Science Learning

China's Chang E-5 vehicle has returned to Earth by taking samples of stone and soil from the lunar surface.

For the first time after the lunar missions of Apollo of America and Luna of the Soviet Union, a country has brought samples from the lunar surface.

These samples will provide new information about the surface of the Earth's satellite and its past.

Chang's E-5 vehicle landed in the interior of Mongolia at around 1.30 pm local time on 17 December 2020.

Continually increasing its capacity in space, China considers the success of this mission a major achievement.

The Chang E-5 mission has been China's third successful lunar mission in the past seven years.

The astronauts who went to the moon from the American Apollo spacecraft, and the robotic Luna mission of Soviet Russia, collected about 400 kg of soil and stones from the lunar surface.

All these specimens brought from the moon are about three billion years old.

Chang E-5 Mission

The Chang E-5 was launched by a spacecraft from Wenchang station in southern China on 24 November 2020.

First this mission reached the moon and it placed itself in the orbit of the moon and started orbiting the moon.

Later it was divided into two pieces - the first service vehicle and the return module which stayed in the lunar orbit and the second moon lander which gradually moved towards the lunar surface.

On December 1, 2020, this 8.2-ton orbiter made a soft landing close to the designated space on the lunar surface.

The mission was launched in Mons Rumkere, a place near the volcanic hills of the moon.

A few days after landing, the vehicle sent the first color photographs from the lunar surface.

It took a picture of the moon on the surface, with its feet near the horizon.

A camera, radar, a drill and spectrometer were fitted to the Chang E-5 lander to collect samples of the lunar surface soil and stones.

This lander could collect stones and mud weighing up to two kilos. It took the collected specimens to an orbiting mission that sent it further to Earth.

Prior to the Chang E-5 mission, China sent two more vehicles to the moon.

Chang E-3 in 2013 and Chang E-4 Moon Mission in 2019. Both of these included a lander as well as a small moon rover.

The Chang E-5 was a complex mission compared to these two.

It is believed that the samples brought from Mons Roomcare will be 1.2 to 1.3 billion years old, which means they will be newer than the samples brought earlier. Experts believe that this will give more information about the geological history of the moon.

With the help of these samples, scientists will also be able to accurately prepare the 'chronometer', which is considered the age of the planets of the solar system.

It depends on the number of volcanoes present on the surface of a planet or satellite.

According to scientists, the planet that has more volcanoes on its surface will be older, that is, it will be older (for this, scientists count the number of volcanic craters). However, it is necessary to see different places.

Scientists had been instrumental in preparing the 'chronometer' from samples sent to the Apollo and Luna missions.

Now the samples sent to the Chang E-5 mission will help them to develop it more accurately.

A major experiment was being completed in the United Arab Emirates in March 2020 when worldwide lockdown was underway. Within 40 days, a piece of barren land here was filled with sweet juicy watermelons.

For the United Arab Emirates, which imports 90 per cent of the need for fresh fruits and vegetables, this is an extraordinary achievement. With the addition of soil and water, the dry and hot desert of the United Arab Emirates turned into a field filled with lush fruits.

It was not so easy. These watermelons were possible only with the help of "nano clay" liquid. The story of this technique of reclaiming soil began 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) west of here two decades ago.

Yields began to decline in the 1980s in a part of the Nile Delta in Egypt. Despite being close to the desert, farming was done here for thousands of years.

It is because of its unmatched fertility that the ancient Egyptians used their energies to develop a powerful civilization, whose progress still makes the world astonished after thousands of years.

For centuries, the yields of farms that eradicate the hunger of the communities have declined within 10 years.

Why did yields fall?

Every year at the end of summer, the Nile River floods, which spreads into the Egyptian Delta.

When scientists began investigating the reduction of yields, it was found that the flood waters carried minerals, nutrients and raw clay particles from the basins of East Africa that spread throughout the delta region.

These fine particles of mud used to make the land there fertile. But then why did these particles disappear?

The Aswan Dam was built on the Nile River in southern Egypt in the 1960s. Two and a half miles (four kilometers) wide, this massive structure was built to create hydroelectricity and control floods to make farming easier to manage and crops are not wasted.

This dam inhibited the nutrients that came with the flood. Within a decade, delta yields declined. When soil scientists and engineers discovered the problem, a solution began to be found.

What is Nano Clay Technology?

"This is what you can see in your garden," says Ole Siewertsen, chief executive of Desert Control, a Norwegian company developing nano-clay technology.

"Sandy soil does not retain the moisture required for plants. By adding raw soil in the right proportion, this situation changes dramatically.''

In the words of Siewartsen, his plan is to move the barren desert land to "hope from the sand" using Nano clay.

Increasing yields by using mud is not a new thing. Farmers have been doing this for thousands of years. But working with heavy, thick soil has historically been very labor-intensive and may damage the underground ecosystem.

