Sirisha Bandla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sirisha Bandla
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| Born |
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
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| Status | Active |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Purdue University, George Washington University |
| Space career | |
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Current occupation
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Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations, Virgin Galactic |
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Previous occupation
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Commercial Astronaut |
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Time in space
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14 min 17 seconds |
| Selection | Virgin Galactic |
| Missions | Virgin Galactic Unity 22 |
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Mission insignia
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Sirisha Bandla, born in 1988, is an amazing American engineer and astronaut. She works for a company called Virgin Galactic. Sirisha is the Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations there. She became famous for flying into space on the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 mission. This made her the second woman born in India and the fourth person of Indian heritage to travel past the Kármán line, which is like the edge of space! Other famous astronauts of Indian descent include Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla, and Sunita Williams.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sirisha Bandla was born in 1988 in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Her family belongs to the Telugu people. After she was born, her family moved to Tenali, also in Andhra Pradesh. When she was very young, Sirisha spent time between her grandfather's house in Hyderabad and her grandmother's house in Tenali. Later, she moved to Houston, United States, with her parents.
Sirisha loved learning! She earned her first degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University. This is a field that deals with designing and building aircraft and spacecraft. She then went on to get a master's degree in business from George Washington University.
Sirisha's Career Journey
Sirisha Bandla always dreamed of becoming an astronaut for NASA. However, she could not join NASA because of her eyesight. But that didn't stop her from working in space!
Working in Aerospace
Before joining Virgin Galactic, Sirisha worked for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. She was an aerospace engineer there. She also helped start the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship. This program helps young people who want to work in the space industry.
Flying with Virgin Galactic
Sirisha joined Virgin Galactic in 2015. She works as the Vice President of Government Affairs. This means she helps the company work with governments and follow rules about space travel.
On July 11, 2021, Sirisha made history! She flew on the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 test flight. She was with Sir Richard Branson, who started Virgin Galactic, and other crew members. Their rocket plane flew about 85 kilometers (53 miles) above Earth. This flight made the crew official FAA commercial astronauts.
During her spaceflight, Sirisha did an important experiment. She studied how plants react to changes in gravity. Her grandfather, Dr. Bandla Ragaiah, was very proud. He said Sirisha always wanted to explore the sky and stars. She reached a height of 89.9 kilometers (55.9 miles) above Earth. Because Unity 22 was the first fully crewed test flight for Virgin Galactic, Sirisha received commercial astronaut wings.
In December 2022, Sirisha was honored as one of the BBC 100 Women. This award recognizes inspiring and influential women around the world.
See also
- List of Asian American astronauts
- List of female spacefarers
- Telugu Americans
