Longest electrified tunnel in Indian Railways:

Context: South Central Railway (SCR) has commissioned the longest electrified tunnel in Indian Railways.

How long is it? 6.6 kilometres.

Where? It is situated between Cherlopalli and Rapuru Railway stations in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh.

Jaipur enters the UNESCO World Heritage Site list

The walled city of Jaipur has entered into the UNESCO World Heritage Site list on July 6. Jaipur is well known for its iconic architectural legacy. It has become the second city of the country to enter into the UNESCO World Heritage Site after Ahmedabad.
The nomination of Jaipur was supported by a majority of the countries. Jaipur has been nominated by India as it has an exceptional urban example in indigenous city planning and construction in South Asia.

UNESCO:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). It is headquartered in Paris, France.
The Director-General of UNESCO is Audrey Azoulay. UNESCO works for peace and security by promoting international collaboration in education, sciences, and culture. This will increase universal respect for justice.

Countries that supported India's nomination:
The countries that supported India's nomination are Brazil, Bahrain, Cuba, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, China, Guatemala, Uganda, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Angola, St Kitts and Nevis. Australia and Norway initially proposed a referral, but, after the debate, they agreed for the inclusion of Jaipur.

Jaipur:
The fortified city of Jaipur is located in Rajasthan. Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur in 1727. The city has maintained its local commercial, artisanal and cooperative traditions.
Apart from outstanding planning, the city is known for its iconic monuments such as the Govind Dev temple, City Palace, Jantar Mantar and Hawa Mahal excel in artistic and architectural craftsmanship of the period.

Other Sites:
Myanmar's Bagan, Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang - Plain of Jars in Laos and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in China are among the other sites that were included in the World Heritage List on 6 July.

Telangana government has introduced the Miyawaki method of afforestation

Telangana government has introduced the Japanese Miyawaki method of afforestation to grow urban forests and expand the green cover as well as to meet the stipulated plantation target under the Telanganaku Haritha Haaram (TKHH).

About Miyawaki:
Miyawaki is a Japanese technique introduced by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, that helps build dense, native forests in a short time. Miyawaki method helps to create a forest in just 20 to 30 years, while through conventional methods takes anywhere between 200 to 300 years.
It has revolutionised the concept of urban afforestation by turning backyards into mini-forests. This method includes planting trees, only native species, as close as possible in the same area
The approach ensures that plant growth is 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser than usual. Miyawaki method helps to create a forest in just 20 to 30 years, while through conventional methods takes anywhere between 200 to 300 years.

Miyawaki Process:
The native trees of the region are identified and divided into four layers namely shrub, sub-tree, tree, and canopy. The quality of soil is analyzed water retention capacity, and nutrients in it are mixed with it.
A mound is built with the soil and the seeds are planted at a very high density three to five sapling per square meter. The ground should be covered with a thick layer of mulch.
These trees lack some qualities of natural forests, such as medicinal properties and the ability to bring rain. Such fast-growing plantations can be used for wood lots, recreational uses like bird watching, bushwalking, and wildflower appreciation.
Several environmentalists have accelerates the growth of trees as it is not a good idea to force plants to photosynthesize fast.

Telangana Ku Haritha Haram (TKHH):
Telangana Ku Haritha Haram or Haritha Haram was launched by Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao on July 2015.
TKHH is a large-scale tree-planting program implemented by the Government of Telangana.
The plan aimed to increase the amount of tree cover in the state from 24% to 33%. The State has allocated Rs.5500 crores of its budget for the project.
The flagship programmes aim to rejuvenate degraded forests, protecting these forests from threats such as smuggling, encroachment, fire and grazing.

LightSail 2 spacecraft sends it first signals to Earth

The Planetary Societysaid that its crowdfunded spacecraft LightSail 2 sent its first signals to Earth on July 2. They also said that the spacecraft is running various tests. The Planetary Society is an American non-governmental, non-profit foundation

LightSail 2 Spacecraft:
LightSail 2 CubeSat is about the size of a loaf of bread and weighing 5 kilograms. The Solar sailing spacecraft is powered just by the physical force exerted by solar photons. It was launched on June 25 aboard SpaceX's triple-booster Falcon Heavy rocket. It is orbiting on its own. It was delivered to space aboard Space X's Falcon Heavy.
According to the spacecraft's telemetry, all of its major systems appear to be operating normally. Over the next few days, time will be set for LightSail 2 to deploy its signature solar sails which will propel it forward. Unlike traditional spacecraft which rely on rocket engines, LightSail 2's design is powered by photons from the sun. If successful, it will be the first controlled light sail ever to enter and maintain Earth orbit.

NASA launched an incredible new atomic clock into orbit to navigate distant planets

NASA has launched an incredible new atomic clock into orbit on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. It was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The mission aims to revolutionize how mankind explores the cosmos.
The new Deep Space Atomic Clock will be used to navigate distant planets like Mars. A huge improvement would be made in the spacecraft navigation. It is a space-ready upgrade to the atomic clocks which is used on Earth and to the clocks that already fly on satellites like those that provide GPS.
The Deep Space Atomic Clock to allow spacecraft traveling in deep space to navigate more autonomously, with less reliance on communication with Earth.

Space Navigation:
Generally, Navigation works by sending a signal to the spacecraft, which it then beams back to Earth. The time of the round trip tells scientists the spacecraft's distance from Earth. As the signal travels at the speed of light, so armed with the time it took to go to the spacecraft and back, finding the distance is only a simple calculation away. By sending multiple signals over time the spacecraft's trajectory can be calculated, both where it was and where it's going.
To measure the locations of spacecraft in deep space, astronomers require an accurate atomic clock better than a billionth of a second over long periods. The error in older atomic clocks is because of the environmental changes such as temperatures fluctuations. But, the cutting-edge Deep Space Atomic Clock will not be subject to environmental changes and will be 50 times more stable than the clocks that are used on GPS satellites.