Kalpana Chawla: A True Hero 

The AAPI Biography project was created by Dr. Jiang Pu in summer 2021, which led to the world's first student-made AAPI Bio online library.

NextGen Edu AAPI (Asian American & Pacific Islanders) Biography Project

Blue polka dot border

In 1988 she received a doctorate in aeronautics from the University of Colorado. She was now declared as Dr. Kalpana Chawla. By the time she graduated, Kalpana had already learned how to fly a plane! She adored flying and enjoyed performing stunts in her plane.&nbsp;

“The earth views were absolutely magical."

In March of 1995, NASA chose Kalpana to be part of their astronaut crew. In 1996, NASA made Kalpana a mission specialist, a scientist trained to perform experiments in space.&nbsp;

In 1981, Kalpana studied in an Engineering college in Punjab. She was the only woman who studied Aeronautics. When selecting the course, her professors tried to dissuade her, as there were limited opportunities for girls in India following this career path. Neverthless, Kalpana was adamant that this was the subject for her. Her determination motivated her to immigrate to settle and pursue a career in the United States.

Unfortunately, her father wasn’t very pleased. He wanted her to follow the ordinary path: get married, have children, and start a family. After relentless attempts to persuading her father to let her go, Kalpana succeeded. He helped her get into the University of Texas, where she continued to study Aeronautics.

Despite her dire death, Kalpana’s reputation lives on. The University of Texas dedicated a Kalpana Chawla memorial at the Arlington College of Engineering in 2010. In October 2020, a commercial cargo spacecraft named after Chawla was launched to the International Space Station. Unquestionably, Kalpana Chawla will never be forgotten, as inspired so many people around the world to follow their dreams and never give up.

Despite her never returning to Earth, Kalpana’s legacy has lived on. This is the life story of both an astronaut and engineer, whose hard work and passion allowed her to achieve her dream, while inspiring millions of young people across the world

What made Kalpana Chawla an inspiring hero to people all around the world? Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman to have ventured into outer space. She was chosen to be a part of the Space Shuttle Columbia team that launched into outer space in 1997. Tragically, on February 1, 2003, NASA's Space shuttle Columbia exploded while reentering Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven crew members including Kalpana Chawla.

Things seemed to be going smoothly until early dawn on February 1, 2003. The space shuttle returned to Earth, intending to land at Kennedy Space Center. However, at the launch, a large 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 disintegrate. The unstable missile rolled and spun, casting the astronauts tossing and turning about. Less than a minute passed before the ship broke apart, tragically killing the crew.

Smrithi is a middle schooler in Pleasanton, California. Smrithi started writing short stories at the age of 5 and has been keeping up with her passion ever since. She enjoys learning new languages, and has just started learning Sanskrit. She is an art-lover and spends lot of her leisure time writing and drawing.

Kalpana’s first flight was on STS-87. In addition to being a mission specialist, she was also the robotic arm operator. She was in charge of releasing a satellite into space.&nbsp; Furthermore, in 2000, Chawla was selected for her second voyage into space, serving again as a mission specialist on STS-87. Unfortunately, the mission was delayed several times, but finally launched in 2003. Over the course of the 16-day flight, the crew completed more than 80 experiments.

Kalpana attended Tagore Bal Niketan School in Karnal. Her brother, Sanjay, would call her a tomboy, as she used to cut her own hair, never wore ironed clothes, and learned karate, a form of martial arts.&nbsp;

At an early time, Kalpana was already absorbed in anything related to aerospace. She drew pictures, and created models of the universe for her classes, which helped her develop a stronger fondness towards aerospace. She especially enjoyed science.

Kalpana Chawla was brought to Mother Earth on July 1, 1961, youngest in a family of six. From a young age, Kalpana was very adventurous and wouldn’t hesitate to take risks. Kalpana’s childhood brought her early experiences with excitement. She had plenty of goals for herself, and was determined to live life by her own rules.&nbsp;

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.