Tilling the plow, digging and turning the soil also cause damage to the environment. Organic elements buried in the soil are exposed to oxygen and are converted to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Soil scientist Saran Sohi of Edinburgh University says that farming also disrupts the complex biome of the soil.

"An important part of soil biology is the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi that serve as an extension of the root system of plants."

Root has life

Sohi says, "Fine structures even from the hair, called hyphae, are helpful in transporting nutrients to the roots of the plant."

In this process the fungi attach to the clay mineral particles. They maintain soil structure and limit erosion.

These structures are broken by digging or cultivating soil. It takes time to get them ready again. Till then, there is a possibility of damage to the soil and loss of nutrients.

If you mix very little solution of raw clay in sand, then it does not have any effect. If it is mixed too much, the soil may accumulate on the surface.

After years of testing, Fluid Dynamics engineer Kristian P. Olsen of Norway created a perfect mixture that, when mixed in sand, turns it into life-giving soil.

He says, "Not a single formula works everywhere. 10 years of testing in China, Egypt, UAE and Pakistan have taught us that every soil test is necessary, so that we can try the right nano clay recipe.''

Balance of soil solution

A large part of nano-clay research and development took place in creating a balanced liquid formula that could percolate into fine particles (nano particles) of the local soil, but would not flow so quickly that it would be lost completely. Its purpose is to show the effect of magic in the soil 10 to 20 cm below the root of the plants.

Fortunately, when it comes to sludge mixing in sand, a law of soil chemistry comes into play, called the Cationic Exchange Capacity of the soil.

"Sludge particles are negatively charged, while sand particles are positively charged," says Siewertsen. They join each other when they meet.''

A 200 to 300 nanometer thick layer of soil surrounds every particle of sand. This dispersed area of ​​sand particles keeps water and nutrients from sticking to it.

"Raw soil acts like biological elements," says Siewartsen. It helps in retaining moisture. When these particles become stable and start providing nutrients, then you can sow the crop within seven hours.''

The technology has been developing for nearly 15 years, but has been in operation at the commercial level for the last 12 months, when Dubai's International Center for Bioseline Agriculture (ICBA) independently tested it.

Sivartsen says, "Now we have scientific evidence from its effectiveness. We want to build many mobile mini factories in 40 ft (13 m) containers so that we can bring as much change as possible.''

"These mobile units will manufacture liquid nano clo locally where needed. We will use the soil of the same country and employ people from the same region.''

The first such factory will produce 40 thousand liters of liquid nano clay in one hour, which will be used in City Parkland, UAE. This technology will save water up to 47 percent.

Cost reduction challenge

It currently costs around $ 2 (1.50 lb) per square meter, which is acceptable for small farms in the rich UAE.

But to make it effective in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it really matters, Sivertsen needs to reduce costs.

Most farmers in Africa do not have enough money to fix their land in this way. In this way the effect of the treatment of the ground lasts for about 5 years. After that the mud solution will have to be re-poured.

Sivertsen feels that large-scale work will reduce costs. Their goal is to bring the cost to $ 0.20 (0.15 lb) per square meter of land.

If you buy fertile land instead, it costs from $ 0.50 to $ 3.50 (0.38 pound to 2.65 pound) per square meter. In the future, it will be cheaper to make barren land fertile in this way than to buy a farm.

Siewartsen is also helping with the Great Green Wall Project. For this, he is working with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Walls of trees are being erected to prevent the spread of desert in North Africa.

Other ways to increase yield

Raw clay solution will be mixed in the sandy land of North Africa and Middle East, but what will we do in the rest of the world?

Globally, organic matter in the soil has decreased by 20 to 60 percent. Nano clay is suitable only for making sandy soil fertile.

What will you do if you have saline, non-sandy soil? Biochar can help you here.

This permanent form of carbon is prepared by burning organic materials with pyrolysis method. In this process, pollutants such as carbon dioxide are released very little because oxygen is kept out of the combustion process.

This creates a porous and light charcoal-like substance. Sohi says this is what a soil without nutrients needs.

She says, "The organic content of soil always changes, but a healthy soil has a certain level of permanent carbon."

"Biochars are permanent carbons that help to hold the nutrients important for plant growth." It takes decades for permanent carbon elements to develop in the soil, but biochar makes it happen immediately.''

"Biochar, along with other organic matter such as organic manure, can fix soil structure that leads to plant growth."

This can help restore soil that is depleted of organic matter due to over-farming or mining or contamination, provided that the poisonous elements present in the soil are remedied.

Other soil improvement techniques include the use of vermiculite. It is a phyllosilicate mineral which is extracted from rocks. It spreads by heating.

Being a sponge, it can absorb three times more water than its weight and can maintain it for a long time.

Putting it near the root of the plants keeps the moisture there, but it requires digging the soil, which is its downside.

