Reaching for the Stars

Born in Haryana, Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman to enter outer space. On February 1, 2003, her space shuttle was involved in a terrible accident which killed her, along with all of her crewmates from NASA

Kalpana Chawla in action Source: Hindustan Times

Quizzing enthusiasts or not, all of us are aware of and inspired by Kalpana Chawla - the first woman of Indian-descent to venture into the outer space. Chawla's humble beginnings are undoubtedly a source of massive inspiration to every Indian child who aspires to touch the skies with glory.

Hailing from a small city in Haryana, Chawla showed early signs of inclination towards aeronautics. In her childhood, she used to visit the local flying clubs with her father and spend time being fascinated with the large aeroplanes flying overhead. It was but destiny, then, for her to pursue an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab, after which she moved to the States to pursue higher studies in the field of aerospace engineering.

She attained two masters’ degrees and a consequent doctorate in the field of aerospace engineering before she started researching at NASA in 1988.

Kalpana Chawla's historic first space mission was aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in the year 1997, wherein she clocked an impressive 372 hours.

“You are just your intelligence”, she said during her first space mission upon the Columbia.

However, tragedy struck when Chawla boarded the Columbia for her very next mission. Her second mission aboard the Columbia, in 2003, became the cause of the unfortunate death of the bright, zealous scientist. The launch into space went smoothly, but upon return to Earth, the crew started noticing signs of malfunctioning in the space shuttle. As the Columbia began entering the Earth’s atmosphere upon its return, it was eviscerated due to a mishap involving the left-wing of the orbiter. Kalpana Chawla died in the devastating accident on February 1, 2003, along with her crewmates. After cremation, her remains were scattered across the Zion National Park, Utah, as per her wishes.

Chawla is unequivocally revered as a national hero to date. To honour her contributions towards science and for making national history, numerous facilities in the United States, as well as India, were named after her.