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Kalpana Chawla, born on March 17, 1962, was the first Indian woman in space twice. He died in the 2003 Columbia disaster and remains an inspiration, especially for young women.
Birth Anniversary of Kalpana Chawla: He was born in Karnal of Haryana on March 17, 1962. (File Picen)
Birth Anniversary of Kalpana Chawla 2025: In recent years, Kalpana Chawla has served as an important source of inspiration for people of all age groups, especially young women, in India and abroad. Chawla, who was born on March 17, 1962, was the first Indian woman to go to space twice in her life. He died in a great accident found by the space ferry that Columbia met while returning to Earth in February 2003.
After being interested in aviation during his childhood days, Kalpana not only fulfilled her dream of becoming an astronaut, but also managed to consolidate her legacy as a model to follow for millions.
10 made about Kalpana Chawla
- The National Hero of India was born in Karnal of Haryana on March 17, 1962. He completed his initial studies in his hometown and then continued in aeronautical engineering at the Punjab Engineering College, based in Chandigarh. It is said that she is the first woman to follow that course.
- After completing his degree in India, Kalpana Chawla decided to change the United States in 1982 to participate in a master's degree.
- While in the United States, he received a master's degree in Science in Aerospace Engineering in 1984 from the University of Texas. This was followed by a doctorate in Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado in 1988.
- Kalpana Chawla was very fascinated by airplanes as a child and even used to be a visitor in local flying clubs with her father. Shortly after completing his studies, he joined the NASA AMES Research Center. He began working at the US space agency in 1988 after finishing his doctorate.
- After being associated with NASA for a couple of years, she was finally selected as an astronaut candidate in 1994.
- In 1997, he had his chance to fly to space in the space ferry Columbia, in which he was appointed mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator for the mission.
- During his time, he even spoke with the then Indian Prime Minister Ik Gujral and showed him photographs of the Himalayas captured from space.
- His second and last trip to space was in STS-107 in 2003. The 16-day flight trip saw an unfortunate ending when the spacecraft disintegrated while returning to the atmosphere of the earth. The seven crew members on board, including Kalpana Chawla, died in the incident. After this incident, the mission of the Columbia space ferry stopped for several years.
- According to Kalpana Chawla's desire, her remains were incinerated and scattered in Utah National Park. She was married to Jean Pierre Harisson for two decades before she died in February 2003.
- Because of its important contributions, Kalpana Chawla has been honored with several medals and prizes of the Indian government, as well as in the United States. The first satellite under the MET-SAT series was called Kalpana-1 to commemorate its legacy.
- Location :
Haryana, India, India