Nutritional testing

In the United Arab Emirates, local community people are reaping the benefits of converting the desert into fertile land.

Vegetables and fruits grown using Nano Clay proved to be of great use in the Covid-19 lockdown. About 200 kg of watermelon, zucchini and bajra crops were grown in 0.2 acres (1,000 sq m) of land, which is enough for a house.

"The lockdown in the United Arab Emirates was very stringent in which imports had declined," says Siewertsen. Many people were unable to get fresh fruits and vegetables.''

"We worked with the ICBA and Red Crescent team to prepare fresh watermelons and zucchini."

Sivertsen also wants to test nutrients in crops prepared in this way, but will have to wait until the next crop.

At the time of the onset of the corona epidemic, it was said that it takes years to develop a vaccine for any disease. So don't expect too much about vaccines.

But now ten months later, corona virus epidemic vaccines are being given, and many of the companies that are leading in the invention of these vaccines are behind the domestic companies.

As a result, investment analysts predict that at least two of these companies (American biotech company Moderna and Germany's Bio-N-Tech), together with their partner company, Pfizer of America, will trade billions of dollars next year.

But it is not clear that in addition to this, how many rupees are to be made by the vaccine maker?

The way these vaccines have been funded and the large number of companies that have come forward to manufacture vaccines, it seems that there will be no long-term opportunity to make big profits.

Who has invested money?

Given the need for a vaccine during the Corona epidemic, the government and fund givers gave billions of pounds to plan and test the vaccine. Organizations such as the Gates Foundation openly supported these plans. Apart from this, many people also came forward and supported these plans. Alibaba founder Jack Ma and music star Dolly Parton also came forward and funded the plans.

According to science data analytics company Airfinity, £ 6.5 billion has been given by governments to make and test the Covid 19 vaccine. At the same time, 1.5 billion pounds was given from non-profit organizations.

Only 2.6 billion pounds came from the companies' own investment. Many of these companies rely too much on external funding.

This has been a major reason why large companies have not shown any haste in funding vaccine projects.

Producing vaccines in such emergencies has not proved very beneficial in the past. The process of finding a vaccine takes time. Poor countries require a large consignment of the vaccine, but cannot afford it because of the high price. Rich countries make more profits from daily medicines.

Vaccine companies for the diseases like Zika and SARS suffered heavy losses. On the other hand, the vaccine market for flu-like diseases has billions. In such a situation, if the Covid-19 remains like the flu and needs to be vaccinated annually, then it can be beneficial for the vaccine companies. But only for those companies which will be most effective, they will also be in the budget.

What price are they putting?

Some companies do not want to make a profit in this time of global crisis, especially after so much funding from outside. Major US pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson and the UK's AstraZeneca have collaborated with Oxford University-based biotech companies.

These companies have promised on their behalf that they will keep the cost of their vaccine only so that only their cost comes out. As of now, in terms of AstraZeneca, it is believed that it will be available at the cheapest price ($ 4 i.e. around Rs. 300 per dose).

Moderna is a small biotechnology company. Which has been working on the technology behind the RNA vaccine for years. The price of the dose against them is more than about 37 dollars i.e. two thousand seven rupees. Their aim is to make a profit for the shareholders of the company.

However, this does not mean that these prices have been fixed.

Typically, pharmaceutical companies charge differently in different countries. It depends on the governments. AstraZeneca has pledged to keep prices low for only the epidemic. Maybe they will start charging a comparatively higher price from next year. It depends entirely on the nature of the epidemic.

Emily Fields, head of European pharmaceutical at Barclays, says, "Right now the governments of rich countries will pay more. They are so eager about the vaccine or dosage that just how they can end the epidemic.''

She adds, "Probably as more vaccines start coming in the market next year, the price of the vaccine may also come down due to competition."

"In the meantime, we shouldn't expect private companies either," says Rasmus Beck Hansen, Airfinity's chief executive. Especially companies that are small and do not sell any other product. In such a situation, one should not expect them to sell the vaccine without thinking of profit.''

He says, "It has to be kept in mind that these companies have taken a big risk and they have really moved forward."

He adds, "And if you want these small companies to succeed in the future, then they need to be rewarded in that way."

But some differ on the state of humanitarian crisis and public funding. According to him, it is not business time as usual.

Should they share their technology?

With so much at stake right now, there is a demand that the entire technology and information behind these vaccines should be shared so that other countries can make vaccine dosages. For example, companies which are in India and South Africa.

"This should be a prerequisite for obtaining public funding," says Ellen T. Hoen of Medicines Law and Policy.

She says, "When the epidemic started, big pharma companies did not show much enthusiasm about the vaccine. But when the government and agencies came forward with the fund, they had to work on it.''

"They don't understand why they have the privilege to benefit from the results," says Hoen.

She says, "These new discoveries later become the personal property of these commercial organizations."

