Remembering Kalpana Chawla

World News: NASA dedicates supercomputer to Kaplana Chawla

4-August-2004

Washington, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has dedicated a new supercomputer to the memory of India American astronaut Kalpana "KC" Chawla.

India-born Chawla was one of seven crewmembers who perished aboard the space shuttle Columbia Feb 1 last year.

Naming the Altix supercomputer "Kalpana" follows a long tradition at the research centre of naming new machines after pioneers in the supercomputer industry or individuals who have significantly contributed to research at NASA Ames, according to a NASA statement.

Before joining the astronaut programme, Chawla worked as an aerospace engineer at NASA Ames during 1988-95. She served as a flight engineer and mission specialist aboard Columbia.

"It is indeed an honour to name NASA's new SGI Altix 3000 supercomputer after Kalpana Chawla," said G. Scott Hubbard, the Ames Centre director, during the dedication ceremony held recently. Of the dozens of experiments successfully conducted by the Columbia crew, Chawla's favourite was the "Israeli Mediterranean Dust Experiment", which involved pointing a camera at earth to study effects of dust on weather and the environment.

"Fittingly, the SGI Altix 3000 supercomputer is being used to develop substantially more capable simulation models to better assess the evolution and behaviour of the earth's climate system," said Ghassem Asrar, NASA's deputy associate administrator for earth science.

The new supercomputer is being used for a group effort by NASA headquarters, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA Ames and NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre to deliver high-resolution ocean analysis in the framework of the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean Consortium.

"With the addition of the SGI Altix system, NASA's high-end computing test bed activities in support of the agency's science and engineering missions are greatly enhanced," said Walt Brooks, chief of NASA's advanced supercomputing division at Ames.

"She was not only a member of the NASA family, but also a special member of our own Ames family. We all miss her and her many contributions to the agency."

At Ames, Chawla had the challenging task of computing airflow surrounding a jet-supported, delta-wing aircraft during landing. During an interview in 1995, she predicted her exposure to a wide variety of computer systems at Ames would be useful to her as an astronaut, according to the NASA statement.

(Source:KeralanNext Website)

New York City administration has honoured Kalpana Chawla

New York, July 14 (NNN)

Almost one and a half years after the tragic disaster of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space shuttle Columbia, New York’s 74th Street in the Jackson Heights area of the city has now been renamed, 74 Street Kalpana Chawla Way.

Kalpana Chawla was one of the seven astronauts killed when the Columbia shuttle disintegrated in mid-air on February 1, 2003.

The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, officially unveiled the Kalpana Chawla Way on Sunday at a simple but well attended ceremony including hundreds of people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Jackson Heights area, also known as Little India, has a strong concentration of people of South Asian origin who strongly favoured the move to honour Chawla. The community has been trying for some time to get the street named after her.

The president of Jackson Heights Merchants' Association, Shiv Dass, who is of Indian origin, says that his organisation has been trying to get the street name changed since the death of Kalpana Chawla last year.

They approached City Councilwoman Helen Sears, a Democrat, who got a bill passed to this effect. "We are so proud to have the street named after our hero Kalpana Chawla, who sacrificed her life for this country. All of us from South Asia - Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis - we are all so happy to honour one of our own," Dass said.

This Jackson Heights area also serves as a major shopping centre for the South Asian community in New York and surrounding areas. It is a hub of commercial activity and also a major centre for regional cuisines from South Asia.

Kalpana Chawla was a naturalised American citizen who lived in the Houston suburb of Texas state, about 10 miles from Johnson Space Centre. She was born in the town of Karnal in Haryana in India.

After moving to the United States, she earned a master's degree and a doctorate in aeronautical engineering, and became a US citizen. In 1994, she was selected by NASA for a rigorous one-year training programme to serve as a mission specialist on board shuttle missions.

She said that that her inspiration to take up flying was JRD Tata, who flew the first mail flights in India.

Before and after her death, Kalpana Chawla's fan base was not just restricted to the South Asian community of the United States. People from all walks of life remember the astronaut's warm smile and pioneering spirit.

(Source : Indolink Website)