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Sunita Williams's risky reentry brings back memories of Kalpana Chawla’s space tragedy
Indian born astronaut Kalpana Chawla died along with 7 other crew members when her space shuttle Columbia exploded on return to earth twenty years back.
Indian born Sunita Williams and colleague Butch Wilmore have been stuck in space for over two months with concerns that a malfunctioned Boeing Starliner isn't capable to get them back safely.
After weeks long delay NASA has finally confirmed that they have discarded Starliner as an option and the two astronauts will return in Elon Musk's SpaceX craft in February next year.
Rudy Ridolfi, a former commander of US military space systems, warned of severe consequences for the astronauts, including the risk of instant vaporization upon re-entry. He emphasized that unresolved technical issues with the spacecraft could have led to catastrophic failure during descent, potentially causing extreme heat and pressure to compromise the spacecraft’s structural integrity. This could have resulted in the complete disintegration of the spacecraft and the loss of the crew.
The health hazards and risks associated with Sunita Williams return have brought back memories of another Indian American space woman Kalpana Chawla who's journey back to Earth ended in a fatal crash.
Who was Kalpana and what happened to the Columbia shuttle?
Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-American astronaut who tragically died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. She was born in Karnal, India and was the first Indian woman to travel to space after earning her PhD in aerospace engineering and joining NASA as an astronaut. She flew on two space missions with NASA, including her tragic second mission on the Space Shuttle Columbia.
It was twenty years back on February 1, 2003, when Columbia space suttle broke apart upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere due to technical issues in the spacecraft. A heartbreaking visual seen LIVE by millions as space enthusiasts
During the launch of NASA’s space shuttle, a piece of foam insulation broke off from the shuttle's external fuel tank. This foam struck the shuttle's left wing. The damage sustained created a hole in the shuttle's thermal protection system (TPS), which is essential for protecting the spacecraft from the extreme heat of re-entry.
Thus when the shuttle entered Earth’s atmosphere and began its descent, the damaged wing could not withstand the intense heat and pressure, causing the shuttle to break apart. All seven crew members, including Chawla, perished in the disaster.