Although people are sharing some things with each other on an intellectual level, it is not enough in any case.

So Will Pharma Companies Make Bumper Profits?

Governments and multilateral organizations have already pledged to buy billions of doses at fixed prices. In such a situation, for the next few months, companies will be busy fulfilling those orders as quickly as possible.

Companies that are selling vaccine doses to rich countries are also expecting returns on their investment. Although AstraZeneca has to supply the most dosage, it will focus only on meeting the cost.

After the first demand is supplied, it is a little difficult to predict what the situation will be about the vaccine. Because it depends on many things. For example, how long do people who are given a vaccine dose remain immune to the corona? How many vaccines are successful? And how well is the vaccine manufactured and then distributed?

According to Emily Fields of Barclays, "The opportunities to make profits will be very temporary."

Even though people who are currently in the race to make vaccines and are not sharing their intellectual property with others, despite this, 50 such vaccines are being made worldwide which are undergoing clinical trials.

According to Emily Fields, "There may be 20 vaccines in the market in the coming two years." In such a situation, it is becoming difficult for the vaccine to be very expensive.

She believes that in the long run this can have an impact on the company's reputation. If a vaccine is successful, it may prove to be helpful in opening the sale of Covid 19 treatment or other related products.

Hansen of Airfinity says that if this happens, it could be a relief from a difficult phase of the epidemic.

He expects governments to invest in strategy-making in the context of an epidemic. Just as governments are doing now for safety and security.

Among all these, what is the most important and influential thing is that after all how did the market price of Bio-N-Tech and Moderna suddenly go up? This is because their vaccines evidence their concept of RNA technology.

Before the Corona epidemic, Bio-N-Tech was working on a vaccine for skin cancer. While Moderna was working on an RNA-based vaccine for ovarian cancer. If any of it succeeds, it will be a huge achievement.

Bharat Biotech, a company that manufactures a corona vaccine named Covaxin in India, has said that during the clinical trial of this vaccine, two doses are given to the person after 28 days i.e. at an interval of about one month.

According to the news agency ANI, the company has said that the effect of the vaccine can be detected only after 14 days of the second dose. This vaccine is designed in such a way that it is effective on those who take two doses of it.

Regarding the clinical trial of Phase III of the vaccine, the company said that 50% of the people in the Phase III trial are given vaccine while the other 50% are given placebo.

Placebo is a special kind of medicine that does not have any effect on the body. Doctors use this to know how much and what mental effect a person has on taking medicine.

Earlier in the Haryana government, Cabinet Minister Anil Vij informed about his corona test positive coming.

On 20 November 2020, he started the third phase of the vaccine trial by getting a Covaxin vaccine.

The health minister of Haryana, a province of India, had vaccinated on 20 November 2020 to protect against corona virus. The health minister has become infected with the corona virus despite being vaccinated.

Cabinet Health Minister Anil Vij's corona test positive in Haryana government. Anil Vij gave this information on Twitter.

He wrote Twitter, "My corona test has come positive. I am admitted in Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt. Those people who came in contact with me in the past are advised to get their corona checked.

Earlier on 20 November 2020, he started the third phase of the vaccine trial by administering Covaxin vaccine at a hospital in Ambala.

About a year ago today (04 December 2020), scientists came to know about the Sars-CoV-2 corona virus, which spread Covid-19 disease, when some people in Wuhan, China, were reported to be infected.

But according to a new research, the virus caused the epidemic which had infected people many weeks before this.

The results of this research conducted by scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States have been published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

According to the information available so far, officially the scientists got information about the corona virus on 31 December 2019 when health officials of Hubei province of Wuhan, China issued a warning saying that many such cases are being registered in which There are severe symptoms of pneumonia. He called it a strange kind of breathing-related illness.

But eleven months after the epidemic began, researchers now say there are 39 people in three states of the US who have antibodies to the corona virus in their bodies. These antibodies were present in his body for two weeks before he was warned about China's corona virus.

However, the first case of Sars-Cov-2 in the US was reported on 21 January 2020.

What do the research results say?

According to this research, a total of 7,389 people had lost their blood donation in the US from 13 December 2019 to 17 January 2020. Of these, antibodies to the corona virus have been found in blood samples of 106 people.

Antibodies found in a person's body mean that the person has been infected with the virus and their immune system has created antibodies to deal with that virus.

Of the blood samples taken between 13 and 16 December 2019 in California, Oregon and Washington, 39 have antibodies to the corona virus.

According to the research, 67 specimens were deposited in January 2020 in Massachusets, Michigan, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. This was before the outbreak of the epidemic in these states.

Most of the people who came in contact with this virus were male and their average age was 52 years.

Researchers believe that these people may have become antibodies against a corona virus already present in their bodies. However, he says that according to research, most of the people who have received antibodies, many of them had symptoms of Covid-19 at that time.

