Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla
Born	(1962-03-17)March 17, 1962 Karnal, Haryana, India
Died	February 1, 2003(2003-02-01) (aged 40) Over Texas, U.S
Cause of death	Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Citizenship	India (1962–1996) United States (1991–2003)
Education	Punjab Engineering College (BEng) University of Texas, Arlington (MS) University of Colorado, Boulder (MS, PhD)
Awards	Congressional Space Medal of Honor NASA Distinguished Service Medal NASA Space Flight Medal
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space	31d 14h 54m[1]
Selection	NASA Group 15 (1994)
Missions	STS-87 STS-107
Mission insignia
Scientific career
Fields	Aerospace engineering
Thesis	Computation of Dynamics and Control of Unsteady Vortical Flows (1988)

Kalpana Chawla (17 March 1962 – 1 February 2003)^[2] was an Indian-born American astronaut and aerospace engineer who was the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space.^[3][4] She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator aboard STS-87.^[5] Chawla's second flight was in 2003 on STS-107, the final flight of Columbia. She was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere on 1 February 2003.^[6]

Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor,^[7] and several streets, universities, and institutions are named in her honor.^[8][9][10]

Early life and education

Kalpana Chawla was born on 17 March 1962 in a Punjabi Hindu family in Karnal, Haryana.^[11][12] The youngest of four children, she was born into a conservative society, but Chawla broke several traditions to become the first Indian-born female astronaut. She completed her schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School, Karnal. Growing up, Chawla went to local flying clubs and watched planes with her father.^[13] After graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, Chawla moved to the United States in 1982. In 1984, she graduated with a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington,^[14] and went on to earn a second Master's in 1986 and a PhD^[15] in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder.^[16][17]

Career

In 1988, Chawla joined NASA's Ames Research Center, where she initially conducted computational fluid dynamics research on vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts. Much of Chawla's research is included in technical journals and conference papers. In 1993, she joined Overset Methods, Inc. as vice president and research scientist, specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. Chawla held an FAA Flight Instructor certificate with airplane and glider ratings, and a commercial pilot license with single and multi-engine airplane, seaplane, and glider ratings. After she became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 1991, Chawla applied for the NASA Astronaut Corps.^[18] She joined the corps in March 1995 and was selected for her first flight in 1997.

First space mission

Chawla's first space mission began on 19 November 1997, as part of the six-astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. Chawla was the first Indian woman to go in space. She spoke the following words while traveling in the weightlessness of space: "You are just your intelligence." On her first mission, Chawla travelled 10.4 million miles in 252 orbits of the Earth, logging more than 376 hours (15 days and 16 hours) in space.^[19][7] During STS-87, she was responsible for deploying the Spartan Satellite, which malfunctioned, necessitating a spacewalk by Winston Scott and Takao Doi to capture the satellite. A five-month NASA investigation exonerated^[20] Chawla by identifying errors in software interfaces^[21] and the defined procedures of the flight crew and ground control. After the completion of STS-87 post-flight activities, Chawla was assigned to technical positions in the astronaut office to work on the space station.

Second space mission and death

Main articles: STS-107 and Space Shuttle Columbia disaster

The crew of STS-107 in October 2001. From left to right: Brown, Husband, Clark, Chawla, Anderson, McCool, Ramon

In 2000, Chawla was selected for her second flight as part of the crew of STS-107. This mission was repeatedly delayed due to scheduling conflicts and technical problems, such as the July 2002 discovery of cracks in the shuttle engine flow liners. On 16 January 2003, Chawla finally returned to space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on the ill-fated STS-107 mission. The crew performed nearly 80 experiments studying Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety.

During the launch of STS-107, Columbia's 28th mission, a piece of foam insulation broke off from the Space Shuttle's external tank and struck the port wing of the orbiter. Previous shuttle launches had seen minor damage from foam shedding,^[22] but some engineers suspected that the damage to Columbia was more serious. NASA managers limited the investigation, reasoning that the crew could not have fixed the problem if it had been confirmed.^[23]

When Columbia re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 1 February 2003, the damage allowed hot atmospheric gases to penetrate and destroy the internal wing structure, which caused the spacecraft to become unstable and break apart over Texas.^[24] Chawla died along with the six other crew members.^[25] After the disaster, Space Shuttle flight operations were suspended for more than two years, similar to the aftermath of the Challenger disaster. Construction of the International Space Station (ISS) was put on hold; the station relied entirely on the Russian Roscosmos State Corporation for resupply for 29 months until Shuttle flights resumed with STS-114, and 45 months for crew rotation.

