Editing Kalpana Chawla

{{Short description|Indian-born American astronaut (1962–2003)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name          = Kalpana Chawla
|image         = Kalpana Chawla, NASA photo portrait in orange suit.jpg
|birth_date    = {{birth date|1962|3|17}}
|birth_place   = [[Karnal]], [[Haryana]], India
|death_date    = {{death date and age|2003|2|1|1962|3|17}}
|death_place   = Over [[Texas]], U.S
|death_cause   = [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster]]
|resting_place = [[Zion National Park]], [[Utah]], U.S.                                                                                                                                                              
|education     = [[Punjab Engineering College]] ([[Bachelor of Engineering|BEng]])<br/>[[University of Texas, Arlington]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])<br/>[[University of Colorado, Boulder]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
|awards        = {{ubl|[[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]|[[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]|[[NASA Space Flight Medal]]}}
|type          = [[NASA astronaut]]
|time          = 31d 14h 54m{{sfn|Dismukes|2009}}
|selection     = [[NASA Astronaut Group 15|NASA Group 15 (1994)]]
|mission       = [[STS-87]]<br/>[[STS-107]]
|insignia      = [[File:Sts-87-patch.svg|40px]] [[File:STS-107 Flight Insignia.svg|40px]]
|module = {{Infobox scientist
|embed = yes
|field = [[Aerospace engineering]]
|thesis_title = Computation of Dynamics and Control of Unsteady Vortical Flows
|thesis_url = http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/20281017
|thesis_year = 1988
|doctoral_advisor = [[Chuen-Yen Chow]]}}
}}

'''Kalpana Chawla''' (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) was an Indian-American astronaut and [[aerospace engineer]] who was the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space. Chawla expressed an interest in aerospace engineering from an early age and took engineering classes at Dayal Singh College and [[Punjab Engineering College]] in India. She then traveled to the United States, where she earned her MSc and PhD, becoming a naturalized United States citizen in the early 1990s.

She first flew on the [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'']] in 1997 as a mission specialist and [[robotic arm]] operator aboard [[STS-87]]. Her role in the flight caused some controversy due to the failed deployment of the Shuttle-Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy ("Spartan") module.{{sfn|Evans|2005|p=338}} Chawla's second flight was in 2003 on [[STS-107]], the final flight of ''Columbia''. She was one of the seven crew members who died in the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]] when the spacecraft disintegrated during its reentry into [[Earth]]'s [[atmosphere]] on February 1, 2003.

Chawla was posthumously awarded the [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]], the [[NASA Space Flight Medal]], and the [[NASA Distinguished Service Medal]]. Several buildings, spacecraft, and extraterrestrial landmarks have been named in her honor.

==Early life and education==
Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in [[Karnal]], [[Haryana]], India, to Banarsi Lal Chawla, the owner of a tire manufacturing plant, and Sanjogta Kharbanda.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Some sources, such as Launius and Furuyama, report Chawla's birthdate as July 1, 1961.{{sfnm|1a1=Launius|1y=2008|1p=3|2a1=Furuyama|2y=2013|2p=201}} According to Jean-Pierre Harrison, Chawla's husband, Chawla used July 1 as her birth date to enroll in school a year in advance of when she otherwise would have.{{sfn|Harrison|2011|p=1}} Other sources, such as Cavallaro, corroborate this story{{sfn|Cavallaro|2023|pp=51-52}}}}{{sfn|Furuyama|2013|p=201}} Her family were [[Punjabi Hindus]] originally from [[Gujranwala]] in [[West Punjab]], who traveled to [[East Punjab]] as refugees during the [[Partition of India]] in 1947.{{sfn|Padmanabhan|2003|pp=8-9}} She had three siblings: sisters Sunita and Dipa, and brother Sanjay.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2023|pp=51-52}} As a child, she expressed interest in aerospace engineering, but was dismissed by her father, who said that "only guys want to do [aerospace engineering]" and instead recommended that she become a doctor or teacher.{{sfn|Chien|2006|p=49}} She attended the [[Tagore Baal Niketan Sr. Sec. School, Karnal|Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School]] in Karnal, graduating in 1976 "near the top of her class".{{sfn|Launius|2008|p=3}} 

