Kalpana Chawla: A Journey from Karnal to the Stars Through Education and Academic Excellence
Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-born American astronaut and aerospace engineer, was the first woman of Indian origin to venture into space, becoming an inspiration to millions worldwide. Born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana, India, she tragically died on February 1, 2003, during the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. This article delves into her educational path and academic qualifications, highlighting the milestones that paved her way to becoming a pioneering figure in space exploration.
Early Life and Education in India
Kalpana Chawla completed her schooling from Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School, Karnal. From a young age, Chawla was captivated by flight, often visiting local flying clubs with her father to watch airplanes. After completing her schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan Sr. Sec. School, Karnal, she pursued basic engineering courses at Dayal Singh College in Karnal.
In 1977, she completed a year of pre-university education at Kumari Vidyavati Anand DAV College for Women, also in Karnal. Since Karnal did not have an engineering college, she moved to Chandigarh to study at Punjab Engineering College. In 1982 she became the first woman to receive a degree in aeronautical engineering from the college, earning a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, in 1982, finishing third in her class.
Higher Education in the United States
In 1982, Chawla moved to the United States to pursue further studies. She obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984. During her time at Arlington, Chawla met Jean-Pierre Harrison, a French-born flight instructor and aviation writer, whom she married on December 2, 1983, at the age of 21. Kalpana Chawla went on to earn a second Master's in 1986 and a PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Early Career and NASA
In 1988, Chawla began working at NASA Ames Research Center, where she did computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research on vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts. Much of Chawla's research is included in technical journals and conference papers. She concentrated her research on the simulation of complex air flows encountered around aircraft such as the Harrier in "ground-effect." Following completion of this project she supported research in mapping of flow solvers to parallel computers, and testing of these solvers by carrying out powered lift computations. She was responsible for development and implementation of efficient techniques to perform aerodynamic optimization. Results of various projects that Kalpana Chawla participated in are documented in technical conference papers and journals.
Read also: What makes a quality PE curriculum?
She later worked as vice president and Research Scientist specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. Chawla held a Certified Flight Instructor rating for airplanes, gliders and Commercial Pilot licenses for single and multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes and gliders.
NASA Astronaut Corps
After becoming a U.S. citizen in April 1991, she applied for the NASA Astronaut Corps. Chawla joined the corps in March 1995 and was selected for her first flight in 1997. After completing a year of training and evaluation, she was assigned as crew representative to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office EVA/Robotics and Computer Branches. Her assignments included work on development of Robotic Situational Awareness Displays and testing space shuttle control software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory. In November, 1996, Kalpana Chawla was assigned as mission specialist and prime robotic arm operator on STS-87. In January 1998, she was assigned as crew representative for shuttle and station flight crew equipment, and subsequently served as lead for Astronaut Offices Crew Systems and Habitability section.
First Space Mission: STS-87
Chawla's first space mission began on November 19, 1997, as part of the six-astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. Chawla was the first Indian woman to go in space. She spoke the following words while traveling in the weightlessness of space: "You are just your intelligence." Chawla had traveled 10.67 million km, as many as 252 times around the Earth. On her first mission, Chawla traveled 10.4/6.5 million miles in 252 orbits of the earth, logging more than 376 hours (15 days and 16 hours) in space. During STS-87, she was responsible for deploying the Spartan Satellite which malfunctioned, necessitating a spacewalk by Winston Scott and Takao Doi to capture the satellite. A five-month NASA investigation exonerated [19] Chawla by identifying errors in software interfaces and the defined procedures of the flight crew and ground control. After the completion of STS-87 post-flight activities, Chawla was assigned to technical positions in the astronaut office to work on the space station.
Second Space Mission and the Columbia Disaster: STS-107
In 2000, Chawla was selected for her second flight as part of the crew of STS-107. This mission was repeatedly delayed due to scheduling conflicts and technical problems such as the July 2002 discovery of cracks in the shuttle engine flow liners. On January 16, 2003, Chawla finally returned to space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on the ill-fated STS-107 mission. The crew performed nearly 80 experiments studying Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety. On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, killing all seven astronauts, including Kalpana Chawla.
