My Science School

The Royal Navy

Before serving the Indian Navy, Viraat served Britain's Royal Navy as HMS (Her Majesty's ship) Hermes. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy in November 1959. During her service with the British, Viraat operated three fixed-wing planes and a chopper.

She belonged to the Centaur class of light fleet carriers of the Royal Navy which were in use since the Second World War. She played a major role in the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982. Three years after that war, she was decommissioned by the Royal Navy.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy was looking for a second aircraft carrier for its fleet along with the INS Vikrant, which was commissioned in 1961. After much research and deliberation, the Indian Navy zeroed in on the HMS Hermes and announced its purchase in 1986. Hermes underwent a major refit and modernisation at Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth, England before finally being commissioned into the Indian Navy in May 1987.

Service with the Indian Navy

Viraat played a major role in India's naval defence. She operated one British-made Sea Harrier, a fixed- wing aircraft, and three helicopters. She played a pivotal role in the Sri Lankan Peacekeeping operation in 1989 dubbed Operation Jupiter, and was affiliated with the Indian Army in 1990. Viraat was also deployed during Operation Parakram in 2001 02. Following the terror attack on the Indian parliament. She played a major role in calibrating the flying activities from the carrier, which proved helpful during the induction of INS Vikramaditya, currently the sole aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.

Decommissioning by the Indian Navy

As years passed, the cost of operating and maintaining INS Viraat became too high for the Indian Navy, which announced its decision to decommission the Grand Old Lady in 2015.

After all the prerequisite processes for decommissioning at the Kochi shipyard were completed, the Grand Old Lady was decommissioned finally on March 6, 2017, at a ceremony in Mumbai,

At the time of her decommissioning, Viraat had spent nearly 2252 days at sea sailing nearly 11 lakh km. The aircraft she carried clocked more than 22,600 flying hours. Since 1987, Viraat has been the Flagship of the Indian Navy. And in her 30 years of service. 22 captains have commanded the ship.

What the future holds

Due to her rich history, many Indian states and conservationists wished to preserve Viraat as a museum. Many crowdfunding initiatives were undertaken in a bid to preserve Viraat. However, none of the efforts proved successful An expert panel was called to study Viraat condition and determine the feasibility of converting the ship into a museum. The panel stated that the cost of converting the ship into a museum would be too high to manage, and that the ship would last only ten years, given the age of its ferrous metal. Post this, even the Centre abandoned plans to convert the ship into a museum and decided to auction it to be dismantled and recycled at Alang, the world's largest ship-breaking yard. The ship was bought by the Shree Ram Group for a sum of Rs. 38.54 crore at an auction in July 2020. On September 19, Viraat made her final journey from Mumbai to Alang. She reached Alang on September 22. As a last-ditch effort to preserve the iconic warship, Envitech Marine Consultants Pvt Ltd, A Mumbai based shipping company, decided to buy the ship from the Shree Ram Group to convert it into a museum. To do so, the company would first need a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Defence. The company has stated that the Goa government is ready to help in its endeavour and allow the ship to be beaches in its waters.

As of October 9, 2020, Envitech is yet to obtain a NOC from the defence ministry.

 

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Many castles were designed as homes for rulers rather than as fortresses. Many of the world’s most famous and fancy palaces were built hundreds of years ago.

The royal family of the United Kingdom lives at Windsor Castle when they are not in nearby London. William the Conqueror built a castle in that place about 1070 A.D. Since then, many kings and queens have added to the castle, which now covers 3.6 hectares. It has 15 majestic towers and a beautiful chapel.

Another famous castle lies on a hill in the city of Osaka, Japan. The elegant Osaka Castle was built during the 1500’s. Visitors can still see three of the original towers as well as the castle’s main gate.

A famous palace is in Versailles, France. The Palace of Versailles, France. The Palace of Versailles is more than 0.4 kilometre long and has about 1,300 rooms. It was built by the French King Louis XIV in the 1600’s.

To see a real fairy-tale castle, go to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. It has a walled courtyard, spires on its roof, and a blue arched ceiling decorated with stars. Built for King Ludwig II in the 1860’s, the castle is now a popular place to visit.

 

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Some of the world’s most amazing buildings were built for protection, not beauty. Hundreds of years ago, people in different parts of the world had many rulers. The rulers often fought each other. Powerful rulers built castles to live in with their family, helpers, priests, soldiers – and farm animals!

Many of the castles were made of stone. Often they were built around an open courtyard. They had high walls that could be built 10 metres thick to protect against enemies. Some castles had towers at each corner.

Sometimes the walls were surrounded with deep, wide ditches that were usually filled with water. These were called moats. To protect the castle, guards looked out from the towers and walked along the tops of the walls. They hid behind stone fences called battlements and shot arrows at attackers. When visitors came, the guards would lower a drawbridge so that people could walk or ride across the moat. Then they would have to pass a gatehouse.