Chawla took basic engineering courses at Dayal Singh College in Karnal.{{sfn|Cavallaro|2023|p=52}} She then attended the aeronautical engineering school at Punjab Engineering College in [[Chandigarh]], where she studied the principles of theoretical aerodynamics.{{sfn|Padmanabhan|2003|p=26}} She was one of four women in the program and the first female student to take aerospace engineering classes at the college.{{sfn|Jones|2020}} Some professors discouraged her from studying aerospace engineering, claiming that it was not suitable for women and suggesting electrical engineering instead. She graduated from the college in 1982 with a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng).{{sfnm|1a1=Furuyama|1y=2013|1p=201|2a1=Chien|2y=2006|2p=49}}

Because she could not take further specialized aerospace engineering courses in India, Chawla traveled to the United States to continue her education in 1982, again facing opposition from her father.{{sfn|Launius|2008|p=3}} She earned her MSc from the [[University of Texas at Arlington]] (UTA) in 1984, with her thesis ''Optimization of cross flow fan housing for airplane wing installation''.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|NASA says that she received her MSc from the "University of Texas," which is generally used to refer to the [[University of Texas at Austin]], but most sources indicate that she attended UTA, and that is where her thesis was published.{{sfnm|1a1=NASA|1y=2004|2a1=Launius|2y=2008|2p=3|3a1=UTA|4a1=Furuyama|4y=2013|4p=201|5a1=Cavallaro|5y=2023|5p=53}}}}{{sfnm|1a1=UTA|2a1=Chawla|2y=1984}} She met her husband, pilot Jean-Pierre Harrison, while at UTA, and the two married on December 2, 1983.{{sfn|Jones|2020}} 

Chawla then attended the [[University of Colorado Boulder]] (CU Boulder), where she first decided that she wanted to join the space program, receiving her PhD in 1988 with the thesis ''Computation of dynamics and control of unsteady vortical flows''.{{sfnm|1a1=Chawla|1y=1988|2a1=Chien|2y=2006|2p=50|3a1=Furuyama|3y=2013|3p=201}} Her thesis director was [[Chuen-Yen Chow]].{{sfn|Chawla|1988|p=9}} While attending CU Boulder, Chawla began taking flying lessons at the [[Boulder Municipal Airport]], eventually receiving commercial pilot's licenses permitting her to fly various types of land and seaplanes, as well as gliders.{{sfnm|1a1=Harrison|1y=2011|1p=46|2a1=Cavallaro|2y=2023|2p=53}} She later became certified as a flight instructor for single-engine airplanes and [[flight instruments]].{{sfn|Harrison|2011|p=55}}

==Career==
===Before NASA===
[[File:Kalpana Chawla and husband.jpg|thumb|Chawla and her husband before the launch of STS-87]]In 1988, Chawla began working at NASA's [[Ames Research Center]], where she initially conducted [[computational fluid dynamics]] research on [[V/STOL|vertical and/or short take-off and landing]] (V/STOL) concepts. She subsequently studied how to use multiple computers to solve fluid flow problems, testing these methods by calculating powered lift effects.{{sfnm|1a1=NASA|1y=2004|2a1=Launius|2y=2008|2p=3|3a1=Furuyama|3y=2013|3p=201}} Sometime in the early 1990s, she became a naturalized United States citizen, a requirement for becoming an astronaut.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Chien says she was naturalized in 1990 while Jones and Cavallaro say she was naturalized in 1991.{{sfnm|1a1=Chien|1y=2006|1p=50|2a1=Jones|2y=2020|3a1=Cavallaro|3y=2023|3p=53}}}}

Chawla joined Overset Methods, Inc, a non-profit research organization based in [[Los Altos, California]], as both a research scientist and the organization's vice president in 1993.{{sfnm|1a1=Launius|1y=2008|1p=3|2a1=Furuyama|2y=2013|2p=201|3a1=Jones|3y=2020}} Her work focused on simulating problems involving multiple moving objects.{{sfn|NASA|2004}} While in Los Altos, she joined the West Valley Flying Club at the [[Palo Alto Airport]] and learned [[Bharatanatyam]] from the Abhinaya Dance Company in [[San Jose, California|San Jose]].{{sfn|Padmanabhan|2003|pp=43-46}} In December 1994, she returned to NASA to undergo training as a candidate astronaut at the [[Johnson Space Center]] as part of [[NASA Astronaut Group 15]], eventually being assigned to the EVA and robotics division of the [[NASA Astronaut Corps]] in 1995.{{sfnm|1a1=Hess|1a2=Campion|1a3=Herring|1y=1994|2a1=Shayler|2a2=Moule|2y=2005|2p=282|3a1=Launius|3y=2008|3p=3|4a1=Jones|4y=2020}}

