Aditya reaches its Sun study orbit.

In its maiden solar mission, ISRO successfully placed Aditya-L1 spacecraft into its final orbit yesterday, at1600 hrs.

The insertion of Aditya-L1 in the halo orbit presented a critical mission phase which demanded precise navigation and control. A successful insertion further involved constant monitoring along with the adjustment of the spacecraft's speed and position by using on board thrusters.

It underlines ISRO's capabilities in such complex  orbital maneuvers and gives confidence to handle future interplanetary missions.

The satellite placed in the orbit of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from Earth, has covered only 1% of the distance to the Sun. 

It will be undertaking several studies on the impact of the Sun's radiation, solar flares, solar storms and other particles on the Earth through payloads.

From the L1 point, Aditya has the advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation or eclipses. It will help observe solar activities and their effects in real time.

My take

India taking great strides in the field of space!

Tailpiece.

Got up at a 10' to 6, the chores and was ready by 10.

A quiet Sunday. Planted the idea of going to Ayodhya sometime in October, just the six of us - Self and Lekha, Padmakumar and Rema and Sanil and Mini.

The usual evening chores.  

Israel's vision of the ground offensive against Hamas.

Israel would shift to an apparently scaled-down "new combat approach" in northern Gaza, while continuing to fight Hamas in the south of the territory "for as long as necessary".

A proposal on how Gaza would be run once Hamas is defeated with Israel keeping security control while an undefined, Israeli-guided Palestinian body runs day-to-day administration and the US and other countries oversee rebuilding.

The document issued by Israel's defence minister is titled "Vision for Phase 3" of the war which has not yet begun.

The defence minister's statement underlined that the war would go on until Hamas' military and government capabilities are eliminated and the more than 100 hostages still in captivity are returned.

In the north, the Israeli forces will shift to a new approach that includes raids, destruction of tunnels, "air and ground activities and special operations". The aim would be "the erosion" of the remaining Hamas presence.

My take

A clear cut aim!

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9.

Lekha goes to town for :-

      * visiting Trends 

      * buying our fruit basket.

The usual evening chores. 

Army reviews Gen Naravane's book.

The Army has begun a review of the memoirs of its former chief Gen MM Naravane (Retd) after it mentioned sensitive details of Indian Army's response to Chinese PLA movement in 2020. The Indian government has also directed publisher Penguin Random House not to share excerpts or soft copies of the book until the review is over.

The memoirs published in parts by news agency PTI last month revealed unknown details of the Indian leadership's response to the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh in 2020 and on the discussions on various aspects of the Agnipath scheme of recruitment before it was launched last year.

In the memoir, Gen MM Naravane (Retd) has disclosed the the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had given him a free hand to act following the movement of Chinese PLA tanks and troops on the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. "Jo ucchit samjho woh karo" said Rajnath Singh.

The former chief also recalled that "a hundred different thoughts flashed through my mind" before his call to the then Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi. "We cannot be the first ones to fire", I told him.....Instead, I told him to move a troop of our tanks right to the forward slopes of the Pass and depress their guns so that the PLA would be staring down the barrels of our guns," Gen Naravane has written.

The memoir, Four Stars of Destiny, were published by PTI on 18 Dec. According to sources in the Defence Ministry, memoirs and other such works by officers who have been in crucial rules in the Army are always reviewed before they get published due to the sensitive nature of content and its impact on the national security.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a 10' to 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. 

After a quick breakfast, went to town for the following :-

    * the bank for work

    * the DTH guy to recharge my TATAPLAY accounts

    * pick up two landline phone sets

    * get my cellphone card and cover replaced

    * check about the bookings for the Aadhyaathmika Hall.

The maid was at work. 

Why do we call a 'pizza' so?

Say, the pizza has :-

   * Thickness = a

   * Radius      = z

Volume = Pi x Z squared x a

             = Pi(zz)a!

Are you aware?

* Birds don't urinate.

* Horses and cows can easily sleep while standing up.

* The bat is the only mammal that can fly. The leg bones of a bat are so thin that no bat can walk.

* Even when a snake has its eyes closed, it can still see through its eyelids.

* Despite the white, fluffy appearance of the Polar Bear's fur, it actually has black skin.

* The average housefly only lives for 2 or 3 weeks.

* For every human in the world there are one million ants.

* A small amount of alcohol placed on a scorpion will make it go crazy and sting itself to death!

* Alligators and sharks can live up to 100 years.

* A honeybee has two stomachs - one for honey, one for food.

* Elephants weigh less than the tongue of a blue whale. The heart of a blue whale is the size of a car.

* Blue whales are the largest creature to ever roam the earth.

