As the world remembers Kalpana Chawla on her birth anniversary, the legacy of India’s first woman astronaut to travel to space twice continues to inspire millions. Born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana, Chawla made history as the first Indian-born woman to reach space. Her journey from a young girl fascinated by aviation to a NASA astronaut remains a symbol of perseverance and ambition.

A trailblazer in space exploration

Chawla completed her early education in her hometown before earning a degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh—reportedly the first woman to do so. In 1982, she moved to the United States to pursue a master’s degree, setting the stage for an illustrious career in aerospace.

Her dedication led her to NASA, where she was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1994. Just three years later, in 1997, she embarked on her first spaceflight aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, serving as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. Her second mission, STS-107, in 2003, ended in tragedy when Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, claiming the lives of all seven crew members.

As per her wishes, Chawla’s remains were cremated and scattered at a national park in Utah. She was married to Jean-Pierre Harrison for 20 years until her untimely death in February 2003. Following the disaster, NASA halted the Space Shuttle Columbia program for several years.

Sunita Williams continues the legacy

Another Indian-origin astronaut, Sunita Williams, has carried forward Chawla’s legacy in space exploration. Selected by NASA in 1998, Williams has completed multiple space missions, including her most recent Boeing Starliner voyage on June 5, 2024, which docked at the International Space Station (ISS) a day earlier.

Williams is currently preparing for her return to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, as the Crew-10 mission gears up to take over. Her remarkable career continues to inspire young women worldwide, just as Chawla’s did.

A shared love for samosas

Beyond their shared achievements in space, Chawla and Williams also had a common love for Indian cuisine—particularly samosas. Williams, who openly expressed her fondness for Indian food after returning from her first space trip in 2006, ensured that she carried samosas with her aboard the ISS.

“Indian food! You can never get enough of Indian food... I had to make sure I had samosas in space with me. Other types of Indian food we definitely had up there as well,” Williams once said.

Chawla, however, took a different approach. Despite her love for samosas, she chose not to bring them to space, as revealed by her husband, Jean-Pierre Harrison, in The Edge of Time: The Authoritative Biography of Kalpana Chawla.

“Kalpana did not take samosas into space. She did not want to trouble the nutritionists with determining their calorie value, obtaining, and packaging them,” Harrison stated.