have the potential to rewrite key elements of human evolution. Their analysis of the life story of Homo longi recommends that they were strong and robust people whose potential interactions with Homo sapiens could in turn shape our history.

Why this discovery (Dragon Man) is considered important?

On the one hand, this gives the new information about the evolution of Homo sapiens, which means that if “Dragon Man” is really a new species, then definitely it helps to fill the gap between us and our ancient ancestors known as Homo erectus.

This information is significant because there is very slight consensus in the scientific community that which species are immediate ancestor and how different species are related.

For example, the Smithsonian notes that few paleontologists trust that Homo heidelbergensis (discovered in 1908) are our immediate ancestors. Heidelbergensis lived in Europe and possibly China and parts of Africa about 700,000 to 200,000 years ago.

There are also other unanswered questions, as if there were crossbreeds between different human species. For example, it is believed that Neanderthals contributed almost 1-4% of the DNA of modern non-African people.

According to the Natural History Museum, interbreeding with ancient humans enabled Homo sapiens to acquire genes which enhanced their survival chances; even some of those genes are still present in modern humans today. For example, some DNA inherited from Neanderthals is supposed to be involved in boosting immunity.

Must Read – How do our ears work and eyes work? The 2 main important body organs.

Eyes works and seeing

Seeing is the most important sense because it gives you images of the world and what is happening around you. Not only do you see with your eyes, but also with your brain. Your eyes sense light and send signals to your brain, which they classify to create the full-color and animated 3D images you see. Eyes are very important organ in terms of understanding things.

This is how your eyes work

Light, springy objects penetrate the eyes through a transparent window on the front, known as cornea. It then passes through an opening, the pupil and the flexible lens that focuses the light on the retina in the back of eyes. From there, the signals are sent to the brain along the optic nerve.

Lighting control

The muscles in the colored part of the eye called the iris which controls the amount of light that enters the eye by changing the size of the pupil. In bright light, the iris makes the pupil smaller so that less light falls so as not to dazzle you. In low light, the iris widens the pupil and lets in more light so you can see well.

Track and Scan

Eye movement is control by the six small muscles. They are attached to the eyeball at one end and to the skull at the other. In between, they move the eyeball very precisely up or down, outwards and inwards. Wider movements allow the eyes to follow moving objects. Smaller moving objects like faces.

Sound sensors

When you make noise, you send sound waves through the air. These are picked up by your outer ears, which direct the vibrations inward. Signals are sent from your ear to your brain that allows you to hear sounds and communicate through speech.

Sound of waves

Sounds are made by something that vibrates and moves like waves through the air. How did it happen? Imagine pushing one end of a spring. The coils on the pushed end are compressed and then separated, pushing the coils further, creating a compression wave. Together with sound, vibrations send air molecules together, causing waves to drift away from the source.

How do your ears Work

Our ear contains 3 parts, one is outer area, second is middle ear and third is inner area. Sound waves enter your ear along the outer ear canal and hit thin skin like the ear drum, causing it to vibrate. These vibrations are transmitted to three small bones called ossicles that run through the middle ear.

You move back and forth, pushing and pulling on the oval window, a membrane at the entrance to your inner ear. This sends waves in the form of a snail through the fluid in spiral tubes of the cochlea. Tiny capillary receptors in the cochlea convert the wave into nerve signals that are sent to the brain. The inner ear contains the vestibular organ which is responsible for balance.

To keep balance

Your ears allow you to hear sounds, but they also give you a sense of balance. Special sensors in each inner ear inform your brain of your upright position so you can tell your body how to balance itself. Without your ears, you’d fall off your bike.

Sixth Sense

Your body has a sixth sense that automatically keeps you upright. Balance sensors in your ears send signals to your brain. These are supported by information from your eyes as well as position and pressure sensors in your muscles, joints and skin. Your brain processes all of this data and sends a flow of instructions to your muscles to help you balance yourself.

Feeling dizzy

The balance sensors in your ears are based on a fluid-filled tube system. It works great all the time, but when you’re walking through an amusement park the liquid gushes in the tubes and it takes a while to stabilize once it stops moving. As a result, the sensors in the tubes send a lot of confusing information to your brain confusing your location. This makes you dizzy.

Losing Balance

Different systems in the body work together in your sense of balance. When you remove parts of it, like your eyesight, the solid ground under your feet, or two legs to support your body, standing becomes much more difficult; You could lose your sense of balance and fall. Try covering your eyes with a blind crease and stand on one leg to try it out for yourself.

Must Read – Know About Human Body Barriers

Hello friends, today we discuss about a telescope named James Webb Space Telescope that is ready to replace Hubble (Telescope that was placed into the orbit on 25 April 1990)

The Hubble Space Telescope was placed into orbit on 25 April 1990 with the help of American STS shuttle ‘Discovery’ flight STS-31. This space-based telescope was named as the Hubble Space Telescope in honor of astronomer ‘Edwin Powell Habbal’. This telescope is currently orbiting the Earth’s orbit at a height of 600 kilometers. It takes 100 minutes to make one round of the earth.

