An Indian American Woman in Space Kalpana Chawla Summary 

The American spacecraft Columbia, which was born in India, crashed in Texas during a landing on Saturday, February 1, 2003, killing American astronaut Kalpana Chawla and six others, killing all seven. Sharp lost contact with NASA at 9:00 in the morning. It was flying at an altitude of 200,000 feet and had a travel speed of 20,000 km per hour when ground control lost its contact with the shuttle. Colombia made its 28th flight from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on January 16, 2003. It remained in orbit for 6 days and crew members conducted 80 experiments before beginning their tragic journey towards the land. The shuttle was claimed to be good for over 100 flights.

Kalpana's birthplace was Karnal. She said that she had never dreamed of crossing the leaders of space. It was enough for her that her parents allowed her to attend an engineering college after graduating from Tagore School.

Despite her father's opposition, Kalpana went to the United States for a master's degree after completing her bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering. Later, he did his PhD in aerospace engineering. She was the first Indo-American female astronaut to fly from a rocket launching site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, for a successful mission in space. His family in India cheered with the Kennedy Space Center staff as they closed Columbia.

Kalpana's birth place was Karnal, Haryana, but she became an American citizen. She married flight instructor Jean-Pierre Harrison. Apart from being an astronaut, she specializes in flying single and multi-engine land airplanes, single-engine seaplanes and gliders. She was also a certified flight instructor. After qualifying as a pilot, Kalpana took on another challenge and applied for NASA's space shuttle program. First, she joined NASA as a research scientist. In 1994, he was selected by NASA for training as an astronaut.

People asked her about her feelings as a woman of the area. He replied that he never thought that she was a woman or that she belonged to a small town or belonged to another country. Rather he had dreams of his own and he followed them to that place like any other person. And fortunately, the people around her always inspired her to pursue her dreams and move forward with arenas of her choice.

Columbia was his first space mission. It took 15 days, 16 hours and 34 minutes to complete. He traveled 10.2 kilometers, orbiting the Earth 252 times. The crew consisted of one Japanese and one Ukrainian astronaut. The crew tried to pollinate the plants to test food development in space and conducted tests to make stronger metals and faster computer chips - all priced at about $ 56 million.

People were filled with grief and could not believe the news of the Columbia disaster. He clung to his television set to get the news of Kalpana being alive. A journalist called her a heroine. It is very likely to be an astronaut. One must have deep knowledge of every subject from biology to astronomy to aeronautical engineering. His achievements were truly remarkable.

Kalpana's story inspired thousands of young minds to do something creative and innovative. He touched the sky and became an inspiration to many. She also sent a message from Columbia to the students of her college in Chandigarh, saying, "There is a path from dreams to success." Maybe you have the courage to find it, the courage to find it…. Wish you a great journey. “There will be many people who have started their journey to realize their dreams.