However, researchers say that large-scale virus infection began spreading in the US in the last week of February 2020. But till now the information about the origin of the virus will be changed by this research?

Where was the virus first found?

Where was the Sars-Cov-2 virus first found? It may never be possible to answer this question.

There have been many indications that the virus was already present in the world for several weeks before it was found in Wuhan, China on 31 December 2019.

But CDC researchers say that they cannot say for sure that these people were infected in their own country or that they were infected by the virus during the journey.

The Red Cross, the organization that organizes the blood donation program, says that only three percent of the people whose samples were collected said that they had recently traveled abroad. Of this, five percent said that they have returned from a tour of the Asian country.

In some other research done before this, evidence of corona virus was found in people of other countries before China warned.

In May 2020, French scientists said that on 27 December 2019, a person was treated as a suspected pneumonia patient near Paris. These individuals were actually infected with the corona virus.

Researchers in several countries had reported that corona virus was found in sewer water samples. These samples were taken several weeks before the epidemic was declared.

In June 2020, Italian scientists had said that on 18 December 2019 traces of the corono virus were found in the sewer waters of the city of Milan. However the first case of corona virus was confirmed much later.

According to a research conducted in Spain, in mid-January 2020, sewer water samples were taken in Barcelona, ​​traces of corono virus were found. But the first case of corona was confirmed here forty days later.

How did this virus reach Brazil? Many questions have also been raised about this.

The first case of corona infection was found in Brazil on 26 February 2020. The first patients from Corona, a 61-year-old businessman from São Paulo, returned from a trip to Italy a few days earlier. By that time Italy had become the second center of the epidemic.

However, a team of researchers from Brazil's Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), a few months earlier, had reported that the virus was found in sewer water on 27 November 2019.

According to another research conducted by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, the first case of Sars-Cov-2 infection was found here in Brazil between 19 and 25 January 2020, about a month before the first coronary infection was officially confirmed in Brazil. However, it is not yet known whether this person had toured overseas or not.

So didn't the virus spread from Wuhan Animal Market?

One thing that is not yet known about Sars-CoV-2 is not when did it come from animals to humans, but rather when did the virus start infecting people?

Experts say that so far the epicenter of the epidemic is believed to be the Wuhan animal market where live and dead wild animals are traded. This is because a large number of cases of infection were reported in the early stages related to this market. But researchers are unsure that the virus started spreading from person to person from there.

Microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung at Hong Kong University told the BBC, "If you ask me, I think it is likely that the virus started spreading from the markets where wild animals are bought and sold."

China has also lagged behind its timeline regarding the Corona virus. It is not a big deal to do this during an investigation involving the onset of a fast-spreading virus.

According to a study done by doctors in Wuhan, China, the first case of corona was identified here on 01 December 2019 and it was not related to the animal market. The study was published in the medical journal Lancet.

Some experts say that the virus, which has the potential to spread the epidemic, is present worldwide for months without detection, it is not possible.

But it is possible that the virus has been recognized and already existed in the northern hemisphere, especially during winter.

Britain has become the first country in the world that has approved the use of vaccines made by the Pfizer Company.

The British regulatory body MHRA has stated that this vaccine from Pfizer / Biontech gives 95% protection from Covid-19 and it is safe to allow its widespread use.

It is being told that within a few days, people who are most at risk will start getting vaccinated.

The UK has already placed an order for 40 million doses of this vaccine.

Each person will be given two doses of the vaccine. This means that two crore people can get the vaccine.

It is the fastest developed vaccine in the world which took 10 months to make. It usually takes up to a decade to prepare such a vaccine.

However, experts say that despite the vaccine, people should keep following the rules to prevent infection.

How does this vaccine work?

This is a new type of mRNA corona vaccine that uses small fragments of the genetic code of the corona virus collected during an epidemic. According to the company, small pieces of genetic code increase immunity within the body and prepare the body to fight against Covid-19.

Never before has the mRNA vaccine been approved for use in humans. However, during clinical trials, people have been given doses of this type of vaccine.

The mRNA vaccine is injected into the human body. It tells the immune system to make antibodies to fight the corona virus and to activate the T-cell and destroy the infected cells.

After this, when this person is infected with the corona virus, the antibodies and T-cells in his body start fighting the virus.

Who else was involved in the vaccine race?

Oxford-Astrazenica Vaccine - This is a viral vector type vaccine using genetically modified viruses. It can be stored in the refrigerator at normal temperature and has to be consumed in two doses. So far, it has been found to be 62 to 90 percent effective in clinical trials.

The dose for this vaccine will be up to $ 4.

Moderna Vaccine - This is a mRNA type corona vaccine that is being made by adding some pieces of the virus's genetic code. It will need to be stored at minus 20 degree temperature and it can be stored for six months only. It has to be taken in two doses and it has been found to be up to 95% effective in clinical trials conducted so far.

