Kalpna Chawla.
Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) was an Indian-born American astronaut and engineer who was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
Her second flight was on STS-107, the final flight of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003. Chawla was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor,and several streets, universities, and institutions have been named in her honor.She is regarded as a national hero in India.Kalpana Chawla died on February 1, 2003.
Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, to a Punjabi Hindu family, in Karnal of present-day Haryana, India.Her Parents had migrated from Sheikhupura, Pakistan to Karnal after Partition of India.As a child, she was fascinated by aeroplanes and flying.She went to local flying clubs and watched planes with her father.Her date of birth was falsified by her family to July 1, 1961 to allow her to become eligible for the matriculation exam. After getting a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, she moved to the United States in 1982 and 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.
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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. 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 1997.
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