Kalpana Chawla explored the limits of her dreams and died a heroine’s death. She was the first Indian born woman to travel to space. Her flying dreams were inspired by J.R.D Tata, a pioneering Indian pilot. After earning her degree in aeronautical engineering from the Punjab Engineering College, Kalpana Chawla left for the United States. She obtained two Master’s degrees, and a Ph.D. In 1982, she married Jean Pierre Harrison, and became a U.S citizen. She joined the NASA Ames Research Center.
On December 5th, 1997 she flew to space in the STS-87 Columbia spacecraft. It made 252 orbits round the Earth, and Chawla was given a special award by her peers. In 2003, the ill-fated STS-107, Columbia space craft flew into space carrying Kalpana Chawla and six other crew members. While re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the space shuttle shattered and everybody in it met a tragic end in 2003.