Good morning, Bengaluru!
⛅ Today’s weather: Partly cloudy skies with some sunshine.
🧐 Did you know? Among the top ten aerospace cities in the world, Bengaluru was ranked third.
☄️ NISAR payload arrives in Bengaluru
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) payload, one of the world’s most advanced radar systems and the low earth orbit observatory jointly developed by NASA and ISRO, reached Bengaluru in the early hours of March 6.
Story so far: The NISAR Earth science mission is making progress towards its launch in 2024. Recently, the science payload consisting of two radar systems, one created by NASA and the other by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), completed its journey from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California to ISRO’s U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, India.
- NISAR will observe nearly all of the Earth’s land and ice surfaces every 12 days. The NISAR also measures movements in fine detail.
- In the near future, experts at the facility will integrate the radar systems with the satellite’s body, or bus, and carry out tests in preparation for its three-year mission.
Expected launch: The low earth orbit observatory is expected to be launched in January 2024. And it will use two frequencies through ISRO’s S-band radar and NASA’s L-band radar. The send-off ceremony of the science instrument was held in California on February 3. Engineers and scientists have been testing the two radar systems since early 2021.
🌼 Celebrating Holi the organic way
This year, the patients at NIMHANS Bangalore made Holi colours, candles, and bakery items using recycled items.
Story so far: The patients produced 100kg of eco-friendly Holi colours from flowers that were donated to them by temples. The initiative to make Holi colours was started in 2017 when the production was just 5kg. This exercise had been halted during the pandemic, and it has now been resumed again.
- Psychiatric rehabilitation services have trained the patients to make these various items. And the sale proceeds of these items are shared with the patients who have helped make these items.
- A worker from the rehabilitation centre explains that the colours are made by cutting and drying the flowers they get from the temple. The dried flowers are then put in a machine where they are ground and processed.
Helping the patients: Conducting activities like these for patients helps instil confidence and a sense of self. These activities give patients a purpose and also provide them with an opportunity to socialise.
🚌 Transport employees to go on strike
Government employees are set to go on an indefinite strike from March 24 in a bid to increase wages and get more allowances.
Story so far: This radical decision came two months before the upcoming assembly elections. Previously, government employees had held a 15-day transport strike demanding wage revision. This strike had various adverse effects, costing the government millions and more than 4000 workers being fired.
- A union of four registered transport unions of KSRCTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC gave the strike notice to the state labour commissioner.
- Transport department employees demand salary revision, increase in allowances, and implementation of a shift system.
Effects of this strike: This strike could cause a huge hindrance to lakhs of commuters who use public transport daily. This would also be a big inconvenience to students who are giving the PUC university exams.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Watch Bengaluru FC take on Mumbai City FC in the second leg semifinal encounter in the Hero Indian Super League this Sunday at Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
- The Laugh-ology Project brings together stand-up comedians Sorabh Pant, Sapan Verma, Zakir Khan and Prashasti Singh this weekend.
- Master the art of tempering real chocolate through Pamper Her, a Women’s Day Special Chocolate Workshop at Jus Trufs Chocolatiers this Saturday.
- Enjoy an open-air movie experience at Hightide Restobar this Sunday.
- Catch Kenny Sebastian’s Professor of Tomfoolery this Sunday at the Good Shepherd Auditorium.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I put my sock on my left foot first: 41.7%
- I put my sock on my right foot first: 58.3% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s a compulsive habit that you have?
Rahul: “Re-watching The Office”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!