Kalpana Chawla Essay for Students in English

Kalpana Chawla, a woman of Indian origin was an engineer and American astronaut. She was the first Indian woman to go to space. Kalpana Chawla was an ordinary girl whose lofty dreams and invincible courage and perseverance took her to space. She was a confident and outgoing girl. She chose her own name Kalpana that means Imagination. Just like the meaning of her name, she was a highly creative and imaginative girl. She had fascination for stars right from her childhood. She was always a very hard-working and focused student.

Birth and Childhood

Kalpana Chawla was born on 17th March 1962 in Karnal, Haryana. She was the youngest of her four siblings and the most precocious child. She belonged to a very middle class family. Her father Banarasi Lal Chawla had a tyre manufacturing business while her mother Sanyogita managed the household. From childhood, Kalpana was a very curious, independent and delightful girl. Her mother always encouraged her and other siblings with their education when education was considered a luxury for girls.

Education

She did her schooling at Tagore Bal Niketan School in Karnal. She was an average student with a fascination for airplanes. Kalpana Chawla completed her degree in Bachelor Engineering in aeronautics at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh in 1982 where there were only seven girls. She became the first woman to study aeronautical engineering. After that she finished her Masters from Texas University in 1984. She did another masters and PhD from Colorado University in 1988. 

Work

In 1988, Kalpana Chawla joined NASA Ames Research Centre in the area of fluid dynamics of landing and take-off. She researched the simulation of complex airflows. After she completed this project Kalpana supported research in mapping of flow solvers to parallel computers and testing of these solvers. 

In 1993, Kalpana Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc., Los Altos, California as Vice president and Research Scientist. She formed a team of researchers who were specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. She was also responsible for development and implementation of efficient techniques to perform aerodynamic optimization. 

Kalpana Chawla enjoyed flying. She was certified Flight Instructor and Pilot for single and multi-engine land and seaplanes and gliders. In 1991, she took citizenship in the USA. 

NASA selected Kalpana Chawla in December 1994 and by March 1995 she reported to the Johnson Space as a candidate in the 15th group of astronauts. Her path to the stars was paved with increasingly complex technical requirements, which is difficult for any layman to comprehend; yet it did not deter.  After completing a year of training and evaluation, she was assigned as crew representative to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office EVA/Robotics and Computer branches. In the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, she got the assignment of developing Robotic Situational Awareness Displays and testing space shuttle control software. 

In November 1996, Kalpana Chawla was assigned as a mission specialist and prime robotic arm operator on STS-87. 

By January 1988, she was on her way to participate for the second time in the Olympics of space. In 2000, Kalpana was assigned to the crew of STS-107. In  2003, along with the rest of the crew, Kalpana Chawla boarded the flight. Working 24 hours a day in two alternating shifts, the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 scientific research experiments of studying Earth and space science, technology development and astronaut safety and health. She was logged 30 days, 14 hours and 54 minutes in space. 

STS-87 made 252 orbits of the Earth, travelled 6.5 million miles in 376 hours and 34 minutes. The 16 days flight was a dedicated science and research mission. The STS-107 mission ended abruptly on February 1, 2003 when space shuttle Columbia and the crew disintegrated, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing.

Accolades

Kalpana Chawla was given accolades of Congressional Space Medal of Honor, NASA Space Flight Medal and Distinguished Service Medal. The Kalpana Chawla Outstanding Recent Alumni Award at University of Colorado was renamed after her. The Indian Prime Minister dedicated an ISRO meteorological satellite to her, calling it Kalpana-1. The Haryana government started a scholarship in the name of Kalpana Chawla for girl students. 

Conclusion

Kalpana Chawla died at a very young age but she left an indelible imprint on the minds of aspiring youngsters to live a life of quality. Her spirit encourages us to take risks and not be afraid of the challenges.