Kalpana Chawla
(1962-2003)
Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-American astronaut and the first Indian-born woman to go to space. Chawla was born on March 17, 1962 in Karnal, Haryana, India. In 1982, she graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Punjab Engineering College. She moved to the United States in the same year, where she studied at the University of Texas, graduating with a master's degree in aerospace engineering in 1984. After earning a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado in 1988, Chawla began working at NASA's Ames Research Center, "where she did computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research on vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts." Chawla became a U.S. citizen in 1991, and, in 1993, she joined Overset Methods Inc. as Vice President and Research Scientist. In December of 1994, she was selected as a member of the 15th Group of Astronauts by NASA and began training in 1995. Upon completion of her training, Chawla was assigned as "crew representative to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office EVA/Robotics and Computer Branches." On November 19, 1997, Chawla entered space for the first time, becoming the first Indian-born woman to do so. She spent 16 days aboard Space Shuttle Columbia as part of STS-87. Chawla was selected as a crew member of STS-107 in 2000, her second flight. Space Shuttle Columbia launched on January 16, 2003 after a series of delays. Throughout the 16-day mission, the crew "performed nearly 80 experiments studying Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety." During the launch, a piece of foam insulation struck the port wing of the orbiter. Upon re-entry on February 1, "the damage allowed hot atmospheric gases to penetrate and destroy the internal wing structure, which caused the spacecraft to become unstable and break apart." Chawla, along with her crew mates Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Laurel B. Clark, Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, and Ilan Ramon, died. Chawla posthumously received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
Crew of STS-107
Sources
NASA, Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, The Astronauts Memorial Foundation
