Kalpana Chawla Birth Anniversary: Remembering India's 'Space Star'
Kalpana Chawla is an inspiration for millions of girls around the world. Kalpana Chawla was an Indian born American astronaut and the first woman from India who touched the sky.
She was born in Karnal and did her schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan School, in Karnal. She was as an enthusiastic hiker, back-packer and love reading. After her education, from Punjab Engineering College, she received an aeronautical engineering degree. Later she immigrated to the US.
Kalpana Chawla 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.
She joined NASA Ames Research Centre, in the year 1988, where she did CFD (computational fluid dynamics) research on vertical and short take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts.
Chawla's first space mission began on November 19, 1997, and she was one among the six astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. Chawla was the first Indian woman to fly in space. On January 16, 2003, Chawla returned to space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia on the STS-107 mission.
On 1st February 2003, the space shuttle Columbia began its descent back to the earth. When the shuttle raced over the Pacific towards the US, it broke apart while entering again the Earth's atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana that took the life of all seven crew members Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, and Laurel Blair Salton Clark on board. It is said that the crew cabin lost pressure which would have caused the astronauts to blackout or else the violent trembling of the cabin would have been the reason behind the disaster.
After death, she was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and several universities and institutions have been named in her honour. Indian Prime Minister renamed the meteorological series of satellites, MetSat, to 'Kalpana' in the year 2003. The late astronaut is renowned as a national hero in India.
Tweets:
"The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it."#KalpanaChawla
— Winston Saldanha (@SaldanhaWinston) March 17, 2020
Tributes to the Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman in space, on her birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/y8Vci9Be1J
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAMPS... @NSaina #KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/5mbdeIc9UQ
— Ⓛⓞⓚⓔⓢⓗ ⓡⓔⓓⓓⓨ (@urstruelyLoky) March 17, 2020
Tribute to Indo -American Astronaut#KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/LW950w4U3F
— Shahbaz Hashim (@ShahbazHashim8) March 17, 2020
Happy birthday #KalpanaChawla
— All India Mahila Congress (@MahilaCongress) March 17, 2020
You would have been 58 today.
With your giant leap as first Indian woman in space, you gave wings to the dreams of young girls in the small towns and villages and an everlasting inspiration that nothing is unachievable. pic.twitter.com/yFDw3X4xPh
Happy Birthday to every 90s girl' 'I want to be grow up and become' wish.
— Dr Pooja Tripathi (@Pooja_Tripathii) March 17, 2020
You still live on #KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/bhIM8wipPd
Remembering Kalpana Chawla, astronaut and an inspiration not for millennial girls even also for many, on her birth anniversary.💐#KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/i4T5lcj6we
— Aashish pratap singh (@A_Pratap_Singh) March 17, 2020
Tribute to First India Women Astronaut #KalpanaChawla on her birth anniversary. She was the first woman of Indian origin in space.
— IMShubham (@shubham_jain999) March 17, 2020
She is inspiration from many Indians.@sonalgoelias @HashTagCricket @rajeev_mp @IshitaYadav@ShefVaidya @PawanDurani @SandipGhose@DuttYogi @jkd18 pic.twitter.com/x9WM574Pvh
Remembering #KalpanaChawla was an American astronaut, engineer, and 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. NASA has dedicated a supercomputer to Chawla pic.twitter.com/LEZMBIADIQ
— ashit parikh (@parikhashit) March 17, 2020
Happy birth Anniversary mam. We miss you very much.happy birthday🎂🎁🎉🎈👑#KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/FnuH9VGj8E
— Deblina(Fan of #Msdhoni )🇮🇳⚽❤🏏🌻 (@Debalina92) March 17, 2020
Here's a tribute to the inspirational #KalpanaChawla on the occasion of her birth anniversary. #KalpanaChawla#NASA pic.twitter.com/bZrxW31P3V
— Mitesh Ghadi (@GhadiMitesh) March 17, 2020
My humble tributes to the first Indian woman in space #KalpanaChawla on her birth anniversary🙏 pic.twitter.com/RC2RfVOx5J
— Manjunatha H S / ಮಂಜುನಾಥ ಎಚ್ ಎಸ್ (@manjunathansui) March 17, 2020
Happy birthday #KalpanaChawla
— Liza Al Qureshi || لیزا القریشی || लिजा अल कुरैशी (@GirlofKashmir) March 17, 2020
The first Indian woman in space, who gave wings to the dreams of youngsters of India and an everlasting inspiration and motivation that nothing is unachievable
You have been my #inspiration since childhood pic.twitter.com/IdVG5csQ4Q
Remembering Kalpana Chawla, astronaut and an inspiration for many, on her birth anniversary.💐#KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/5ImZ7BYCJp
— Md. Fujail Ahmed (@MdFujailAhmed) March 17, 2020
"The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it."#KalpanaChawla
— Raksha Ramaiah 🇮🇳 (@RakshaRamaiah) March 17, 2020
Tributes to the Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman in space, on her birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/py0WxtB58F
17 March is the Birth Anniversary of #KalpanaChawla, the Indian born American #Astronauts who dared to dream beyond the stars.
— Gujarat Council on Science & Technology (GUJCOST) (@InfoGujcost) March 17, 2020
She is the perfect #RoleModel of our girls to lead the future with #STEM. @dstGujarat @IndiaDST @NASA @statesntcouncil @hareets @subhashrsoni @CMOGuj pic.twitter.com/qk6foDN6Lr
Happy birthday to you mam.
— Amit Aggarwal (@TheHowtrending) March 17, 2020
Mam was the first Indian woman who goes to space and this feeling make every Indian be proud of him.
Proud of you Mam#KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/nIB46GitE3
Remembering KALPANACHAWLA Ji On Her Birth Anniversary. #KalpanaChawla pic.twitter.com/NPFXTOLsvP
— Geetaben Rathwa (MP) (@GeetabenRathwa) March 17, 2020