Inside, there was a large room where people met and ate meals. A huge fire in the fireplace too away the chill. So did tapestries, or hanging cloths, placed around the castle walls. People spread sweet-smelling plants on the floors and changed them every month.

Castles had a kitchen, a chapel in which to pray, and rooms for the family. They also had a barracks, or sleeping room, for soldiers. Many had dungeons in which to keep prisoners.

In many places around the world, ancient castles still stand. One is the Tower of London on the River Thames in London, England. This group of stone buildings has a wall and moat surrounding it. The Tower of London was first built as a castle in the 1000’s. In later times, it was a palace and a prison. Today it is a museum.

The Loire River Valley in France is famous for its many castles, called chateaux in French. One of the oldest French chateaux is in Angers. Visitors can still see the remains of the 17 towers and the moat. This chateau as built in the early 1200’s.

In Syria, near the northern border of present-day Lebanon, is a castle called Krak des Chevaliers. This fortress was built by crusaders during the 1100’s.

 

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People have always had to work. Ancient people hunted animals and gathered plants. Some people fished. Later, they learned to farm. They made their own clothes, tools, and furniture. They swapped some of the things they made, grew, or caught for other things they needed. This is called bartering. Then people began to use money. Some people paid others to work for them. Workers used that money to buy what they needed, instead of making those necessities for themselves.

In some places in the world today, people still live as the ancient peoples did. They hunt, fish, or farm in small groups near their homes, and they make everything they need for everyday life.

In other places, people who farm or fish sell much of what they grow or catch. Some people make things for other people to buy. They are craftworkers and factory workers. Some people work as teachers, scientists, nurses, and doctors.

Year after year, people learn, discover, and invent things. As they do this, they find different kinds of work to do.

 

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No one knows exactly why – or when – people first wore clothes. But ancient peoples probably began to wear clothes for the same reasons that we wear clothes today. Clothes keep us warm and dry. Some people – nurses, police officers, priests, and many others – wear clothes that show who they are or what they do. And sometimes we wear clothes that make us look like part of a group or clothes that make u stand out in a crowd.

They no longer had much body hair, which had helped more archaic hominins keep warm at night and offered some protection from the heat of the Sun.

It is possible we started wearing clothes to compensate for the loss of fur, says Ian Gilligan of the University of Sydney in Australia.

Historical accounts suggest that other hunter-gatherer societies, such as the Fuegians from South America, wore simple clothes some of the time, but also walked around naked. Perhaps early humans only covered up when it was cold.

 

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If walking is too slow, use wheels! A bicycle, skateboard, or pair of in-line skates can take you places you want to go. You can travel as far as the roads or paths – and your legs – will take you!

In China, few people own a car for personal use. Most people get around on bicycles, especially for travelling short distances. There are so many cyclists that special traffic police are needed to direct them on their way.

Some people use their wheels and their legs – to take other people where they want to go. Pedi cabs are popular in India and other parts of Asia. Comfortable seats at the back can hold two people, while the cyclist pulls them along.

Using muscle power does not cost a lot of money, and it can be fun, too. Be sure you know the rules of the road, and always pay attention to traffic. Keep your bike and safety equipment in good working order so you are ready to ride anytime.

 

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The United Nations marked its 75th anniversary on September 21, 2020 with a high-level global meeting. The world leaders came together virtually amidst growing tensions of several nations with China and the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The theme for this year’s discussion was “The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism”. During the event, the UN General Assembly adopted a forward-looking declaration that called for strengthening the mechanism to combat terrorism, reformed multilateralism, inclusive development and better preparedness to deal with challenge like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked for comprehensive reforms in the United Nations. In this video address, the Indian Prime Minister started “We cannot fight today’s challenges with outdated structures. Without comprehensive reforms, the UN faces a crisis of confidence.” Modi vouched for reformed multilateralism, giving a voice to all stakeholders. He also called for changes that would address contemporary challenges and focus on human welfare.

Modi’s call comes at a time when India is ready to take up an elected non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council India’s two-year term will commerce on January 1, 2021.

Did you know?

The United Nations Day is celebrated on October 24 every year as on this day in 1945, the UN Charter came into force after being ratified by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – China, Russia, the U.S., the U.K., and France – and a majority of other signatories.

The UN Charter is the foundational treaty of the United Nations, drafted with the aim of maintaining world peace and upholding human rights.

 

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About the site

The Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California in north-eastern Mexico is a serial property comprising 244 islands, islets and coastal areas. Spread across 18,37,194 hectares, one quarter of the area is terrestrial and the remainder marine.

