Subsurface Water Ice Mapping (SWIM) project: It aims to locate the best places to access water ice buried under the Martian surface. The recently released fourth set of maps is the most detailed and accurate since the project started in 2017.It is led by the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The project uses data from several NASA missions, such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), the 2001 Mars Odyssey, and the defunct Mars Global Surveyor. SWIM used two higher-resolution cameras on MRO. The Context Camera data was used to improve the maps of the Northern Hemisphere. For the first time, the HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) data was used to provide the most detailed view of the ice’s edge as close to the equator as possible. The first phase of the SWIM project, completed in 2019, focused on the northern hemisphere. The second phase, completed in 2020, includes the southern hemisphere. The new map includes sightings of so-called “polygon terrain,” where the seasonal expansion and contraction of subsurface ice causes the ground to form polygonal cracks, indicating more ice hidden beneath the surface.
Talagirishwara Temple: It is located in Panamalai village of Viluppuram district in Tamil Nadu, India. The temple is constructed on an insignificant, small hill overlooking the Panamalai Lake. The temple was constructed by Pallava king Narasimhavarman II, popularly known as Rajasimha. This Seventh Century structure incorporates a Vimana that resembles that of Kailasanatha temple in Kanchipuram. The garbhagriha stocks a Dharalingam, and as in Pallava temples of that period, there is a Somaskanda section on hindmost wall of the shrine. It includes an Ardhamandapam (partial Mandapam).The walls of the Ardhamandapam post panels of divinities, including Brahma with Saraswati and Vishnu with Lakshmi on either flank. The temple faces east and the garbhagriha is enclosed on all three sides by sub shrines Some more sub shrines and a Mahamandapam (a massive Mandapam) have been added in the later period to the structure. The Vimana is 3 layered and the high tier has also been rebuilt.The typical Pallava mark, pillars with crouching lions, is also found. The paintings in this temple bear a close resemblance to the paintings in Ajantha and Chithannavasal. The paintings are on the wall of a sub-temple on the northern side of the Talagirishwara (Siva) temple. There is a painting of Lord Shiva with eight hands dancing known as Latathilagabhani, being watched by Goddess Parvathi with her crown and well decorated umbrella. These paintings were older than Chithannavasal paintings. These paintings were created after covering the stonewalls with paste made of limestone and sand.
Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project: It is the biggest hydroelectric project undertaken in India so far. It is a run-of-river scheme on the river Subansiri. The Project is located near North Lakhimpur on the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Capacity: 2000MW.It will generate up to 7.4 billion kWh of electricity annually. The project includes the construction of a surface powerhouse and a concrete gravity dam that is 116m-high from the river bed level. The length of the dam will be 284m.The dam is located in the Dhemaji district of Assam, while the powerhouse is located in the Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is being developed by the state-run National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).The project cost was met through 70% equity and 30% debt financing through the provision of a term loan. The central government is providing budgetary support as part of the equity component.
