Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Kalpana Chawla Collection
Summary
- Collection ID:
- NASM.2020.0004
- Creators:
-
Chawla, Kalpana, 1961-2003
- Dates:
-
1980s -2000s
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
16.75 Cubic feet12 flat boxes, 6 record center boxes, 6 document boxes, one map folder, and 25 VHS tapes.
- Repository:
This collection consists of 16 cubic feet of archival material relating to the astronaut career of Kalpana Chawla, 1980s-2000s.
This collection is in English.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of 16 cubic feet of material relating to the astronaut career of Kalpana Chawla, 1980s-2000s. The collection includes the following types of archival material: photographs, correspondence, news articles and related documentation. The correspondence is between Kalpana Chawla and her immediate family, as well as condolence letters and e-mails received by the family after her tragic death.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Arranged by type and shipment.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Kalpana Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to become a NASA astronaut and fly on space missions. Born and educated in India (Karnal, Punjab), she came to the United States for graduate education in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and the University of Colorado. After earning a Ph.D. in 1988, she began work at NASA's Ames Research Center in computational fluid dynamics. Selected into the astronaut corps in 1994, she first flew as a mission specialist and robotic arm operator for the STS-87 microgravity research mission on Columbia in 1997. Her second flight on Columbia, the STS-107 research mission in 2003, ended tragically when the damaged orbiter disintegrated during its return through the atmosphere and the entire crew perished. Even before her untimely death, Chawla was a national hero in India, having risen from humble beginnings to attain the remarkable achievement of spaceflight. In India, schools and scholarships are named in her honor and her birthday is widely celebrated, and she is also memorialized in the United States. Her ashes were scattered in Zion National Park, Utah.
Administration
Author
Patti Williams
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Sunita Chaudhry, Gift, 2020, NASM.2020.0004
Processing Information
Arranged, described, and encoded by Patti Williams, 2021.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Use
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Preferred Citation
Kalpana Chawla Collection, NASM.2020.0004, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
---|---|---|---|
Space Shuttle Orbiter | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Space flight | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator Arm | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Space Shuttles, Columbia (OV-102) | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Correspondence -- 20th century | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Photographs -- 20th century | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Corporate Name | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
National Air and Space Museum Archives
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
NASMRefDesk@si.edu