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Space
Kalpana Chawla
The first woman of Indian origin in space
Her life
Growing up in Karnal, Haryana, Kalpana loved drawing aeroplanes. She studied aeronautical engineering in Chandigarh, then earned a PhD in the United States.
She flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 and again in 2003. She died when Columbia broke apart on return, but her journey still inspires millions of girls to look up.
Achievements
- ✦First woman of Indian origin in space, on Columbia in 1997
- ✦Flew again in 2003 and lost her life on the return