NASA's Perseverance rover lands successfully on Mars

by Argus News

Washington, Feb 19: The American space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), has successfully landed its Perseverance rover in a deep crater near the planet Mars' equator called Jezero.

Engineers at NASA's mission control in California erupted with joy when confirmation of touchdown came through, the BBC reported on Thursday.

"The good news is the spacecraft, I think, is in great shape," said Matt Wallace, the mission's deputy project manager.

"Congratulations to NASA and everyone whose hard work made Perseverance's historic landing possible. Today proved once again that with the power of science and American ingenuity, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility," US President Joe Biden tweeted.

The six-wheeled vehicle will now spend at least the next two years drilling into the local rocks, looking for evidence of past life.

Jezero is thought to have held a giant lake billions of years ago. And where there's been water, there's the possibility there might also have been life.

The signal alerting controllers that Perseverance was down and safe arrived at 20:55 GMT. In the past they might have hugged and high-fived but strict coronavirus protocols meant they had all been separated by Perspex screens. A respectful fist bump was about all they could manage.

Nonetheless, the excitement was evident. And the applause continued when the first two images came in. They were taken by low-resolution engineering cameras. There was dust covering the still-attached translucent lens covers, but it was possible to see a flat surface both in front and behind the rover.

Post-landing analysis indicated the vehicle had come down about 2 km to the southeast of the delta feature in Jezero that Perseverance plans to investigate.

"We are in a nice flat spot. The vehicle is only tilted by about 1.2 degrees," said Allen Chen, who led the landing team. "So we did successfully find that parking lot and have a safe rover on the ground. And I couldn't be more proud of my team for doing that."

Steve Jurczyk, the acting administrator at NASA, also saluted the achievement: "What a credit to the team. Just what an amazing team to work through all the adversity and all the challenges that go with landing a rover on Mars, plus the challenges of Covid. Just an amazing accomplishment."

Mike Watkins, the director of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the home of the agency's Mars missions, added: "There is something special about the first few days (of the mission) because we have just landed a representative of Planet Earth on a place on Mars that no-one has ever been to."

This is the second one-tonne rover put on Mars by the US space agency.

The first, Curiosity, was landed in a different crater in 2012. It trialled innovative descent technologies, including a rocket-powered cradle, that Perseverance has also now put to good effect.
(IANS)

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Janhvi Gives Shoutout To ‘Sunshine’ Khushi For ‘The Archies’

by Hemanta Pande

Mumbai, Dec 6: Actress Janhvi Kapoor has turned cheerleader for her sister Khushi, whom she called her sunshine, for her debut project ‘The Archies’.

Janhvi took to her Instagram stories, where she shared a picture with her sister Khushi. In the image, the ‘Roohi’ actress is seen hugging her sister, who is seen wearing her mother’s dress and jewelry for the premiere of the upcoming film.

Janhvi captioned the image: “The sunshine of my life and now sunshine in cinema. You are magical.”

‘The Archies’ is directed by Zoya Akhtar. It stars Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi Saigal and Yuvraj Menda. The film is scheduled for release on Netflix on 7 December 2023.

Read: Entertainment News

The film is set in 1960s India, Archie and the gang navigate romance, friendship and the future of Riverdale as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.(IANS)

Gold Prices Decline For 2nd Consecutive Day; Check Yellow Metal Rates Today

by Hemanta Pande

Cuttack, Dec 6: Gold prices in India fell around Rs 500 per 10 grams for the second consecutive day on Wednesday at the Multi Commodity Exchange for December contracts.

In Odisha, the price of yellow metal 22K (10 grams) traded at Rs 59, 800 while the price of 20K (10 grams) stood at Rs 54,300.
Likewise, 18K gold (10 grams) stood at Rs 49,200. The price of 14K gold (10 grams) stood at Rs 39,800.

In Cuttack, the GST 995 yellow metal traded at Rs 6,260 per gram and the ready 995 gold prices stood at Rs 6,400 per gram.

The price of silver metal also sees a fall. The price of LRS silver stood at Rs 75,700 and the price of 9999 silver stood at Rs 77,000.

Also Read: Business News

It may be noted that the gold price can vary as per the MCX and dealer to dealer.

Gold is considered an important part of India's economy and social life due to its cultural significance, investment values, and its traditional role in weddings and festivals.

Notably, the gold and silver prices in India are influenced by a variety of factors, including global economic conditions, inflation rates, currency fluctuations, and local demand and supply dynamics.

Swiggy Appoints Anand Kripalu As Independent Director, Chairperson Of Board

by Hemanta Pande

New Delhi, Dec 6: Online food delivery platform Swiggy on Wednesday announced the appointment of Anand Kripalu as an Independent Director and the Chairperson of its Board of Directors.

"Anand is a veteran in the consumer goods industry, and his deep knowledge and perspective will be instrumental in guiding Swiggy as we continue to innovate and redefine the on-demand delivery landscape in India," Sriharsha Majety, Group CEO of Swiggy, said in a statement.

With close to 40 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, Kripalu is the Managing Director (MD) and Global CEO of EPL Ltd (formerly Essel Propack Limited), the world's largest speciality packaging company.

Prior to that, he was the MD and CEO of Diageo India, India's leading beverage alcohol company.

"Swiggy has transformed food and grocery delivery in the country, bringing unparalleled convenience to millions of homes. I am honoured to join its accomplished board, and look forward to lending my experience and perspective as Swiggy shapes the future of convenience", said Kripalu.

He has also held leadership roles at Mondelez International (formerly Cadbury) and Unilever.

Meanwhile, Swiggy's investor Prosus, in its financial filing, stated that Swiggy’s core food-delivery business grew 17 per cent and delivered gross merchandise value (GMV) of $1.43 billion in the first half of FY24.

"This was led by a rise in transacting users that drove double-digit order growth and inflation in AOV," Prosus said.

Read Business News

Prosus, which holds 32.7 per cent of the stake in Swiggy, mentioned trading losses reduced to $208 million. Trading losses in the first half of the previous year were $321 million. (IANS)

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NASA's Perseverance rover lands successfully on Mars

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