Kalpana Chawla
Last Updated on October 21, 2020
Kalpana Chawla :
- Kalpana Chawla was an Indian American astronaut
- Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian spacewoman
- She served on Space Shuttle Columbia (1997) as the Mission Specialist
- She was the main astronaut of the mission and she handled the shuttle’s robotic arms
- She died while on Columbia space shuttle a few minutes before landing (2003)
Kalpana Chawla : (Short Essay)
The first woman in India to go into space and add glory to the women of India – she was named Kalpana Chawla by birth. Kalpana Chawla was born in a small town in Haryana. Right from her childhood, Kalpana Chawla drew airplanes. Kalpana Chawla’s first mission to space started on November 19, 1997. It was the Space Shuttle Columbia which gave Kalpana Chawla the pride that she was Indian-born woman and the second Indian to be a part of a Space Mission. Unfortunately, she died in the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster on February 1, 2003. Kalpana Chawla is still the inspiration for so many young women who dream of making wonders in the world.
Kalpana Chawla : (Brief Essay)
Great people die but their stories do not. Many great achievers of the world have lived short but created history that speaks so much about them. Such a distinguished star is Kalpana Chawla.
Born in Karnal which is a small town in Haryana, Kalpana Chawla did her primary schooling in a local school. She was indeed an average student; but her dreams and actions were far beyond normal children. While other kids were busy with dolls and toys, Kalpana Chawla drew airplanes.
In order to bring her dream to reality, she entered into the field of Aerospace Engineering. Kalpana Chawla’s dream got fulfilled when she made her first space mission in November -December 1997. On November 19, 1997 a six-astronaut crew flew Space Shuttle Columbia. She was again selected as a part of crew of STS – 107. But, unfortunately there occurred a disaster in which all the crew members including Kalpana Chawla were killed on board.
Kalpana Chawla received the following awards for her distinguished works:
- Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- NASA Space Flight Medal
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
Kalpana Chawla took Indian women to a pride level which can never be forgotten. For every woman out there, she left Earth giving away a great lesson -You can also do it. She spoke the following words while on Space “You are just your intelligence”. These inspiring words would be a great motivation for those who believe in themselves.