Science and Technology GK Questions

A geostationary orbit, geostationary Earth orbit or Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO), is a circular orbit 35786 km (22236 mile) above the Earth’s equator and following the direction of the Earth’s rotation. An object in such an orbit has an orbital period equal to the Earth’s rotational period (one sidereal day).

The Prithvi missile is a family of tactical surface to surface Short-Range Ballistic Missiles (SRBM) and is India’s first indigenously developed ballistic missile. Development of the Prithvi began in 1983 and it was first test-fired on 25th February, 1988 from Sriharikota, SHAR Centre, Potti Sreeramulu Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh.

It has a range of upto 150 to 300 km. The land variant is called Prithvi while the naval operational variant of Prithvi I and Prithvi II class missiles are code-named Dhanush (meaning Bow). All missiles programme under DRDO.

Wernher Magnus Maximilian, Freiherr Von Braun was a German- American rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany during World War II and subsequently in the United States. He is credited as being the ‘Father of Rocket Science’.

Brahmos is a stealth supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft or land. It is a joint venture between Republic of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroeyenia. The name Brahmos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, The Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

Koodan-Kulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNP) is associated with Russia, which is located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. KKNP is Indias first pressurised water reactor belonging to the light water category.

The Richter magnitude scale (often shortened to Richter scale) was developed to assign a single number to quantify the energy that is released during an earthquake. An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that creates seismic waves.

The Agni missile is a family of medium to intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India, named after one of the five elements of nature. In the Agni series of ballistic missiles, Agni II, Agni III and Agni IV are Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs). These are all nuclear weapons capable surface to surface ballistic missile.

Barak is an Indo-lsraeli Surface to Surface Missile, designed to defend against aircraft, anti-ship missiles and UAVS.

Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal has built a formidable reputation as the premier institution of Indian Air force. It is situated 43 km from Hyderabad since, Inception in 1971.

The North rop Grumman B-2 Spirit also known as the stealth technology designed for penetrating dense antiaircraft defenses. It is able to deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons.