Front row (L-R): Kalpana Chawla, Steve Lindsey, Kevin Kregel, Leonid Kadeniuk
Back row (L-R): Winston Scott, Takao Doi
Mission patch
Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-87), launched November 19, 1997, was the first EVA conducted by a Japanese astronaut. Its crew consisted of Commander Kevin Kregel, Pilot Steve Lindsey, Kalpana Chawla, Winston Scott, Takao Doi (JAXA), and Leonid Kadeniuk (first Ukrainian astronaut).
Scott and Doi conducted two EVAs, which lasted almost 13 hours total.
Kalpana Chawla, born March 19, 1962 in India, was the first female Indian astronaut. Her official birth date was changed to July 1, 1961 so she could become eligible for the "matriculation exam", which is why I have a blog post also celebrating her "new" birth date. After obtaining her Bachelor's, she moved to the US and completed her Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Her first trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-87) as mission specialist in November-December 1997. The mission continued experiments with the Microgravity Laboratory program.
Her second trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-107) as mission specialist in January-February 2003. Unfortunately, the shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry and broke up over north Texas, killing all crew members.
Chawla is remembered in a number of ways. An asteroid has been named after her, as one of seven named after the Columbia's crew. A studen apartment complex at Florida Institute of Technology here in Melbourne is named for her. UTA opened a dorm named in her honor in 2004.
Rear (L-R): David Brown, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, Ilan Ramon;
Front (L-R): Rick Husband, Kalpana Chawla, William McCool
Mission patch
As with the Challenger disaster in 1986, I'm sure we all remember where we were when we heard the news about the Columbia disaster in February 2003. It was Columbia's 28th mission (STS-107), launched January 16, 2003, when a piece of foam broke off during the launch and damaged part of the thermal protective system on the leading edge of the left wing.
During re-entry, overheated gases were allowed into the wing, which ultimately led to the shuttle breaking apart and the loss of everyone on board. The people lost were Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William McCool, Mission Specialist David Brown, Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist Michael Anderson, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (first Israeli astronaut). This was the first flight for McCool, Brown, Clark and Ramon.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board uncovered some interesting facts during their investigation. Apparently, NASA knew the crew was at risk but decided nothing could be done about it. They realized that they could have expedited the Atlantis lift-off scheduled March 1, to February 10. Columbia's crew had enough supplies and resources to last until February 15. Atlantis would have had a five day overlap to rescue the crew and return them to Earth. Columbia would be brought down into the ocean.
Kalpana Chawla, born July 1, 1961 in India, was the first Indian woman astronaut. She
flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist. She also served as the primary robotic arm operator.
Her second voyage, also on the Columbia, ended in disaster as the shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry February 1, 2003.
