Kalpana Chawla - wikipedia Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla ( 1962 - 03 - 17 ) March 17, 1962 Karnal, Punjab, India ( now in Haryana, India ) February 1, 2003 ( 2003 - 02 - 01 ) ( aged 40 ) Aboard Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas, U.S. Alma mater Punjab Engineering College University of Texas at Arlington University of Colorado at Boulder Time in space 31d 14h 54min Selection 1994 NASA Group Missions STS - 87, STS - 107 Mission insignia Awards Kalpana Chawla ( March 17, 1962 -- February 1, 2003 ) was an American astronaut and the first woman of Indian origin in space. She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth 's atmosphere. Chawla is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 First space mission 2.2 Second space mission 3 Death 4 Honors and recognition 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links Early Life Chawla was born on 17 March 1962, but her official date of birth was altered to 1 July 1961 to allow her to become eligible for the matriculation exam. As a child, Kalpana liked to draw pictures of airplanes. After getting a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, she moved to the United States in 1982 where she obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984. Chawla went on to earn a second Masters in 1986 and a PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder. Career In 1988, she began working at NASA, where she did computational fluid dynamics ( CFD ) research on vertical and / or short take - off and landing ( V / STOL ) concepts. In 1993, she joined Overset Methods, Inc. as Vice President and Research Scientist specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. Chawla held a Certificated Flight Instructor rating for airplanes, gliders and Commercial Pilot licenses for single and multi-engine airplanes, seaplanes and gliders. After becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 1991, Chawla applied for the NASA Astronaut Corps. She joined the corps in March 1995 and was selected for her first flight in 1996. First Space mission 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. Chawla was the first Indian - born woman and the second Indian person to fly in space, following astronaut Rakesh Sharma who flew in 1984 on the Soyuz T - 11. She spoke the following words while traveling in the weightlessness of space, `` You are just your intelligence ''. On her first mission, Chawla traveled over 10.4 million miles ( 16737177.6 KM ) in 252 orbits of the earth, logging more than 372 hours ( 15 Days and 12 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 fully exonerated Chawla by identifying errors in software interfaces and the defined procedures of 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 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. During the launch of STS - 107, Columbia 's 28th mission, a piece of foam insulation broke off from the Space Shuttle external tank and struck the left wing of the orbiter. Previous shuttle launches had seen minor damage from foam shedding, but some engineers suspected that the damage to Columbia was more serious. NASA managers limited the investigation, reasoning that the crew could not have fixed the problem if it had been confirmed. When Columbia re-entered the atmosphere of Earth, the damage allowed hot atmospheric gases to penetrate and destroy the internal wing structure, which caused the spacecraft to become unstable and break apart. After the disaster, Space Shuttle flight operations were suspended for more than two years, similar to the aftermath of the Challenger disaster. Construction of the International Space Station ( ISS ) was put on hold ; the station relied entirely on the Russian Roscosmos State Corporation for resupply for 29 months until Shuttle flights resumed with STS - 114 and 41 months for crew rotation. Death Main article : Space Shuttle Columbia disaster Chawla died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster which occurred on February 1, 2003 when the Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth 's atmosphere, with the death of all of seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS - 107. Chawla 's remains were identified along with the rest of the crew members and were cremated and scattered at National Park in Utah in accordance with her wishes. The crew of STS - 107 in October 2001. From left to right : Brown, Husband, Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Anderson, McCool, Ramon Honors and recognition Asteroid 51826 Kalpana chawla, one of seven named after the Columbia 's crew. On February 5, 2003, the Prime Minister of India announced that the meteorological series of satellites, MetSat, was to be renamed `` Kalpana ''. The first satellite of the series, `` MetSat - 1 '', launched by India on September 12, 2002 was renamed `` Kalpana - 1 ''. 