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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

IT SPACE

Next-gen robots to repair satellites, Four ‘Hot Jupiter’
reduce space pollution e x o p l a n e t s

US government body Defence The agencies also hope to keep discovered
Advanced Research Projects Agency the orbit clear of debris called space
Scientists, on 1 January 2018,
(Darpa) and NASA have teamed up to pollution which is caused by broken
discovered four new ‘hot Jupiter’
build robotic technology that can satellites abandoned in space.
extrasolar planets orbiting dwarf stars.
refuel and repair friendly satellites. In 2015, there were about 25,000
Using telescopes of the Hungarian-
“Service stations in orbit” — name human-made objects larger than a
made Automated Telescope Network-
given to these robotic satellites — human fist and roughly half a million
South (HATSouth) Exoplanet Survey,
would not only refuel satellites but larger than a dime orbiting Earth.
the team observed four G-type dwarf
also drastically improve their longevity Additionally, these satellites could
stars known as HATS-50, HATS-51,
and lifespan. also face off against mechanical foes
HATS-52 and HATS-53.
The robots could fix minor in orbit meaning it could sabotage
All the four planets belong to the
maintenance issues, keeping up with enemy satellites in the event of war,
class of exoplanets known as ‘hot
current orbiters as they age and apparently by dismantling opponents
Jupiters.’ Objects of this type are
sustain damage. or forcing them to crash.
similar in characteristics to Jupiter,
with orbital periods of less than 10
MISCELLANEOUS days. They have high surface
New frog species identified in Arunachal temperatures, as they orbit their parent
stars very closely.
Scientists, on 21 December 2017, along hill streams in mixed wet tropical HATS-50b is the smallest and least
discovered a new frog species in the forests. massive alien world of all of the newly
fast flowing streams of Arunachal There are over 50 species of frogs discovered exoplanets. It has a radius
Pradesh’s Lower Subansiri district. belonging to the genus Odorrana with of about 1.13 Jupiter radii and a mass
The new species found in Talle Valley many species exhibiting overlapping of about 0.39 Jupiter radii.
Wildlife Sanctuary has been named morphological characters, making their The system is located some 2,300
Odorrana arunachalensis. Odorrana identification in the field difficult. light years away from the Earth. With
(commonly known as the odorous But in the case of Odorrana a radius of about 1.41 Jupiter radii,
frog) is a genus of true frogs (family arunachalensis, the presence of a HATS-51b is the largest exoworld
Ranidae) from East Asia and black band-like mark between the eyes among the four newly found extrasolar
surrounding regions. is a distinguishing character that worlds. It has an orbital period of 3.35
The medium-sized green frog separates it from all the other frog days, and is located about 1,560 light
inhabits fern-covered rocky areas species of this genus. years away.

80 Competition Wizard March 2018