Kalpana Chawla
Astronaut + Engineer
Kalpana Chawla made her mark in history when she became the first woman of Indian descent to go into space.
Kalpana grew up being absolutely captivated by the night's sky and airplanes. She was curious about the world and eager to learn. Although she grew up in an environment where education was considered a luxury for most girls, she had supportive parents (her mother was especially highly supportive) who made sure she attended and completed school. They motivated her to work hard and cultivated in her a sense of independence and focus in life.
Kalpana never took her education for granted. She worked hard and took joy in her education. Science and engineering were particularly appealing to her as she loved learning how things worked. In fact, she not only was the first woman of Indian descent to go into space but, before that, she was the only girl to go into studying aeronautical engineering when in college! She had many, like her counselors and even her own dad, try to dissuade her from studying aeronautical engineering. They claimed that it wouldn't be suitable for a woman to go into engineering and that the jobs would be limiting.
Kalpana persevered. She didn't let the naysayers keep her from going after her dreams. She had a dream in mind and she was determined to go after it.
In 1997, it happened! She reached the same stars she gazed at when she was a little girl when she became the first Indian-born woman to fly into space. She flew on Space Shuttle Columbia. She accomplished so much over the years. She did everything from earning two Master's degrees and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering to becoming certified as a flight instructor. She lived a full life up until her premature death in 2003 when, on her second space mission, the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-107 disintegrated during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere.
Kalpana Chawla deserves to be remembered, not just because of her work in engineering or her work at NASA, but also because of her kind heart, thirst for knowledge, her perseverance, her determination, and so much more! She truly lived life to the fullest and she will no doubt inspire thousands of people for years to come.
"The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it. "
Kalpana Chawla
