Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
The first nuclear reactor in seven years has recently entered service in Georgia in the United States. At its full output of 1,100 megawatts of electricity, Unit 3 can power 500,000 homes and businesses.
The unit which is now in commercial operation, entered seven years late and USD 17 billion over budget. A number of other utilities in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are receiving the electricity, in addition to the 2.7 million customers.

Notes:
To improve the collection of sowing data, the government has initiated a pilot project called Digital Crop Survey (DCS) in 12 states starting from the Kharif season of 2023.
The DCS reference application uses technologies like GIS and GPS, and aims to ensure accurate crop area estimation and support farmers with solutions. It has been created as a publicly available open-source and interoperable tool, adhering to open standards.

Notes:
The International Space Station has entered its final phase of operation, with international agreements running until 2028-2030.
With a view to replace orbital complex as part of a public-private partnership, NASA has launched various programs. Voyager Space and Airbus announced the creation of a joint venture to build and operate the Starlab station. The joint venture will have a European JV entity to serve the European Space Agency and the space agencies of its member states.

Notes:
The Lunar Codex program, led by Samuel Peralta, a physicist and art enthusiast from Canada, aims to immortalize a diverse array of human-made artworks.
It aims to send a collection of digitized art to the moon. Lunar Codex is stored on memory cards or laser etched on NanoFiche, a 21st-century update on film-based microfiche. These will ensure that the art forms reach the lunar surface safely.

Notes:
Union Health Ministry announced the launch of e-CARe (e-clearance for after life remains) portal to bring bodies from abroad.
Nodal officers from the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) will monitor the portal throughout the day.

Notes:
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba recently got an extension in service for another year, making him the longest-serving Cabinet Secretary.
Before Rajiv Gauba, BD Pande had been the longest serving cabinet secretary from 1972 to 1977. Rajiv Gauba will remain in office till August 30, 2024. This is the third time his service has been extended for another year.

Notes:
Researchers have recorded the first instance of captive breeding of the Himalayan vulture (Gyps himalayensis) in India at the Assam State Zoo, Guwahati.
Categorised as ‘Near Threatened’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species, the Himalayan vulture is a winter migrant to the Indian plains, and a resident of the high Himalayas.

Notes:
In July, the United Nations food agency reported that the rice price index rose by 2.8%, reaching its highest level in nearly 12 years.
The increase was driven by strong demand and export restrictions imposed by India, affecting prices in key exporting countries, as indicated by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s All Rice Price Index.

Notes:
The daily global sea surface temperatures have surpassed the 2016 record, reaching 20.96°C, which is significantly higher than the usual average for this period.
The previous record was established during the 2016 El Niño event, when it touched 20.95C. Scientists say that the record will continue to be broken, as usually oceans are at their hottest globally in March, not August.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) completed the Lunar-Orbit Insertion (LOI) to successfully put the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into the moon’s orbit.
The LOI manoeuvre was performed from Mission Operations Complex (MOX) in the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.