Who Was Kalpana Chawla ?
Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) stands as a prominent figure in the fields of aerospace engineering and space exploration, being recognized as the first woman of Indian descent to journey into space. Chawla cultivated a passion for aerospace engineering from a young age, undertaking engineering courses at Dayal Singh College and Punjab Engineering College in India. Subsequently, she immigrated to the United States, where she acquired both her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees, ultimately becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States in the early 1990s.
Her initial spaceflight occurred in 1997 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, where she served as a mission specialist and operated the robotic arm during STS-87. Chawla’s involvement in this mission was marked by some controversy, following the unsuccessful deployment of the Shuttle-Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy (referred to as “Spartan”). Her subsequent space mission, STS-107 in 2003, was tragically the final flight of Columbia, during which all seven crew members perished due to the disintegration of the spacecraft upon reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003.
In recognition of her contributions to space exploration, Chawla was posthumously bestowed with several prestigious awards, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. Numerous buildings, spacecraft, and extraterrestrial features have also been named in her honor, reflecting her enduring legacy.
Kalpana Chawla Early Life and Educational Background
Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana, India, to Banarsi Lal Chawla, a tire manufacturing enterprise owner, and Sanjogta Kharbanda. Her family, originally Punjabi Hindus from Gujranwala (now in Pakistan), migrated to India as refugees during the partition. Chawla had three siblings, including two sisters, Sunita and Dipa, along with her brother, Sanjay. Despite her early enthusiasm for aerospace engineering, Chawla faced dismissal from her father, who believed that this field was predominantly suited for men, instead urging her to pursue a career in medicine or education. She completed her secondary education at Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School in Karnal, graduating in 1976 with a commendable academic record.
Chawla undertook fundamental engineering courses at Dayal Singh College, later moving to Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, where she delved into the principles of theoretical aerodynamics. As one of only four women enrolled in her program, she became the first female student to attend aerospace engineering classes at the college. Despite facing discouragement from some professors who suggested she pursue electrical engineering instead, Chawla graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree.
Due to the unavailability of advanced aerospace engineering courses in India, she ventured to the United States in 1982 to further her education, despite her father’s opposition. At the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), she earned her Master’s degree in 1984, completing her thesis on the optimization of cross-flow fan housing for integration into airplane wings. During her time at UTA, she met her husband, pilot Jean-Pierre Harrison, and the couple married on December 2, 1983.
Chawla subsequently attended the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), where she solidified her ambition to be part of the space program, culminating in her Ph.D. attainment in 1988. Her doctoral thesis focused on the computation of dynamics and control of unsteady vortical flows, supervised by Chuen-Yen Chow. While studying at CU Boulder, Chawla also pursued flying lessons at Boulder Municipal Airport, ultimately obtaining commercial pilot’s licenses that allowed her to operate various types of land and seaplanes, as well as gliders. Additionally, she achieved certification as a flight instructor for single-engine airplanes and flight instruments.
Career of Kalpana Chawla
Pre-NASA Period
Kalpana Chawla commenced her professional journey at NASA’s Ames Research Center in 1988, where she primarily engaged in research pertaining to computational fluid dynamics, specifically focusing on vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts. Her research agenda evolved to encompass investigations on the utilization of multiple computers to address fluid flow challenges, wherein she empirically validated these methodologies by evaluating powered lift effects. In the early 1990s, Chawla became a naturalized citizen of the United States, fulfilling an essential criterion for astronaut aspirants.
In 1993, Chawla assumed the roles of both research scientist and vice president at Overset Methods, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Los Altos, California. Her research concentrated on simulating scenarios involving multiple moving entities. While residing in Los Altos, she actively participated in the West Valley Flying Club at the Palo Alto Airport and took up Bharatanatyam, a classical dance form, at the Abhinaya Dance Company in San Jose. In December of 1994, Chawla returned to NASA to undertake astronaut candidate training at the Johnson Space Center, becoming a member of NASA Astronaut Group 15 and subsequently being assigned to the EVA and robotics division of the Astronaut Corps in 1995.
Inaugural Space Mission
Chawla’s first venture into space began on November 19, 1997, as part of a six-member astronaut crew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-87 mission. In her capacity as a mission specialist and backup flight engineer during launch, she made history as the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space. Following her flight, Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral conveyed his congratulations, expressing national pride and highlighting Chawla’s role as an inspiration for Indian women and youth.