Chawla's remains were identified along with those of the rest of the crew members and were cremated and scattered at Zion National Park in Utah, one of her favorite places.^[26]

Honours and recognition

• The fourteenth contracted Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft mission delivering supplies to the ISS was named the S.S. Kalpana Chawla after her.^[27][28][29]
• Asteroid 51826 Kalpana Chawla, one of seven named after the Columbia's crew^[30]
• The lunar crater Chawla is named after Kalpana Chawla.^[31]
• On 5 February 2003, the Prime Minister of India at the time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, announced that a meteorological series of satellites, MetSat, was to be renamed "Kalpana 1". The first satellite of the series, "MetSat-1", launched by India on 12 September 2002, was renamed "Kalpana-1".^[32]
• 74th Street in the Little India of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, New York, United States, has been renamed "Kalpana Chawla Way" in her honor.^[8]
• In honor of her, a street was named Kalpana Chawla Street in Rayon Nagar in Sirumugai, a village in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
• The Kalpana Chawla Award was instituted by the Government of Karnataka in 2004 to recognize young women scientists.^[33]
• NASA has dedicated a supercomputer to Chawla.^[34]
• One of Florida Institute of Technology's student apartment complexes, Columbia Village Suites, has halls named after each of the astronauts, including Chawla.
• The NASA Mars Exploration Rover mission has named seven peaks in a chain of hills, named the Columbia Hills, after each of the seven astronauts lost in the Columbia shuttle disaster. One of them is Chawla Hill, named after Chawla.
• Steve Morse from the band Deep Purple created the song "Contact Lost" in memory of the Columbia tragedy. Chawla knew Morse and took the band's Machine Head, featuring the song "Space Truckin'" with her on the mission. Morse's tribute song can be found on the album Bananas.^[35]
• Novelist Peter David named a shuttlecraft, the Chawla, after the astronaut in his 2007 Star Trek novel, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Before Dishonor.^[36]
• The Kalpana Chawla ISU Scholarship fund was founded by alumni of the International Space University (ISU) in 2010 to support Indian women's participation in international space education programs.^[37]
• The Kalpana Chawla Memorial Scholarship program was instituted by the Indian Students Association (ISA) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 2005 for meritorious graduate students.^[38]
• The Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Alumni Award at the University of Colorado, given since 1983, was renamed after Chawla.^[39]
• The University of Texas at Arlington, where Chawla obtained a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering in 1984, opened a dormitory named Kalpana Chawla Hall in 2004.^[40]

  

  Kalpana Chawla Hall, University of Texas Arlington

  In addition, the university dedicated the Kalpana Chawla Memorial on 3 May 2010, in Nedderman Hall, one of the primary buildings in the College of Engineering.^[41]
• The girls' hostel (what a university dormitory is called in India) at Punjab Engineering College is named after Chawla. In addition, an award of INR twenty-five thousand, a medal, and a certificate is instituted for the best student in the Aeronautical Engineering department.^[42]
• The Government of Haryana established the Kalpana Chawla Planetarium in Jyotisar, Kurukshetra.^[10]
• The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, named the Kalpana Chawla Space Technology Cell in her honor.^[9][43]
• Delhi Technological University named a girls' hostel block after Chawla.^[44]
• A military housing development at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, has been named Columbia Colony and includes a street named Chawla Way.
• A hostel block in Pondicherry University has been named after Chawla.^[45]
• Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) is a Medical college located in Karnal, Haryana, India named after Chawla. Kalpana was born in Karnal.
• The National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra named a girls' hostel after Chawla.
• The National Institute of Technology, Bhopal named a girls' hostel Kalpana Chawla Bhawan.^[46]
• On 1 April 2022, a satellite named after Chawla (ÑuSat 24 or "Kalpana", COSPAR 2022-033X) was launched into space as part of the Satellogic Aleph-1 constellation.

Personal life

Chawla and her husband before the launch of STS-87

On 2 December 1983, at the age of 21, Chawla married Jean-Pierre Harrison.^[16] After the Columbia disaster, Harrison was approached by filmmakers to make a movie on Chawla's life, but he refused because he preferred to keep their life private.^[47]

In popular culture

Mega Icons (2018–2020), an Indian documentary television series on National Geographic about prominent Indian personalities, dedicated an episode to Chawla's achievements.^[48] In the 2023 movie "A Million Miles Away", about Mexican farmworker turned astronaut Jose Hernandez, Kalpana Chawla is played by actress Sarayu Blue.

