Kalpana

Kalpana Chawla was born in the small town of Karnal in the state of Haryana. In 1997, Kalpana Chawla did India proud by becoming the first Indian woman to go into space. She was selected by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) from thousands of candidates. She went as a mission specialist on a space shuttle named Columbia. Very soon she got another opportunity to go into space. This time also she was selected as a mission specialist in the seven-member crew. But unfortunately, the Columbia broke up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. All the seven members perished.
While paying homage to Kalpana Chawla, our President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said, 'The remarkable journey of courage and determination that made this Indian woman, hailing from a small town in Haryana, a citizen of the Milky Way will remain a source of pride for all Indians. It will also inspire young Indians, especially women, to dream big and to work hard to realise their dreams. To honour Kalpana Chawla India's latest weather satellite METSAT has been named as Kalpana-I.
Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003) was the first India-born woman to enter space. Her father wanted her to become a doctor. But she loved flying. Her interest in flying was generated by J.R.D. Tata, a pioneering pilot. She was the first women student of Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. She obtained Masters Degrees and PhD in United States. In 1998, she started working for NASA. She went for her first flight to space in 1998. She was again selected for space flight in 2000. During the return of this flight she was killed in a space ship explosion. She will be a source of inspiration to the young generation.



On 1 February 2003, India's first spacewoman Kalpana Chawla along with the other six crew members perished when the Columbia space shuttle desintegrated just minutes before it was to land. The whole world was shocked at this tragic incident. It was her second space mission.
Kalpana Chawla was born in...