Dr. Kalpana Chawla
An American astronaut, engineer, and the first woman of Indian descent to go to space
Here's a time Line of Dr. Chawla's life:
- 1962 - Born in Karnal, Haryana, India.
- 1976 - Chawla graduated from the Tagore School, where she was a high-performing student
- 1982 - After getting a Bachelor of Engineering degree, in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, she moved to the United States.
- 1984- Obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984.
- 1986 - Chawla went on to earn a second Masters.
- 1988 - PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder.
- 1988 - She began working at NASA Ames Research Center.
- 1993 - She joined Overset Methods, Inc. as Vice President and Research Scientist specializing.
- 1991 - Became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
- 1996 - She joined the corps in March 1995 and was selected for her first flight.
- 1997 - Her first space mission began as part of the six-astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. Chawla was the first Indian woman to fly in space.
- 2001 - Chawla was selected for her second
flight as part of the crew of STS-107. - 2003 - Chawla finally returned to space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on the ill-fated STS-107 mission.
- 2003 - Chawla died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, along with the other six crew members.
“The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it."
– Dr. Kalpana Chawla
Dr. Chawla contribution will inpsire millions of girls around the world to enter into the field of science and technology.
Wikipedia Reading
Honors and Recognition
NASA has dedicated a supercomputer to Chawla.
The NASA Mars Exploration Rover mission has named one of the seven peaks in a chain of hills named after Chawla.
The University of Texas, where Chawla obtained a MS degree in aerospace engineering, opened a dormitory named Kalpana Chawla Hall.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, named the Kalpana Chawla Space Technology Cell in her honor.