The dose for this vaccine will be up to $ 33.

Pfizer / Biontech's Vaccine - Like Moderna's vaccine, it is also a mRNA type corona vaccine. It has been found to be up to 95 percent effective in clinical trials conducted so far. It has to be stored at a temperature of minus 70 degrees.

This vaccine will be given two doses and will cost up to $ 15 per dose.

Gamalaya's Sputnik-V vaccine - This is a viral vector type vaccine similar to the Oxford vaccine, which has been found to be up to 92% effective in clinical trials conducted so far. It can be stored in the refrigerator at normal temperature and has to be consumed in two doses.

The dose for this vaccine will be up to $ 7.50.

In addition, Russia is using another vaccine named Sputnik. At the same time, the Chinese Army has approved a vaccine made by Cancino Biologics. Both these vaccines are viral vector type vaccines like the Oxford vaccine.

China has successfully launched another spacecraft to the lunar surface.

The robotic moon mission Chang E-5 has made a soft landing close to the designated space on the lunar surface.

It is believed that this spacecraft will collect samples of soil and stones of the lunar surface in the next few days and send them to Earth for examination.

This mission was to be launched in Mons Roomcare, then there is a place near the volcanic hills of the moon.

The camera, radar, a drill and spectrometer fitted to the Chang E-5 lander sent to collect samples.

This lander can collect stones and soil weighing up to two kilos. The samples collected will lead to an orbiting mission that will send it forward to Earth.

44 years before Chang E-5, the Luna 24 mission of the Soviet Union brought 200 grams of soil from the surface of the moon to Earth.

A week ago the launch of the vehicle was covered live by Chinese TV channels but the landing of the mission was not shown on the TV channel.

This news was shown on TV only once the mission successfully landed on the moon. Also, the pictures of the moon's surface taken by the mission at the time of landing were also broadcast on TV.

The Chinese Space Agency has said that the landing took place on December 01, 2020 at 23:11 local time.

China has been congratulated by the US Space Agency on the success of China's moon mission.

Senior NASA official Dr. Thomas Zerbuchen has said that he hopes internationally researchers on the moon will also get an opportunity to analyze the samples sent to Earth.

He said, "We hope that after sending samples of soil and stone from the lunar surface to the earth, everyone will benefit from its research." The research of this very important specimen will also benefit the international science community.''

The 8.2-ton Chang E-5 was released from Wenchang station in southern China on 24 November 2020 via a spacecraft.

A few days ago, this mission reached the moon and it placed itself in the orbit of the moon and started circling the moon. Later it was divided into two pieces - the first service vehicle and the return module which stayed in the lunar orbit and the second lander which gradually moved towards the lunar surface.

Prior to the Chang E-5 mission, China had sent two more moon missions, Chang E-3 in 2013 and Chang E-4 Moon mission in 2019. Both of these included a lander as well as a small Moon Rover.

So far, astronauts from the US Apollo spacecraft to the moon during the moon mission and Soviet Russia's robotic Luna program have collected about 400 kg of soil and stones from the lunar surface, but most were missions that involved astronauts.

All these specimens brought from the moon are about three billion years old.

It is believed that the samples brought from Mons Roomcare will be 1.2 to 1.3 billion years old, which means they will be newer than the samples brought earlier. Experts believe that this will give more information about the geological history of the moon.

With the help of these samples, scientists will also be able to accurately prepare the 'chronometer', which is known the age of the planets of the solar system.

It depends on the number of volcanoes present on the surface of a planet or satellite. According to scientists, the planet which has more volcanoes on its surface will be more old, that is, its age will be more. However, it is necessary to see different places.

Scientists had been instrumental in preparing the 'chronometer' from samples sent to the Apollo and Luna missions. Now the samples sent to the Chang E-5 mission will help them to develop it more accurately.

According to reports from China, the work of collecting samples from the lunar surface will be done for a few days and the samples will be transported to the already existing service vehicle and return module in the lunar orbit.

According to the plan, the return module can land in the Sijiwang Gay meadows in the interior of Mongolia. With this, Chinese astronauts will also return.

Doctor James Carpenter, science coordinator for human and robotic exploration at the European Space Agency, says the Chang E-5 is a highly complex mission.

He says, "I think what they are doing is a fantastic job." From the first mission of Chang E till now, he has taken one step after another in a planned manner and has enhanced his ability to explore space.''

India tested hypersonic scramjet technology off the coast of Odisha on 7 September 2020, developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in India has successfully tested hypersonic technology.

The hypersonic technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) designed in India will be used to carry long-range missiles and hypersonic missiles.

It was successfully dispatched from Doctor APJ Abdul Kalam Launch Center at Wheeler Island, Orissa on 7 September 2020.

