INDIA NEWS
Nov 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 9
COMMUNITY NEWS
Indian community youth leader Srihan Misra shines in the Parliament Brisbane, 27th Oct: A young and energetic Indian community youth leader Srihan Misra was elected as the Youth Member for Queensland Parliament from Inala (constituency of Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk) out of several hundred applicants. As a member of the Science, Technology and Digital Economies, Srihan delivered two speeches in the parliament amidst a thumping support from his parliamentary colleagues. Unnerved by the occasion and highest state democratic platform — Srihan, a graduate of the Indooroopilly State High School and a current student of Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a Major in Earth Science at the Queensland University of Technology, spoke with flair, conviction and passion calling upon the Government to invest in STEM studies and space research. Srihan’s statement as a Private Member “Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Today, I come forward with an issue that is pivotal to the growth of not only Queensland, but the human race as a whole. An issue which will inspire our generation to be bold and dream bigger. To look beyond the stars. There is a new era of space exploration which dawns upon us and we, as Queenslanders and Australians, need to be educated on its global rise. Space exploration, by nature, is a long-term, inter-generational pursuit. Overtime, the enormous benefits this pursuit yields can be realised by one initiative: space education. Space education is the way of the future, an area that can equip our young generation with the knowledge to contribute or partake in an area with endless possibilities. There are many ways to foster our youth’s engagement with space, starting at a fundamental level with a focus on
primary and secondary education. Students studying STEM subjects in primary and high school should engage with a curriculum that incorporates space science and exploration, whilst being given the opportunity to engage in extracurriculars that apply their STEM knowledge in space-related fields, such as state and national STEM competitions. For the nonSTEM oriented subjects such as business, legal studies, health, economics and English can guide students in careers such as space law, space medicine, space commerce, space economics and science communication with an emphasis on space science and exploration. Space is for Queensland and Australia to take part in and cherish. We have earned our seat at this table in the 1960s when a radio dish out in Parkes, New South Wales transmitted the first images of Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon world-wide. So, let us be proud and make space great again. Thank you.” Srihan’s policy proposal “Good morning, Deputy Speaker. Once again, I revisit the topic of space with our policy proposal. Here, we will focus on the interesting topic that is Asteroid mining. As a potential future enterprise for this country, Asteroid mining in recent years has been a topic of much controversy. The inspiration for this enterprise began in the United States, around the height of the Space Race which introduced the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which outlined than no country could claim sovereignty of any celestial bodies in space. However, less than 50 years down the line, in 2015 the United States challenged this treaty by proposing and passing the U.S Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness
Act, an Act which allows for the US companies to mine and sell resources gathered from space. Thus, the race for the expansion of space capabilities begins yet again, and Queensland is situated in the right spot for it.
An important component of the policy proposal’s methodology was examining how various international space agencies, besides our own, have conducted similar missions pertaining to asteroids. A notable case was a mission conducted by NASA, titled the Osiris Rex mission, which sent a spacecraft towards a near Earth asteroid to collect various 1-ounce samples to be returned to Earth for research purposes. These missions provide important information on not only the engineering and scientific data collected, but also on the risks associated with conducting such missions. Through this, the policy decisions and steps taken by various international government and private agencies are valid and clear steppingstones for how SE Queensland and Australia should map its asteroid mining enterprise. The goal of asteroid mining is a long-term realization that combines the best talents across a wide variety of STEM disciplines. In Australia, universities such as UNSW hold bi-annual forums to discuss various ideas and issues around Space Resource Utilization. Specifically, the UNSW institutes involved in these forums are the Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research and the School of Minerals and Energy Resources. Additionally, UNSW have, in the past, collaborated with NASA and made various contributions to space mining research and economics. Queensland natural resources industry is rich and thriving, but it is also finite. In
the future, it is certain that state will have to seriously consider and incorporate asteroid mining operations to maintain sustainability within its resources. Australia’s major export commodity earner is in mineral resources, with many of the target minerals including precious metals and rare earth materials such as iron and gold, two of Australia’s top ten goods. With asteroid mining, the rapid advancement in technology cannot provide economic benefits for our natura resources industry, but also benefit other industries pivotal to the Queensland economy, particularly agriculture. The development of this technology can also pose environmental benefits, by encouraging global innovation while slowly phasing out all mining operations on Earth.
However, with all these positives comes negatives. In the current world of space exploration, private space companies have higher funding for these missions than government bodies, meaning that private companies will realistically conduct asteroid mining missions first, furthering their own economic and global power. Additionally, blurry space law guidelines around the ownership of space can lead to overexploitation of space resources. To counter this issue, is it wise to suggest bodies such as the United Nations regulate space resource usage with respect to asteroid mining operations. This is to prevent large and powerful nations or corporations from massively benefiting through asteroid mining. Thank you”.
Wishing you a very happy Healthy and auspicious Diwali!
H
ow can we make it even more enjoyable and safe – Start by taking care of you and your loved one’s overall health and wellbeing particularly under the current circumstances. How? Here are some easy tips to have a happy, safe, and healthy Diwali. Wear your mask and maintain social distancing. By now we all have been fortunate to have had a lot of understanding and knowledge on why this is important to our lives and others. Use your intuition and put into practice where you know we should be maintaining these
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standards Do not use sanitiser before lighting candle or diyas and keep the sanitiser away from fire. Diwali is the festival of light, and like me, you would be lighting Diya’s, candles and have open flames around your home, please keep your sanitisers at a distance from the flame to avoid any mishaps Have a vitamin C rich diet. It is essential to include a variety of natural foods like fresh fruits, raw salads, sprouts, yogurt, fresh fruit juices, leafy green vegetables, 'dalia', oats, lemon water and herbal tea in your diet during
busy times of the year such as Diwali. These fruits will keep your health well balanced, energise you. During the festive times, we tend to eat a lot of rich foods, which I love too, consequently it’s important to have some ‘live’ foods to balance your overall food intake. Also drink plenty of water to maintain healthy bodies and lifestyle If you develop any of the three key COVID-19 symptoms while at a festival, you should put on a face mask, and should avoid any unnecessary contact with other people Finally, consciously breath.
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The amount of oxygen that we inhale through our breathing, influences the amount of energy that is released in our body cells. Breathing is the easiest and most instrumental part of the autonomic nervous system to
control as it affects the chemical and physiological activities in your body. May your Diwali bring peace and love to your life and brings health, wealth, and happiness. Pushpa Vaghela
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