• The International Space Station (ISS) is a habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit that serves as a microgravity research laboratory. It is the largest artificial object in space and the largest international space project in history, involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).
• The ISS was constructed in space over 13 years, with the first module, Zarya, launched on November 20, 1998. The last module, Poisk, was launched on December 10, 2016. The ISS has been continuously crewed since November 2000 and has hosted crews from 21 different countries.
• The ISS is used to conduct scientific research in a variety of fields, including astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and materials science. It has also been used to develop new technologies, such as water recycling systems and solar panels.
• The ISS has six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window. It measures 109 meters (357 feet) end-to-end, and its solar array wingspan is also 109 meters. The ISS orbits Earth 16 times in one day, every 90 minutes to be precise, at a speed of 8 kilometres (5 miles) per second.

3. Astronaut Activities on the ISS

• Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) primarily engage in scientific experiments, focusing on research that cannot be conducted on Earth. These experiments cover various fields and contribute to scientific breakthroughs.
• Regular spacewalks are undertaken by ISS astronauts to install new components, such as robotic arms, and to perform maintenance tasks. This includes inspecting and repairing damage caused by space debris.
• Due to the effects of microgravity on the human body, astronauts adhere to a strict health regimen. This includes workouts on specially designed machines like treadmills for a minimum of two hours a day.
• As researchers focus on prolonged human habitation in space, ISS astronauts contribute to our understanding of the effects of microgravity. Daily exercise routines are not only for astronaut health but also aid scientific investigations into the potential long-term impacts on the human body.

4. Scientific Discoveries Benefiting Earth

• Astronauts conduct experiments on themselves, monitoring general health, nutrition, and the effects of solar radiation. Scientific breakthroughs from these studies have contributed to our understanding of diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, asthma, and heart disease.
• Discoveries on the ISS have directly benefited drug development on Earth. The unique conditions of microgravity allow researchers to study cell behaviour more closely resembling that inside the human body.
• Experiments on the ISS have led to advancements in water purification systems, crucial for sustaining life in space. These innovations have practical applications on Earth, improving water purification technologies.
• Research on the ISS has provided methods to mitigate muscle and bone atrophy caused by extended periods in microgravity. These findings have implications for developing countermeasures to address similar health challenges on Earth.
• Scientific experiments on the ISS have contributed to innovations in food production. These advancements are essential for developing sustainable and efficient food production systems for long-term space missions and have practical applications on Earth.

5. Future of the ISS

• Plans for the future of the ISS faced uncertainty with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leading to disruptions in international collaborations. Russia's decision to leave the ISS and pursue its own space station further added complexity to the situation.
• New and established spacefaring nations, including Japan, China, India, and the United Arab Emirates, express interest in independent space exploration, marking a shift in the landscape of international collaboration.
• While the US and Europe have expressed commitment to the ISS until 2030, discussions about a post-ISS era are underway. NASA's Artemis program focuses on lunar exploration, while the European Space Agency (ESA) plans the development of a new space station named Starlab.
• The phrase "watch this space" takes on new significance as the ISS navigates geopolitical challenges and evolving ambitions in space exploration. Plans for lunar missions and new space stations signal a transformative era in human space exploration.

6. Conclusion

CENSUS

1. Context

2. Key Points

• India had conducted the Census every 10 years since 1881, but in 2020, the decennial exercise for Census 2021 had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
• Though the government has not announced fresh dates for the Census, the groundwork is being laid and details are emerging about some of the features.
• It will be the first digital Census allowing citizens to "self-enumerate". The NPR (National Population Register) has been made compulsory for citizens who want to exercise the right to fill out the Census form on their own rather than through government enumerators.
• For this, the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) has designed a "self-enumeration, Aadhaar or mobile number will be mandatorily collected.

3. Status of the Census exercise

• A January 2 notification extending the deadline for freezing administrative boundaries in States until June 30 has ruled out the exercise at least till September.
• As preparation and training take at least three months, the Census will have to be pushed to next year.
• Around 30 lakh government officials will be assigned as enumerators and each will have the task to collect the details of 650-800 people through both online and offline modes, covering an estimated population of 135 crore people.
• The Lok Sabha election is due in April-May 2024 and it is unlikely that the Census will be carried out before that since the same workforce will be dedicated to the elections.
• The completion of both phases of the Census will take at least 11 months, even if done at an accelerated pace from October 1.

