Kalpana chawla family biography examples

  • Kalpana chawla story

    • Kalpana Chawla was a pioneering astronaut and aerospace engineer who became the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space. Her remarkable journey from Karnal, India, to the stars is an inspiring tale of perseverance and achievement.

    Kalpana Chawla became the first woman born in India and the second Indian overall to journey into space, after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma’s flight in 1984. During her initial space mission, Chawla covered a distance of over 10.4 million miles through 252 orbits around the Earth. Throughout this journey, she spent more than 372 hours in space.

    Early Life and Education

    • Early Life: Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana, India. She was the youngest of four children in a family that valued education and hard work. From a young age, Kalpana was fascinated by the sky and flying, often drawing pictures of airplanes.
    • Education: Kalpana completed her schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School in Karnal. She earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, India. To further her education, she moved to the United States, where she obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and a second Master’s and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.

    Career and Achievements

    • Career Beginnings: Kalpana Chawla started her career at NASA’s Ames Research Center, where she worked on power-lift computational fluid dynamics. Her dedication and expertise quickly earned her a position as a vice president and research scientist at Overset Methods, Inc.
    • Major Achievements: In 1994, Kalpana Chawla was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. Her first space mission was aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997, where she served as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. This mission made her the first Indian-born wo

    Kalpana Chawla, PhD, was an engineer, pilot, and astronaut who spent more than 30 days in space over two Space Shuttle missions.

    Chawla was born in Karnal, India, and was fascinated by flight since her childhood. She earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Panjab Engineering College, a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas-Arlington, and a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Chawla held numerous pilot licenses, including for airplanes, gliders, and seaplanes.

    After completing her PhD in 1988, Chawla joined NASA’s Ames Research Center, where she specialized in the fluid dynamics of aircraft. She later continued aerodynamics research in the private sector. In 1991 Chawla became a United States citizen. NASA selected Chawla as an astronaut in late 1994 and she began astronaut training in 1995.

    In addition to preparing for spaceflight, astronauts are also tasked with ground-based technical projects. Chawla worked on the development of the Robotic Situational Awareness Display, a tool to help astronauts operate robotic arms. She also tested space shuttle control software.

     

    Chawla flew on two Space Shuttle missions as a mission specialist. On November 19, 1997, she launched on board Space Shuttle Columbia as part of STS-87. Chawla specialized in operating the robotic arm, which she used to deploy the Spartan Satellite. During the 16-day mission, the crew conducted numerous experiments, with a focus on materials science. Chawla made history as the first Indian woman, and the first South Asian American woman, to fly in space. Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumal Gujral called Chawla in space to congratulate her on her journey and express pride in her representing India in space.

    On January 16, 2003, Chawla launched on board Space Shuttle Columbia once more as part of STS-107. During this 16-day mission, the crew performed over 80 scientific experiments, with Chawla overs

    Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) was born in Karnal, India. She was the first Indian - American astronaut and first Indian woman in space. She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In 2003, Kalpana Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.



    Education


    Kalpana Chawla completed her earlier schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan Sr. Sec. School, Karnal. She completed Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Punjab Engineering College at Chandigarh in 1982. She moved to the United States in 1982 and obtained a M.S. degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984. Kalpana Chawla went on to earn a second M.S. degree in 1986 and a PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Later that year she began working at the NASA Ames Research Center as vice president of Overset Methods, Inc. where she did CFD research on Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing concepts. Kalpana Chawla held a Certificated Flight Instructor rating for airplanes, gliders and Commercial Pilot licenses for single and multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes and gliders.

    NASA CAREER


    Kalpana Chawla joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in March 1995 and was selected for her first flight in 1996. She spoke the following words while traveling in the weightlessness of space,"You are just your intelligence". She had traveled 10.67 million km, as many as 252 times around the Earth.

    Her first space mission began on November 19, 1997 as part of the six-astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian-born woman and the second Indian person to fly in space, following cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma who flew in 1984 in a spacecraft. On her first mission, Chawla traveled over 10.4 million miles in 252 orbits of the earth, logging more than 372 hours

    Kalpana Chawla Biography: Death Anniversary, Family, Age, Education, Space Missions, Awards, Legacy, and More

    Kalpana Chawla Biography: How can we forget the first Indian-born woman to go into space. She is none other than Kalpana Chawla. Today is her death anniversary. On this day in 2003, she lost her life when the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed. While re-entering into Earth's atmosphere, the spacecraft broke out and killed all seven astronauts on board. 

    Despite never returning to Earth, her legacy has lived on. Here we are describing in short her life story that not only inspires young people but also women who want to pursue their dream. Her passion and hard work allowed her to achieve her dreams. Take a look!

    Kalpana Chawla Biography

    NicknameMontu
    Born17 March 1962
    Place of BirthKarnal, India
    Died

    1 February 2003

    Aboard Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas, U.S.

    Parents

    Father: Banarasi Lal Chawla

    Mother: Sanjyothi Chawla

    Siblings4 ( She is the youngest of four children)
    Alma materPunjab Engineering College (BE)
    University of Texas at Arlington (MS)
    University of Colorado at Boulder (MS, PhD)
    AwardsCongressional Space Medal of Honour 
    The NASA Space Flight Medal
    The NASA Distinguished Service Medal
    SelectionSelected by NASA in December 1994
    MissionsSTS-87, STS-107

    Kalpana Chawla Biography: Family, Husband, Child, Age, Early Life and Hobbies

    She was born on 17 March 1962 in Karnal, India. Her father was Banarasi Lal Chawla and her mother was Sanjyothi Chawla. She was the youngest of four children. She was called by her parents Montu until she started school. When she entered education, Chawla picked her own name. The name 'Kalpana' means "idea" or "imagination". She often went by the nickname K.C.  She enjoyed flying, hiking, back-packing, and reading.

    READ| Nirmala Sitharaman Biography: Birth, Age, Family, Education, Political Career, Recognitions, and More About Fi

  • Kalpana chawla son
  • Kalpana chawla childhood
  • Kalpana chawla children