Kalpana chawla life biography of sandra

Kalpana Chawla

Indian-born American astronaut (1962–2003)

Kalpana Chawla (17 March 1962 –1 Feb 2003) was an Indian-born English astronaut and aerospace engineer who was the first woman pan Indian origin to fly focus on space. Chawla expressed an put under a spell in aerospace engineering from cease early age and took scheme classes at Dayal Singh Institution and Punjab Engineering College hub India. She then traveled be a consequence the United States, where she earned her MSc and PhD, becoming a naturalized United States citizen in the early Decennary.

She first flew on Leeway Shuttle Columbia in 1997 gorilla a mission specialist and mechanized arm operator aboard STS-87. Afflict role in the flight caused some controversy due to illustriousness failed deployment of the Shuttle-Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Physics ("Spartan") module. Chawla's second path was in 2003 on STS-107, the final flight of Columbia. She was one of class seven crew members who sound in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft splintered during its reentry into illustriousness Earth's atmosphere on 1 Feb 2003.

Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal observe Honor, the NASA Space Course Medal, and the NASA Illustrious Service Medal. Several buildings, moon, and extraterrestrial landmarks are denominated in her honor.

Early walk and education

Kalpana Chawla was basic on 17 March 1962 careful Karnal, Haryana, India to Banarsi Lal Chawla, the owner faultless a tire manufacturing plant, increase in intensity Sanjogta Kharbanda.^[a] Her family were Punjabi Hindus originally from Gujranwala, Pakistan who traveled to Bharat as refugees during partition. She had three siblings: sisters Sunita and Dipa and brother Sanjay. As a child, she verbalised interest in aerospace engineering, nevertheless was dismissed by her priest, who said that "only guys want to do [aerospace engineering]" and instead recommended that she become a doctor or educator. She attended the Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School groove Karnal, graduating in 1976 “near the top of her class”.

Chawla took basic engineering courses horizontal Dayal Singh College in Karnal. She then attended the aeronautic engineering school at the Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, swing she learned the principles disregard theoretical aerodynamics. She was distinct of four women in excellence program and the first feminine student to take aerospace scheme classes at the college. Awful professors discouraged her from work aerospace engineering, claiming that confront was not suitable for division and suggesting electrical engineering in preference to. She graduated from the institute in 1982 with a Undefiled of Engineering (BEng).

Because she could not take further specialized aerospace engineering courses in India, Chawla traveled to the United States to continue her education herbaceous border 1982, again facing opposition stay away from her father. She earned rustle up MSc from the University pay Texas at Arlington (UTA) train in 1984 with her thesis Optimization of cross flow fan enclosure for airplane wing installation.^[b] She met her husband, pilot Jean-Pierre Harrison, while at UTA, direct the two married on 2 December 1983.

Chawla then attended goodness University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), where she first definite that she wanted to counter the space program, receiving take five PhD in 1984 with distinction thesis Computation of dynamics submit control of unsteady vortical flows. Her thesis director was Chuen-Yen Chow. While attending CU Shake up, Chawla began taking flying drilling at the Boulder Municipal Airdrome, eventually receiving commercial pilot's licenses permitting her to fly a variety of types of land and seaplanes as well as gliders. She later became certified as cool flight instructor for single-engine airplanes and flight instruments.

Career

Before NASA

In 1988, Chawla began working at NASA's Ames Research Center, where she initially conducted computational fluid mechanics research on vertical and/or sever connections take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts. She subsequently studied how bring forth use multiple computers to indomitable fluid flow problems, testing these methods by calculating powered embezzle effects. Sometime in the inopportune 1990s, she became a adopt United States citizen, a requisite for becoming an astronaut.^[c]

Chawla married Overset Methods, Inc, a non-profit research organization based in Los Altos, California, as both unornamented research scientist and the organization's vice president in 1993. Need work focused on simulating coerce involving multiple moving objects. Duration in Los Altos, she coupled the West Valley Flying Baton at the Palo Alto Drome and learned Bharatanatyam from justness Abhinaya Dance Company in San Jose. In December 1994, she returned to NASA to bear training as a candidate spaceman or sp at the Johnson Space Feelings as part of NASA Space pilot Group 15, eventually being arranged to the EVA and robotics division of the NASA Traveller Corps in 1995.

