• Non-surgical therapies found effective against GERD
• Chandrayaan's glimpse of unseen polar craters
• India's fast nuclear reactors to be redesigned to cut costs
• Chandrayaan beems back 40,000 images in 75 days
• New technique opens up totally blocked arteries
• School students talk live with space for the first time ever
• A different way to hear
• ISRO to Launch Weather Satellite

• 'Flying car' to take off this year
• MRI scans reveal Post-Heart attack bleeding
• Not meanm but Mankind is from Mars!
• 'Chandrayaan is result of team effort'
• NASA partners India on moon mission
• Indian scientist develops a way to detect cancer
• ISRO will launch four satellites in 2009
• BSNL to invest Rs 1,600 cr on broadband equipment

A company in Boston, US, has developed a 'flying car', and is planning to conduct test flights of the vehicle this year. According to a report in Discovery News, the vehicle, named 'Transition', is actually a two-seater airplane that also moonlights as a car. Though some people are calling it a 'flying car', the company designing and selling the vehicle prefers the term "roadable aircraft." "It's probably a concept that people have been dreaming up since there have been airplanes and cars," said Dick Knapinski with the Experimental Aircraft Association, a aviation group based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. According to the company, "You sit down behind the steering wheel, drive to the runway, unfold two wings and take off. You can fly 500 miles on a tank of gas - regular unleaded - and when you land, you simply fold up the wings and drive where you want to go." "At the end of the day, you fly back, drive home and park inside your garage," it added. Terrafugia, founded in 2006 by a group of MIT students, has taken deposits for more than 40 'Transitions' and plans to begin deliveries in 2010, according to Richard Gersh, vice president of business development. The vehicles would sell for 194,000 dollars.

Courtesy: www.aniin.com, January 23, 2009

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Scientists have found that two non-surgical treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-a condition in which acid from the stomach backs up into the oesophagus-can help reduce a patient's use of medicine, and improve voice and swallowing symptoms. While one type of therapy seems to be effective for reducing heartburn and cough, the other may help reduce regurgitation. GERD is typically treated first with medications such as proton pump inhibitors, according to background information in a research article in the Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, patients often find it difficult to comply with or afford long-term drug therapy, and, consequently, GERD returns. Surgical options have been available since the 1990s, and more recently, endoluminal therapies that involve entering through the body's natural passages to repair the underlying causes of GERD have become available. One endoluminal therapy, full-thickness plication, involves using a long, narrow tool known as an endoscope to tighten the junction between the oesophagus and the stomach with sutures. A second, radiofrequency therapy, delivers energy waves to the muscles of the oesophagus and stomach, purportedly improving the function of the valve between the oesophagus and the stomach. Dr. Louis O. Jeansonne IV of Ochsner Medical Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana-who was associated with Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, at the time of the study-compared the effectiveness of the two therapies in 126 patients treated for GERD between 2002 and 2006.

Courtesy: www.medindia.net, January 21, 2009

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The first images of post-heart attack bleeding within the heart have been made by U.K. scientists using MRI scans. The Imperial College London team said their research shows that the amount of bleeding can indicate the degree of damage caused by a heart attack. The use of this kind of imaging, along with other tests, could offer doctors a more complete assessment of a heart attack patient's condition and chances of recovery, they said. The researchers analyzed MRI images of bleeding inside the hearts of 15 people who'd recently suffered a heart attack. They found an association between the amount of bleeding and the degree of heart muscle damage. Patients with substantial heart muscle damage had more bleeding into the heart muscle than those who had less heart muscle damage. MRI can detect the degree of bleeding inside the heart due to the magnetic effects of iron in the blood, the researchers explained. "Our study gives us a new insight into the damage that heart attacks can cause," first and corresponding author Dr. Declan O'Regan said in an Imperial College London news release. "Using this new scanning technique shows us that patients who develop bleeding inside their damaged heart muscle have a much poorer chance of recovery. We hope that this will help us to identify which patients are at most risk of complications following their heart attack." The study was published Jan. 19 in the journal Radiology. "We still have a lot of unanswered questions about whether the bleeding itself may cause further damage to the heart muscle, and this is an area that needs further research," senior author Dr. Stuart Cook added in the news release. "The more we understand about what happens during and after a heart attack, the greater the chances are of scientists finding new ways to combat the damage that heart attacks cause."

