Research Guides: Kalpana Chawla: Biography

Kalpana Chawla (July 1, 1961 - February 1, 2003)

An independent child from a conservative family, Chawla was always seen as "different". She used to cut her own hair, never wore ironed clothes, learnt karate and had pictures of spacecraft on her walls. Like many Indians, she never forgot her roots, and after her first mission into space in 1997, she started a programme to bring two children from her school each year to visit Nasa. Last month sent the class an e-mail from space. Chawla was the first woman to study aeronautical engineering at Punjab Engineering College, before moving to the United States in the 1980s, where she studied at the University of Texas before taking a PhD at the University of Colorado. Continue . . .

Source: N.A. “Kalpana Chawla.” Times, The (United Kingdom). From Academic Search Complete database.

Resources

Dr. Kalpana Chawla Project for Innovation, Entrepreneurism & Space Studies The Kalpana Chawla Project for Innovation, Entrepreneurism and Space Studies at the International Space University (ISU) has been established to honor the Indian-American Astronaut Dr. Kalpana Chawla. The scholarship project is focused on developing strong technical and leadership qualities with talented Indian women. The scholarship is used to provide funding for Indian nationals to attend ISU’s Space Studies Program (SSP). The goal is to attract talented Indian women who are post-graduate students with backgrounds in science, medicine, materials, satellite technology, and other space-related areas of focus, who also share Dr. Chawla’s selfless and passionate pursuit of education and excellence.
Kalpana One Space Settlement Kalpana One is intended to improve on the free space settlement designs of the mid-1970s: the Bernal Sphere, Stanford Torus, and O'Neill cylinders, as well as on Lewis One, designed at NASA Ames Research Center in the early 1990s. These systems are intended to provide permanent homes for communities of thousands of people. The Kalpana One structure is a cylinder with a radius of 250m and a length of 325m. The population target is 3,000 residents.
Kalpana Chawla: Biography & Columbia Disaster The tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia killed seven astronauts. One of those, Kalpana Chawla, was the first Indian-born woman in space. Born in Karnal, India, on July 1, 1961, Chawla was the youngest of four children. The name Kalpana means "idea" or "imagination." Her full name is pronounced CULL-puh-na CHAV-la, though she often went by the nickname K.C.
The Columbia Seven The article presents obituaries for crews of the space shuttle Columbia, including Kalpana Chawla, Ilan Ramon and Laurel Clark.
Remembering Kalpana Chawla, The Lady Who Touched the Sky Born in Karnal, India, Chawla died on February 1, 2003, over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing. She is survived by her husband. Chawla was an enthusiastic hiker, back-packer and reader. She held a Certificated Flight Instructor's license with airplane and glider ratings, Commercial Pilot's licenses for single- and multi-engine land and seaplanes, and Gliders, and instrument rating for airplanes. Remembering her on her death anniversary. A file photo shows Kalpana Chawla, sitting center with long hair, next to her classmates at Tagore Baal Niketan School, in Karnal. Chawala was a former student of the school, which sponsors two girls to visit NASA each year. The Indian-born Chawla was one of the seven astronauts killed when Space Shuttle Columbia broke up upon reentry February 1, 2003, over Texas. (Image: Getty Images)
NASA: Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla's path to become an astronaut began in Karnal, India. "None of our astronauts traveled a longer path to space than Kalpana Chawla," U.S. President George W. Bush said. "She left India as a student but she would see the nation of her birth, all of it, from hundreds of miles above."
Kalpana's feat in space made a nation proud Article from Newspaper Source Plus.
Kalpana Chawla - The First Woman Of Indian Origin In Space NASA video.