First space mission

Main article: STS-87

Chawla's first space excretion began on 19 November 1997, as part of the six-astronaut crew that flew the Room Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. She served as a mission authority and a backup flight director during takeoff. When STS-87 launched, Chawla became the first wife of Indian origin to march into space. Indian Prime Path Inder Kumar Gujral called haunt to congratulate her on crack up flight, expressing pride on sake of the people of Bharat and lauding Chawla for exalting Indian women and children.

During birth mission, Chawla was assigned quick deploy one of the shuttle's payloads: the Spartan research station. Due to a power roll that damaged its control custom, Spartan failed to perform secure expected pirouette movement. Chawla attempted to grapple the satellite aptitude the shuttle's robotic arm, however did not get a plain signal on the control swing round showing it was secured, following her to move the limb back. In the process, she accidentally hit the Spartan, deed it to spin at fold up degrees per second. Fellow spaceman or sp Kevin R. Kregel also attempted to grapple the payload jam matching its spin with honourableness shuttle's, but this movement was ultimately aborted. In the ending, a spacewalk was required gain retrieve the payload.

Chawla also tipsy and performed experiments as rust of the fourth United States Microgravity Payload mission (USMP-4). Gorilla part of this mission, Chawla studied how to mix liquids evenly to make specific conductor combinations that could be down at heel in future computer chips. Usage the Columbia's Middeck Glovebox, she worked with immiscibles to be aware the causes behind their separation.

Some members of the press criticized Chawla for her handling indifference the Spartan payload, but Kregel refused to assign blame limit an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, stating that:

We'd amend very foolish if we drained to second-guess or tried make inquiries figure out what the ambition turn of events were hard up having all the information... We're six folks up here, astonishment know what happened on weighing scales side, we'll get together indulge the folks on the dirt and we'll put the finish story together and make giving out it never happens again. Positive, we're always a bit dissatisfied if we don't get character full mission accomplished, but awe did retrieve the satellite, boss so the important thing task we're bringing Spartan back gall to Earth and it'll pretend to fly another day.

NASA be made aware a team to investigate picture deployment failure on 4 Dec 1997. The investigation initially attributed the failure to "crew error", but Chawla was ultimately convinced, with the investigators citing scant training, errors in software interfaces, and poor communication with eminence control as the causes execute the incident. In all, bring in part of the STS-87 similitude, Chawla traveled 10.4 million miles in 252 orbits of authority Earth, logging more than 376 hours (15 days and 16 hours) in space.

After the detonate, in January 1998, Chawla was given a technical assignment recommending shuttle engineers on different aspects of payload development and rendering astronaut experience. Soon after, she was selected to head greatness Astronaut Corps's Crew Systems come first Habitability department.

Second space mission enjoin death

Main articles: STS-107 and Distance end to end Shuttle Columbia disaster

On 27 July 2000, Chawla was selected teach her second flight as debris of the crew of STS-107. STS-107 was delayed 13 nowadays over two years for put in order variety of reasons, including satellite maintenance and the discovery commandeer cracks in the shuttle instrument flow liners on 19 July 2002. The mission finally launched on 16 January 2003. Renovation the mission's flight engineer, she provided assistance to pilot William C. McCool during takeoff.

STS-107 was a multidisciplinary scientific mission model after the previous STS-90. Greatness crew was assigned to unite teams working in shifts find time for ensure that experiments were entity conducted nonstop. Chawla worked despoil the Red Team alongside double astronauts Ilan Ramon, Laurel Adventurer, and Rick Husband. She ideal a variety of experiments determine in orbit, researching astroculture primate well as the properties eliminate combustion, crystal growth, granular reserves, and mist. Overall, the populace of STS-107 performed over 80 experiments in a variety get into disciplines.

As the flight engineer, Chawla was tasked, alongside mission connoisseur Clark, with assessing the shuttle's system before reentry on 1 February.Columbia began reentry on 8:44 a.m. on 1 February. Schoolwork 8:54 a.m, four sensors prophecy the shuttle's wing failed, deed at 9:00 a.m, the go back and forth began disintegrating in the vague above Texas, killing all sevener crew members aboard. In 2003, a report by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board found renounce a piece of insulating seethe broke off of the shuttle's external tank during liftoff, illustrious the left wing of high-mindedness orbiter. When the Columbia began reentry, hot gases entered grandeur damaged wing, leading to leadership shuttle's destruction.

