On February 1, 2003 Kalpana Chawla was killed in the Columbia space shuttle disaster
Indian born American astronaut Kalpana Chawla was on the Columbia space shuttle on February 1, 2003 which met with a fatal accident. Rick Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon were also killed on the mission.
This was Kalpana Chawla’s second mission to space.
She was born in Karnal, Haryana
Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana on March 17, 1962. She did her schooling from Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School, Karnal.
She earned a Bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College.
In 1984 she received a Master degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.
She also had a PhD in aerospace engineering.
Her first space mission was in 1997
On November 19, 1997 Kalpana went for her first space mission. She was a part of a six-astronaut crew in the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87.
She was the first Indian origin woman to go to space
In 1997 when Kalpana embarked on her first space mission she not just fulfilled her childhood dream, she set a milestone and broke a record.
With this she helped many young girls in the country see a new dream.
"You are just your intelligence"
While traveling in space in her first mission, she said "You are just your intelligence."
On her first space mission she had completed 252 orbits of the earth in 15 days and 16 hours.
She went for the second space mission in 2003
In 2003, Kalpana with six other astronauts went onboard on the STS-107 Space Shuttle Columbia.
While re-entering the earth's atmosphere, the Columbia disintegrated, killing all the crews.
She was married to Jean-Pierre Harrison
Kalpana Chawla was married to Jean-Pierre Harrison in 1983.
In 2017, Harrison had written a post on Quora saying that filmmakers had approached him to make a movie on Kalpana and he has never said yes to them.
Important things to know about Kalpana Chawla
A lunar crater has been named after her, Chawla.
A street in Rayon Nagar, a village in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu has been named after her.
The Kalpana Chawla Award was instituted by Karnataka govt to award young women scientists.
Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal, Haryana which was established in 2017 was named after her.
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"Remembering #KalpanaChawla, the first woman of Indian origin in space, and all other crew members who lost their lives in the Columbia space shuttle crash. Kalpana Chawla’s legacy continues to inspire #WomenInSTEM to pursue their dreams!," US Embassy India has tweeted today.
Paying respect to the crew, NASA's Johnson Space Center has tweeted: "We remember the crews who were lost in the ultimate sacrifice: giving their lives in service to their country and for the benefit of all people. Their dedication to space exploration is an inspiration to each of us, and we will continue to honor their legacy."