74th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City has been renamed Kalpana Chawla Way in her honor. 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. VIT University has named one of its girl 's hostel as Kalpana Chawla block. Steve Morse from the band Deep Purple created the song `` Contact Lost '' in memory of the Columbia tragedy along with her interest in the band. The song can be found on the album Bananas. 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 student 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. Kalpana Chawla Hall, University of Texas Arlington In addition, the university dedicated the Kalpana Chawla Memorial on May 3, 2010, in Nedderman Hall, one of the primary buildings in the College of Engineering. The girls ' hostel 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. Hostel blocks in Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Sagar Institute of Research & Technology, VIT University and Pondicherry University have been named after Chawla. Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College ( KCGMC ) is a Medical College formed for women located in Karnal, Haryana, India named for Indian - born astronaut Kalpana Chawla. See also Chandigarh portal Biography portal Asian Americans portal Space portal List of Asian American astronauts List of female astronauts References Jump up ^ `` Life facts ''. NASA. Retrieved February 27, 2014. Jump up ^ Salim Rizvi ( December 11, 2006 ). `` Indo - US astronaut follows Kalpana 's footsteps ''. New York : BBC. Retrieved November 20, 2012. Almost four years after the death of the first American astronaut Kalpana Chawla in the Columbia space shuttle disaster, Nasa has sent another woman of Indian origin into space. Jump up ^ Nola Taylor Redd. `` Kalpana Chawla : Biography & Columbia Disaster ''. Space.com. Tech Media Network. Retrieved November 20, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Kalpana Chawla ''. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ Salwi, Dilip M ( February 20, 2004 ). `` Did you know Kalpana was called Monto ? ''. Rediff.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017. Jump up ^ http://harrisonpublishing.net/pdf/book/kalpana_book.1.1.pdf Jump up ^ https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chawla.html Jump up ^ Chawla, Kalpana ( 1984 ), MS Thesis Optimization of cross flow fan housing for airplane wing installation, University of Texas at Arlington, p. 97 Jump up ^ Chawla, Kalpana ( 1988 ), PhD Thesis Computation of dynamics and control of unsteady vortical flows., University of Colorado at Boulder, p. 147 ^ Jump up to : `` Kalpana Chawla ( PH. D ) ''. Biographical Data. NASA. Retrieved September 14, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Kalpana Chawla ''. I Love India. Retrieved September 14, 2014. Jump up ^ Basu, Biman ( May 2012 ). `` Book Review : Biography of Kalpana Chawla '' ( PDF ). Science Reporter. pp. 40 -- 41. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 06. Born on 17 March 1962 in Karnal, Haryana Jump up ^ Columbia Accident Investigation Board ( August 2003 ). `` 6.1 A History of Foam Anomalies ( page 121 ) '' ( PDF ). Retrieved June 26, 2014. Jump up ^ Marcia Dunn ( February 2, 2003 ). `` Columbia 's problems began on left wing ''. Associated Press via staugustine.com. Jump up ^ `` Molten Aluminum found on Columbia 's thermal tiles ''. USA Today. Associated Press. March 4, 2003. Retrieved August 13, 2007. Jump up ^ Correspondent, A. `` Space Shuttle Explodes, Kalpana Chawla dead ''. Rediff. Jump up ^ `` Tribute to the Crew of Columbia ''. NASA JPL. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 10. Jump up ^ `` ISRO METSAT Satellite Series Named After Columbia Astronaut Kalpana Chawla ''. Spaceref.com. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 10. Jump up ^ Rajghatta, Chidanand ( Jul 12, 2004 ). `` NY has Kalpana Chawla Way ''. The Times of India. Retrieved 27 February 2014. Jump up ^ `` Kalpana Chawla Award instituted ''. The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2004 - 03 - 23. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 10. Jump up ^ `` NASA Names Supercomputer After Columbia Astronaut ''. About.com. Retrieved 2007 - 06 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Space Music -- Rock / Pop ''. HobbySpace. 2005 - 08 - 31. Retrieved 2010 - 12 - 10. Jump up ^ David, Peter ; Star Trek : Next Generation : Before Dishonor ; Page 24. Jump up ^ Kalpana Chawla International Space University Scholarship Archived March 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Kalpana Chawla Memorial Scholarship ''. UTEP. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Kalpana Chawla Award ''. University of Colorado. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Kalpana Chawla Hall ''. University of Texas at Arlington. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 16. Jump up ^ `` Kalpana Chawla Display Dedicated at Nedderman Hall ''. The University of Texas at Arlington. Retrieved 2013 - 05 - 16. Jump up ^ `` Punjab Engineering College remembers Kalpana ''. The Indian Express. Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2007. Jump up ^ `` IBN News ''. Ibnlive.in.com. 2010 - 02 - 03. Retrieved 2010 - 12 - 10. Jump up ^ Saxena, Ambuj. `` Kalpana Chawla Space Technology Cell Flickr -- Photo Sharing ! ''. Flickr. Retrieved 2010 - 12 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Space Technology Cell ''. Kcstc.iitkgp.ernet.in. Retrieved 2010 - 12 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Delhi University ''. Jump up ^ `` SIRT ''. Jump up ^ `` Pondicherry University ''. Further reading Wikiquote has quotations related to : Kalpana Chawla among The girl stars - Life and Dreams of Kalpana Chawla by Gurdeep Pandher India 's 50 Most Illustrious Women ( ISBN 81 - 88086 - 19 - 3 ) by Indra Gupta Kalpana Chawla, a life ( ISBN 0 - 14 - 333586 - 3 ) by Anil Padmanabhan The Edge of Time : The Authoritative Biography of Kalpana Chawla ( ISBN 978 - 0976827917 ) by Jean - Pierre Harrison External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kalpana Chawla. Kalpana Chawla Excellence Awards 2012 Kalpana Chawla profile in India Currents 1998 Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor Michael P. Anderson Neil Armstrong Frank Borman David M. Brown Roger Chaffee Kalpana Chawla Laurel B. Clark Charles `` Pete '' Conrad, Jr. Robert Crippen John Glenn Virgil `` Gus '' Grissom Rick Husband Greg Jarvis James Lovell Shannon Lucid Christa McAuliffe Willie McCool Ronald McNair Ellison Onizuka Ilan Ramon Judith Resnik Dick Scobee Alan Shepard William Shepherd Michael Smith Thomas P. Stafford Edward White John W. Young Italics indicate the award was bestowed posthumously STS - 107 Main articles Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster Space Shuttle external tank Space Shuttle thermal protection system Crew Husband ( Cmdr ) McCool Brown Chawla Anderson Clark Ramon See also Columbia Accident Investigation Board SpaceHab FREESTAR Hitchhiker Extended Duration Orbiter NASA Astronaut Group 15, `` The Flying Escargot '', 1994 NASA Astronaut Group 14 ← NASA Astronaut Group 15 → NASA Astronaut Group 16 Pilots and Commanders Scott Altman Jeffrey Ashby Michael Bloomfield Joe Edwards Dominic Pudwill Gorie Rick Husband Steven Lindsey Pamela Melroy Susan Still - Kilrain Frederick Sturckow Mission Specialists Michael Anderson Kalpana Chawla Robert Curbeam Kathryn Hire Janet Kavandi Edward Tsang Lu Carlos Noriega James Reilly Stephen Robinson International Mission Specialists Jean - Loup Chrétien ( France ) Takao Doi ( Japan ) Michel Tognini ( France ) Dafydd Williams ( Canada ) NASA Astronaut Groups NASA Astronaut Corps 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 List of astronauts by year of selection VIAF : 43988257 LCCN : no2003063790 SUDOC : 095637745 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kalpana_Chawla&oldid=813828094 '' Categories : Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor 1962 births 2003 deaths Space Shuttle Columbia disaster American aerospace engineers American astronauts American people of Indian Punjabi descent Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Women astronauts Indian emigrants to the United States Indian women engineers People from Karnal University of Colorado alumni University of Texas at Arlington alumni Punjab Engineering College alumni Panjab University, Chandigarh alumni Indian amateur radio operators Amateur radio women Amateur radio people Indian astronauts NASA civilian astronauts 20th - century American women 20th - century Indian women scientists 20th - century Indian scientists Age controversies American women scientists of Indian descent 20th - century American scientists Kalpana Chawla Scientists from Haryana 20th - century Indian engineers Indian aerospace engineers 21st - century Indian engineers 21st - century Indian women scientists 21st - century Indian scientists 21st - century American women Women scientists from Punjab, India Engineers from Punjab, India Commercial aviators Female commercial aviators Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia semi-protected pages Use mdy dates from October 2012 Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote বাংলা Беларуская Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français ગુજરાતી 한국어 हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ Magyar मैथिली Malagasy മലയാളം मराठी Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی ភាសា ខ្មែរ Polski Português Română Русский संस्कृतम् Simple English Slovenčina Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు Türkçe Українська اردو 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 5 December 2017, at 12 : 56. 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Question: who was the first indian woman to go to space
Answer: Kalpana Chawla