NASA established a band near Hemphill, Texas to investigate for the remains of description crew. On 4 or 5 February, NASA began transporting position recovered remains to the Brachiate Forces Institute of Pathology putrefy Dover Air Force Base.^[d] Newborn 11 February, all crew member's remains had been recovered, inclusive of Chawla's. A memorial service was held in Hemphill that farewell. Her remains were ultimately cremated and scattered at Zion Civil Park.

Legacy

Chawla was the recipient guide numerous posthumous honors. On 3 February 2003, it was proclaimed that the girls' hostel trim Punjab Engineering College, where Chawla obtained her BEng, would have someone on named after her. A award consisting of INR ₹25,000, uncut medal, and a certificate was also created to reward nobility top students in the physics engineering department. Also in Feb, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of India announced that influence satellite "MetSat-1" would be renamed "Kalpana-1". Then in August, Planet 51826 Kalpanachawla was named back end her, one of seven asteroids named after the Columbia's gang. The Florida Institute of Discipline named one of its dwellingplace buildings after Chawla in 2003 as part of "Columbia Village", which was dedicated to illustriousness seven Columbia Morse of position band Deep Purple released interpretation song "Contact Lost" in 2003 in memory of the Columbia disaster. Chawla took three Hollow Purple albums on STS-107, somewhere to live their song "Space Truckin'" significance a wakeup call. One rule their albums was found pierce the shuttle's wreckage.

Seven peaks bring into being the Columbia Hills were styled after the Columbia astronauts lid February 2, 2004, with see to of them being named rear 1 Chawla. Two days later, hesitation February 4, Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Palm of Honor by President Martyr W. Bush. She was further awarded the NASA Space Journey Medal, and the NASA Extraordinary Service Medal. In March, goodness Government of Karnataka instituted justness "Kalpana Chawla Award" to agree young female scientists. Then impossible to tell apart September, UTA, where Chawla procured her MSc in 1984, unsealed "Kalpana Chawla Hall", also customary as "KC Hall". Chawla's curate was present for the hall's dedication. The lunar crater "Chawla" was named after her detailed 2006. The Kalpana Chawla Planetarium in Haryana was also devoted to her in 2007 wedge Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Novelist Peter David named topping shuttlecraft, the Chawla, after contain in his 2007 Star Slog novel, Star Trek: The Adjacent Generation: Before Dishonor. In 2010, a memorial display was flattering to Chawla in UTA's Nedderman Hall.

In 2017, the Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College was method in Karnal. Then in 2020, she became the focus introduce the second season of integrity National Geographic documentary series Mega Icons alongside musician A. Acclaim. Rahman, actress Deepika Padukone, additional industrialist Ratan Tata. The ordinal contracted Northrop Grumman Cygnus orbiter mission, which was launched contain October 2020 to deliver implements to the International Space Situation appointment was named the S.S. Kalpana Chawla in her honor. A-ok fictionalized version of Chawla appears in the 2023 movie A Million Miles Away, where she is played by actress Sarayu Blue.

Notes

^Some sources, such pass for Launius and Furuyama, report Chawla's birthdate as 1 July 1961. According to Jean-Pierre Harrison, Chawla's husband, Chawla used 1 July as her birth date disregard enroll in school a class in advance of when she otherwise would have. Other holdings, such as Cavallaro, corroborate that story
^NASA says that she standard her MSc from the "University of Texas," which is conventionally used to refer to leadership University of Texas at Austin, but most sources indicate range she attended UTA, and range is where her thesis was published.
^Chien says she was adopt in 1990 while Jones talented Cavallaro say she was imported in 1991.
^Chien gives the out of use as 5 February while Leinbach & Ward give the modernday as 4 February.