Courtesy: www.washingtonpost.com, January 20, 2009

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NASA radar on board the Chandrayaan-1 has sent back the first images of what NASA calls "the floors of permanently shadowed polar craters on the moon that aren't visible from Earth." NASA has said that India's Chandrayaan-1 mission is providing scientists with the first look inside the moon's coldest and darkest craters, according to their press release. NASA radar on board the Chandrayaan-1 has sent back the first images of what NASA calls "the floors of permanently shadowed polar craters on the moon that aren't visible from Earth." The press release further states "Scientists are using the instrument to map and search the insides of the craters for water ice." The NASA radar, which is a Mini-SAR (Mini Synthetic Aperture Radar) instrument, a lightweight, synthetic aperture radar is one of the 11 instruments carried by Chandrayaan-1 when it was launched from Sriharikota spaceport in India's Andhra Pradesh state October 22, 2008. "The only way to explore such areas is by using orbital imaging radar such as Mini-SAR. This is an exciting first step for the team which has worked diligently for more than three years to get to this point," said Benjamin Bussey, deputy principal investigator for Mini-SAR, from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The crater composite image you see, were taken on November 17 last year. These are from the Haworth crater at the moon's south pole and the western rim of Seares crater, which is an impact feature near the north pole. The bright areas in the image represent either rough surface or slopes pointing toward the spacecraft. Image credit goes to ISRO/NASA/JHUAPL/LPI/Cornell University/Smithsonian. As the Mini-SAR collects and analyzes more data, it will help determine whether or not there are hidden ice deposits in the moon's poles, as has been stipulated so often. The significance of this ice is that if found to exist, it will make it a lot easier to achieve the long-term goal of colonization of the Moon. "During the next few months we expect to have a fully calibrated and operational instrument collecting valuable science data at the moon," said Jason Crusan, programme executive for the Mini-RF (miniature radio frequency) programme for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington.

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A FEW days ago a study claimed the detection of methane gas on Mars. And now, a female astronomer has put forward the hypothesis the all of us are Martians. Heather Couper, a UK astronomer, has suggested that humans could be Martians. She has hypothesised that the meteorites from the Red Planet may have seeded life on Earth billions of years ago. "Mars is closer to the solar system's asteroid belt than us and must have been hit by many more impacts. Some collisions blasted bits of Mars into space, which circled the sun and fell to Earth as meteorites," Couper said.

Her study report findings were reported by the Sun recently. Some of the important facts about the Mars are as follows:

• Mars has approximately half the radius of Earth.
• Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos,
• Mars can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its apparent magnitude reaches -2.9, a brightness surpassed only by Venus
• Mars has approximately half the radius of Earth
• It is less dense than Earth, having about 15% of Earth's volume and 11 per cent of the mass
• The red-orange appearance of the Martian surface is caused by iron(III) oxide, more commonly known as hematite, or rust
• To the naked eye, Mars usually appears a distinct yellow, orange, or reddish color
• The point of Mars' closest approach to the Earth is known as opposition. The length of time between successive oppositions, or the synodic period, is 780 days

Anyway, recently on September 15, 2008, NASA announced MAVEN, a robotic mission in 2013 to provide information about Mars' atmosphere and surface. Hopefully, then it would be confirmed whether or not there is life on the Mars.

Courtesy: www.merinews.com, January 20, 2009

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Scientists and engineers at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) are hoping to save around Rs.5 billion (Rs.500 crore or USD 104 million) by modifying the design of four fast reactors on the anvil for nuclear power plants.
"The proposed reactors are going to be different in many ways from the prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) designed by us and which are under construction," IGCAR director Baldev Raj told IANS. With the Rs.35-billion PFBR project progressing at good pace at Kalpakkam, 80 km from here, the Indian government has sanctioned building of four more 500 MW fast reactors. A breeder reactor is one that breeds more material for a nuclear fission reaction than it consumes, so that the reaction - that ultimately produces electricity - can continue. The Indian fast reactors will be fuelled by a blend of plutonium and uranium oxide. While the reactor will use fission plutonium for power production, it will also breed more plutonium than what it uses from the natural uranium. The surplus plutonium from each fast reactor can be used to set up more such reactors and grow the nuclear capacity in tune with India's needs. These reactors are also called fast spectrum reactors since the neutrons coming from the fission will not be moderated. Two of the proposed reactors will come up in Kalpakkam, the site for which has been approved, while the location for the remaining two are yet to be finalised. According to Raj, the four reactors will be designed to last 60 years - an increase of 20 years over PFBR's current life span. "The blueprint for the four oxide fuel fast reactors is ready. The roadmap for research and development will be ready next month," reactor engineering group director S.C. Chetal told IANS. According to him, the idea is to sell power at Rs.2 per unit as compared to Rs.3.20 per unit from PFBR; hence the effort to reduce the capital cost.

