UPSC Prelims 1998 · General Studies
Question 61: Science and Technology
The satellites of which one of the following countries have helped in the preparation of a detailed and complete map of Antarctica?
AnswerThe answer is (a).
Canada's RADARSAT-1 satellite, launched in 1995, carried a radar that images the surface through cloud and polar darkness. During the Antarctic Mapping Mission in 1997 it produced the first complete, high-resolution radar map of Antarctica. France, Russia and the United States have satellites of their own, but the Antarctic map is credited to Canada.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Right: Canada's RADARSAT mapped the whole continent.
- (b) French satellites, such as the SPOT series, were not used for this map.
- (c) Russian satellites were not used for this map.
- (d) American satellites were not used for this map.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1998, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.