Rakesh Sharma (born January 13, Exception Handler: No article summary found.1949) was the first Indian (A member of the race of people living in North America when Europeans arrived) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link] in space.

He was a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force (ee the indian air force (british) for the pre-independence indian air force...) 

[click link for more facts about this subject] and embarked on the mission in 1984, Exception Handler: No article summary found. The manned space program of the Indian Space Research Organisation (The indian space research organisation (isro) is indias national space agency....) 

[for more, click this link] has depended entirely upon Russia (A federation in northeastern Europe and northern Asia; formerly Soviet Russia; since 1991 an independent state) 

[click link for more facts about this subject], Exception Handler: No article summary found.and the first Indian cosmonaut (A person trained to travel in a spacecraft) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link] became the 138th man into space, Exception Handler: No article summary found. He spent eight days in space aboard Salyut 7[follow this hyperlink for a summary of this topic], Exception Handler: No article summary found. Launched along with two other Soviet (An elected governmental council in a Communist country (especially one that is a member of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)) 

[follow this hyperlink for a summary of this topic] cosmonauts aboard Soyuz T-11[follow this hyperlink for a summary of this topic] on 02 April 1984, Exception Handler: No article summary found.was then-Squadron (An air force unit larger than a flight and smaller than a group) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link] Leader Rakesh Sharma, Exception Handler: No article summary found.a 35 year old Indian Air Force (ee the indian air force (british) for the pre-independence indian air force...) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link] pilot (Someone who is licensed to operate an aircraft in flight) 

[click link for more facts about this subject], Exception Handler: No article summary found. During the flight, Exception Handler: No article summary found.Squadron Leader Sharma conducted multi-spectral photography (The act of taking and printing photographs) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link] of northern India in anticipation of the construction of hydroelectric power (Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is a form of hydropower, (i.e.,the use of energy released...) 

[for more info, click this link] stations in the Himalaya[click link for more facts about this subject]s.

Squadron Leader (Squadron leader is a senior commissioned rank in the royal air force and the air forces of many other commonwealth...) 

[click link for more facts about this subject] Sharma and his backup, Exception Handler: No article summary found.Wing Commander ((RAF rank) one who is next below a Group Captain) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link] Ravish Malhotra, Exception Handler: No article summary found.also prepared an elaborate series of zero-gravity Yoga (A system of exercises practiced as part of the Hindu discipline to promote control of the body and mind) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link] exercises which the former had practised aboard the Salyut 7, Exception Handler: No article summary found. Retired with the rank of Wing Commander, Exception Handler: No article summary found.Rakesh Sharma joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited[click link for more facts about this subject] (HAL) as a test pilot (A pilot hired to fly experimental airplanes through maneuvers designed to test them) 

[for more facts and a summary of this subject, click this link], Exception Handler: No article summary found.He was based at the Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bangalore (An industrial city in south central India (west of Chennai)) 

[follow this hyperlink for a summary of this topic] and worked on the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft[for more, click this link] program, Exception Handler: No article summary found.Current status - retired.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/SPACE/Images/Sharma.jpg

http://vayu-sena.tripod.com/pix/iafsharma1.jpg

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/ref/rakesh_sharma
http://www.spacetoday.org/India/IndiaSpaceHistory.html#India nSpacePioneers

Malhotra Ravish

India

Personal data

Additional information

http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/malhotra _ravish.htm

KALPANA CHAWLA (PH.D.)
NASA ASTRONAUT

PERSONAL DATA: Born in Karnal, India. Died on February 1, 2003 over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing. She is survived by her husband. Kalpana Chawla enjoyed flying, hiking, back-packing, and reading. She held a Certificated Flight Instructor's license with airplane and glider ratings, Commercial Pilot's licenses for single- and multi-engine land and seaplanes, and Gliders, and instrument rating for airplanes. She enjoyed flying aerobatics and tail-wheel airplanes.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Tagore School, Karnal, India, in 1976. Bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, 1982. Master of science degree in aerospace engineering from University of Texas, 1984. Doctorate of philosophy in aerospace engineering from University of Colorado, 1988.

AWARDS: Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.