===First space mission===
{{Main|STS-87}}
[[File:Sts-87 crew.jpg|thumb|The crew of STS-87 in September 1997. From left to right - in orange: Chawla, [[Steven Lindsey|Lindsey]], [[Kevin R. Kregel|Kregel]], [[Leonid Kadeniuk|Kadeniuk]]; in white: [[Winston E. Scott|Scott]], [[Takao Doi|Doi]]]]Chawla's first space mission began on November 19, 1997, as part of the six-astronaut crew that flew on the [[Space Shuttle Columbia|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'']] flight [[STS-87]]. She served as a mission specialist and a backup flight engineer during takeoff. When STS-87 launched, Chawla became the first woman of Indian origin to go into space. Indian Prime Minister [[Inder Kumar Gujral]] called her to congratulate her on her flight, expressing pride on behalf of the people of India and lauding Chawla for inspiring Indian women and children.{{sfn|Jones|2020}}

During the mission, Chawla was assigned to deploy one of the shuttle's payloads: the Spartan research module. Due to a power surge that damaged its control system, Spartan failed to perform its expected pirouette movement. Chawla attempted to grapple the satellite with the shuttle's robotic arm but did not receive a clear signal on the control panel showing it was secured, causing her to move the arm back. In the process, she accidentally hit the Spartan, causing it to spin at two degrees per second. Fellow astronaut [[Kevin R. Kregel]] also attempted to grapple the payload by matching its spin with the shuttle's, but this movement was ultimately aborted. In the end, a spacewalk was required to retrieve the payload.{{sfn|Evans|2005|pp=320-327}}

Chawla also supervised and performed experiments as part of the fourth United States Microgravity Payload mission (USMP-4). As part of this mission, Chawla studied how to mix liquids evenly to create specific metal combinations that could be used in future computer chips. Using Columbia's Middeck Glovebox, she worked with [[wikt:immiscible|immiscibles]] to understand the causes behind their separation.{{sfn|Evans|2005|pp=333-335}}

[[File:Sts087-706-020.jpg|thumb|Deployment of the Spartan]]Some members of the press criticized Chawla for her handling of the Spartan payload, but Kregel refused to assign blame in an interview with the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]''stating that: {{blockquote|We'd be very foolish if we tried to second-guess or tried to figure out what the actual turn of events were without having all the information... We're six folks up here; we know what happened on our side, we'll get together with the folks on the ground and we'll put the whole story together and make sure it never happens again. Sure, we're always a bit disappointed if we don't get the full mission accomplished, but we did retrieve the satellite, and so the important thing is we're bringing Spartan back down to Earth, and it'll get to fly another day.{{sfn|Evans|2005|p=338}}}}

NASA formed a team to investigate the deployment failure on December 4, 1997. The investigation initially attributed the failure to "crew error", but Chawla was ultimately exonerated, with the investigators citing insufficient training, errors in software interfaces, and poor communication with [[Mission control center|ground control]] as the causes of the incident.{{sfnm|1a1=Furniss|1y=1998|2a1=Evans|2y=2005|2pp=338-340}} In all, as part of the STS-87 mission, Chawla traveled 10.4 million miles in 252 orbits of the Earth, logging more than 376 hours (15 days and 16 hours) in space.{{sfn|NASA|2004}} 

After the mission, in January 1998, Chawla was given a technical assignment advising shuttle engineers on different aspects of payload development and the astronaut experience.{{sfn|Chien|2006|p=56}} Soon after, she was selected to head the Astronaut Corps' Crew Systems and Habitability department.{{sfn|Padmanabhan|2003|p=79}}

