The Hindu : An inspiring tale

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2003

National

National

An inspiring tale

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI NOV. 11. It was an encounter of a different kind for 450 school students from 40 schools here today.

Away from the usual curriculum, they had an interactive session with Jonathon B. Clark, husband of space shuttle Columbia (STS-107) mission specialist, Laurel Clark, flight medicine physician with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and former U.S. naval aviator, and Douglas R. Brown, brother of the mission specialist Dave Brown, co-astronaut in Columbia, at the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre (TNSTC).

The 60-minute session was organised by the TNSTC to pay tributes to the India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla and other "Martyrs of Space", who perished in the Columbia disaster in February 2003. The idea was also to inspire bright youngsters to take up careers as space scientists.

Following the screening of a 10-minute film showing Kalpana Chawla's training sessions and other happy moments, there was an open session. The brainstorming round with Dr. Clark and Dr. Brown, who were involved in research with Kalpana Chawla, started with one student asking about the possible reason for the Columbia explosion. Dr. Clark replied: "It was not an explosion but an aerodynamic break-up of the space shuttle." More questions followed: on preparing for a career as an astronaut, about coping with weightlessness in space, and so on.

The two scientists mingled with the students and answered their queries. And the students left with not only packets of sweets but also souvenirs of the STS-107 mission.

Following the session with youngsters, Dr. Clark and Dr. Brown had a two-hour session with pilots of jetliners and helicopters, members of the Chennai branch of the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) and Air Traffic Service Managers , journalists and a few students who had excelled in an aviation-related quiz contest.

Describing Kalpana Chawla as a role model for cockpit and crew resource management, Dr. Clark narrated how the Indian-American astronaut was noted for her teamwork.

One sentiment stood out in the two programmes, as had been summed up in the film by Kalpana Chawla herself before she took up her mission of adventure: "A strong desire to travel beyond the blue yonder — to fly into the heavens and touch the stars someday".

The Clark-Brown team has already been to Mumbai and Bangalore, and looks forward to possible visits to other centres in India.

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