DRDO said on this occasion that through this mission, DRDO has shown its capability with complex technology and it will act as a foundation for making NextGen (Advanced) Hypersonic Vehicle.

The DRDO fired a missile using the hypersonic technology demonstration vehicle that went into the atmosphere and achieved speeds up to Mach-6.

The DRDO has described it as a major achievement in defense technology. But what is this technique? How will it be helpful in India's defense system?

What is hypersonic speed?

This is a technique in which a missile can be launched at hypersonic speed.

According to popular mechanics, in the language of science, hypersonic is called 'supersonic on steroids' ie faster than faster speed.

Supersonic means faster than the speed of sound (MAK-1) and hypersonic speed means at least five times more speed than supersonic. Its speed is called MAK-5, that is, five times the speed of voice.

The hypersonic speed is the speed where the molecules of the molecule present in the air surrounding the fast moving object break down and disintegrate.

The DRDO says that the vehicle launched first went up to 30 km in the sky, and then caught the speed of Mach-6.

What is Scramjet technology?

Before understanding this, India's scientist Gauhar Raza says, we have to first know about one of the important principles of Newton's theory.

The third principle of Newton's theory of motion states that 'every action always has an opposite and opposite reaction'. This means that when the fuel is burnt inside the rocket and its gas gets out, its response is a rapid push to the rocket (vehicle) which increases its speed. This is called jet propulsion.

In the initial stages, the fuel made by mixing oxygen and hydrogen is burnt and the fuel inside the rocket has to be kept.

In the 1960s, a technique was thought of in which oxygen could be taken from the atmosphere rather than being placed in a rocket to burn fuel. This technique is called RAMjet technology.

By 1991, the then Soviet Union proved that oxygen could not be reached from outside to sonic speed at high speeds but it was difficult to reach supersonic speeds, for this we would need scramjet technology.

In this new technology, the rocket takes oxygen from the atmosphere and increases its speed. Its advantage is that the rocket does not need double fueling.

But this technique can only be used within the atmosphere. If the rocket escapes from the atmosphere, then there is a risk of this technology failing. This technique was first used by the Soviet Union in 1991 and claimed to have achieved the speed of Mach.

After several years of testing of the Soviet Union, the US successfully tested this technology, after which China has successfully tested it.

In such a situation, India has become the fourth country in the world to use Scramjet technology.

Use of scramjet technology

This technique can be used in rockets and missiles. Three things are important in any missile -

Speed ​​- How many speeds does the missile reach? How strong can the scramjet technology push the missile forward? If the push was so strong that it moved the missile out of the atmosphere, there would be no oxygen and it would be useless.

Time to burn fuel - how long does the fuel burn? How long is he able to maintain the speed of the missile? Fatally, how long can fuel continue to burn?

Ability to hit the target - This technique can be difficult to accurately hit the target with high speed because of whether the missile or rocket is able to reach its target properly. It is also difficult to track at such a speed. When the missile is separated from the vehicle, it should be properly separated and go to the right target, it is very important.

Gauhar Raza says that this technology will bring two major benefits to India. Firstly, it will contribute a lot in the defense sector as the time to reach the target of the missile will be reduced.

Secondly, it will now be possible to save fuel while sending the rocket, especially as long as the rocket is in the atmosphere. This will reduce the weight of the vehicle.

Scientists say that the most important way to test the corona virus in the human body is so sensitive that dead viruses or fragments of earlier infections can also be found in it.

Scientists believe that a person is infected with the corona virus for about a week, but even after that, his corona test can be positive for several weeks.

Researchers say that the reason for this may also be that the figures on the scale of the corona epidemic are higher than the estimates.

Although some experts say that how to find a reliable way to investigate corona in which every case of infection can be registered, it has not yet been decided.

Professor Karl Henegan, a researcher involved in this research, says that the new way of testing should be at a cut-off point rather than when the virus is found or not found, to indicate that a small amount of the virus Due to this, the result of the test can be negative.

They believe that finding fragments or fragments of the old virus in the corona virus test helps explain why cases of infection are steadily increasing while the number of people arriving in hospitals is steadily decreasing.

Oxford University's Center of Evidence-based Medicine reviewed evidence from 25 studies in this regard, placing samples of positive tests in a petri dish to see if the virus numbers were growing there.

This method is called scientific 'viral culture' which can tell whether the test that has been done has found an active virus that is able to increase its number or found dead virus or fragments that cannot be grown in the laboratory. can.

BBC Health correspondent Nick Triggle's analysis

Scientists have been aware of this difficulty associated with the virus test since the beginning of the epidemic and this once again shows why the data of the Kovid-19 are not correct.

But what does it matter? Statistics were less available at the beginning of the epidemic but as time went by, more figures were found. Confusion has increased due to the large amount of information about testing and R numbers.

