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Biography of
Kalpana Chawla
THE EDGE OF TIME: THE AUTHORITATIVE BIOGRAPHY
OF KALPANA CHAWLA by Jean-Pierre Harrison,
Harrison Publishing, Los Gatos, California-95033, USA (2011),
$5.99.
in 1978. She was the first Punjab Engineering College, Kalpana was
girl ever to enrol in the offered a position with the Hindustan
aeronautical engineering Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore, but she
course, and one of the first turned down the offer and instead took up
four girls to undertake any a position as lecturer at Punjab Engineering
engineering course at the College. Meanwhile, she had applied for
Punjab Engineering graduate aeronautical engineering
College. Kalpana programmes at Georgia Institute of
received her BSc in Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic
aeronautical engineering Institute in New York, and the University of
in 1982. She continued her Texas at Arlington and had received
studies in the USA and acceptance from all the three. But she
received an MSc in decided to join the University of Texas and
aerospace engineering arrived in Arlington in September 1982.
from University of Texas in Initially her father was not agreeable to let
On 1 February 2003, NASA’s space shuttle 1984, and a PhD in aerospace engineering his daughter live alone in a strange
Columbia was destroyed during re-entry, from the University of Colorado in 1988. country, but eventually agreed.
killing all the seven crew members on Harrison gives us a fair idea of the It was at Arlington that Harrington, who
board, including the Indian-born astronaut environment in which Kalpana grew up. was a licensed pilot at that time, first met
Kalpana Chawla. After her tragic death a Her family had to migrate from Pakistan Kalpana. Soon they were seen frequently
few biographies of hers have been after partition, but her father had no flying together in a light plane. They also
published. But, as Kalpana’s husband and remorse. Rather he was an enterprising went to several air shows in the area, which
author Jean-Pierre Harrison says, the person and ventured into a variety of trades was a first for Kalpana. “As time
present volume gives the reader more such as manufacture of steel chests, a progressed,” says Harrington, “Kalpana
detailed insight into her character than has cloth store, and a tyre factor y, and his and I found many common interests.”
heretofore been available, as he has “not achievements “ were substantial in their Among the many interests Kalpana
cooperated with, contributed to, own right, without need for developed was that for SCUBA diving.
endorsed, or otherwise authorised any embellishment...” Kalpana’s mother, Later, while attending the University of
biography of Kalpana so far produced.” though not as intellectually driven as her Colorado, she took lessons to become a
And he may be right, for what the reader husband, understood Kalpana well and stronger swimmer. After she was selected
gets from this book may not be available “encouraged her adventures, also for astronaut training she took individual
from any other source – a first-hand participated when able...” Kalpana’s lessons several times a week and a SCUBA
account of Kalpana’s adventure-filled life oldest sister Sunita was a trailblazer in the course to get basic diver certification.
and her tragic death. family who insisted on choosing her The determination of Kalpana was
Born on 17 March 1962 in Karnal, husband rather than bowing to her father’s evident from the fact that even after the
Har yana, Kalpana was originally called wishes. Kalpana’s other siblings were tragic Challenger disaster in January 1986,
“Montu” by the family. At the age of three equally talented and this must have been she decided to apply for the NASA
she chose the name “Kalpana”, meaning an important factor in Kalpana’s Astronaut Corps once she acquired US
“imagination”, as her formal name. She upbringing. citizenship. After getting her PhD from the
attended Tagore Bal Niketan School, and Kalpana’s journey to the edge of time University of Colorado in 1988, she was
later Dayal Singh College and DAV College began with a small step – a flight over the offered a position as Research Scientist in
for Women, all in Karnal. Kalpana had plains of Haryana in a Pushpak aircraft as the Computational Fluid Dynamics Group
decided on a career in aeronautical a young girl in the early 1970s. She still had at NASA Ames Research Centre in
engineering at an early age, and joined a long way to go. After receiving her BSc Sunnyvale, California. She became a US
Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh degree in aeronautical engineering from citizen in April 1991.