Legacy and Honors
Kalpana Chawla's legacy continues to inspire generations, particularly young women in India and across the globe, to pursue their dreams in STEM fields. Her contributions to aerospace engineering and space exploration have been recognized through numerous awards and honors:
Read also: Maximize Savings on McGraw Hill Education
- The fourteenth contracted Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft mission delivering supplies to the ISS was named the S.S. Kalpana Chawla after her.
- Asteroid 51826 Kalpana Chawla, one of seven named after the Columbia's crew.
- The lunar crater Chawla is named after Kalpana Chawla.
- On 5 February 2003, the Prime Minister of India at the time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, announced that a meteorological series of satellites, MetSat, was to be renamed "Kalpana 1". The first satellite of the series, "MetSat-1", launched by India on 12 September 2002, was renamed "Kalpana-1".
- 74th Street in the "Little India" of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, New York, United States, has been renamed "Kalpana Chawla Way" in her honor.
- In honor of her, a street was named Kalpana Chawla Street in Rayon Nagar in Sirumugai, a village in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
- The Kalpana Chawla Award was instituted by the Government of Karnataka in 2004 to recognize young women scientists.
- NASA has dedicated a supercomputer to Chawla.
- One of Florida Institute of Technology's student apartment complexes, Columbia Village Suites, has halls named after each of the astronauts, including Chawla.
- The NASA Mars Exploration Rover mission has named seven peaks in a chain of hills, named the Columbia Hills, after each of the seven astronauts lost in the Columbia shuttle disaster. One of them is Chawla Hill, named after Chawla.
- Steve Morse from the band Deep Purple created the song "Contact Lost" in memory of the Columbia tragedy.
- Novelist Peter David named a shuttlecraft, the Chawla, after the astronaut in his 2007 Star Trek novel, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Before Dishonor.
- The Kalpana Chawla ISU Scholarship fund was founded by alumni of the International Space University (ISU) in 2010 to support Indian women's participation in international space education programs.
- The Kalpana Chawla Memorial Scholarship program was instituted by the Indian Students Association (ISA) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 2005 for meritorious graduate students.
- The Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Alumni Award at the University of Colorado, given since 1983, was renamed after Chawla.
- The University of Texas at Arlington, where Chawla obtained a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering in 1984, opened a dormitory named Kalpana Chawla Hall in 2004. In addition, the university dedicated the Kalpana Chawla Memorial on 3 May 2010, in Nedderman Hall, one of the primary buildings in the College of Engineering.
- The girls' hostel (what a university dormitory is called in India) at Punjab Engineering College is named after Chawla. In addition, an award of INR twenty-five thousand, a medal, and a certificate is instituted for the best student in the Aeronautical Engineering department.
- The Government of Haryana established the Kalpana Chawla Planetarium in Jyotisar, Kurukshetra.
- The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, named the Kalpana Chawla Space Technology Cell in her honor.
- Delhi Technological University named a girls' hostel block after Chawla.
- A military housing development at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, has been named Columbia Colony and includes a street named Chawla Way.
- A hostel block in Pondicherry University has been named after Chawla.
- Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) is a Medical college located in Karnal, Haryana, India named after Chawla. Kalpana was born in Karnal.
- The National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra named a girls' hostel after Chawla.
- The Orissa University of Technology & Research (OUTR), Bhubaneswar named a girls' hostel after Chawla.
- The National Institute of Technology, Bhopal named a girls' hostel Kalpana Chawla Bhawan.
- On 1 April 2022, a satellite named after Chawla (ÃuSat 24 or "Kalpana", COSPAR 2022-033X) was launched into space as part of the Satellogic Aleph-1 constellation.
Read also: Becoming a Neonatal Nurse
tags: #kalpana #chawla #education #and #academic #qualifications
