Current affairs 19 May 2024

NASA appointed its first-ever chief AI officer, David Salvagnini.

• NASA appoints David Salvagnini as its first Chief AI Officer, expanding his role from Chief Data Officer.
• Salvagnini’s task is to lead the integration of AI across NASA for global benefit, ensuring cutting-edge AI utilization in space and on Earth.
• His role involves fostering AI innovation, managing risk to enhance NASA's AI capabilities.
• NASA founder: Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Ronaldo topped Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athlete.

• Ronaldo topped Forbes' list with $260 million in earnings, including $200 million from Al-Nassr and $60 million off-field.
• Golfer Jon Rahm ranked second with $218 million, mostly from LIV Golf Tour wages.
• Lionel Messi earned $135 million, with $70 million from off-field activities, placing him third.
• For the first time, the top 10 highest paid athletes have each earned more than $100 mn.

IN-SPACe bagged Leadership Award at Geospatial World Forum.

• IN-SPACe won the Public Policy: Enabling Industry Development award at 2024 Geospatial World Forum for enhancing India's space sector.
• The award highlights IN-SPACe's support for private and non-governmental entities in space industry.
• Indian National Space Promotion & Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), an autonomous agency under Department of Space, facilitates private sector participation.

Indian Army installed high-altitude tank repair facility in Ladakh.

• The Indian Army has established one of the world's highest tank repair facilities in Eastern Ladakh, near the China border, at altitudes over 14,500 feet.
• These facilities, located in Nyoma and the DBO Sector, support over 500 tanks and infantry combat vehicles.
• These new hubs ensure operational readiness of armoured vehicles in extreme conditions, with temperatures plummeting to - 400.

Venezuela became the first country in the world to lose all glaciers.

• By 2011, five of Venezuela's glaciers had vanished, leaving only the Humboldt glacier, also known as La Corona, struggling for survival in the Sierra Nevada National Park. Yet, even this frozen landmark has diminished.
• Venezuela is a country on the northern coast of South America.
• Capital: Caracas
• Currency: Venezuelan bolívar
• President: Nicolás Maduro
• Continent: South America