Detailing the cost-cutting steps, Chetal said: "The proposed reactors will be built as twin units. That means many of the facilities will be shared by the two reactors, which in turn saves capital and running costs." For instance, there will be fewer welding points, making the reactors safer and more economical. "The savings will be achieved from reduced material consumption through innovative design design," said P. Chellapandi, director, safety group. Chellapandi said the safety vessel of the proposed reactors will be smaller than the one installed inside the PFBR's reactor vault: its diameter will be reduced to 11.5 metres from 12.9 metres. "A reduction of one metre will result in an overall saving of Rs.25 crore (Rs.250 million) on material, fabrication and civil construction." The new design fast reactors will have six steam generators as against eight in the PFBR and changes will be made in the grid plate, sodium and reactor shutdown systems. With the experience gained from fabricating giant equipment and the country embarking on a major fast-breeder reactor programme, vendors should be able to lower price. These apart, the focus will be on sourcing local components and raw materials to save costs. Imports for PFBR consist of sodium and high grade steel, both sourced from France. "The design changes in the proposed reactors do not mean PFBR is over-designed. The proposed changes will be realistic or less conservative," said Chellapandi. With the experience gained from PFBR, the new projects can be completed in five years as against seven years, the officials feel.

Courtesy: www.newkerala.com, January 18, 2009

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"Team effort is the mantra of success in any space endeavour. The successful launch of Chandraayan has put our country in high esteem amongst other space super powers," said Dr Kasturirangan, Padma-bibhusan and former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation. Addressing the convocation of NIT here, the eminent scientist said: "While the two super powers were using the space to expedite the cold war, India silently used it to its own advantage through remote sensing and today we are a force to reckon with as far as that part of space technology is concerned." "We have been able to measure the ground water level, the forest cover of the country and the world, helping in disaster management, education, health and many other fields which were getting neglected otherwise," he added. Speaking about the nuclear deal he said: "This will provide a very positive platform for the country." Advising the students he said: "Team effort and work ethics can lead all of you to achieve the goal you have set for yourself in life. There is no shortcut for reaching the zenith of success and you have to slog. Besides, what you learn on the roads of life will be very helpful for all of you to secure your path to glory". Mr Drona Ratha, chairman, NIT and Mecon, who arrived here with the space scientist from Ranchi said: "Knowledge is the only power all of us have and nothing else will be helpful for anyone." Referring to the economic meltdown he said: "Timely action taken Central government has saved the country from slipping into a deep recession or downturn as being experienced world over at this moment." Professor, Dr Sunil Sadangi, Director NIT in his short speech earlier said: "The developmental process initiated in the NIT will continue and will take this pre-eminent institute of the country to a newer heights in the field of specialised higher education. It is matter of pride for all of us that two students of this institute are holding very high positions in the space agencies of Canada and USA." Two hundred graduates and post graduates were conferred with degree certificates. Ms Rina Panda, was adjudged as the best graduate of the Electrical Engineering department.