From the installation to present day the Hubble Space Telescope has been repaired (serviced) five times in space. Now Hubble has become the first space telescope that has worked for such a long time and since the last repairing of 2009. It is expected that it will continue to work till 2025. Now ‘James Webb Space Telescope’ is ready to take its place.

https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/

NASA has announced that it is the next large space observatory, all its parts have been added or assembled. The James Webb Space Telescope prepared at a cost of US $ 9.7 billion is scheduled to be launched in October 2021 this year. If all goes well, the James Webb Space Telescope will become the largest telescope ever sent to space in the year 2021. Significantly, this space telescope is a joint effort of American (NASA), European (ESA) and Canadian (CSA) space agencies.

The James Webb Space Telescope is proposed to be launched from French Guiana in the year 2021 via Europe’s Erin 5 rocket. It will take about a month to reach.

Image: NASA
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13759

Following are the few key points of James Webb Space Telescope

• The James Webb Space Telescope (also known as JWST or Webb) is the largest telescope ever sent into space.
• Earlier JWST was known as New Generation Space Telescope – NGST, but in September 2002 it was renamed after former NASA administrator James Webb.
• It will be a large infrared telescope with a 6.5 meter primary mirror. In which mirrors of sunshield length of 22 meters (72 feet, tennis court size) and 6.5 meters (21 feet) width will be attached.
• JWST is twice of the size of a Hubble Space Teliscope.
• It takes one month to reach a distance of 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 mi) from Earth. This condition is known as Lagrange Point 2 or L 2.
• At this point the telescope will be operated at temperatures below -390F.

Probably after the success of this telescope, scientists from all over the world will be able to collect information about space through this web telescope for the next several years.

Must Read – Know About Steroids

Scientists at Aryabhatta Observation Science and Research Institute (ARIES) have discovered such a bright luminosity in the galaxy (brightest light beam), the center of which is the supermassive blackhole. This discovery of Aerys is a major achievement; it will help to explore the mass and emission mechanisms of the blackhole in the search for bright celestial bodies in the future. Their mass is an important link to collect information in relation to any blackhole.

Dr. Alok Chandra Gupta (Aris senior astronomer), with the support of his team, established the entire in Nainital. Dr. Gupta’s team has found it 10 million light-years away from Earth in the galaxy named BL Lakerte in the lighthouse universe. There are four to five thousand Prakashpanas there. Scientists studied 50 to 100 brightest luminosities.

Scientists of the world have been involved in research for many decades in relation to Black-hole. Till date, nothing other than the actual image of the blackhole has been found. In such a new discovery is considered to be a big achievement.

Since October, astronomers have been engaged in this research under the leadership of Dr. Alok Gupta. This includes Dr. Haritama Gaur, Dr. Pankaj Kushwaha and researchers Vineet Dhiman, Shubham Kishore and Tushar Tripathi.

Dr. AC Gupta, (Senior Scientist, Arise) team has discovered the strongest flares of the supremacial blazer. This would make it possible to find the source of mass and emission of the black hole. At the same time, the mystery of the development of the universe will be solved.

Must Read – Most Expensive Material in the Universe

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES)

Today we discuss about the most expensive material in the universe. Do you know the most expensive material in the universe? The answer is Antimatter. Antimatter is the most expensive material in the world.

Antimatter is the most expensive element in the world. It is also called competition. It is not only difficult to make but it is impossible. According to scientific information, despite all efforts, only 309 Atom can be made.

The money required to buy one gram of the world’s most expensive element of the Universe can be easily bought by 100 small countries in the world for as much money. Antimatter is the most valuable thing in the world.

You must have seen the story of the security agencies involved in stealing and protecting antimatter in many English films. Actually, the fuel used in spacecraft for space travel or movement on other planets is made from this antimatter. Now you must be thinking what you add to this, which reaches to the other planet.

Antimatter is also known as antidote in the common language. It is not only difficult to make but impossible. According to scientific information, despite all efforts, only 309 Atom can be made. In January 2011, the American Astronomical Society reported that it is also found in the upper layer of Thunderstorm Clouds.

In fact, their price is also very high because they can be produced for a very short time only. Talking about the cost of antimatter, the ground will slide under your feet. If one gram is sold, then 100 small countries of the world can be bought. Its 1 gram is worth Rs 31 lakh 25 thousand crore. It is considered to be the most expensive substance in the world.

According to NASA, the highest amount of money is also spent on preparing antimatter. Therefore, its price is so high. According to the data, it takes 160 crores rupees to make 1 mg antimatter.

The place where antimotor is produced, the best and strongest security system is kept in the world. It is also provided the highest security system in the world. Not only this, even the institutions like NASA keep the best security agency of America to keep it.

Scientists believe that when talking about Earth, Antimatter is of no use, but Antimatter is very valuable for any work related to space. The antimatter is generated in the event of Black Hole ripping wires into two parts in space. However, antimatter is so valuable for the earth and space by any means that anyone will be willing to pay every possible amount to get it.

Must Read – Most Expensive Material in the Universe

Science fails in front of nature we say this because the sky continues to crack all the time in an American city. So to today we have discussed an interesting topic. Here we discuss that how Nature continues to be a challenge for scientists. In this universe there are some things whose secrets are still intact. So we can say that there is nothing in the universe beyond the nature.

