Kalpana Chawla — Flashcards

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Kalpana Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space. Born in Karnal, Haryana, she became an astronaut with NASA and flew on the space shuttle Columbia. Her journey from a small town…

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Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana, India.

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The name 'Kalpana' means 'imagination'. She chose this name herself, reflecting her creative and imaginative nature from a young age.

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Her nickname was 'Montu', given by her parents. She later chose her own name, Kalpana, which means imagination.

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As a child, Kalpana was fascinated by stars and would stay awake for hours watching the twinkling night sky. She once made her classroom ceiling look like a starry sky, showing her creativity and inte…

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She completed her secondary education at Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School in Karnal, Haryana. She later completed her +2 at DAV College.

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A visit to the Karnal Aviation Club and a flight in a 'Pushpak' aircraft and a glider with her father sparked her interest in flying. This experience inspired her to study aerospace engineering.

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She studied aeronautical engineering at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, where she was the first woman in the program and secured third rank in 1982.