Courtesy: www.thestatesman.net, January 18, 2009

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Forty thousand and counting. The Rs 386-crore Indian Moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, which completes a flawless 100 days around January 30 has transmitted more than 40,000 images of different types since its launch on October 22, 2008, which many in ISRO believe is quite a record compared to the lunar flights of other nations. ISRO officials estimated that if more than 40,000 images have been transmitted by Chandrayaan's cameras in 75 days, it worked out to nearly 535 images being sent daily. They are first transmitted to Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu near Bangalore, from where they are flashed to ISRO's telemetry, tracking and command network at Bangalore. They said some of these images have a resolution of up to five metres providing a sharp and clear picture of the Moon's surface. On the other hand, they said many images sent by some of the other missions had a 100-metre resolution. On November 26, the indigenous Terrain Mapping Camera, which was first activated on October 29, 2008, took shots of peaks along with craters. This came as a surprise to ISRO officials because the Moon consists largely only of craters. Buoyed by the success of Chandrayaan-1, ISRO is now planning a more ambitious lunar venture around 2020 after the Chandrayaan-2 in 2012: a manned mission. This was stated by none other than the man behind India's maiden lunar mission, Mylswamy Annadurai, Chandrayaan-1's project director, while speaking to TOI recently. Annadurai said around 2015, ISRO is embarking on a manned mission to the low earth orbit, which is 2000 km above the Earth. "An Indian on the Moon is, therefore, certainly the next logical step and ISRO is definitely considering it,'' he said. On November 14, India's first spaceman Rakesh Sharma said the landing of the indigenous 29-kg Moon Impact Probe on the lunar surface was the first step towards establishing the capabilities for a subsequent human flight to the Moon by India, the probe was one of the 11 scientific payloads on Chandrayaan-1. They cited the case of China and Japan which are working on a manned mission to the Moon around 2020 apart from the US. "Keeping this in view can India lag behind in this human race to the Moon?'' a space expert from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research requesting anonymity asked. With regards to Chandrayaan-1, a meeting of all the principal investigators of the different scientific experiments is bceing held in Bangalore on January 29 to review the preliminary results.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, January 15, 2009

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American space agency NASA, partnered India in its first lunar mission 'Chandrayaan' in 2008, a venture that is contributing to the agency's increased understanding of the lunar environment. The partnership came in the golden anniversary year of NASA, even as financial crunch cast a shadow over its mission of space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. NASA partnered with India to fly two instruments aboard the country's first lunar explorer, Chandrayaan-1, which was successfully launched by the ISRO on October 22 and entered the lunar orbit on November 8. In the 'Moon Mineralogy Mapper', NASA planted aboard the Indian mission an instrument that surveys mineral resources of the moon, while the 'Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar' is mapping the moon's polar regions and looking for ice deposits in the permanently shadowed craters. Data from the two instruments is contributing to NASA's increased understanding of the lunar environment as the agency implements the nation's space exploration policy, which calls for robotic and human missions to the moon. Besides taking part in the lunar science mission with India, NASA during 2008 landed on Mars, photographed distant worlds, added to the International Space Station and made major progress towards returning astronauts to the moon. Meanwhile on Earth, NASA researchers recorded the continued decline of Arctic sea ice, won awards for aviation breakthroughs, discovered the cause of storms that brighten the Northern Lights and helped create state-of-the-art swimsuits worn by Olympic gold medallists.

Courtesy: www.hindu.com, January 11, 2009

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A highly precise technique has been used with complete success for the first time to open up totally blocked arteries.
Interventional cardiologist Frank Zidar used the new tool at the Austin Heart Hospital last week on a patient with severe peripheral artery disease (PAD) - a 100 percent blockage in a main artery in his leg. Otherwise, the patient would have continued to experience chronic, severe pain in his leg due to poor circulation, according to experts. "Traditional treatment for blocked arteries uses manual guidewires to travel through the artery to the area of blockage in the leg. This can be extremely challenging because these guidewires are very difficult to manoeuvre," Zidar said. "This new magnetic guidewire technology allows for greater control and improved accuracy," he said. "Once the blockage is reached, the tip of the guidewire can burn or ablate a tiny passage through the blockage, allowing us then to use existing techniques to open up the blockage further. "This revolutionary technology is likely to reduce procedure times and therefore reduce the amount of contrast dye and imaging radiation to the patient," he added. PAD affects eight to 12 million Americans, according to the American Heart Association. If left untreated, patients can experience ulcerations and gangrene that significantly increase their risk of losing a limb or even result in death. The novel technique, known as Stereotaxis RF PowerAssert(TM) Magnetic Guidewire, was approved by the FDA in August 2008. It is the only magnetically enabled device available for crossing completely blocked arteries, according to an Austin release. Austin Heart Hospital was chosen as one of only two clinical sites in the world to study its efficacy.