===Second space mission and death===
{{Main|STS-107|Space Shuttle Columbia disaster}}
[[File:Crew of STS-107, official photo.jpg|thumb|The crew of [[STS-107]] in October 2001. From left to right: [[David M. Brown|Brown]], [[Rick Husband|Husband]], [[Laurel Clark|Clark]], Chawla, [[Michael P. Anderson|Anderson]], [[William C. McCool|McCool]], [[Ilan Ramon|Ramon]]]]On July 27, 2000, Chawla was selected for her second flight as part of the crew of STS-107.{{sfn|Chien|2006|p=90}} STS-107 was delayed 13 times over two years for a variety of reasons, including orbiter maintenance and the discovery of cracks in the shuttle engine flow liners on July 19, 2002. The mission finally launched on January 16, 2003.{{sfn|Gehman Jr. et al.|2003|p=28}} As the mission's flight engineer, she provided assistance to pilot [[William C. McCool]] during takeoff.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehman Jr. et al.|1y=2003|1p=29|2a1=Chien|2y=2006|2p=124}} 

STS-107 was a multidisciplinary scientific mission modeled after the previous [[STS-90]].{{sfn|Gehman Jr. et al.|2003|p=27}} The crew was assigned to two teams working in shifts to ensure that experiments were conducted nonstop. Chawla worked on the Red Team alongside fellow astronauts [[Ilan Ramon]], [[Laurel Clark]], and [[Rick Husband]].{{sfnm|1a1=Evans|1y=2005|1p=414|2a1=Chien|2y=2006|2p=168}} She performed a variety of experiments while in orbit, researching [[Space farming|astroculture]] as well as the properties of [[combustion]], [[crystal growth]], [[Granular material|granular materials]], and [[mist]].{{sfnm|1a1=Gehman Jr. et al.|1y=2003|1p=29|2a1=Evans|2y=2005|2pp=421-422|3a1=Chien|3y=2006|3pp=158-159}} Overall, the crew of STS-107 performed over 80 experiments in various disciplines.{{sfnm|1a1=NASA|1y=2004|2a1=Evans|2y=2005|2pp=419-424}}

As the flight engineer, Chawla was tasked, alongside mission specialist Clark, with assessing the shuttle's system before [[atmospheric entry|reentry]]  on February 1.{{sfn|Evans|2005|pp=426-427}} Columbia began reentry on 8:44 a.m. on February 1. At 8:54 a.m, four sensors on the shuttle's wing failed, and at 9:00 a.m, the shuttle began disintegrating in the sky above Texas, killing all seven crew members aboard.{{sfnm|1a1=Gehman Jr. et al.|1y=2003|1pp=38-39|2a1=Jones|2y=2020}} In 2003, a report by the ''Columbia'' Accident Investigation Board found that a piece of [[Polyurethane foam|insulating foam]] broke off from the shuttle's [[Space Shuttle external tank|external tank]] during liftoff, striking the left wing of the [[Space Shuttle orbiter|orbiter]].{{sfn|Gehman Jr. et al.|2003|p=138}} When the ''Columbia'' began reentry, hot gases entered the damaged wing, leading to the shuttle's destruction.{{sfn|Chien|2006|p=vii}}

NASA established a team near [[Hemphill, Texas|Hemphill]], Texas, to search for the remains of the crew.{{sfn|Leinbach|Ward|2020|p=97}} On February 4 or 5, NASA began transporting the recovered remains to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at [[Dover Air Force Base]].{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Chien gives the date as February 5 while Leinbach & Ward give the date as February 4.{{sfnm|1a1=Chien|1y=2006|1p=372|2a1=Leinbach|2a2=Ward|2y=2020|2p=117}}}}{{sfnm|1a1=Chien|1y=2006|1p=372|2a1=Leinbach|2a2=Ward|2y=2020|2p=117}} By February 11, all crew members' remains had been recovered, including Chawla's. A memorial service was held in Hemphill that afternoon.{{sfn|Leinbach|Ward|2020|pp=131-132}} Her remains were ultimately cremated and scattered at [[Zion National Park]].{{sfn|Chien|2006|p=372}}

==Legacy==
Chawla was the recipient of numerous posthumous honors. On February 3, 2003, it was announced that the girls' hostel at Punjab Engineering College, where Chawla obtained her BEng, would be named after her. A prize consisting of INR ₹25,000, a medal, and a certificate was also created to reward the top students in the aeronautical engineering department.{{sfn|''The Indian Express''|2003}} Also in February, Prime Minister [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] of India announced that the satellite "MetSat-1" would be renamed "[[Kalpana-1]]".{{sfn|MOSDAC}} Then, in August, Asteroid [[51826 Kalpanachawla]] was named after her, one of seven asteroids named after the ''Columbia'''s crew.{{sfn|Uri|2023}} The [[Florida Institute of Technology]] named one of its residence buildings after Chawla in 2003 as part of "Columbia Village", which was dedicated to the seven ''Columbia'' astronauts.{{sfn|''Florida Tech News''|2003}} [[Steve Morse]] of the band [[Deep Purple]] released the song "Contact Lost" in 2003 in memory of the ''Columbia'' disaster.{{sfn|''UPI''|2003}} Chawla took three Deep Purple albums on STS-107, using their song "[[Space Truckin']]" as a wakeup call.{{sfnm|1a1=''UPI''|1y=2003|2a1=Chien|2y=2006|2p=238}} One of their albums was found in the shuttle's wreckage.{{sfn|Royal Museums Greenwich}}