See also

• List of Asian Americans § Space
• List of female astronauts

References

1. Dismukes, Kim (7 May 2009). "Kalpana Chawla – STS-107 Crew Memorial". NASA. Archived from the original on 6 November 2004. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
2. "Kalpana Chawla Birth Anniversary: Here are lesser-known facts about the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space". Hindustan Times. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
3. Rizvi, Salim (11 December 2006). "Indo-US astronaut follows Kalpana's footsteps". BBC News. New York: BBC. Retrieved 20 November 2012. Almost four years after the death of the first American astronaut Kalpana Chawla in the Columbia space shuttle disaster, Nasa has sent another woman of Indian origin into space.
4. Redd, Nola Taylor. "Kalpana Chawla: Biography & Columbia Disaster". Space.com. Tech Media Network. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
5. "Dr. Kalpana Chawla, astronaut and aerospace engineer, was the first Indian woman in space". AWIS. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
6. "Kalpana Chawla". NBC News. 30 December 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
7. "Astronaut Bio: Kalpana Chawla" (PDF). NASA. May 2004. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
8. Rajghatta, Chidanand (12 July 2004). "NY has Kalpana Chawla Way". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
9. Saxena, Ambuj (14 March 2007). "Kalpana Chawla Space Technology Cell". Flickr. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
10. "IBN News". Ibnlive.in.com. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 27 September 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
11. "India's ever-shining star: Today marks 20 years of Kalpana Chawla's last trip to space". The Times of India.
12. Harrison, Jean-Pierre (2011). The edge of time : the authoritative biography of Kalpana Chawla. Los Gatos, California: Harrison Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9768279-0-0. OCLC 885972649.
13. Chawla, Kalpana. American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press. April 2008. doi:10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.6028448.
14. Chawla, Kalpana (1984), MS Thesis Optimization of cross flow fan housing for airplane wing installation, University of Texas at Arlington, p. 97
15. Chawla, Kalpana (1988), PhD Thesis Computation of dynamics and control of unsteady vortical flows, University of Colorado Boulder, p. 147
16. Tillman, Nola Taylor; Harvey, Ailsa (20 December 2017). "Kalpana Chawla: Biography & Columbia Disaster". Space.com.
17. "Who Was Kalpana Chawala: Early Life, Education, NASA Career, Death And Legacy". www.hercircle.in. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
18. Basu, Biman (May 2012). "Book Review: Biography of Kalpana Chawla" (PDF). Science Reporter. pp. 40–41. Retrieved 6 July 2013. Born on 17 March 1962 in Karnal, Haryana
19. "Kalpana Chawla biography*". www.kcgmc.edu.in. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
20. "Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College & Hospital - [KCGMC], Karnal". KGGMC.
21. "Columbia crew is blamed for Spartan deployment failure". Flight Global. 29 April 1998. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
22. "6.1 A History of Foam Anomalies (page 121)" (PDF). Columbia Accident Investigation Board. August 2003. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
23. Dunn, Marcia (2 February 2003). "Columbia's problems began on left wing". staugustine.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
24. "Molten Aluminum found on Columbia's thermal tiles". USA Today. Associated Press. 4 March 2003. Retrieved 13 August 2007.
25. "Space Shuttle Explodes, Kalpana Chawla dead". Rediff.com. 1 February 2003.
26. Leinbach, Michael D.; Ward, Jonathan H. (23 January 2018). "Chapter 12: Healing and Closure". Bringing Columbia home: the untold story of a lost space shuttle and her crew. New York: Arcade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62872-852-1. A few days later a memorial service was held for Kalpana Chawla at Zion National Monument in Utah, one of her favorite places
27. "Next Cygnus Cargo Ship Named for Columbia Astronaut Kalpana Chawla". 9 September 2020.
28. "US spacecraft named after late Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla". The Indian Hawk: Latest Indian Defence News, World Defence, IDRW, Indian Army, Air Force, Navy. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
29. Laxman, Srinivas (4 October 2020). "US mission named after Kalpana Chawla". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
30. "Tribute to the Crew of Columbia". NASA JPL. Archived from the original on 8 February 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
31. "Lunar crater Chawla". IAU. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
32. "ISRO METSAT Satellite Series Named After Columbia Astronaut Kalpana Chawla". Spaceref.com. 6 February 2003. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
33. "Kalpana Chawla Award instituted". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 23 March 2004. Archived from the original on 13 July 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
34. "NASA Names Supercomputer After Columbia Astronaut". About.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
35. "Space Music – Rock/Pop". HobbySpace. 31 August 2005. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
36. David, Peter; Star Trek: Next Generation: Before Dishonor; Page 24.
37. "Kalpana Chawla International Space University Scholarship". Archived from the original on 1 March 2011.
38. "Kalpana Chawla Memorial Scholarship". UTEP. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
39. "Kalpana Chawla Award". University of Colorado. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
40. "Kalpana Chawla Hall". University of Texas at Arlington. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
41. "Kalpana Chawla Display Dedicated at Nedderman Hall". The University of Texas at Arlington. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
42. "Punjab Engineering College remembers Kalpana". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2007.
43. "Space Technology Cell". Kcstc.iitkgp.ernet.in. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
44. "Delhi University". Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
45. "Pondicherry University".
46. "Hostel No 7 (Kalpana Chawla Bhawan) | Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology ,Government of India". www.manit.ac.in.
47. Dhar, Abira (27 April 2017). "Exclusive: Kalpana Chawla's Husband Denies Rights to Make Biopic". The Quint. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
48. "Mega Icons Season 2 Episode 4". Disney+ Hotstar. Retrieved 12 June 2021.

Further reading

• Among the Stars!: Life and Dreams of Kalpana Chawla by Gurdeep Pandher
• India's 50 Most Illustrious Women (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) by Indra Gupta
• Kalpana Chawla: A Life (ISBN 0-14-333586-3) by Anil Padmanabhan
• The Edge of Time: The Authoritative Biography of Kalpana Chawla (ISBN 978-0976827917) by Jean-Pierre Harrison

External links

• "Astronaut Bio: Kalpana Chawla". NASA. February 2003. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
• Aerospace Engineering
• NASA biography
• Kalpana Chawla at IMDb