Courtesy: www.newkerala.com, January 11, 2009

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An Indian scientist based in California claims he has developed a technology to detect cancer in the early stages itself. The technology named "Method for early detection of cancer" has been patented and will be available to the medical fraternity in 2 years, said the scientist. "It is based on nano-technology. All you have to do is to take blood samples and subject them to a series of tests and any kind of cancerous cells could be detected in the early stages itself," said Dr Ajay Singhal, a Ph.D. in nano-science from California. He said the system was of non-invasive in nature. "One need not go for biopsy kind of diagnosis with this system," he said. Dr Singhal said the ultimate objective was to make the system accessible to the poor and needy. "According to World Health Organisation studies, majority of the cancer cases are detected only in the advanced stages which makes treatment very difficult," he said. Dr Singhal claims that analysis of the blood samples would throw out results about the possibilities of cancerous cells. "We have standardised the process and have found that the technology is reliable and user friendly," he said. According to Dr Singhal, his research group was in discussions with various corporate hospitals in India for introducing the new system in the country.

Courtesy: www.asianage.com, January 09, 2009

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Guwahati, (ANTARA News/PTI-OANA) An American astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday talked live with the students of a school here for the first time in the country`s space history. NASA astronaut Edward Michael `mike` Fincke, who is married to a girl from India`s northeastern state of Assam answered 14 questions from students of Assam Jatiya Vidyalalya at a programme organised by Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS), an organisation of non-resident Assamese, in coordination with NASA. The ground station of Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS) at north California coordinated the talk and the audience, comprising more than one thousand people, heard Fincke answer the students` queries over telephone connected to the ISS groundstation which established the link with the spaceship. Students got a fresh insight into the world of space with Fincke informing them that they sleep normally inside the spaceship and have set their own timings according to a 24-hour cycle working from ten to six. Asked about the difference in environment inside and outside the space ship, Fincke said it was extremely hostile and cold outside but inside it is as comfortable as it can be with the temperature set at 24 degrees Celsius. The quality of the air inside the spaceship is maintained by oxygen manufactured inside while carbon dioxide is recycled, said Fincke, who is also the commander of the current expedition `Mission 18` of the ISS. Members of the spaceship eat normal food like hamburgers and sausages but they "are mostly packed food, prepared on ground but we do heat these sometimes", he said. "Water on the spaceship is used just like back in the planet but we recycle both water and urine", Fincke answered to a student`s query on water management aboard the spaceship. He and two of his other associates inside the space ship, however, cannot take bath due to zero gravity and they only swab themselves, besides wearing absorbent clothing. They are also fortunate to see 16 sunrises and sets during the course of 24-hours as the spaceship completes 19 rotation during this period, each cycle taking 90 minutes. Seasonal changes along with man-made and natural structure of earth are also visible from aboard the ship. Presently, "we are observing winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in southern hemisphere and we can also observe large objects like the pyramids and great wall of China," the astronaut said. Fincke and his colleagues relax on the spaceship with books and watching movies and exercise two hours daily on bicycles and treadmills. Fincke, who is learning Assamese in space through flash cards, was asked, `apuni Asomiya kobo parenaki` (can you speak Assamese) and he replied with aplomb, `moi alop kobo paru" (I can speak a little), winning a loud round of applause from the audience. Fincke is married to Renita Saikia, who also works at NASA, and her parents had left for USA several decades ago.

Courtesy: www.antara.co.id, January 08, 2009

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THE INDIAN Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would launch four foreign satellites in 2009, as the organisation aspires to make further progress into the international satellite-building and launch services. W2M, a communication satellite, built by ISRO on a commercial basis in partnership with EADS-Astrium of Europe, was successfully launched by the European Ariane-5 launch vehicle from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana just two weeks ago. KR Sridhara Murthy, the managing director of Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of Bangalore-headquartered ISRO said that the organisation is trying its best to launch four satellites of Singapore, the Netherlands, Algeria and Italy. All these contracts have been achieved by ISRO independently and not in partnership with EADS-Astrium. While speaking to PTI, Murthy said, "We have four commitments for Singapore, the Netherlands, Italy and Algeria. We want to complete it in 2009." Murthy further added that ISRO charges per kg of satellite around Euro 20,000, which is cheaper than the prevailing international monetary value. The launch price depends on three factors - competition, market conditions and demand-supply scenario. The W2M project was undertaken in the context of an accord between Antrix to jointly establish and deliver the satellite to Eutelsat Communications, the Paris based global satellite communications provider. Astrium was responsible for overall programme management and delivery of the communications payload. Antrix / ISRO provided the satellite and performed W2M's integration and testing at the facilities of ISRO here. W2M satellite weighs 3,463 kg at lift-off and is considered as the heaviest satellite built by ISRO. Besides having the capability of operating for over fifteen years, the satellite's solar panels produce a maximum of about 7000 watts of power. Murthy further added that Antrix and EADS/Astrium are now pursuing three-four satellite-building proposals, similar to their W2M venture. He also said, "We (Antrix and EADS/Astrium) are looking at various opportunities where people are trying to procure satellites (to be built) in the two to three tonne category, which is our capability." Murthy assured that ISRO attempts its best to make its satellites more power and weight efficient so that it can pack more payloads without increasing the weight of the satellite. While ISRO typically observed at solar panels of its satellites generating a maximum of five kilo or six kilo watts of power, the W2M exceeded seven kilo watts. Murthy further added that once GSLV-Mk III rocket is operational, ISRO will be able to address launch services market enhances considerably. The concerned officials of ISRO stated that GSLV-Mk III is envisaged to launch four tonne satellites into geosynchronous transfer orbit, whereas the first development flight is expected in 2009-10.

