Year milestone 1962
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| Why detect them?
Neutrinos hold the key to several important and fundamental questions on the origin of the Universe and the energy production in stars. Another important possible application of neutrinos is in the area of neutrino tomography of the earth, that is the detailed investigation of the structure of the Earth from core onwards. This is possible with neutrinos since they are the only particles that can probe the deep interiors of the Earth. Why should the laboratory be situated underground? Neutrinos are notoriously difficult to detect in a laboratory because of their extremely weak interaction with matter. The background from cosmic rays (which interact much more readily than neutrinos) and natural radioactivity will make it almost impossible to detect them on the surface of the Earth. This is the reason most neutrino observatories are located deep inside the Earth’s surface. The overburden provided by the Earth matter is transparent to neutrinos whereas most background from cosmic rays is substantially reduced depending on the depth at which the detector is located. Important Missions of NASA – UPSCNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Established under the National Aeronautics and Space Act 1958 Headquarters: Washington, DC, USA History – NASAFollowing World War II, the United States was in direct competition with the erstwhile Soviet Union (the superpower that was disbanded into several sovereign nations including the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, etc. in 1991). That period was called the “Cold War”. It was the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik on October 4, 1957, that first put an object into orbit around Earth. It was followed in November by the even larger Sputnik II, which carried the dog Laika. Only in late January 1958, the United States could launch Explorer 1, hoisted aloft by the Army’s rocket team, using rocket technology developed from World War II. Though a small spacecraft weighing only 30 pounds, it discovered what is now known as the Van Allen radiation belts, named for the University of Iowa scientist Dr. James Van Allen, launching the new discipline of space science. Explorer 1 was followed in March 1958 by the Navy’s Vanguard 1, 6 inches in diameter and weighing only 3 pounds. Download 2.63 Mb. Share with your friends:
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