Dr. Kalpana Chawla
By: Lakshanyaa R.S
Early Years
- Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal , India on July 1,1961.
- When , Kalpana was young she got to formally pick her name which means "imagination".
- Kalpana enjoyed acrobatic flying , hiking , backpacking , reading , and karate.
- Chawla graduated from Tagore School , Karnal ,India in 1976. Kalpana's favorite thing in the world were airplanes.
- Kalpana cherished the moments she spent gazing at the stars at night.
Adulthood
- Kalpana Chawla moved to the U.S in 1982 , started her MS, and Ph.d degrees , and married Jean-Pierre-Harrison.
- Dr. Chawla was a Research Scientist hired by MCAT Institute to support research at the NASA Ames Research Center.
- In 1993, Dr.Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc.,Los Altos,CA , as Vice President and Research Scientist to form a team with other researchers specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems.
- Selected by NASA on December 1994, Chawla reported to the John Space Center on March,1995.
- Dr. Kalpana Chawla was the first woman to be an Indo-American astronaut.
"When you look at the stars and galaxy,you know that you are not just from any particular piece of land but from the solar system."-Dr .Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla NASA
Chawla at the NASA Ames Research Center.
Space Shuttle Columbia
Kalpana in the Space Shuttle simulator.
Space Shuttle Columbia
Chawla with the Mission STS-107 crew.
Major Contributions and Achievements
- Kalpana Chawla was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
- She was awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal .
- The final award she had won was the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
- Kalpana Chawla showed perseverance and courage by being the first woman to be an Indo-American astronaut.
- Kalpana received high appreciation from her seniors , by being a knowledgeable leader in the field of space exploration.
End of Life
- Kalpana Chawla died on February 1, 2003.
- KC died in the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster with the crew of mission STS-107.
About Me
My name is Lakshanyaa R.S and I chose Kalpana Chawla as my historical person to research about is because her space experiences and her leadership in the space exploration field was interesting and successful.
Picture Credits
http://ablogaboutnothinginparticular.com/?p=25
chttp://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2011/iotw/Day_of_Remembrance.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpana_Chawla#/media/File:Chawla.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-107#/media/File:Crew_of_STS-107,_official_photo.jpg
Lakshanyaa