4. Holding up the Census

• One reason which is holding up the exercise is the amendments proposed to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, of 1969.
• The government wants to have a centralised register of births and deaths that can be used to update the population register, electoral register, Aadhaar, ration card, passport and driving license databases.
• The centrally stored data will be updated in real-time without a human interface leading to addition and deletion from electoral rolls when an individual turns 18 and after an individual's death respectively.
• A Bill to link the births and deaths registered with the population register and others are expected to be tabled in the next session of Parliament.

5.  NPR

• The NPR, unlike the Census, is a comprehensive identity database of every "usual resident" in the country and the data proposed to be collected at the family level can be shared with States and other government departments.
• Though Census also collects similar information, the Census Act of 1948 bars sharing any individual's data with the State or Centre and only aggregate data at the administrative level can be released.
• According to Citizenship Rules 2003 under the Citizenship Act, 1955, NPR is the first step towards a compilation of the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC/NRC).
• Assam is the only State where an NRC has been compiled based on the directions of the Supreme Court, with the final draft of Assam's NRC excluding 19 lakhs of the 3.29 crores applicants.
•  Assam Government has rejected the NRC in its current form and demanded re-verification of 30 per cent of names included in the NRC in areas bordering Bangladesh and 10 per cent in the remaining State.
• In 2020, the NPR was opposed by several State governments such as West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan, Odisha, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab and Chhattisgarh and Civil Society Organisations due to its link with the proposed NRC as it might leave many people stateless for want of legacy documents.
• There are apprehensions that the Citizenship Amendment Act 9 (CAA), 2019 allows citizenship based on religion to six undocumented religious communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, will benefit non-Muslims excluded from the proposed citizens' register, while excluded.
• Muslims will have to prove their citizenship. The government has denied that the CAA and NRC are linked and there are currently any plans to compile a countrywide NRC.

5.1. The current status of NPR

• The NPR was first collected in 2010 when the Congres government was in power at the Centre.
• It was updated in 2015 and already has details of 119 crore residents.
• In March 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) amended the Census Rules framed in 1990 to capture and store the Census data in an electronic form and enabled self-enumeration by respondents.
• The NPR is scheduled to be updated with the first phase of Census 2021.
• For this phase (house listing and household phase), 31 questions have been notified, while for the population enumeration, the second and main phase 28 questions have been finalised but are yet to be notified.
• The NPR is expected to collect details on 21 parameters of all family members, up from 14 questions in 2010 and 2015.
• The Sub-heads include passport number, relationship to head of the family, whether divorced/ widowed or separated, mother tongue if non-worker, cultivator, labourer, government employee, daily wage earner among others.
• The form also has a column on Aadhar, mobile phone, Voter ID and driver's licence.
• Though the government has claimed that the NPR form has not been finalised yet, the sample form is part of the Census of India 2021 Handbook for Principal/District Census Officers and Charge Officers in 2021.
• The NPR has retained contentious questions such as "mother tongue, place of birth of father and mother and last place of residence", possible indicators to determine inclusion in the Citizenship register.
• The questions were opposed by the State governments of West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan and Odisha in 2020.
• The final set of questions of both the phases and NPR was asked during a pre-test exercise in 2019 in 76 districts in 36 States and Union Territories covering a population of more than 26 lakhs.

6. Expected expenditure for Census

• The initial draft was prepared by the office of the Registrar General of India and circulated to key Ministries and the Prime Minister's Office called for the conduct of Census 2021 at a cost of ₹9, 275 crores and not the NPR.
• The draft Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) not was then revised and a financial provision of ₹4, 442.15 crores for updating the NPR was added on the directions of the MHA "subsequently".
• The proposal was cleared on August 16, 2019, and it received the  Union Cabinet's nod on December 24, 2019.
• It was decided that the enumerator engaged for Census would also collect details for NPR.
• The Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020 and since then both exercises are on hold.
• Now, the NPR has been made compulsory if citizens want to exercise the right to fill out the Census form on their own.
• The deleted Handbook said that it is "mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR".
• Census is also mandatory and giving false information is a punishable offence.