EXPERIENCE: In 1988, Kalpana Chawla started work at NASA Ames Research Center in the area of powered-lift computational fluid dynamics. Her research concentrated on simulation of complex air flows encountered around aircraft such as the Harrier in "ground-effect." Following completion of this project she supported research in mapping of flow solvers to parallel computers, and testing of these solvers by carrying out powered lift computations. In 1993 Kalpana Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc., Los Altos, California, as Vice President and Research Scientist to form a team with other researchers specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems. She was responsible for development and implementation of efficient techniques to perform aerodynamic optimization. Results of various projects that Kalpana Chawla participated in are documented in technical conference papers and journals.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in December 1994, Kalpana Chawla reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995 as an astronaut candidate in the 15th Group of Astronauts. After completing a year of training and evaluation, she was assigned as crew representative to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office EVA/Robotics and Computer Branches. Her assignments included work on development of Robotic Situational Awareness Displays and testing space shuttle control software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory. In November, 1996, Kalpana Chawla was assigned as mission specialist and prime robotic arm operator on STS-87. In January 1998, she was assigned as crew representative for shuttle and station flight crew equipment, and subsequently served as lead for Astronaut Office��s Crew Systems and Habitability section. She flew on STS-87 (1997) and STS-107 (2003), logging 30 days, 14 hours and 54 minutes in space.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-87 Columbia (November 19 to December 5, 1997). STS-87 was the fourth U.S Microgravity Payload flight and focused on experiments designed to study how the weightless environment of space affects various physical processes, and on observations of the Sun's outer atmospheric layers. Two members of the crew performed an EVA (spacewalk) which featured the manual capture of a Spartan satellite, in addition to testing EVA tools and procedures for future Space Station assembly. STS-87 made 252 orbits of the Earth, traveling 6.5 million miles in in 376 hours and 34 minutes.

STS-107 Columbia (January 16 to February 1, 2003). The 16-day flight was a dedicated science and research mission. Working 24 hours a day, in two alternating shifts, the crew successfully conducted approximately 80 experiments. The STS-107 mission ended abruptly on February 1, 2003 when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing.

MAY 2004

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chawla.html

NEW DELHI, India -- Front pages of Saturday's Indian newspapers carried pictures of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman in space, to celebrate her expected return to earth on the U.S. space shuttle Columbia.

But the return never happened, as the shuttle broke apart more than 200,000 feet above central Texas minutes before it was to land in Florida, killing all seven crew members. (Full story)

Instead of a celebration, a pall of sadness descended on India as much of the country watched with horror the video footage showing the disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia.

In a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee conveyed his sympathies to the American people. "We mourn with you in this moment of grief. Our hearts go out to the bright young men and women who were on that spacecraft. For us in India, we felt that since one of them was an Indian-born woman it adds a special poignancy to the tragedy."

"The world has seen with admiration the U.S. spacecraft program. We hope that in the days to come it will reach new heights," Vajpayee added.

Hometown heroine

In Chawla's hometown of Karnal, 75 miles northwest of the capital, New Delhi, a gathering at her high school which had been planned to celebrate the successful end of Columbia's mission turned into a prayer vigil as news of the accident was reported.

Karnal residents and hundreds of millions of Indians had been elated at Chawla. The 40-year-old became the first Indian woman to enter space in 1997, when she was part of the Columbia mission that orbited the earth. (Profile of Chawla)

Though deeply saddened, Chawla's brother, Sanjay, tried to be philosophical about her death.

"When you're involved in such a profession, you need to be ready for this kind of news," he told CNN's Satinder Bindra. "I was just telling my friends that if you're in the army or air force or any such field, you should be ready to receive such news."

"When this can happen to others, it can also happen to you. This time, such a tragedy has befallen our family, but our relatives and friends and the people of Karnal are all sharing our grief," the brother added.

'Mind boggling'

In India, which has launched satellites for years and is preparing for a moon orbit this decade, Chawla was a new kind of heroine.

Born in Karnal, Chawla earned a degree in engineering from Punjab Engineering College in 1982 and then went to the United States, where she earned her Master's and doctorate in aerospace engineering.

She joined NASA in 1995 as an astronaut candidate.

Prior to her departure on Columbia for what was her second trip to space, she told reporters that her inspiration to take up flying was J.R.D. Tata, who flew the first mail flights in India.

She told the Press Trust of India on January 16: "What J.R.D. Tata had done during those years was very intriguing and definitely captivated my imagination."

Following her first space flight, in 1997, she had told News India-Times of seeing India's Himalayan Mountains.

"The Ganges Valley looked majestic, mind boggling," she said.

"Africa looked like a desert and the Nile a vein in it."

Chawla said that as the shuttle repeatedly passed over India, especially New Delhi, she pointed it out to the other crew members and said, "I lived near there."

She became an astronaut in 1994. On her first space flight, she was blamed for making mistakes that sent a science satellite tumbling out of control. Other astronauts went on a space walk to capture it.

India Today magazine reported that NASA had absolved Chawla, rating her a "terrific astronaut," and saying the accident had resulted from a series of small errors.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.columbia.in dia/index.html