As Sunita Williams returns safely to Earth, world remembers Kalpana Chawla

Indian-American astronaut Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams along with Barry ‘Butch’ Willmore returned to Earth on Wednesday (IST), marking an end to her extended stay at the International Space Station (ISS). Williams and Willmore along with astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov were aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule and splashed off the coast of Florida. 

 

As the world welcomed Sunita Williams back, many remembered another Indian-origin astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who left an indelible mark in the field of space exploration. Chawla was the first Indian American woman to go to space and inspired millions to follow their dreams.

 

Sunita Williams’ successful return to the Earth comes just two days after Kalpana Chawla’s birth anniversary.

 

 

Sunita Williams’ landing 

Williams and Willmore were docked at the International Space Station on June 6, 2024, in a Boeing Starliner for eight days. However, technical malfunctions in the Starliner forced the two astronauts to stay in space for much longer than they expected, forcing Nasa to call back the rocket empty. Their return was delayed multiple times owing to safety concerns, however, it commenced after an assessment of the systems of the spacecraft.

 

The Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four astronauts undocked successfully on March 18 from the ISS. After a 17-hour journey, the capsule entered the Earth's atmosphere, parachuting to a smooth landing off Florida’s Gulf coast near Tallahassee at around 3.30 am (IST).

 

What happened during Chawla’s landing 

Kalpana Chawla was aboard Columbia, the space shuttle that was to bring her back along with six others after a 15-day stint in space. STS-107 was Chawla's second mission, aimed at groundbreaking scientific experiments. However, on February 1, 2003, the tragedy struck.

 

According to media reports, LeRoy Cain, Nasa’s entry flight director gave the green light to Shuttle commander Rick Husband to start the deorbit and re-entry procedures for descent STS-107. However, the shuttle disintegrated upon its re-entry into the atmosphere and just 16 minutes before landing. All the astronauts on board were declared dead.

 

According to a report in Space.com, a large piece of foam fell from Columbia’s external tank, breaching the spacecraft wing.

 

Later, Nasa’s investigation revealed that a piece of foam fell from the ‘bipod ramp’ 82 seconds after Columbia left the ground. The foam was a part of the structure that attached the external tank to the shuttle. Reports suggest that it was later discovered that a hole on the left wing of the spacecraft allowed the atmospheric gases to bleed into the shuttle, thereby resulting in the loss of sensors and eventually, the aircraft.