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A photo of Kalpana Chawla by NASA –

Top 10 Facts about Kalpana Chawla 

Kalpana Chawla was born on 17 March 1962 and died on 1 February 2003. She was an Indian-born American astronaut and mechanical 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. In the article are the top ten facts about Kalpana Chawla.

1. Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor

The Congressional Space Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress in 1969 to recognize any astronaut who in the performance of his or her duties has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the Nation and mankind.

It is awarded by the President of the United States in Congress’s name on recommendations from the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The award is a separate decoration from the Medal of Honor, which is a military award for extreme bravery and gallantry in combat.

Chawla is regarded as a national hero in India. That is why she was awarded the honour of having travelled to space twice one of which she came back to earth safely and the other one which se died in space.

2. Chawla died on duty

A photo of Kalpana Chawla by NASA –

In 2001, 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 16 January 2003, Chawla finally returned to space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on the ill-fated STS-107 mission.

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 on 1 February 2003.

3. She was a Doctor by profession

Professor Kalpana Chawla photo by NASA – Wikimedia commons

After getting a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, she moved to the United States in 1982.

In the United States, 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. She had a PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder. Chawla was highly learned and knowledgeable in Aerospace Engineering.

4. Chawla began working at NASA Ames Research Center in1988

After Chawla got her PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder, she began working at NASA Ames Research Center. This is where she did computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Chawla researched vertical or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts. Much of Chawla’s research is included in technical journals and conference papers.

5. Chawla applied for the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1991

The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions. It is based at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

So, 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.

6. She was the first woman to go into space

Her first space mission began on 19 November 1997, as part of the six-astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. Chawla was the first Indian woman to go into 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 exonerated.

Chawla identified errors in software interfaces and the defined procedures of the flight crew and ground control. Chawla was assigned to technical positions in the astronaut office to work on the space station after the completion of STS-87 post-flight activities.

7. What caused the accident of the spaceship that killed Chawla and her crew?

A photo of Crew of STS 107 that died on space by NASA –

During the launch of STS-107, Columbia’s 28th mission, a piece of foam insulation broke off from the Space Shuttle’s external tank and struck the port 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. The damage was irreversible which caused the death of the seven crew members.

8. Chawla was married at the age of 21

On 2 December 1983, Kalpana Chawla married Jean-Pierre Harrison, at age of 21. After the Columbia disaster, Harrison has since remarried and has a young son. He runs a publishing company in Los Gatos, California.

9. Chawla Hill is named after Chawla

The NASA Mars Exploration Rover mission, a robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the planet Mars has named seven peaks in a chain of hills, named the Columbia Hills.

The hills are named after each of the seven astronauts lost in the Columbia shuttle disaster. One of them is Chawla Hill, named after Chawla.

10. Chawla’s achievements were dedicated to Indian documentary television series

Kalpana Chawla photo by NASA –

Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as television documentary series or as television documentary films.

Chawla was one of the prominent Indian personalities who were aired on Indian documentary television on the pay channel National Geographic.