NASA Connection

In 1988, Kalpana completed her thesis and duly earned Doctorate for research in Computational Fluid Dynamics for Colarado University.
That was the time when there was a great demand for Aero-engineers and Space researchers. The big companies and institutions were snapping up talented people in the above fields. Brilliant ones like Kalpana Chawla were the prize items who could ask for large salaries.
The M.C.A.T. Institute of Sanjose, California made an offer to Kalpana which she accepted at once because it was affiliated to NASA, her dream destination from where one could travel farthest into the space, the only such facility in the world.
Kalpana joined duty as a research scientist in the field of ‘Powered Lift Computation Fluid Dynamics’. Her main job was to keep a check on the Aircraft Flow Analysis using computer codes and detect any malfunctioning.
Working in the institute, Kalpana kept up her flying passion alive. Now she could do some aerobatics as well. In Sanjose she earned a glider pilot licence as well and she used to land or take off from small airports around Denver.
She was doing so well in her job that now she could afford to buy a small aircraft of her own. And she bought one.
What an irony! In India a girl was not allowed to join Flying Cub because she could not produce her guardian’s approval letter and the same girl, Kalpana Chawla in U.S.A. not only had two pilot licences but her own aeroplane as well. Now she could fly, roll, dive, double roll or do virtical Charlie as her wish. Little Monto had really spread her wings.
Amidst all her hectic activities Kalpana would steal time for her other fancies. She liked music and dance. Humming had become her habit.
Kalpana had a good collection of music CDs. Her collection included Thelonius, Stieve Way, Ravi Shankar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Hariprasad Chaurasia. She even tried to learn Bharat Natyam from an Indian run school in Sanjose.
Beside music she liked mountaineering, skiing and space photography.
In her successes in USA, her husband J.P. had big hand. Kalpana was lucky that throughout her life she got the help of able guides like her teachers Miss Nirmala, Miss Rama, Dr. Sareen, Santosh Arora of Tagore Bal Niketan school, Miss Kusum of D.A.V. college and Professor Malhotra of P.E.C. Chandigarh. In Arlington (USA) Aerodynamics Professor Don Seath also proved quite helpful. They all encouraged her in everyway. In marriage she got the company of J.P. who was a professional associate, guide, technical advisor besides being the life partener.
J.P. infact was inspiration for Kalpana. For his wife he had given up his old job and accepted to work for NASA permanently just to further the cause of Kalpana, to be helpful in realising her space ambitions.
Kalpana also doted on her husband. The couple had complete understanding. The two wanted children but knew that it would not be right before Kalpana achieved her goals. The kids would need full time attention of their mother which she could ill afford presently. J.P. also understood that his wife’s space ambition needed her total dedication and hard work.
Kalpana had married an American citizen and she herself was now citizen of that country but she continued to have the same emotional feelings towards her homeland, India. J.P. understood her emotions. Even after marriage Kalpana continued to call herself Kalpana Chawla. J.P. never insisted on the use of his surname ‘Harrison’.
Kalpana did not give up the taste of India. She cooked herself. Indian vegetarian food was her staple diet. Her home also sported Indian decor.
In Houston, outside the NASA complex grounds there was ‘Clearlake Grocers’ store which was the favourite haunt of Kalpana because it served Bhel-puri and Samosa-Imli chutney. There she had her favourite table and her chair, always facing the entrance. During leisure hours if J.P. did not find Kalpana home he knew for sure where to find her. And he would also relish the Indian treat.
Kalpana always kept in touch with her ex-teachers, friends and relatives. Sanyogita could not help visiting her daughter in a far off land otherwise the old lady would never have left her country even in her dream. Banarsidas Chawla often went to U.S. on business tour and on every trip met her. She would miss her sister Pinky (Sunita) badly. The other sister Deepa often wrote litters to her which Kalpana treasured. Her parental family in spirit was always with her. Kalpana drew moral strength from those close contacts and inspiration to keep pressing forward.
She needed all the inspiration. Her husband J.P. was giving her all out support and the girl from backwoods Karnal town of India was very close to her ultimate goal, to go beyond the earth-sky limits into the infinite space. It was going to be a glorious milestone for Kalpana and J.P. And the day was going to be of December, 1994.

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