There is nothing greater than nature in the universe. Even though science is constantly accepting the challenges of nature, but every time nature gives a new secret. In Venezuela (city in US), there is lightning all the time and scientists are not able to solve the mystery.

Image Source:- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catatumbo_lightning#/media/File:Catatumbolightning.jpg

In today’s time, scientists have made great progress in every field and they have also made the impossible possible. Even after doing so much, there are some things whose secrets remain a challenge for scientists.

Science and HUMAN mind also give up many times in front of nature. This event occurs over the Catatumbo River in Venezuela in Venezuela. Here electricity falls thousands of times in an hour.

In the South American country Venezuela, some such incidents are happening continuously, about which the laws of science have also failed. There is always lightning on a lake situated here. This event is known as Catatumbo Lightning. Nobody has known about it till date. According to a report, science has named this mystery ‘The Maracaibo Beacon’.

This lighting occurs 28 times per minute on average up to 9 hours every day after sunset. Around 300 days in a year this event is happen, accompanied by a storm. Here on average 250 lighting are strikes.

This lighting event is register in the Guinness Book record holder with the title “highest concentration of lightning”. This is achieved by replacing the predecessor, DR Congo. Before the Venezuela event DR Congo is register for the most number of lightning strikes.

Must Read – Asteroid Apophis

By keeping close with people already suffering from this disease, the virus spreads. When patient of this disease, coughing or sneezing, the virus enters into the body through contact with the place or object of the droplets falling, touching their eyes or nose or mouth. By inhaling these drops, they can also become victims of the virus. People living with this disease should maintain a distance of 1 meter (3 feet). This is one of main cause of corona virus spread.

Your nose and mouth are susceptible

A 2020 report mentions that this corona virus is more likely to go into your nose and mouth than other parts of the throat and body. You may be more likely to sneeze, cough or breathe in the air around you. One the cause of corona virus spread.

It can travel rapidly through the body

This corona virus can travel through the body faster than other viruses. Data from China found that people with COVID-19 had a virus infection in their nose and throat just 1 day after the onset of symptoms.

Can wearing a mask protect you from infection?

Corona virus has become the fastest growing virus in the world. To save one, half the people have come to the surgical mask. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention believes that masking reduces the risk of infection but this method does not provide complete protection. It is better to protect yourself when you stay away from people suffering from Corona virus.

Which people are more dangerous than this virus?

In elderly people and patients with high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes, this disease can take a more dangerous form. Apart from this, this virus has more easy effect on the patients already having immunity or people who have reduced immunity.

See COVID-19 Data Dashboard

Must Read – Protect Our self from Corona Virus

It started in the seafood and poultry market of China’s Wuhan province last year, has become a serious case for the world today.

What is this virus ?

Symptoms of corona virus can range from a minor cold to more severe diseases such as:

• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome: MERS-CoV, and
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: SARS-CoV.

Corona virus is zoonotic, which means animal disease. Both humans and animals can suffer from this virus. This virus has now been named as “SARS-CoV-2” and due to this the disease is called “Corona Disease 2019” which is abbreviated as “COVID-19”.

This virus has been first discovered in the Wuhan province of China, after which its reach is being found in almost 70 countries. On 23 January, Chinese government officials cut off the rest of the country and the world from Wuhan, which has a population of nearly 1 crore, and all transports from there were closed.

In countries like Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, United States, the virus has entered and become infected after 20th of January.

On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the virus outbreak as a social health emergency, a cause of international concern.

Click Here to See COVID-19 Data

Must Read – Protect Our-self from COVID-19

Bacteria and viruses are constantly attempting to enter inside the body. The human body, luckily, is well-protected. The body’s surface, which serves as a barrier to germs, is the first line of protection against invaders. The fragile surface of your eyes, as well as the soft tissue covering your mouth, nose, throat, and stomach, are all part of the surface.

Inner human body barriers

Basically germs can enter in your body by the following way-

1. Through the air you breathe, and
2. Through the food you eat.

The cells lining inner passages such as the throat and airways are lined together to form a germ-proof wall that is coated in protective fluids such as saliva, mucus, and stomach acid to prevent these germs from spreading further.

The Salivary glands make saliva, which contains chemicals that kill bacteria.

A sticky fluid called mucus covers the inner walls of airways leading to the lungs. Germs that land on mucus get stuck. Tiny hairs beat back and forth to push the mucus up to the throat, where it gets swallowed.

Fever

Infection is happens when infectious bacteria or viruses spread within the body. Infection causes your body to heat up, raising your temperature above the normal 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degree Fahrenheit). Fever is a reaction that helps to prevent germs from multiplying. It also increases the activity of white blood cells that kill germs.

Discoveries

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), a French scientist, was the first to recognize that disease can be caused by microscopic organisms called germs. Prior to Pasteur, most people believed that diseases were divine punishment.

Fact

All bacteria aren’t all bad. Millions of helpful bacteria live on your skin, helping to protect you from disease-causing bacteria.

Must Read – Human Body Barriers 2

Click Here to Go WHO Website