* A cockroach can survive for about a week without its head before dying of starvation.

* When a dolphin is sick or injured, its cries of distress summon immediate aid frim other dolphins, which try to support it to the surface so that it can breathe.

* A snail can sleep for up to 3 years.

* The fastest bird, the spine-tailed swift, can fly as fast as 106 mph (Peregrine falcon's speed is actually 390 km/hr or 108 mph).

* A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.

* The leech has 32 brains. The average outdoor-only cat has a lifespan of about three years. Indoor-only cats can live for sixteen years and longer.

* Sharks are the only animals that never get sick. They are immune to every type of diseases including cancer.

* A mosquito's proboscis (piercing needle) has 47 sharp edges on its tip to help it cut skin and even protective layers of clothing.

* The human brain has memory space of over 2.5 Million Petabytes which is 2,500,500 Gigabytes.

My take

Just goes to show as to how little we know about the environment around us!

Tailpiece.

Got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9.

CP Vijayan, the Security Head of the YMall at Thripprayar came by to invite me for being the chief guest at their Republic Day functions.

Lekha helped me wash down our Chevy in the evening.

 

The love of a people towards their Queen.

The Danes were coming to terms with Queen Margrethe's surprise announcement that she will abdicate on 14 Jan in favour of her son after 52 years on the throne.

"Goosebumps, to say the least. It was quite a shock", was a reaction like thousands of other Danes after listening to the 83-year-old queen's annual New Year's Eve speech live on television.

The hugely popular, chain-smoking monarch had insisted over the years that she would never step down, repeatedly saying she would "stay on the throne until I drop".

Margrethe II has been instrumental in making the Danish monarchy one of the most popular in the world, enjoying the support of more than 80% of Danes, according to a recent poll. A widow since 2018, she underwent extensive back surgery in February last. She said that the operation "gave cause to thoughts about the future - whether now would be an appropriate time to pass on the responsibility to the next generation".

Crown Prince Frederik is the man who would be king.

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10.

Had a morning video chat with Nikhila and her family. Had asked them as to whether everything was okay with them against the backdrop of a massive earthquake, yesterday.

The maid was at work today.

The usual evening chores.

Mark your dates.

New heroes could emerge or veterans could turn back the clock. The big events this year promise fascinating storylines. Let's take a look....

Candidates Tournament

A massive event for India. As many as five from the country (3 men and 2 women) will be in focus during the Candidates Tournament, which is scheduled to be held  from 02 - 25 Apr in Toronto, Canada. The winner of the event will get a chance to vie for the world title.

Olympics/Paralympics

The mother of all events is here. The mega event, which is scheduled to be held in Paris from 26 Jul and 11 Aug could be a life-changer for many athletes. The likes of Neeraj Chopra will be looking to defend his crown in men's javelin. Around 4,400 para-athletes from 22 sports will vie for top honours in the XVII edition of the Paralympic Games scheduled from 28 Aug to 08 Sep.

T20 World Cups

The Indian men's cricket team has recorded many notable wins over the years but the ICC title has remained elusive since 2013 (Champions Trophy). The men in blue will have another shot at a major title when they enter the Men's T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in the West Indies and the US from 04 Jun -30. After finishing in the top-four in the 2023 edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, the Indian women's team has the chance to win their first-ever ICC trophy in Bangladesh in Sep-Oct.

Tennis Grand Slams

Spaniard Rafael Nadal is set to return to action during the Australian Open (14-28 Jan). It will be interesting to see how he fares. Will Novak Djokovic continue to dominate or will youngsters like Carlos Alcaraz step up? The year-round tennis events, including the four Majors, promise to be fascinating as always.

Euro 2024 

Italy will look to defend their crown during Euro 2024, which is set to be held from 14 Jun to 14 Jul in Germany. England will be one of the teams to look out for. Having come so close to ending their major trophy drought in the last edition (finished runners up), they'll be eager to get over the line this time. The spotlight will also be on Portugal ace Christiano Ronaldo, who could possibly be playing his last Euro.

Copa America 

After the world cup success, Lionel Messi and the rest of Argentina players will be intent on defending their crown. They will be highly motivated as this could be Messi's last major event. Uruguay and Brazil, the other big names, will be intent on spoiling their party. The event is set to be held in the USA from 20 Jun to 14 Jul.

Others

There are other key events across disciplines like the Olympic qualifiers to look out for. F1 will also be held throughout the year and it will be interesting to see if Max Verstappen and Red Bull continue to dominate. The Badminton calendar also has some iconic events on offer.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10.

Met up with Dr (Mrs) Sodhi for our medical review.

a quiet Monday!