Courtesy: www.merinews.com, January 08, 2009

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A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin. An implant does not restore normal hearing. Instead, it can give a deaf person a useful representation of sounds in the environment and help him or her understand speech.

How Does an Implant Work?
A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sounds so they may be detected by damaged ears. Cochlear implants bypass damaged portions of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve. Signals generated by the implant are sent by way of the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognizes the signals as sound. Hearing through a cochlear implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to learn or relearn. However, it allows many people to recognize warning signals, understand other sounds in the environment, and enjoy a conversation in person or by telephone.

Who Gets Cochlear Implants?
According to the Food and Drug Administration, at the end of 2006 more than 112,000 people worldwide had received implants. In the United States, roughly 23,000 adults and 15,500 children have received them. Adults who have lost all or most of their hearing later in life often can benefit from cochlear implants. They learn to associate the signal provided by an implant with sounds they remember. Cochlear implants, coupled with intensive post-implantation therapy, can help young children acquire speech, language and social skills. Most children who receive implants are between 2 and 6 years old. Early implantation provides exposure to sounds that can be helpful during the critical period when children learn speech and language skills. In 2000, the FDA lowered the age of eligibility to 12 months for one type of cochlear implant.

Courtesy: www.washingtonpost.com, January 06, 2009

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State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will invest Rs 1,600 crore in the next two years on broadband equipment, including Wi-Max and optical fibre, according to its Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Kuldeep Goyal. The investment will enable BSNL to add a capacity of around 8 million broadband connections. "We are working on a target to have around nine million broadband connections in the next two years," he told newspersons. The government's target is to have around 20 million broadband connections by 2010-end from the present 5 million (BSNL alone has 3 million). "While the combined market share of BSNL and MTNL could be 50 per cent in two years, on our own we should be having around 9 million broadband connections," he said. Mr Goyal said BSNL has around 30,000 exchanges in rural areas. Of this, 23,000 exchanges have been provided with equipment for rolling out broadband connectivity. Before the end of the current fiscal, all the exchanges will have the necessary equipment.

Rural rollout
BSNL is also looking at wireless technology to rollout broadband in rural areas and has recently placed orders for 1,000 WiMax equipment. There are around two lakh broadband customers in rural areas, he said. Mr Goyal said BSNL was in advanced talks with the government for using Universal Service Obligation fund to rollout broadband services in rural areas. "The government will give equipment to people in rural areas at a subsidised cost and customers need to pay only for the services. Equipment will be almost free for them."

Courtesy: www.moneycontrol.com, January 03, 2009

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After the success of the Chandrayaan mission, ISRO is all set on its next mission -- the launch of the 'Mehga Tropiques' -- an Indo-French weather satellite
The weather satellite has been jointly developed by the French Space Agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization). Post-launch, 'Mehga Tropiques' will study tropical weather and would aid in the study of cyclones, monsoon and other weather-related effects. Revealing its plans, ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair said the satellite would be built by ISRO and the French agency will add two onboard instruments called the SCARAB and SAPHIR. There is another instrument aboard the satellite called the MADRAS, which is set to be jointly developed by the French and the Indian teams. Nair added that being a joint effort, data obtained from the satellite would be shared by both the countries. The satellite would be launched by the end of 2009. Post the launch of the Chandryaan, hopes would always be high about the success of this relatively easier mission - although when it comes to space, nothing is easy.

Courtesy: www.techtree.com, January 02, 2009

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