Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian origin woman to go to space. Today we remember the first Indian American astronaut on her birthday. Kalpana Chawla was born on 17th March 1962 in Karnal, India.
Here are some interesting facts about Kalpana Chawla:
1. Official Name: Kalpana Chawla was never given an official name by her parents who called her Monto. But when Chawla had to join nursery the Principal asked for a name. Chawla’s aunt explained that the family was confused with either Kalpana, Jyotsna and Sunaina. The Principal looked at Chawla and asked her what she would prefer to which she said Kalpana.
2. Inspiration: Kalpana was heavily influenced by J.R.D Tata, India’s first licensed pilot.
3. Birth Certificate Error: Chawla was born on the 17th of March 1962 but her birth certificate shows the 1st of July 1961 to ease admission procedures.
4. Education: She studied at Karnal’s Tagore Bal Niketan School till the 10th grade. To honor Chawla’s legacy, NASA sponsors two students every year to attend a space program at the International Space School Foundation in Houston.
5. Nickname: She graduated with an engineering degree from Punjab Engineering College (PEC) in Chandigarh. The girl’s hostel at PEC has been named Chawla in her honor.
6. Martial Arts: Kalpana learned Karate during her time at PEC. Her husband Jean Pierre Harrison said Kalpana was the kind who would learn anything that caught her interest.
7.Meeting Her Husband: Her husband who was a flying instructor taught Kalpana how to fly after which she earned a Private Pilot License.
8. Dedicated Book: Harrison wrote a book on Kalpana after her passing, titled The Edge of Time: The Authoritative Biography of Kalpana Chawla.
9. Hurdles: Kalpana’s career was not always successful in fact she was rejected the first time she applied for NASA in 1993. But then in 1994, she was accepted to the 1995 batch.
10. Career Boost: Kalpana was made Vice President of Overset Methods Inc., at NASA Research Center after her first successful mission in space.
11. Awards: She was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, NASA Space Flight Medal and NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
12. An inspiring woman: After her first mission Kalpana was quoted saying, “When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just of any particular piece of land, but from the solar system.”
13. In Memory Of: A number of things and places have been named after Kalpana. They are the first Indian weather satellite called Kalpana 1, a NASA supercomputer, a planetarium in Kurukshetra, a hill on Mars and an asteroid named the 51826 Kalpanachawla. This asteroid circles the Sun between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.
14. The Tragic Accident: Her second mission was onboard the STS-107 Columbia Space Shuttle in 2003. On the 1st of February 2003, while the Space Shuttle attempted to land a malfunction in the shuttle caused it to explode mid air over Texas. On this day, the world lost Kalpana and six other astronauts in a devastating accident.
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