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RSID: <<2025-01-03T00:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
 

Welcome to program 383 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:40 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:48 MFSK32: India launches space docking mission
  6:41 MFSK64: Microwaving to recycle insulated wire*
11:25 MFSK64: Images of the week*
27:12 MFSK32: Closing announcements

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From AFP via Phys.org:

India rocket launches space docking mission

December 30, 2024

India launched a rocket December 30 carrying two small spacecraft
to test docking in space, a critical step for the country's
dreams of a space station and a manned Moon mission.

The mission is "vital for India's future space ambitions",
Jitendra Singh, the country's science and technology minister,
said in a statement ahead of the launch, which was broadcast live
by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans last year to send a
man to the Moon by 2040.

The PSLV-C60 rocket, which blasted off Monday evening at the
Sriharikota launch site with shooting flames as it soared into
the night sky, included two 220-kilogramme (485-pound)
satellites.

ISRO has dubbed the mission SpaDeX, or Space Docking Experiment.

"PSLV-C60 successfully launches SpaDeX and 24 payloads," it said
in a statement.

The mission is intended to "develop and demonstrate the
technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two
small spacecraft", it added.

The technology is "essential" for India's Moon plans, it added,
calling it a "key technology for future human spaceflight and
satellite servicing missions".

It will involve a "precision rendezvous", manoeuvering satellites
orbiting Earth at speeds of 28,800 kilometres per hour (17,895
miles per hour).

Their relative velocities will be reduced to 0.036 kph to "merge
to form a single unit in Space", ISRO said.

The world's most populous nation has a comparatively low-budget
aerospace programme that is rapidly closing in on the milestones
set by global space powers.

"Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the
fourth country in the world to have space docking technology,"
ISRO added, after Russia, the United States and China.

The world's most populous country has flexed its spacefaring
ambitions in the last decade with its space programme growing
considerably in size and momentum, matching the achievements of
established powers at a much cheaper price tag.

In August 2023, it became just the fourth nation to land an
unmanned craft on the Moon after Russia, the United States and
China.

https://phys.org/news/2024-12-india-rocket-space-docking-mission.html

See also:
https://www.dw.com/en/india-successfully-launches-its-first-space-docking-mission/a-71187928


Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...



 

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From New Atlas:

Microwaving cords and cables: A recipe for copper and carbon
black

By Michael Franco
December 31, 2024

The new technique quickly and cheaply carbonizes the PVC
insulation on wires like these, leaving behind undamaged copper

The new technique quickly and cheaply carbonizes the PVC
insulation on wires like these, leaving behind undamaged copper

Italian and Japanese researchers have developed a novel method to
free copper wire from its PVC coating, by treating electric
cables with microwaves. The technique could go a long way towards
helping tackle the growing problem of e-waste.

According to the ever-climbing ticker on the electronic waste
(e-waste) monitoring site The World Counts, the amount of
electronic waste disposed of in 2024 is over 50 million tonnes
(or over 55 million tons). Of that, 76% comes from machines with
power cords such as dishwashers, air conditioners, and electric
shavers. The result is that there are a lot of power cords
snaking their way through landfills across the world, where they
both add to a growing problem of pollution and hide within them a
valuable resource: copper.

Now, researchers from Sophia University in Japan and Università
di Pavia in Italy have announced a new method that uses an
inexpensive microwave process and the scientific principle of
pyrolysis to deal with both issues.

Pyrolysis refers to using high temperatures to turn solids into a
gas and a solid residue. This process typically takes place in an
inert, or oxygen-free environment.

In their study, the researchers started with different lengths of
VVF cables – the type of electrical wire often found in power
cords – which consist of copper wires covered by a PVC sheath. By
placing the cables in a glass reactor, exposing them to varying
degrees of microwave radiation, and using nitrogen gas to prevent
combustion, they were able to convert the PVC sheathing to
chlorine gas and carbon. The copper was left behind to be
harvested and reused.

According to study lead author Satoshi Horikoshi from Sophia
University, the chlorine gas could be converted into useful
hydrochloric acid, while the carbon and activated carbon formed
from the PVC could be turned into carbon black, which is often
used as a pigment.

The method worked despite the fact that PVC does not absorb
microwave radiation. Instead, what happened is that the copper
wire inside acted as a sort of antenna that absorbed the
microwaves and in turn heated the surrounding PVC. As the PVC
heated up and turned to carbon, it got better at absorbing the
microwaves as well, which accelerated the entire process.

According to the researchers, only about 35% of PVC is recycled,
so their method could dramatically boost that number, freeing up
valuable and reusable copper in the process.

"VVF cables are commonly used as power cables in houses and
buildings and have a high reuse value among e-waste," said
Horikoshi. "Our method is suitable for recycling and recovering
e-waste containing metals and requires no pre-treatment to
separate the plastics from the metals."

Horikoshi's technique joins other methods of dealing with e-waste
we've seen, including using whey from milk to recover gold from
electronics; flash-heating ground-up circuit boards and then
vaporizing them to recover other precious metals; and using a
cryo-mill to freeze electronics to separate out potentially
reusable resources.

The new study has been published in the journal, RSC Advances.

https://newatlas.com/materials/microwaving-ewaste-recycling/
 

Image: An example of an electrical wire after treatment with the
new microwave-based technique ...

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This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64.

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This week's images ...

Crows sit in a tree as the sun rises on a winter morning in
Chennai, India. https://tinyurl.com/2ypzsxr9 ...

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The Villarrica volcano, seen from Pucón, Chile, from The
Atlantic's review of volcanic activity in 2024.
https://tinyurl.com/28sfqlax ...

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Tourists enjoy a sunset camel safari in a desert in Pushkar,
India, December 14. https://tinyurl.com/2c9c77ja ...

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A flamingo in the water at sunset in Perols, France, December 16.
https://tinyurl.com/2c9c77ja ...

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A new year firework display for children at the Museumplein
square in Amsterdam. https://tinyurl.com/27vz62nl ...

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As part of the new year celebration, a geisha is projected onto
the Tokyo metropolitan government building in Tokyo.
https://tinyurl.com/27vz62nl ...

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A blackbird having a snack in a garden in rainy Helensburgh,
Scotland. https://tinyurl.com/26y257e9 ...

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The Empire State Building in New York City is illuminated in red,
white and blue to mark the death of the 39th president of the
United States, Jimmy Carter. https://tinyurl.com/26t9k228 ...

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Our painting of the week is "Mid-Nation Winter" (1967) by
Nebraska regionalist Dale Nichols (1904-1995).
https://tinyurl.com/253ahjd9 ...

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