Kalpana Chawla A Life

Born into a conservative family in a provincial town, in Haryana, Kalpana Chawla dreamt of the stars. Through sheer hard work, indomitable intelligence and immense faith in herself, she became the first indian woman to travel into space, and most remarkably to travel twice. A shinning career was tragically cut short in the recent Columbia mishap. In this well researched biography, journalist Padmanabhan talks to people who knew her, family and friends at Karnal, and colleagues at Nasa, to produce a moving portrait of a woman whose life was unique.

Biography of India-born NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla. Covers her life from birth in India to graduate studies in the US, followed by an aerospace career culminating in her 1994 selction into the NASA astronaut corps. Details her astronaut training and two spoace shuttle flights, STS-87 in 1997, and the ill-fated STS-107 in 2003.Wrireen by her husband, Jean-Pierre Harrison.

Biography of Kalpana Chawla: Reaching for the Stars by Sunita Rani: Discover the remarkable journey of Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-American astronaut, as Sunita Rani explores her achievements, space missions, and inspirational legacy as a woman in space and a symbol of perseverance and exploration. If you want to attain something then remain focussed’ were the words of none other than Kalpana Chawla. This also sums up her life. She remained focused and reached where others fear to tread. Kalpana Chawla belonged to a middle class family in Haryana. She was born to Banarasi Lal Chawla and Sanjyothi on July 1, 1961 at Karnal, in Punjab, now in Haryana. Kalpana had two sisters and a brother who were elder to her. She was the youngest; therefore, everyone affectionately called her ‘Montu’.

Biography of Kalpana Chawla, 1961-2003, Indian born astronaut for NASA.

Unconventional clothes and bobbed hair were not the only indications of Kalpana's zest for life - this spirited young girl from Karnal wanted to fly! Her intelligence was multi-faceted, her talents varied and her interests inspiring. The path she charted from her traditional home in Haryana to NASA's elite band of astronauts is the stuff of legends.

An Adventure of Intergalactic Proportions! Sunita Williams’s story is one of having to settle for second choices. She grew up wishing to be a professional swimmer. Then she wanted to train as a vet. Instead she went on to join the Naval Academy and serve as a pilot. Before long, however, space was calling. A new dream was born in Sunita. But it wasn’t all cakewalk. The path to becoming an astronaut called for resilience, patience and grit. Sunita had all this and more. As record holder for the longest spaceflight by a woman (195 days), Sunita’s story inspires one to look anew at the world of space missions. And even more than inspiration, she makes life as an astronaut seem thrilling and fun. Anecdotal, informative and pacy, this unputdownable biography, of one of the most famous astronauts of contemporary times, is packed with exciting facts and unusual trivia.

He is ten years old and confined to a wheelchair. But that's not his identity. To the world, he is India's youngest patent holder for inventing variants of chess for six, twelve and sixty players. Have you heard of the Army Major who was declared dead in the Kargil war, but is India's first blade runner today? Do you think a woman without hands can be one of India's leading painters? What is the first thought that comes to your mind when you see a differently-abled person? Pity? Sympathy? The real-life success stories of fifteen differently-abled people charted in Because Life is a Gift will make you think otherwise. You will sense pride replace all feelings of pity and sympathy for they have fought against all odds to achieve their dreams. This book is a tribute to their courage, passion and zest for life. They will challenge your notion of the impossible. They will inspire you to live lifeto the fullest, because life is truly a gift.