Current Affairs Quiz - December, 2020

Notes:
The NASA is implementing a program for “Data sonification”, which involves the use of non-speech data to be translated into sound.
Recently, the Researchers at the Chandra X-ray center have used three important phenomenon of the universe and translated the frequencies of light into different pitches of sound. Crab Nebula, Bullet Cluster and Super nova are the three iconic images.

Notes:
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the stone for the new Parliamentary Building, thus kick starting its construction. Tata Group has won the bid for constructing the triangular shaped Parliamentary Building.
The building is being constructed as a part of Central Vista redevelopment project, and is expected to be completed by 2022 at an estimated cost of Rs.971 crore.

Notes:
The Chinese Space Agency has launched two satellites for detecting gravitational waves. The two satellites form a part of Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) mission. These two satellites were launched using Long March-11 carrier rocket.
These satellites would be used for monitoring and studying high-energy radiation, gamma-rays and gravitational waves.

Notes:
The European Council President has declared after their recent summit that the EU leaders have agreed to set a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
After long series of discussions, the EU leaders came to a consensus of the target. European Commission had set a target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Notes:
Veteran aerospace scientist and Padma Vibhushan awardee Roddam Narasimha has recently passed away at the age of 87.
He served at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), teaching Aerospace Engineering from 1962 to 1999. He also served as the director of the National Aerospace Laboratories. He was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan award in 2013.

Notes:
The World Bank has recently approved four India projects worth over USD 800 million to support development schemes.
The projects include Chhattisgarh Inclusive Rural and Accelerated Agriculture Growth Project (CHIRAAG), Enhancing Classroom Teaching and Resources Project in Nagaland and Second Dam Improvement and Rehabilitation Project (DRIP-2) across various states.

Notes:
India has pledged USD 1 million to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) scientific research budget, to develop innovative anti-doping testing methods
As on date, this is the highest among contributions made by other countries. India’s National Dope Testing Laboratory was earlier suspended by WADA, and is to be inspected by next year.

Notes:
China and Russia have signed a protocol to extend an agreement between the two countries on notifications of launches of ballistic missiles and space missile carriers.
The validity of the agreement will be extended for another 10 years. The said agreement was signed by the two countries on October 13, 2009.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has set up a dedicated control centre for Space Situational Awareness (SSA).
It has been named as Netra” and is aimed at monitoring, tracking and protecting India’s space assets. It is set up at ISTRAC campus at Peenya, Bangalore.

Notes:
Chinese lunar capsule of the Chang’e 5 probe has returned to Earth with the first samples of rock and debris from the moon.
The modules of the probe landed on the moon and collected about 2 kilograms of samples by drilling the surface of the moon. After Soviet Union’s Luna 24 robot probe in 1976, only this probe brought fresh samples of lunar rocks.