Sirisha Bandla is an Indian-American aeronautical engineer and astronaut. She is the third Indian-origin woman to go to space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. She became one of the astronauts when Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity blasted off to space from New Mexico on July 11, 2021.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sirisha Bandla was born in 1987 (age 34 years; as in 2021) in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. She grew up in Houston, Texas.
Sirisha Bandla’s childhood picture (far left)
He studied Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, US (2006–2011). Subsequently, he pursued an MBA from The George Washington University, Washington, DC, US (2012-2015). Sirisha was strong in her ideas since childhood and was always determined to achieve them. Bandla had a curiosity about flying from a very young age and made her first solo flight when she was four years old. Talking about this in an interview, his grandfather said,
At the age of four, she moved alone to America, where her parents and elder sister lived. Although the person who came with him was an acquaintance of ours, he was a stranger to him. She was not afraid of flying alone. She was excited.”
he adds,
We do not know how he became interested in planes, stars and the sky. This has been in him since childhood. Whatever she has achieved today, she has achieved it on her own and her parents gave her complete freedom to pursue her dream. She has proven her excellence and has risen to the occasion.”
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 7″
Weight (Approx): 50 Kgs
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
parents and siblings
Sirisha is the daughter of Bandla B Muralidhar and Anuradha. Both of her parents work for the US government. Her elder sister, Pratyusha Bandla, is a biological sciences technician in the US.
Sirisha Bandla and her father
Sirisha Bandla with her mother and sister
Sirisha Bandla and her sister
other relatives
Sirisha’s grandfather, Bandla Ragaiah, is a former principal scientist and professor at the Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad.
Sirisha Bandla’s grandfather
His maternal grandfather, Venkata Narasiah, is a retired chemistry professor who lives in Tenali, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh.
relationship
Sirisha is in a relationship with a man named Shaun Hu.
Sirisha Bandla and her boyfriend
Sean proposed to Sirisha in May 2019 and Bandla happily accepted the proposal.
Sirisha Bandla with Shaun Hu
livelihood
Sirisha started her career at ATA Engineering as a Design, Test and Analysis Co-operator. She worked there for about three years and then joined L-3 Communications Integrated Systems as a mechanical engineer. In 2012, she became Associate Director in the Space Policy Department of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), an industrial association of spaceflight companies.
Sirisha Bandla posing with the XCOR X-Racer
Sirisha joined Virgin Galactic (British-American space flight company) in July 2015 as Government Affairs Officer.
Virgin Galactic Office
He was promoted to manager of business development and government affairs in the organization in 2017. Subsequently, he worked at Virgin Orbit as manager of business development and government affairs and director of Washington operations. In 2021, she became Vice President of Government Affairs of Virgin Group.
Sirisha Bandla with the Unity 22 test flight team
As of 2021, Sirisha also serves as a member of the board of directors of the American Astronautical Society and the Future Space Leaders Foundation.
sirisha bandla’s closet
Third Indian-origin woman to fly in space
On July 11, 2021, Indian-origin aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla flew into space when she joined British billionaire Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed suborbital test flight from New Mexico, making her the first person to fly into space. Became the third woman of Indian origin to fly in India. After a 90-minute delay due to bad weather, the space plane took off for a 1.5-hour mission over New Mexico. A few days before the flight, Bandla shared his excitement to fly in space. He said,
I’m incredibly honored to be a part of the amazing team at #Unity22 and to be part of a company whose mission is to create space for all.
I am extremely honored to be a part of the amazing team of #unity22, and being part of a company whose mission is to provide space for everyone. https://t.co/sPrYy1styc
– Sirisha Bandla (@SirishaBandla) 2 July 2021
After completing the journey, Ms Bandla said,
I’m still there but (I’m) very happy to be here. I was trying to think of a better word than incredible but that’s the only word that comes to my mind…seeing the view from Earth is life changing…the whole trip to space and back is amazing.’
Sirisha Bandla looks out the window at Earth in zero gravity aboard Virgin Galactic’s passenger rocket plane VSS Unity after reaching the edge of space on July 11, 2021.
favorite things
- Desserts: Vanilla ice cream, homemade candy
- Astronaut: Neil Armstrong
Facts/General Knowledge
- Sirisha is often seen drinking alcohol on many occasions.
- She likes to travel and do adventure sports in her spare time.
- The Bandlas follow a non-vegetarian diet.
- He is fluent in two languages – English and Telugu.
- As of 2021, Bandla lives in Washington, D.C.
- Sirisha is an avid animal lover and has a pet cat.
Sirisha Bandla with her pet cat
- During an interview, her grandfather revealed that Sirisha would often visit NASA during her family’s stay in Houston. He said,
He was so interested in flying planes that even after not being able to take admission in NASA due to his vision problem, he pursued higher education in the same field. For people like him, he has made videos on YouTube on how to enter the space industry – ‘Lessons from Bandla Sirisha’.’
- Sirisha was an active and fearless child. Talking about Sirisha in an interview, her maternal grandfather said,
When I would come home late at night, I would discourage her from going out. But she always told me not to worry and that she could take care of herself.
- While sharing information about his childhood in an interview, his maternal grandfather said,
Even during power cuts when other children of her age were scared of the dense darkness all around, she was not among them.”
- Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu congratulated Sirisha on her achievement through his Twitter handle. She also shared two pictures on her Twitter handle – one featuring a solo picture of Sirisha and one featuring all six members of the crew. He tweeted,
Women of Indian origin continue to break the proverbial glass ceiling and prove their mettle. On July 11, Telugu-origin Sirisha Bandla is all set to fly to space aboard the VSS Unity with Richard Branson and team, marking the beginning of a new space age that all Indians will be proud of!
- Bandla is closely associated with the Telugu Association of North America (TANA), one of the oldest and largest Indo-American organizations in North America.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn