AANHPI: Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-American space pioneer who tragically died in 2003  when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry.   Born in Karnal, India in 1962, Chawla earned an engineering degree before emigrating to the United States. She received a PHD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado in 1988,  went to work at NASA’s, Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.   Once she became a naturalized U.S. citizen, Chawla applied for the NASA Astronaut Corps, and was selected a few years later. On November 19, 1997, Kalpana Chawla made history as the first woman of Indian origin to rocket into space. Chawla was main operator for Columbia’s robotic arm using it to release and recapture a satellite.   Chawla has been remembered and honored in the years since the 2003 tragedy as an inspiration to young women worldwide. She was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices