1. KALPANA CHAWLA, The First Indian Woman In Space
Few names have captured the collective imagination of Indians in the past two decades as much as Kalpana Chawla. Kalpana was born in Karnal, Punjab, and went on to obtain a degree in aero-nautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College. After procuring subsequent degrees from the University of Colorado and Texas, she started working for the NASA Ames Centre. She was selected as an Astronaut candidate in 1994 and went for her first mission in 1997 on Colombia STS-87, becoming the first Indian woman to go to space.
“When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but from the solar system,”
she remarked after her first space mission.
Kalpana was certified with a commercial pilot license for seaplanes, multi-engine aircraft and glider. She was also a certified flight Instructor for glider and aeroplanes.
2. ASHWINVASAVADA, Exploring Mars Via The Curiosity Rover
Ashwin Vasavada, who holds a Doctorate in Planetary Science is currently a Senior Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has led the scientists' Roving Mars with the MSL mission and also worked on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, among many other career accomplishments. Vasavada has also won several accolades for his numerous contributions including the JPL People Leadership Award (2017), NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (2013), NASA Group Achievement Award, and many more.Ashwin Vasavada was recently named Project Scientist for NASA’s Mars Rover Curiosity, thereby placing him in charge of a team of nearly 500 researchers around the globe.
As said by Vasavada,
“Not just once-in-a lifetime experience, but one that many people never even get. It’s going to be an incredible few years, and worth whatever it takes.”
3. SUNITA WILLLIAMS, Ranked Second In USA Endurance List Of Female Astronauts
Sunita L. Williams is a Master of Science in Engineering Management. She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998 to become the second Indian-American woman to hold the position at NASA after late Kalpana Chawla. She is a veteran of two major space missions.
She also held a world record for females with four spacewalks at 29 hours and 17 minutes, however, the record was later broken by Peggy Whitson with five spacewalks.
But what helped her gain international recognition was when she set the record of the longest cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut with 50 hours and 40 minutes on seven Extra-Vehicular Activities as well as the longest spaceflight by a woman.She will be working with Space X and Boeing in designing and studying the systems required for launches from the International Space Station.
"Don't get bogged down by the notion of limits. There aren't any."
~Sunita Williams
4. V. Dr. KAMLESH LULLA, Helping Astronauts Land Safely Through Remote Sensing
One of the most celebrated scientists at NASA, Vadodara born Dr. Lulla is said to have his office walls covered more with awards than paint. With more than 27 years of work experience at NASA, Lulla has helped astronaut crews through the development of astronaut-directed Earth remote sensing and even served as the lead scientist for Earth-looking payloads.
A prolific author, he has taken part in various initiatives to spread space exploration knowledge and interest besides writing several scientific and technical papers and books.
Throughout his career, he has been tasked with several chief scientific roles including the International Space Station Program, Earth Observations and Remote Sensing in the Space Shuttle Program.
5. Dr. ANITA SENGUPTA, Creating A State of Matter And Landing Rovers
Anita Sengupta is an aerospace engineer who has worked on developing numerous technologies that enabled Mars, Asteroids, and Deep Space exploration. She was also among the chief engineers behind the launch of Curiosity Rover to Mars in 2011.Anita’s childhood fascination with science fiction and curiosity lead her to a career as a project manager in Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
She was responsible for designing the 70 foot parachute that slowed the descent of the Curiosity Rover into Mars in March 2012, but her most exciting breakthrough has come in creating a state of matter called the Bose-Einstein Condensate, which will soon debut on the International Space Station in the latter half of 2016 as a part of NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory. She is also a strong advocate for inclusion of more women in the field and believes,
“Space exploration and related scientific endeavours don’t have to be the stuff of white men in lab coats.”
6. Dr. MEYA MEYAPPAN, Creating Nano technology For Future Space Exploration
Meyya Meyyappan is a Chief Scientist for Exploration Technology at NASA’s Center for Nanotechnology. He is the founding member of IWGN which looks after the development of the National Nanotechnology Initiative.
For his accolades, Meyyappan has received a Presidential Meritorious Award, NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal, IEEE-USA Harry Diamond Award, Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology by the IEEE-NTC, and many more. A team of scientists, including Meyappan, was responsible for convincing the US Congress to fund the nano- technology program in the country in its very nascent stages, and currently oversees all the future progress made by NASA in applying nano-technology to Space.