Sekuyiminyaka engama-20 adlula emhlabeni, kodwa usomkhathi wase-Indo-American, u-Kalpana Chawla usaqhubeka nokuba namandla entsheni yonke indawo, ikakhulukazi amantombazane. Uzalelwe eKarnal-Punjab, uKalpana unqobe zonke izinkinga futhi wafeza iphupho lakhe lokufinyelela izinkanyezi. Ngosuku lwakhe lokushona, sabelana ngemininingwane embalwa ngohambo lukaChawla olumangalisayo.
Isiqalo sokuphila: UKalpana wazalwa ngoMashi 17, 1962, eKarnal, eHaryana. Uzalelwe emndenini osezingeni eliphakathi, waphothula isikole e-Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School, e-Karnal kanye ne-B.Tech yakhe ku-Aeronautical Engineering evela e-Punjab Engineering College e-Chandigarh, e-India ngo-1982.
Impilo yase-US: Ukuze afeze isifiso sakhe sokuba usomkhathi, uKalpana wayehlose ukujoyina iNASA futhi wathuthela e-United States ngo-1982. Wathola iziqu zeMasters ku-Aerospace Engineering eNyuvesi yaseTexas e-Arlington ngo-1984 kanye nesesibili seMasters ngo-1986. Wabe esehola. i-doctorate in aerospace engineering evela eNyuvesi yaseColorado eBoulder.
Izinsimbi zomshado: Kukhona njalo isikhathi sothando. Ngo-1983, uKalpana wabopha ifindo likasofasilahlane noJean-Pierre Harrison, umfundisi wezindiza nombhali wezindiza.
Sebenza e-NASA: Ku-1988, iphupho likaKalpana lokujoyina i-NASA lagcina ligcwalisekile. Wanikezwa isikhundla sokuba iPhini Likamongameli we-Overset Methods, Inc e-NASA Research Center futhi kamuva wabelwa ukuba enze ucwaningo lwe-Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) mayelana nemiqondo Yokusuka Okuma/ Okufushane kanye neyokuLanda.
Ukuthatha indiza: U-Kalpana ugunyazwe ngelayisensi yokushayela yezentengiselwano yezindiza zasolwandle, izindiza ezinenjini eningi kanye nezindiza. Ubuye waba nguMqondisi wendiza ogunyazwe wumsebenzi wokundiza namabhanoyi.
Ubuzwe base-US nokuqhubeka e-NASA: Lapho ethola ubuzwe baseMelika ngo-1991, uKalpana Chawla wafaka isiceloI-NASA Astronaut Corps. Ujoyine iCorps ngoMashi 1995 futhi waqokelwa indiza yakhe yokuqala ngo-1996.
Injongo yokuqala: Umsebenzi wokuqala wasemkhathini kaKalpana waqala ngoNovemba 19, 1997. Wayeyingxenye yethimba lasosomkhathi abayisithupha ababendizeI-Space Shuttle ColumbiaindizaI-STS-87. UChawla akagcinanga nje ngokuba ngowesifazane wokuqala owazalwa eNdiya ukundiza emkhathini, kodwa futhi nowaseNdiya wesibili wenza kanjalo. Phakathi nomsebenzi wakhe wokuqala, uKalpana wahamba amakhilomitha angaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-10.4 emizileni engu-252 yomhlaba, egawula amahora angaphezu kuka-372 emkhathini.
Inhloso yesibili: Ngo-2000, u-Kalpana wakhethwa endizeni yakhe yesibili njengengxenye yeqembuI-STS-107. Kodwa-ke, umkhankaso wabambezeleka kaningi ngenxa yokushayisana kweshejuli nezinkinga zobuchwepheshe, njengokutholwa kukaJulayi 2002 kokuqhekeka kwamalayini agelezayo enjini. NgoJanuwari 16, 2003, uChawla ekugcineni wabuyela emkhathiniI-Space Shuttle ColumbiauseImishini ye-STS-107 engalungile. Izibopho zakhe zazihlanganisai-microgravityucwaningo, lapho ithimba lenze khona cishe izivivinyo ezingama-80 ezihlola umhlaba kanyeisayensi yesikhala, ukuthuthukiswa kobuchwepheshe obuthuthukisiwe, kanye nempilo nokuphepha kosomkhathi.
Ukufa: NgoFebhuwari 1, 2003, uKalpana washonela emkhathini kanye nabasebenzi abayisikhombisa enhlekeleleni ye-Space Shuttle Columbia. Inhlekelele yenzeka ngesikhathi i-Space Shuttle ihlakazeka phezu kwe-Texas ngesikhathi iphinda ingena emkhathini womhlaba.
Imiklomelo nezindondo : Phakathi nomsebenzi wakhe, uKalpana wathola iI-Congressional Space Medal of Honor,NASA Space Flight MedalfuthiIndondo Yesevisi Evelele ye-NASA. Ngemva kokushona kwakhe, uNdunankulu waseNdiya umemezele ukuthi uchungechunge lwezezulu zamasathelayithi, i-MetSat, lwaluzoqanjwa kabusha ngokuthi 'i-Kalpana' ngo-2003. Isathelayithi yokuqala yochungechunge, 'MetSat-1', yethulwa yi-India ngoSepthemba 12, 2002. , yaqanjwa kabushaI-Kalpana-1'. Ngaleso sikhathi, iKalpana Chawla Award yasungulwa ngabakwaUhulumeni waseKarnatakango-2004 ukuqaphela abesifazane abasha ososayensi. I-NASA, ngakolunye uhlangothi, inikezele i-supercomputer enkumbulweni kaKalpana Chawla.
Izithombe: The Times Of India
