Essays

Kalpana Chawla is our country pride. She famous her and his county name all over the world due to his work in the field of aeronautics. Forty one years old Kalpana Chawla was born in district Karnal, Haryana.

She was got her early education from Tagore Bal Niketan Public School, Karnal. In school, she was a brilliant student and a good dynamic personality in every field of school activities. After school education, she got degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Punjab.

There she was taught aircraft propulsion, theoretical aerodynamics and aircraft materials by Prof. Y.S. Chauhan and Mr. V.S. Malhotra taught her high speed aerodynamics, thermodynamics and fluid dynamics. Kalpana was a dynamic student and used to do his own things.

After this, she got her advance education in United States of America. There she married to a Frenchman, Jean Pierre Harrison, a flying instructor and aviation writer.

She joined Nasa in the year of 1980 and was selected there on 9th, December, 1994. She formally joined it in the year 1995. She took to her first mission on i9th January, 1997. She had made many research work in the field of aeronautics.

In 2003, she was selected by NASA along with six other astronauts for US space shuttle Columbia. Columbia was returning to earth after a 16 days mission and was commanded by Texman Rick Husband.

But unfortunately, Columbia disintegrated shortly before landing on Sunday, the February 2nd 2003 and we lost our forty one years old Kalpana Chawla.

The crew had carried out nearly 80 experiments during the mission. NASA mission control said the flight was at 20,00,00 feet altitude and travelling at 12,500 miles an hour when they lost contact after a last garbled message.

After Katpana death, all Indian felt in deep sorrow and feel they lost their pathfinder. Now, Kalpana is no more with us but she had raised a light for others which will incourage other young generation to achieve their targets like Kalpana. So, now Kalpana Chawla lives in our heart.