Kalpana Chawla
successfully lifted off onboard Space Shuttle Columbia at 1:46 p.m. CST on
November 19, 1997. Kalpana is part of a 16 day research mission which
includes various scientific experiments and studies, as well as the first space walk by a
Japanese astronaut.
As a mission specialist, Kalpana is responsible for the release of a free-flying satellite to study the hot outer layers of the sun's atmosphere or corona, and the effect of microgravity on a variety of materials.
Kalpana is the first Indo-American woman to venture in to the space. Kalpana was selected by NASA as an astronaut for the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-87 mission.
Kalpana hopes to participate in several trips over many years.
She was among six civilian finalists who were selected by NASA in 1995 after several
rounds of interviews and rigorous physical and medical evaluations
at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). NASA had selected a total of 6
civilian and 13 military officers from a pool of almost 3000 aspiring
applicants.
Kalpana completed a special two year training at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, preparing her in space, land and sea survival, as well as intricate operations of the space shuttle.
Kalpana, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was born in Karnal, India. She moved to USA after completing her B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College in 1982. She received her M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984; and went on to get her PhD. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1988.
After qualifying for her pilot's license in 1987, Kalpana said she began to think seriously of applying to the space shuttle program. Although not a requirement for acceptance, the pilot's license gave her confidence, "because you know you can master other challenges when the time comes." Plus, she has always loved flying.
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