American ASTRONAUT KALPANA CHAWLA.
                     AMERICAN ASTRONAUT KALPANA 
CHAWLA
KALPANA CHAWLA
Kalpana Chawla was an American astronaut, engineer, 
and the fi rst woman of Indian origin to go to space. 
She fi rst flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a 
mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. 
She is regarded as a national hero in India.
Source: Google Images
LEGACY
 In 2003, Chawla 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. Chawla was posthumously awarded 
the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and several 
streets, universities and institutions have been named 
in her honor.
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EARLY LIFE
Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, 
Haryana, India, but her offi cial date of birth was 
altered to July 1, 1961, to allow her to become eligible 
for the matriculation exam. As a child, Kalpana was 
fascinated by aero planes and flying. She went to local 
flying clubs and watched planes with her father.
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STUDIES
After getting a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 
Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering 
College, India, she moved to the United States and 
obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace 
Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. 
Chawla went on to earn a second Masters and a PhD in 
aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado 
Boulder.
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JOINING NASA
 In 1988, she began working at NASA Ames Research 
Center, where she did computational fluid dynamics 
(CFD) research on vertical and/or short take-off  and 
landing (V/STOL) concepts. After becoming a 
naturalized U.S. citizen in April 1991, Chawla applied 
for the NASA Astronaut Corps.
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FINAL MISSION
 In 2000, Chawla was selected for her second voyage 
into space, serving again as a mission specialist on 
STS-107. The mission was delayed several times, and 
finally launched in 2003. Over the course of the 16-
day fl ight, the crew completed more than 80 
experiments.
Source: Google Images
FATEFUL DAY
On the morning of Feb 1, 2003, the space shuttle 
returned to Earth, intending to land at Kennedy Space 
Center. At launch, a briefcase-sized piece of insulation 
had broken off  and damaged the thermal protection 
system of the shuttle's wing, the shield that protects it 
from heat during re-entry. As the shuttle passed through 
the atmosphere, hot gas streaming into the wing caused 
it to break up. 
Source: Google Images
CRASH
The unstable craft rolled and bucked, pitching the 
astronauts about. Less than a minute passed before the 
ship depressurized, killing the crew. The shuttle broke 
up over Texas and Louisiana before plunging into the 
ground. The accident was the second major disaster for 
the space shuttle program, following the 1986 
explosion of the shuttle Challenger.
Source: Google Images
A GREAT ASTRONAUT
Over the course of her two missions, Chawla logged 
30 days, 14 hours, and 54 minutes in space. After her 
fi rst launch, she said, "When you look at the stars 
and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from 
any particular piece of land, but from the solar 
system."
Source: Google Images