| Posthumously awarded the Congressional Space | | | | seen. NASA had selected her for a one-year training |
| Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and | | | | program to serve as a mission specialist on board |
| the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. | | | | shuttle missions. This was a tremendous achievement |
| "Just looking at Earth, looking at the stars during the | | | | since NASA selects approximately 20 astronauts |
| night part of Earth; just looking at our planet roll by | | | | every two years from thousands of applicants. |
| and the speed at which it goes by and the awe that | | | | Her first space flight, in 1996 was however not very |
| it inspires; just so many such good thoughts come to | | | | smooth. It found her being blamed for making |
| your mind when you see all that, doing it again is like | | | | mistakes, as the prime robotic arm operator, which |
| living a dream - a good dream - once again, " said the | | | | sent a science satellite tumbling out of control. |
| first Indian woman to fly with a U.S. space shuttle | | | | 6 years later, NASA selected her for the STS-107 |
| crew, Kalpana Chawla. | | | | Columbia mission, a 16-day flight dedicated to science |
| Born in the small town of Karnal, Haryana, in India, | | | | and research. A part of the study was also to gather |
| this girl had the fire and fiery very few have. Her | | | | information for curing cancer and other diseases, by |
| dreams were no less than touching the stars and | | | | studying cellular behaviour in a less gravity |
| that she did, but sadly, soon became one of them. All | | | | environment. The space shuttle was launched on 16 |
| this, not before making India and Karnal proud. Her | | | | January 2003 and was due to land on 1 February |
| inspiration? JRD TATA. It is then not surprising how | | | | 2003. But to the utmost shock of the world, the |
| Kalpana Chawla had logged more than 375 hours in | | | | shuttle exploded over Texas just 16 minutes prior to |
| space, prior to the Shuttle Columbia launch and | | | | the scheduled landing time. To the utmost shock of |
| tragedy. | | | | the world, the shuttle exploded over Texas just 16 |
| Kalpana, the youngest of the four children, was | | | | minutes prior to the scheduled landing time. |
| known to have drawn airplanes in drawing | | | | Thus Kalpana left the world after 41 years. It was |
| competitions and made models of the universe and | | | | indeed a big tragedy that will be remembered for |
| constellations for her geography projects. She earned | | | | generations to come. It was a sad end met by one |
| an undergraduate degree in aeronautical engineering | | | | of India's bravest girls. On 05 Feb 2003, the then |
| from Punjab University in 1982. Interestingly, she was | | | | Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee, |
| the only woman student in the batch. She went on | | | | renamed India's first meteorological satellite as |
| to earn a master's from the University of Texas and | | | | 'Kalpana-1.' She is survived by her husband, |
| a doctorate in the same field. | | | | Jean-Pierre Harrison, a free-lance flying instructor. |
| 1994 brought with it dreams Kalpana had always | | | | May her soul rest in peace. |