[[File:Kalpana Chawla Hall Univ Texas Arlington.JPG|thumb|Kalpana Chawla Hall, [[University of Texas Arlington]]]]Seven peaks in the [[Columbia Hills (Mars)|Columbia Hills]] were named after the ''Columbia'' astronauts on February 2, 2004, with one of them being named after Chawla.{{sfn|Garber|2013}} Two days later, on February 4, Chawla was posthumously awarded the [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]] by President [[George W. Bush]].{{sfn|NASA|2023}} She was also awarded the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.{{sfn|NASA|2004}} In March, the [[Government of Karnataka]] instituted the "Kalpana Chawla Award" to recognize young female scientists.{{sfn|''The Hindu''|2004}} Then, in September, UTA, where Chawla obtained her MSc in 1984, opened "Kalpana Chawla Hall," also known as "KC Hall". Chawla's father was present for the hall's dedication.{{sfn|Wong|2004}} The lunar crater "Chawla" was named after her in 2006.{{sfnm|1a1=USGS|1y=2010|2a1=Uri|2y=2023}} The Kalpana Chawla Planetarium in Haryana was also dedicated to her in 2007 by Chief Minister [[Bhupinder Singh Hooda]].{{sfn|Haryana Government}} Novelist [[Peter David]] named a shuttlecraft, the ''Chawla'', after her in his 2007 [[Star Trek]] novel, ''Star Trek: The Next Generation: Before Dishonor''.{{sfn|David|2007|p=24}} In 2010, a memorial display was dedicated to Chawla in UTA's [[Nedderman Hall]].{{sfn|UTA}} 

In 2017, the [[Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College]] was established in Karnal.{{sfn|Gupta|2023}} Then, in 2020, she became the focus of the second season of the [[National Geographic]] documentary series ''Mega Icons'' alongside musician [[A. R. Rahman]], actress [[Deepika Padukone]], and industrialist [[Ratan Tata]].{{sfn|''The Indian Express''|2020}} The [[Cygnus NG-14|fourteenth contracted Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft mission]], which was launched in October 2020 to deliver supplies to the [[International Space Station]], was named the S.S. ''Kalpana Chawla'' in her honor.{{sfnm|1a1=Pearlman|1y=2020|2a1=Gohd|2y=2020}} A fictionalized version of Chawla appears in the 2023 movie ''[[A Million Miles Away (film)|A Million Miles Away]]'', where she is played by actress [[Sarayu Rao|Sarayu Blue]].{{sfn|de León|2023}}