Once dubbed the ‘Aquarium of the World’, the Gulf is known for its biodiversity, containing 39% of the world’s marine mammal species and a third of the world’s marine cetacean species. Today, however, sharp decline in the numbers of certain marine species is clouding the Gulf’s prestigious tag as the Aquarium of the World. Despite this, the biodiversity here is rich and diverse. It is home to 695 bascular plant species, and 891 sicculents in the region, including some of the world’s tallest cacti which are over 25m in height. When it comes to birds, migratory birds found here. Some of the small islands of the Gulf of California host a majority of the global population of heermann’s gulls, blue-footed booby, and black storm petrel. Meanwhile, one can find sea lions thronging the coast as well as vaquitos, totoabas, grey whales and marine turtles such as the leatherback, olive ridley and loggerhead, swimming in the open ocean.

The rugged islands as well as the coast, most of which are part of the Sonoran Desert, of the Gulf of California are as striking as the pristine turquoise waters. The islands and islets in the region are mostly of volcanic origin.

In danger

In June 2019, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed The Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This was due to the concern of the imminent extinction of the vaquita, a porpoise endemic to the Gulf of California. The vaquita is one of the characteristic features that made UNESCO include The Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California in the World Heritage list.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal species in the world. When it was scientifically discovered and given a formal description in 1958, the vaquita was already not very abundant. It was difficult to spot and observe the species properly. Its status however has continued to deteriorate since then, due to the use of mail nets in the illegal fishing of totoaba, another species endemic to the Gulf of California. The fishing of totoaba was banned in 1975, however, due to the high price the dried totoaba swim bladder (used in traditional medicine) commands in China, illegal fishing continues to date. Since the totoabas are large in size, the nets used to capture them are capable of trapping the voquitas as well. And once a vaquita is caught, it drowns within minutes.

While Mexico has taken measures such as creating a refuge for the surviving vaquitas and prompting alternatives to gillnets, which cause death by asphyxiation of marine mammals, the number of the species continues to drop. If conservation efforts are not improved, the species may soon becomes extinct, and the Gulf of California will not be the same.

 

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1817 – The first practical bicycle

The first verifable claim for a practical bicycle was made by German Karl von Drais, a civil servant. Drais invented the Laufmaschine (German for running machine) and patented the design in 1818. Commonly called draisine, the steerable, wooden, human-propelled machine was the first commercially successful bicycle.

1860s – Bicycles get pedals

The bicycle received an upgrade when pedals were added to it. This made it easier for people to propel the vehicle. Ernest Michaux and Pierre Lallement invented a vehicle known as the velocipede, also dubbed the boneshaker due to the rough ride it offered without brakes.

1870 – The high wheel cycle

The penny-farthing was the first machine to be called a bicycle. Extremely popular in the 1870 and 80s, it got its name from the British coins penny and farthing – penny indicating the large font wheel, and farthing depicting the tiny back wheel. It allowed users to ride faster. Frenchman Eugene Meyer was the first to invent it in 1869.

1885 – ‘Safety’ first

Apart from the speed, the penny-farthing was a risky ride for many due to its high front wheel and seating. Hence, in 1885, Englishman John Kemp Startley came up with the ‘rover safety bicycle’ which had similar sized wheels and a chain drive. This was followed by developments in brakes and tires. The rover is regarded as the first modern bicycle. It also started Golden Age of bicycles.

1888 – The ride got comfortable

John Boyd Dunlop, a Scottish inventor created the pneumatic tyre, an inflatable tyre filled with air. This made cycling far more comfortable than before. It also made the cycle much lighter in weight.

1890 – In tandem

The first publicised bicycle for two was created by Danish inventor Mikael Pederson. Tandem bicycle or twin bicycle is a bike meant for two people. The term ‘tandem’ refers to the seating arrangement for riders, one behind the other.

1890s – Advent of the electric bicycle

Ogden Bolton Jr. was issued a U.S. Patent for a battery-powered bicycle without gear. The motor could draw up to 100 amperes of power from a 10-volt battery.

1900s – The rise and fall

Bicycles rose in popularity and came to be mass produced. While the basic design remained similar to the safety cycle, several upgrades were made. Bicycles were touted to have had a direct influence on the introduction of the automobiles. Soon, the popularity of bicycles began to wane. However, in the 1960s, many started seeing the bicycle as a non-polluting and non-congesting means of transportation. Some even began using the bicycle for recreation.

1970s – BMX and Mountain Bikes

BMX (bicycle motocross) bikes became popular in the U.S. around the 1970s. These are off-road bicycles used for stunt riding and racing. Today, BMX races have grown into an international sport.

Mountain bikes became popular with their mass production in 1981. These bikes are meant for off-pavement riding on a variety of surfaces.

2000s – Hybrid and commuter cycles

In the last two decades, several designs modifications have been made to the bicycle. Since number of people using the bicycle for commuting, casual and recreational purposes has gone up, manufactures are coming out with hybrid bicycles which combine elements of bike racing and mountain bikes.

There have also been attempts at mass producing solar-powered bicycles which will derive power from the sun’s rays and help riders travel without having to pedal for some distance at least.

 

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