BOOK OF THE MONTH : FEBRUARY 2013

                                                   
Tittle       : The Edge of Time: 
                 The Authoritative Biography of 
                 Kalpana Chawla
Author    : Jean Pierre Harrison.
Pages      : 236
ISBN       : 978-0-9768279-0-0
Price       : $ 9.99
Publisher: Harrison Publishing
Website  : www.harrisonpublishing.net

All those who had hoped to know all about Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-American astronaut who was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, can go through her biography, "The Edge of Time". It is written by her husband, Jean Pierre Harrison. On 1 February 2003, NASA’s space shuttle Columbia was destroyed during re-entry, killing all the seven crew members on board, including the Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

Born on 17 March 1962 in Karnal, Haryana, Kalpana was originally called “Montu” by the family. At the age of three she chose the name “Kalpana”, meaning “imagination”, as her formal name. She attended Tagore Bal Niketan School, and later Dayal Singh College and DAV College for Women, all in Karnal. Kalpana had decided on a career in aeronautical engineering at an early age, and joined Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarhin 1978.

Kalpana’s journey to the edge of time began with a small step – a flight over the plains of Haryana in a Pushpak aircraft as a young girl in the early 1970s.After receiving her BSc degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Kalpana was offered a position with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore. Meanwhile, she had applied for graduate aeronautical engineering programmes at Georgia Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and the University of Texas at Arlington and had received acceptance from all the three.

The determination of Kalpana was evident from the fact that even after the tragic Challenger disaster in January 1986, she decided to apply for the NASA Astronaut Corps once she acquired US citizenship.As Kalpana was training for STS-87, she received a message from US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to tape a video message to the Indian Parliament. But Kalpana was unwilling to accede to such a request because she wished to avoid any hint of involvement in politics.

Kalpana had the privilege of speaking with the then Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral from orbit. Gujral is said to have commented later that talking to Kalpana in orbit was for him the high point of 1997.Tragically, although the entire crew of STS-87 wanted to visit India soon after the flight, they could not, as relations between the United States and India became strained after India’s underground nuclear tests on 11 and 13 May 1998. Kalpana could not visit her native country in any official capacity because, as an astronaut, she was a representative of the US government.

On 1 February, the day Columbia was to return home, Harrington was at the Shuttle Landing Facility viewing area at Kennedy Space Centre, eagerly awaiting Kalpana’s return. But joy soon turned into apprehension, as repeated radio calls from the Mission Control to the shuttle crew went unanswered. But no one knew what it was.Soon, footage of Columbia breakingup in the sky was on every TV channel.Kalpana’s family members were at Harrington’s home in Houston, where they saw the accident on TV. 

The Edge of Time is a unique biography, lovingly done, by someone who has been witness to the finest moments in Kalpana’s life. Written in a lucid style, without much hype, it presents great insights into the life of one of India’s bravest women – her grit and determination. Her story is an example of the success that can be earned from hard work and persistence, and her life will certainly serve as an inspiration to Indian school children and youth, motivating them to take up new challenges in life.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: India

Chapter 2: Arlington

Chapter 3: Boulder

Chapter 4: Sunnyvale

Chapter 5: Houston

Chapter 6: STS-87

Chapter 7: Interlude

Chapter 8: STS-107

Chapter 9: Aftermath

Epilogue

Reviewed by Mr Biman Basu, former Editor of Science Reporter and science communicator.
Email: bimanbasu@gmail.com

Courtesy: SCIENCE REPORTER, MAY 2012, Page 40-41.