Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana. She was called an Indian-American because she was a naturalised U.S. citizen, married to flight instructor Jean-Pierre Harrison.
2. She went to the United States for a master's degree. She was married to flight instructor Jean- Pierre Harrison.
3. After qualifying as a pilot, Kalpana began to consider another challenge: applying to NASA's space shuttle program. She was first hired as a research scientist at NASA. In 1994, she was selected by NASA for training as an astronaut. The idea that she could be an astronaut came from her desire to follow her dreams.
4. According to the journalist, to be an astronaut one should have enormous ability. An astronaut must know a lot about everything, from biology to astrophysics to aeronautical engineering. In this age of super-specialisation, you must have encyclopedic knowledge to be an astronaut.
5. Kalpana's first space mission was in the space shuttle Columbia. It lasted for 15 days, 16 hours, and 34 minutes. During this time she went around the Earth 252 times, travelling 10.45 million kilometres. The crew included a Japanese and a Ukrainian astronaut. The crew performed experiments such as pollinating plants to observe food growth in space, and tests for making stronger metals and faster computer chips
6. About pursuing a dream, Kalpana said that the path from dreams to success does exist. One needs to have the vision to find it, and the courage to get onto it. Yes, success is possible. Her life is an example of that.