KALPANA CHAWLA – CITIZEN OF THE MILKY WAY
No one ever thought that a shy, simple girl like her would one day become an inspiration and a role model for the world. But she did. Kalpana Chawla broke all the barriers one could imagine and showed the world that dreams do come true if we continue to pursue them with all our might and courage.
From her early childhood days, young Kalpana Chawla saw something special in the stars and the sky. When her family members would sleep on the terrace during summer, she would keep gazing at the twinkling stars for hours.
Kalpana Chawla was born on 17 March 1962 in Karnal, a small town in Haryana. A keen observer and learner, the thing that Kalpana Chawla enjoyed most was watching aeroplanes. Karnal had a flying club called Karnal Aviation Club and Kalpana Chawla would climb onto the rooftop of her house to watch for hours the takeoff and landing of the aeroplanes. Even in her school, while her classmates would draw mountains, rivers, trees, and greenery, young Kalpana Chawla would draw colourful aeroplanes amidst clouds. In her craft classes, she would make models of aeroplanes. Her teachers were really surprised to see such a young girl making things with such precision and focus. Kalpana Chawla’s inspiration and role model was JRD Tata (India’s first licensed pilot and pioneer aviator).
There is an interesting story about how she was the one who chose her name. During her admission to Tagore Bal Niketan, the principal asked her to choose a name out of the three suggested names by her parents – Jyotsna, Sunaina and Kalpana. She selected Kalpana as her name. Interesting, Kalpana in Hindi means Imagination.
1983 was the year when Kalpana Chawla saw her dreams taking shape and decided to become an astronaut. With her hard work, dedication, commitment and unwavering focus, she was able to climb the ladder of success in the field, and eventually became the Vice President of Overset Methods, Inc at NASA Research Center (a coveted dream of millions).
In 1997, when she flew her first mission in Columbia, Kalpana Chawla carried a photo of her role-model JRD Tata along with her. Six other fellow astronauts joined her during that travel and the shuttle was Space Shuttle Columbia Flight STS-87. Kalpana Chawla also became a certified instructor for gliders and aeroplanes, a no mean feat to achieve by any standards. Kalpana Chawla’s flying had no limits. She logged in an unbelievable 372 hours in space, flying over 252 orbits of the Earth covering 10.4 million miles. Becoming the first Indian born woman to fly in space, Kalpana Chawla was also the second Indian to be in space after Rakesh Sharma. She brought immense success and glory to India.
Kalpana Chawla was excited to go to her next mission after the super success of her first mission. She shared her excitement and discussed opportunities to explore and was really looking forward to this special mission, unknown to her that it would be the last. On January 16, 2003, Kalpana Chawla embarked upon her second space mission Space Shuttle Columbia Flight STS-107. She was accompanied by David Brown, Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, Commander Rick Husband, astronaut Michael Anderson, astronaut Laurel Clark, and pilot William McCool. The social media was abuzz with updates and the entire world was glued to the radio and TV sets. Unfortunately, the ill-fated STS-107, developed a technical snag while on its way back to Earth.
People were shocked and trembled when they heard the unfortunate news of the shuttle facing a severe technical challenge. Back in India, special prayers were offered, Government was constantly trying to update the status of the mission. People got together to pray and hope for a miracle. However, this was not to be. On 01 February 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-107 crashed, blew up and got disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. All the seven people on board, including Kalpana Chawla, were killed in the crash.
George W Bush, the then US President, in his address to the world said,
“Fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country. At 9 o’clock this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia is lost; there are no survivors.”
The then President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam in his address to the joint sitting of Parliament on the opening day of the Budget paid tribute to Kalpana Chawla.
“The remarkable journey of courage and the 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 Bharatvasis and Bharatvanshis. It will also inspire young Indians, especially women, to dream big and to work hard to realise their dreams.”
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India, posthumously conferred Kalpana Chawla with the honour of epitomising Indian values overseas. Prime Minister Bajyapee also renamed the first dedicated meteorological satellite Metsat-1 launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as Kalpana-1 as a tribute to Kalpana Chawla. A year later she was also posthumously conferred the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya.
For her indomitable courage and the adventurous spirit of an explorer, Kalpana Chawla was also conferred the prestigious Congressional Space Medal of Honor NASA Space Flight Medal and NASA Distinguished Service Medal apart from other awards.
Kalpana Chawla definitely made a dent in the universe by proving that courage, determination, passion and single-minded focus can take us anywhere in the universe. Every Indian takes her name with pride. What was once considered a field primarily for men, due to Kalpana Chawla’s torch-bearing life, has now become a possibility for thousands of young aspiring girls in the country. Back home, people in India turn emotional calling their daughter of the soil who made the country proud. Kalpana Chawla is a name that keeps on inspiring us and will remain in our hearts forever.
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
Suggested further reading:
Kalpana Chawla – The Name That Inspires Millions | Success Story
The Success Story Of Famous Indo-American Astronaut, Kalpana Chawla
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpana_Chawla