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India has witnessed noteworthy astronauts such as Rakesh Sharma and Kalpana Chawla. Born in Punjab, Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman to enter space in 1949. Unfortunately, she could not live long to explore the vast space beyond for another time. She died in an accident in the space shuttle in 2003. Rakesh Sharma is yet another Punjabi to explore space as part of a Russian space exploration team. He is a former air force pilot.
Biography of Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Punjab, India. She was an American citizen and an astronaut who was the first Indian woman to go to space. She first went into space in 1997 in a space shuttle called Columbia. She was one of the seven astronauts who did not survive this mission. She died on February 1, 2003. She was honoured as the national hero of India.
Her parents came to India from Pakistan. She was amazed by planes and space as a child. She went with her father to see planes flying in a flying club in the local area. She got a degree in engineering (aeronautical). She then flew to the United States to pursue a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1982.
She started working at NASA in 1988. She conducted research there while further pursuing her studies. She also got her commercial pilot licence for gliders, multi-engined planes, single-engine planes, and seaplanes. Later, she was qualified for her first space mission and flight in 1997.
Her first flight and space mission started on November 19, 1997. She was accompanied on the mission by six other astronauts. They flew the space shuttle Columbia (flight STS-87). She was the first-ever woman of Indian origin who went into space.
Kalpana Chawla’s Death
She was selected for her second space mission in 2002. The mission kept getting delayed due to technical issues with the space shuttle. The mission eventually began on January 16, 2003. Approximately 80 experiments and tests were conducted to ensure the crew’s safety.
A part of the foam installation got damaged and broke off from the tank of their space shuttle. It got stuck in the left wing of their space shuttle (orbiter). This problem proved to be more serious than the previous other minor problems with the space shuttle. Kalpana Chawla died on February 1, 2003, along with the rest of the crew. Their space shuttle had managed to enter the atmosphere of the earth. The remains of her body were identified and cremated, and scattered at the Zion National Park in Utah.
Kalpana Chawla – Recognition and Honours.
- A street in Sirumugai was named after her.
- The Kalpana Chawla Award was established to recognise young females as scientists. It was honoured by the Government of Karnataka in 2004.
- A superconductor was dedicated to her by NASA.
- A lunar crater was named after her.
- A dormitory was named after her in 2004 at the University of Texas in Arlington.
Rakesh Sharma
Rakesh Sharma is a famous astronaut from Punjab. He served in the Indian Air Force as a pilot. He flew Soyuz T-11 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos program on April 3, 1984. He is the only Indian citizen who went into space. He was honoured as the hero of the Soviet Union when he returned from space. He has also been awarded the Ashok Chakra for his missions Strekalov and Malyshev. He joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and served as the chief test pilot in 1987. He retired from flying in 2001.With him going into space, India became the 14th country to send an astronaut into space.
Conclusion
Kalpana Chawla – the hero of India – was one of the most popular and successful astronauts across the globe. She was the first Indian woman to fly into space. She pursued her research at NASA Ames research centre in CFD. She was appointed to go on a mission in space. Her team comprised six other members. Unfortunately, her space exploration journey ended a bit too soon. She met with a fatal accident along with her entire crew while on a mission. The whole country was in great shock by her death. However, her work and courage have since then been duly acknowledged. Rakesh Sharma is also a famous Indian astronaut to fly into space.
