Kalpana Chawla's 13th death anniversary

Some facts about the eternal voyager

The first India-born woman in space, Kalpana Chawla, died on February 1, 2003.

On her 13th death anniversary, here are some interesting facts about the eternal voyager:

• Kalpana was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana

• She acquired her Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh in 1982

• In 1982, she moved to the United States for higher studies. There, she obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984

• In 1988, she began working at the NASA Ames Research Center, where she did Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) research on Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing concepts

• In 1997, Kalpana first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia STS-87 as a mission specialist

• Kalpana was the first Indian-American astronaut and the first India born woman in space

• On her first mission, Kalpana travelled over 10.4 million miles in 252 orbits of the earth, logging more than 372 hours in space

• In the year, 2000, Kalpana was selected for her second flight as part of the crew of STS-107. The mission got repeatedly delayed and Kalpana returned to space on January 16, 2003

• On February 1, same year, Kalpana Chawla died along with all six other crew members in the Space Shuttle Columbia on the ill-fated STS-107 mission

• Shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, leading to the death of all the seven crew members. 

Kalpana Chawla: The first Indian woman in space grew up sleeping under the stars

"I was not born for one corner. The whole world is my native land."
It was these words of the philospher, Seneca, that Kalpana Chalwa used to describe the "connection and stewardship" she felt towards Earth and the universe.

As fate would have it, she died in the arms of the sky when her space shuttle, Columbia, disintegrated while re-entering into the Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003.

In her last interview to India Today, which she gave just before taking off on her second and final space mission, Chalwa shared her memories of sleeping "in the courtyard under the stars" while growing up in Karnal, Haryana.

"We gazed dreamily at the Milky Way, and once in a while caught some shooting stars. Times like those gave me the opportunity to wonder and ask all those very basic questions. That sense of awe for the heavens started there."

Chawla's journey to NASA Astronaut Corps, and to becoming the second Indian and first Indian women to go to space had been carved out of her hard work and determination. And growing up in a small town, perseverance was not something that scared her.
"You couldn't lose by working hard and everyone seemed to follow that rule," Chawla said in her interview, "It helped instill the notion that no matter what the circumstances, you could indeed follow your dreams."

In her message for Indian children, Chawla said, "Material interests are not the only guiding light. It is something that you'd enjoy doing in the long run."
"Take the time to figure out how to get there,"she added, "The quickest way may not necessarily be the best. The journey matters as much as the goal."
What remained to be her final lines in the interview is now a haunting reminder, one that we should all pay heed to.

"Listen to the sounds of nature. Wishing you the best on your trek towards your dreams. Take good care of our fragile planet."