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Kalpana Chawla

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Kalpana Chawla (July 1, 1961 – February 1, 2003) was an Indian-American astronaut with NASA. She was one of seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Contents[hide] * 1 Early life * 2 Education * 3 NASA career * 4 Death * 5 Awards * 6 Memorials * 7 See also * 8 References * 9 Further reading * 10 External links | [edit] Early life Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal (Haryana) in 1961 to Banarasi Lal Chawla and Sanjyothi. Her interest in flying was inspired by J. R. D. Tata, a pioneering Indian aviator and industrialist. Chawla has two sisters, Sunita and Deepa, and a brother, Sanjay. Being the youngest the family members gave her the nickname "Montu." In 1983, she met and married …show more content…

Kalpana Chawla International Space University Scholarship * Kalpana Chawla Memorial Scholarship program was instituted by Indian students association (ISA) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 2005 for meritorious graduate students.[13] * At least 30,000 schoolchildren and citizens joined hands to make a 36.4-km-long human chain to support the demand for a Kalpana Chawla medical college in the city which was announced by then Health Minister of India Dr. C. P. Thakur and later on promised by Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh. Kalpana Chawla Medical College Nirman Committee backed by volunteers and activists of various organisations, supported by students from 34 schools, swarmed the roads and formed a chain along the roads in Karnal to demonstrate that they continued to revere Kalpana Chawla as an outstanding astronaut.[14] * Haryana Government accepted the long pending demand of people of Karnal and now work to establish Kalapana Chawla Medical College in Karnal is in its first phase. * Asteroid 51826 Kalpanachawla, one of seven named after the Columbia's crew.[15] * On February 5, 2003, India's Prime Minister announced that the meteorological

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