Kalpana Chawla

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• Kalpana Chawla grew up in Karnal , Haryana. Her dream was to be among the stars.With razor- sharp intellect, determination and hardwork, she turned her dreams to reality and became the first woman astronaut from India.Kalpana never allowed any hurdles to come into her way.She had said "I never thought while pursuing my studies, or doing anything else, about being a woman, or a person from a small city, or a different country. I pretty much had my dreams, like anybody else, and I followed them. She was considered to an outstanding engineer by her peers at NASA in USA. Kalpana kept strong ties with India and remained a simple, fun loving person deeply concerned about the environment.She is said to have found true inspiration and passion while soaring through the skies, high above the Earth. "Religion is something which gives you peace of mind," she said." And to me flying brings tremendous peace and satisfaction. So flying is my religion.Kalpana passes away on the morning of February 1, 2003 after the Columbia space shuttle exploded during re-entry over Texas. She always reached out to the stars, she went there and beyond. Hers is a story of unusual courage, ambition and achievement that will inspire young people for all time to come.