During the mission, Chawla was responsible for deploying one of the shuttle’s payloads, specifically the Spartan research module. A malfunction, characterized by a power surge that adversely affected Spartan’s control system, resulted in its failure to execute the expected maneuvers. Despite her attempts to secure the satellite with the shuttle’s robotic arm, Chawla encountered difficulties that culminated in the satellite spinning at two degrees per second. Fellow astronaut Kevin R. Kregel also attempted to rendezvous with the payload, but ultimately, the effort was aborted, necessitating a spacewalk to retrieve the Spartan module.
Additionally, Chawla oversaw and conducted experiments integral to the fourth United States Microgravity Payload mission (USMP-4). Her research during this mission focused on the mixing of liquids to produce specific metal alloys intended for future computer chip applications. Utilizing the Columbia’s Middeck Glovebox, she engaged with immiscible substances to explore the underlying factors contributing to their segregation. Following the mission, a team was assembled to investigate the deployment failure on December 4, 1997. Although initial findings attributed the failure to “crew error,” Chawla was ultimately cleared of responsibility as investigators recognized deficiencies in training, flaws in software interfaces, and inadequate communication with ground control as contributing factors. Throughout the STS-87 mission, Chawla traveled 10.4 million miles, completing 252 orbits of Earth and accruing over 376 hours (15 days and 16 hours) in space.
In January 1998, post-mission, Chawla received a technical assignment, advising shuttle engineers on various aspects of payload development and the astronaut experience. Shortly thereafter, she was appointed to head the Crew Systems and Habitability department within the Astronaut Corps.
Legacy of Kalpana Chawla
Following her tragic demise, Kalpana Chawla received a multitude of posthumous accolades. On February 3, 2003, it was officially announced that a girls’ hostel at Punjab Engineering College, where she completed her Bachelor of Engineering, would be named in her honor. Additionally, a prize comprising ₹25,000 (INR), a medal, and a certificate was established to recognize outstanding students in the aeronautical engineering department. In February of the same year, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared that the satellite “MetSat-1” would be renamed “Kalpana-1.”
In August 2003, Asteroid 51826 was named “Kalpanachawla,” as part of a tribute to the crew of the Columbia mission, marking one of seven asteroids commemorating these astronauts. Furthermore, the Florida Institute of Technology dedicated one of its residence halls to Kalpana Chawla as part of “Columbia Village,” which honors the seven astronauts who perished in the Columbia disaster. In remembrance of the accident, Steve Morse of the band Deep Purple released a song titled “Contact Lost” in 2003. Chawla had taken three albums from Deep Purple on the STS-107 mission, utilizing their track “Space Truckin'” as a wake-up call, with one of those albums subsequently discovered in the shuttle’s wreckage.
On February 2, 2004, seven peaks in the Columbia Hills were designated with names honoring the Columbia astronauts, one of which was named in her memory. Shortly thereafter, on February 4, 2004, President George W. Bush awarded Chawla the Congressional Space Medal of Honor posthumously. She also received the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for her contributions to space exploration.
In March 2004, the Government of Karnataka established the “Kalpana Chawla Award” to recognize the achievements of young female scientists. In September of the same year, the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), where Chawla earned her Master of Science degree in 1984, inaugurated “Kalpana Chawla Hall,” also referred to as “KC Hall,” with her father in attendance for the dedication. Moreover, in 2006, a lunar crater was named “Chawla” in her honor, and the Kalpana Chawla Planetarium in Haryana was inaugurated in 2007 by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
The novelist Peter David recognized her legacy by naming a shuttlecraft after Chawla in his 2007 Star Trek novel, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Before Dishonor. A memorial display dedicated to her was established in UTA’s Nedderman Hall in 2010.
In 2017, the establishment of the Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College in Karnal served to further commemorate her impact. In 2020, she was featured in the second season of the National Geographic documentary series Mega Icons, alongside notable figures such as musician A.R. Rahman, actress Deepika Padukone, and industrialist Ratan Tata. Furthermore, the fourteenth contracted Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft mission, launched in October 2020 to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, was named the S.S. Kalpana Chawla in her memory. A fictional representation of Chawla was also portrayed by actress Sarayu Blue in the 2023 film A Million Miles Away.
AWARDS
She Was Awarded Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.