Kalpana Chawla

• The death anniversary of Kalpana Chawla was observed recently on February 1^st.
• She was an Indian-American astronaut who made history as the first Indian-origin woman to go to space.

ABOUT KALPANA CHAWLA

• Kalpana Chawla was born on 17 March 1962, in Karnal, Haryana.
• After completing her undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh in 1982, she moved to the United States to pursue her Master’s degree.
• In 1988, Chawla joined NASA’s Ames Research Center, where she worked on various projects related to space exploration.
• Chawla’s first journey into space came in 1997 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-87.
• During this historic mission, she served as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
  • Her second and final space mission, STS-107, took place in 2003 and was dedicated to science and research.
• On 1^st February 2003, Chawla and six fellow astronauts were just 16 minutes away from landing on Earth after 15 days in space.
  • Then, at an altitude of 200,000 feet, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated into little bits, killing all on board.
• She was honoured with numerous awards and recognitions including the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.