Kalpana Chawla’s 19th Death Anniversary: Some facts about her life

Kalpana Chawla was the first American astronaut and the first woman of Indian origin to reach space. She is fondly remembered by the world for her remarkable achievements and success in space.

Today, on February 1, 19 years ago she died in the Space Shuttle accident in Columbia.

Chawla was one of the seven astronauts who met with a disaster while re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.

The remains of the crew members were scattered at National Park in Utah.

Today on her death anniversary, we recall the journey of the women who left an indelible impression on our hearts.

Here let’s take a look at 10 facts about the first woman Indian Astronaut to reach space.

Facts about Kalpana Chawla’s life:

1. Kalpana Chawla was born in Haryana’s Karnal on March 17, 1962.
2. She was nicknamed as Manto by her parents.
3. As a child, Chawla liked writing fiction and drawing pictures of airplanes.
4. She flew to the US to obtain a Master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in Arlington. Later, she settled in the US and became a citizen.
5. After finishing her PhD in 1991, she applied for NASA Astronaut Corps where she kick-started her space journey.
6. She conducted her first flight in 1997 as a primary robotic arm operator and mission specialist.
7. On her second space mission in 2003, Kalpana Chawla along with other six crew members died when the Space Shuttle disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana.
8. To honor her bravery and achievements, the first satellite of the Met-Sat series, “MetSat-1” launched by India was renamed “Kalpana-1.
9. Scholarships, Universities and Institutions in India and the United States have also been named in her honor.
10. Kalpana Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.