But it is true that in the whole of the UK, the incidence of corona infection is less than in many European countries. As far as the spread of infection is concerned, it can be said broadly that we have been successful in preventing it. And this is when the lockdown has started to be relaxed a bit with the arrival of summer.

But it cannot be denied that the biggest question now is what will happen next, winter days are coming and children are also starting to study in schools.

Health workers in Britain are assuming that the country is currently in strong condition and it seems that more cases of infection can be avoided in the coming months.

But the government and people are also taking all precautions regarding this because it is believed that another round of epidemic could start if not taken seriously.

How is Covid-19 tested?

An effective method of corona virus testing is said to be the PCR swab test in which chemical attempts are made to identify the genetic material of the virus and then study it.

The test specimen has to go through several cycles at the laboratory before sufficient virus can be found.

The number of times the virus has been recovered tells us how much virus is there in the body, whether there are parts of the virus or the whole virus.

It also points towards how infectious the virus is in the body. It is believed that if the test tried more often to get the virus, then there is less scope for the virus to grow in the laboratory.

Risk of incorrect test result

But when you are tested for corona virus, you often get a yes or no answer. What is the amount of virus in the sample and whether the case is active infection or not. It is not known from the test.

A person who has a large amount of active virus in the body and whose body has found only fragments of dead virus in the sample - the results of both tests will be positive.

Professor Henegan is among those who have gathered information about how the death toll from Corona is being recorded. Based on this, Public Health England has improved its way of keeping data.

According to him, according to the facts found so far, the effect of corona virus infection "starts to decrease automatically after a week".

He says that it will not be possible to see if the active virus was found in every sample tested. In this case, if scientists can identify a cut-off mark for the amount of virus in the test, then cases of wrong positive results can be reduced.

This will reduce the rate of positive cases of chronic infections and reduce the overall infection count.

Professor Henegan says that this will help many people who are quarantining themselves on the basis of testing and can help understand the current true state of the corona epidemic.

Public Health England believes that the true result of the Corona virus test can be found through virus culture.

The organization says that they are also conducting an analysis in this direction recently and are working with laboratories to avoid the risk of erroneous positive results. He is also trying to determine how the cut-off point can be set for testing.

Although the organization also says that many different testing kits are in use for the corona test, the results of using these kits are understood in different ways and therefore it is difficult to reach a certain cut-off point. .

But Professor Ben Newman of the University of Reading says that cultivating a patient's specimen is no small task.

He says, "With such a review, the culture of the SARS-COV-2 virus can be wrongly linked to the possibility of spreading its infection."

"It is not certain" how long the virus can remain contagious after recovering from corona, says epidemiologist Professor Francesco Venturelli, who works in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, badly affected by the Corona virus, in March .

They say that according to some studies done on viral culture, viruses have been found in the body of about 10% people even eight days after recovering from infection.

He says that the peak of the Corona epidemic came before Britain in Italy and that "for several weeks, we had been assessing cases of corona infection more than the reality." This is because people who had been infected earlier had positive results even after recovering. ''

But as the peak decreases, this situation also improves.

Professor Openshaw of Imperial College, London, says PCR tests are a "highly sensitive way of identifying the genetic material of viruses that have survived in the body".

"These tests are not evidence of corona virus infectivity," he says. But doctors believe that it is extremely unlikely that the virus is infectious in the body even after ten days of infection."

Scientists are under tremendous pressure to produce an effective vaccine for the corona virus as soon as possible.

The speed of the virus can be controlled by social distancing, but experts feel that the only way to stop the epidemic is by vaccine.

However, there are many vaccines that initially give a lot of hope, but when more people are tested, they fail.

This purported third phase is of great importance in these tests, as it is the stage in which a vaccine is known to have any side effects.

What does the vaccine do? It actually increases the immunity of humans, which causes them to attack and destroy viruses that cause diseases.

However, if the resistance increases incorrectly, it can increase the space for solving problems.

This is the reason that strict rules and guidelines have been made regarding the testing of vaccines, and disregarding them can be dangerous.

In Britain, there is a thought that if a vaccine arrives before the new year, new rules should be brought about its use without a license. But even then, strict safety norms have to be followed.

The danger of using a vaccine without a proper test can be traced back to an incident in 2009, when a quickly-made vaccine named Pandemerix was used for the H1N1 swine flu, and this led to the name Narcolepsy. Started having sleep disorders.

The World Health Organization gave a big statement about the vaccine

The World Health Organization does not expect that next year, that is, by 2021, Covid will be able to get a large number of vaccinations in terms of safety. A World Health Organization spokeswoman emphasized the importance of conducting the test on Friday.

World Health Organization spokeswoman Margaret Harris said that no vaccine at the advance clinical stage can be said to be fully effective. No vaccine has indicated any efficacy of fifty percent so far.

During a briefing in Geneva, he said that we are not really expecting to see widespread vaccination until the middle of next year.