Sirisha Bandla is an American aeronautical engineer and astronaut of Indian origin. She is the third woman of Indian origin to fly into space after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. He became one of the space travelers when the VSS Unity of Virgin Galactic took off into space on July 11, 2021, from New Mexico.
Wiki/Biography
Sirisha Bandla was born in 1987 (age 34 years; in 2021) in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. He grew up in Houston, Texas.
Childhood photo of Sirisha Bandla (extreme left)
He pursued a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautics and Astronautics from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, US (2006-2011). After that, he pursued an MBA from George Washington University, Washington, DC, US (2012-2015). Sirisha was firm in her thinking since childhood and was always determined to achieve. Bandla was curious about flying from a very young age and went on his first solo flying adventure when he was four years old. Speaking about it in an interview, his grandfather said,
At the age of four, he traveled alone to the US where his parents and sister lived. Although the person accompanying him was known to us, he was a stranger to him. He is not afraid to fly alone. He was excited.”
He further said,
We do not know how he became interested in planes, stars and the sky. It has been in him since childhood. Whatever he achieves today is of his own volition and his parents gave him complete freedom to pursue his dreams. He has proven himself and rose to the occasion.”
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 7″
Weight (approx): 50 Kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Sirisha Bandla is the daughter of B Muralidhar and Anuradha. Both his parents work for the US government. Her sister, Pratyusha Bandla, is a biological science 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 paternal grandfather, Bandla Ragaiah, is a former principal scientist and professor at Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, Hyderabad.
Datuk Sirisha Bandla from the father’s side
His maternal grandfather, Venkat Narasiah, was a retired professor of Chemistry, who lived in Tenali in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.
Relationship
Sirisha is in a relationship with a man named Sean Hu.
Sirisha Bandla and her boyfriend
Sean proposed to Sirisha in May 2019, and Bandla happily accepted the proposal.
Sirisha Bandla with Sean Hu
Career
Sirisha started her career as a Design, Test and Analysis Cooperator at ATA Engineering. He worked there for about three years and then joined L-3 Communications Integrated Systems as a Mechanical Engineer. In 2012, he became Associate Director in the space policy department of the Commercial Space Flight Federation (CSF), an industry association of spaceflight companies.
Sirisha Bandla poses with the XCOR X-Racer
Sirisha joined Virgin Galatic (an Anglo-American space airline) as a Government Affairs officer in July 2015.
Virgin Galactic Office
He was promoted to Business Development and Government Affairs Manager in 2017 in the organization. After that, he worked as Manager of Business Development & Government Affairs and Director of Washington Operations at Virgin Orbit. In 2021, he became Vice President of Government Affairs o Virgin Group.
Sirisha Bandla with the Unity 22 test flight team
Until 2021, Sirisha also serves on the board of directors of the American Astronautical Society and the Future Space Leaders Foundation.
Sirisha Bandla Closet
Third Woman of Indian Origin to Fly into Space
On July 11, 2021, Indian 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 third Indian woman to fly into space. After a 90-minute delay due to bad weather, the spacecraft took off for a 1.5-hour mission over New Mexico. A few days before the flight, Bandla shared his excitement about flying into space. He said,
I’m so honored to be part of the amazing #Unity22 crew, and to be part of a company whose mission is to make room for all.”
I am so honored to be a part of such an amazing crew #Unity22, and be part of a company whose mission is to provide space for all. https://t.co/sPrYy1styc
— Sirisha Bandla (@SirishaBandla) July 2, 2021
After the trip, Teacher Bandla said,
I’m still there but (I’m) very happy to be here. I’m trying to think of a better word than incredible but that’s the only word that comes to mind…Seeing the sights of Earth was so life changing…The whole trip to space and back was amazing.”
Sirisha Bandla looks out the window on Earth in zero gravity aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity passenger rocket after reaching the edge of space on July 11, 2021
Favorite Things
- Dessert: Vanilla Ice Cream, Homemade Candy
- Astronaut: Neil Armstrong
Facts/Trivia
- Sirisha is often seen drinking alcohol on various occasions.
- He likes to travel and do adventure sports in his spare time.
- Bandla follows a non-vegetarian diet.
- He is fluent in two languages- English and Telugu.
- Until 2021, Bandla resides in Washington DC
- Sirisha is an avid animal lover and has a pet cat.
Sirisha Bandla with her pet cat
- During the interview, his grandfather revealed that Sirisha often visited NASA when his family lived in Houston. He said,
He was so interested in flying airplanes that even though he couldn’t go to NASA because of his eyesight, he pursued higher education in the same field. For those like him, he has made a video on YouTube — ‘lessons from Bandla Sirisha’ on how to enter the Space industry.
- Sirisha is an active and fearless child. Speaking about Sirisha in an interview, her paternal grandfather said,
When I come home late at night, I always stop him from stepping outside. But he always told me not to worry and that he could take care of himself.”
- In an interview, sharing details about his childhood, his maternal grandfather said,
Even during power outages when other kids his age would be scared of the pitch black surroundings, he wasn’t one of them.”
- Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu congratulated Sirisha on his achievement through his Twitter handle. He also shared two solo pictures of Sirisha and one featuring all six crew members on his Twitter handle. He tweeted,
Women of Indian origin continue to break the proverbial glass ceiling and prove their mettle. On July 11, Sirisha Bandla with Telugu roots is set to fly into space aboard VSS Unity with Richard Branson and team marking the beginning of the space age, making all Indians proud!”
- 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: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
