The world observes 58th birth anniversary of Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla on March 17 this year. Kalpana Chawla the first woman of Indian-origin to space-travel. The astronaut was born on March 17, 1962. In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Almost 17 years after her death, Kalpana Chawla is still a role model for millions of girls across the globe. Kalpana Chawla Death Anniversary: Tributes Pour In for India’s First Woman in Space.

Chawla was born in Karnal district of Haryana in India. She graduated from Tagore School in Karnal in 1976 and completed her aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in 1982. In the same year, she moved to the United States to pursue her Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. Sunita Williams Birthday: Inspiring Quotes by Indian-American NASA Astronaut.

Here Are Interesting Facts About Kalpana Chawla:

  • Kalpana Chawla began working at NASA Ames Research Centre in 1988.

  • She did computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research on vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) concepts from NASA Ames Research Centre only.

  • In 1993, she joined Overset Methods, Inc. as Vice President and Research Scientist specialising in simulation of moving multiple body problems.

  • Kalpana Chawla became a US citizen in April 1991.

  • She Joined NASA Astronaut Corps in March 1995, while her first space mission began on November 19, 1997. She was part of the six-astronaut crew that flew the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87.

  • During her first space mission, the astronaut spoke to the then Indian Prime Minister Inderjit K Gujral from the orbit.

  • In 2001, Chawla was selected for her second flight as part of the crew of STS-107.

  • The STS-107 mission was launched on January 16, 2003, aboard the space shuttle Columbia. It was Chawla’s last mission, as the space shuttle could never make it to the Earth.

Chawla died on February 1, 2003, in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster along with her six teammates. The Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, moments before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107. The mortal remains of Chawla and rest of her crew members were cremated and scattered at Zion National Park in Utah.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 17, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).