== See also ==
{{portal|Biography|Outer space}}
* {{Section link|List of Asian Americans|Space}}
* [[List of women astronauts|List of female astronauts]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|30em}}
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* {{cite web |last=Gupta |first=Shobhit |title=Remembering Kalpana Chawla: First Indian-born American woman to go to space |website=Hindustan Times |date=2023 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kalpana-chawla-birthday-remembering-indian-origin-s-first-woman-astronaut-101679026074176.html |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
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* {{cite web |last=Jones |first=Mykah |title=Chawla, Kalpana |website=Texas State Historical Association |date=2020 |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/chawla-kalpana |access-date=November 9, 2024}}
* {{cite web |title=KALPANA-1 Introduction |website=Meteorological & Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival Centre (MOSDAC) |url=https://www.mosdac.gov.in/kalpana-1-introduction |ref={{harvid|MOSDAC}} |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
* {{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/23/stories/2004032310280500.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040713044512/http://www.hindu.com/2004/03/23/stories/2004032310280500.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=July 13, 2004 | title= Kalpana Chawla Award instituted | access-date=June 10, 2007 | location=Chennai | work=The Hindu | date=2004 |ref={{harvid|''The Hindu''|2004}}}}
* {{cite web |title=Kalpana Chawla Memorial Display |website=Kalpana Chawla Memorial Display - College of Engineering - The University of Texas at Arlington |url=https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/engineering/about/facilities/kc-exhibit |ref={{harvid|UTA}} |access-date=November 8, 2024}}
* {{cite web |title=Kalpana Chawla Planetarium(Kurukshetra) |website=Haryana Government |url=https://haryana.gov.in/places-centres/kalpana-chawla-planetariumkurukshetra/ |ref={{harvid|Haryana Government}} |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
* {{cite book |last=Launius |first=Roger D. |title=American National Biography Online |chapter=Columbia Space Shuttle Crew |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.2001896}}
* {{cite book |last1=Leinbach |first1=Michael |last2=Ward |first2=Jonathan H. |title=Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and Her Crew |publisher=Arcade |publication-place=New York |date=2020 |isbn=978-1-948924-61-0}}
* {{cite web |title=The Moon and music |website=Royal Museums Greenwich |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/moon-music |ref={{harvid|Royal Museums Greenwich}} |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
* {{cite web |title=Moon - Chawla |website=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |date=2010 |url=https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/14139 |publisher=USGS |ref={{harvid|USGS|2010}} |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
* {{cite book |last=Padmanabhan |first=Anil |title=Kalpana Chawla, a Life |publisher=Penguin Books India |publication-place=New Delhi; New York |date=2003 |isbn=0-14-333586-3}}
* {{cite web |last=Pearlman |first=Robert Z. |title=Cargo spacecraft named for fallen NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla |website=Space.com |date=2020 |url=https://www.space.com/cygnus-cargo-spacecraft-named-kalpana-chawla.html |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=18844 |title=Punjab Engineering College remembers Kalpana | work=The Indian Express |access-date=June 10, 2007 |url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827232518/http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=18844 | archive-date=August 27, 2006 |ref={{harvid|''The Indian Express''|2003}}}}
* {{cite book |last1=Shayler |first1=David J. |last2=Moule |first2=Ian A. |title=Women in Space - Following Valentina |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |publication-place=Berlin; New York; Chichester |date=2005 |isbn=1-85233-744-3}}
* {{cite web |last=Uri |first=John |title=20 Years Ago: Remembering Columbia and Her Crew |website=NASA |date=2023 |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/20-years-ago-remembering-columbia-and-her-crew/ |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
* {{cite web |last=Wong |first=Esther |title=Kalpana Chawla Hall dedicated |website=The Shorthorn |date=2004 |url=https://www.theshorthorn.com/news/kalpana-chawla-hall-dedicated/article_c5c3e1c9-4da8-5a0d-9947-fae18173c0fb.html |access-date=November 25, 2024}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Zhao |editor-first1=Xiaojian |editor-last2=Park |editor-first2=Edward J.W. |title=Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History |publisher=ABC-CLIO |publication-place=Santa Barbara. |date=2013|isbn=978-1-59884-240-1}}
** {{harvc |last1=Furuyama |first1=Katie |year=2013 | c=Chawla, Kalpana (1961-2003) |in1=Zhao |in2=Park}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
* '''''Among the Stars!: Life and Dreams of Kalpana Chawla''''' by Gurdeep Pandher
* '''''India's 50 Most Illustrious Women''''' ({{ISBN|81-88086-19-3}}) by Indra Gupta
* '''''Kalpana Chawla: A Life''''' ({{ISBN|0-14-333586-3}}) by Anil Padmanabhan
* '''''The Edge of Time: The Authoritative Biography of Kalpana Chawla''''' ({{ISBN|978-0976827917}}) by Jean-Pierre Harrison

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Troxell/Columbia%20Web%20Site/Biographies/Crew%20Profile%20Information/Crew%20Biographies/ASTRON%7E1.HTM |title=Astronaut Bio: Kalpana Chawla|work=[[NASA]]|date=February 2003|access-date=May 7, 2019}}
*  [https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/engineering/academics/departments/mechanical-aerospace Aerospace Engineering]
* [https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/chawla_kalpana.pdf NASA biography]
* {{IMDb name|id=1527404}}.

{{Congressional Space Medal of Honor}}
{{STS-107}}
{{NASA Astronaut Group 15}}
{{Authority control}}

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