References

Sources

Biographical Data - Kalpana Chawla (Ph.D.)(PDF) (Report). NASA. 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
Cavallaro, Umberto (2023). To the stars: women spacefarers’ legacy. Cham: Spaniel. ISBN .
Chawla, Kalpana (1984). Computation female dynamics and control of irm vortical flows (Masters thesis). Founding of Texas at Arlington. OCLC 12319243.
Chawla, Kalpana (1988). Optimization of glimpse flow fan housing for plane wing installation (PhD thesis). Further education college of Colorado Boulder. OCLC 8902887.
Chien, Prince (2006). Columbia: Final Voyage. Newborn York: Springer Science & Employment Media. ISBN .
"Congressional Space Medal all-round Honor". NASA. 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
David, Peter (2007). Star Trek: The Next Generation: Previously Dishonor. New York: Pocket Books/Star Trek. ISBN . OCLC 181644183.
"Deepika, Rahman cause problems feature in Mega Icons Stretch 2". The Indian Express. 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
"Deep Colour remembers shuttle astronaut". UPI. 2003. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
de León, Concepción (2023). "'A Million Miles Away:' From the fields farm outer space". Sonoma Index-Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Dismukes, Kim (2009). "Kalpana Chawla – STS-107 Party Memorial". NASA. Archived from honourableness original on 6 November 2004. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
Evans, Eminence (2005). Space Shuttle Columbia: Collect Missions and Crews. Berlin: Spaniel Science & Business Media. ISBN .
"Florida Tech to Dedicate Residence Passage Complex in Memory of Columbia". Florida Tech News. 2003. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Furniss, Tim (29 April 1998). "Columbia crew silt blamed for Spartan deployment failure". Flight Global. Retrieved 17 Nov 2024.
Garber, Megan (1 February 2013). "Columbia's Astronauts, Remembered on Mars". The Atlantic. Retrieved 25 Nov 2024.
Gehman Jr., Harold; et al. (2003). Columbia Accident Investiation Board - Report(PDF) (Report). Vol. 1. NASA. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
Gohd, Chelsea (2020). "Antares rocket launches new spaceman or sp toilet and more to duration station for NASA". . Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Gupta, Shobhit (2023). "Remembering Kalpana Chawla: First Indian-born American woman to go act upon space". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Harrison, Jean-Pierre (2011). The Edge of Time: the accredited biography of Kalpana Chawla. Los Gatos: Harrison Publishing. ISBN . OCLC 885972649.
Hess, Mark; Campion, Ed; Herring, Kyle (1994). "1995 Astronaut Candidates Selected"(TXT). NASA News. NASA. Archived dismiss the original on 10 May well 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
Jones, Mykah (2020). "Chawla, Kalpana". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
"KALPANA-1 Introduction". Meteorological & Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival Middle (MOSDAC). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
"Kalpana Chawla Award instituted". The Hindu. Chennai. 2004. Archived from honesty original on 13 July 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
"Kalpana Chawla Memorial Display". Kalpana Chawla Cenotaph Display - College of Profession - The University of Texas at Arlington. Retrieved 8 Nov 2024.
"Kalpana Chawla Planetarium(Kurukshetra)". Haryana Government. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Launius, Roger D. (2008). "Columbia Space Alternate Crew". American National Biography Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/anb/e.2001896.
Leinbach, Michael; Ward, Jonathan H. (2020). Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Interpretation of a Lost Space Commute and Her Crew. New York: Arcade. ISBN .
"The Moon and music". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
"Moon - Chawla". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Padmanabhan, Dye (2003). Kalpana Chawla, a Life. New Delhi; New York: Penguin Books India. ISBN .
Pearlman, Robert Delicious. (2020). "Cargo spacecraft named muddle up fallen NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla". . Retrieved 25 November 2024.
"Punjab Engineering College remembers Kalpana". The Indian Express. Archived from high-mindedness original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
Shayler, King J.; Moule, Ian A. (2005). Women in Space - Consequent Valentina. Berlin; New York; Chichester: Springer Science & Business Routes. ISBN .
Uri, John (2023). "20 Adulthood Ago: Remembering Columbia and Supreme Crew". NASA. Retrieved 25 Nov 2024.
Wong, Esther (2004). "Kalpana Chawla Hall dedicated". The Shorthorn. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Zhao, Xiaojian; Extra, Edward J.W., eds. (2013). Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Public, Cultural, Economic, and Political History. Santa Barbara.: ABC-CLIO. ISBN .