About the Author
This chapter is part of the NCERT Class 6 English book called Honeysuckle. It is not written by one person but put together by the NCERT team to teach students about real-life heroes. The story is based on the true life of Kalpana Chawla, a brave woman who reached the stars. It uses simple words to show how hard work and big dreams can take you far.
What’s the Story About?
This chapter tells the exciting true story of Kalpana Chawla, a girl from India who became the first Indian woman to fly into space. It is like a real-life adventure book that shows how she chased her dreams step by step.
Kalpana was born in a small town called Karnal in Haryana, India. As a little girl, she loved watching planes fly high in the sky. She would go to air shows with her father and dream of touching the clouds. Once, she even climbed into the small space where the pilot sits in a plane, just to feel like she was flying! But back then, no one thought girls could become pilots or go to space. Kalpana did not give up. She studied very hard in school and college in India. She learned about planes and how they work, which is called aeronautical engineering.
When she grew up, Kalpana wanted to learn more, so she went to America, a faraway country. There, she got a master's degree and even a PhD, which are like big certificates for smart studies. She worked as a teacher and helper in a big space center. She married a kind man named Jean-Pierre, who also loved flying planes. He was American, and soon Kalpana became an American citizen too, but she always felt proud of her Indian roots.
One day, something amazing happened. The space team in America, called NASA, chose Kalpana to be an astronaut! Astronauts are people who travel to space in special ships called shuttles. She trained very hard for two years—running, swimming, and learning how to fix things in zero gravity, where everything floats.
In 1997, Kalpana's big dream came true. She flew into space on a shuttle named Columbia. It was her first trip, called STS-87. Up there, she and her team went around the Earth 252 times! They did experiments, like growing plants in space and testing new tools. Kalpana felt like a kid again, looking down at the blue planet and stars twinkling everywhere. She spent 15 days in space, which is like half a month of floating and working high above the world.
After coming back, Kalpana taught young students about space and shared her stories. She said anyone can reach the stars if they work hard. But sadly, in 2003, she went on her second space trip on the same shuttle, Columbia. This time, something went wrong. When the shuttle was coming back to Earth, it broke apart in the sky because of hot gases. Kalpana and her six friends lost their lives. The whole world was sad, but her story lives on. Today, schools, roads, and even an award in India are named after her. She shows us that girls from small towns can do big things.
The chapter ends by saying Kalpana's courage still inspires kids everywhere to look up at the sky and dream big.
Who’s Who in the Story
- Kalpana Chawla: The main hero of the story. She is a smart and brave girl from India who becomes an astronaut and flies to space twice.
- Jean-Pierre Harrison: Kalpana's husband. He is an American man who teaches people how to fly planes. He supports her dreams and loves flying too.
- Kalpana's Father: A loving dad who takes young Kalpana to air shows. He helps her see planes up close and encourages her love for flying.
- Mike Lounge: A friend and teammate of Kalpana on her first space mission. He is another astronaut who works with her in space.
- The NASA Team: A group of space experts in America who pick Kalpana, train her, and send her to space. They are like her big family at work.
- The Columbia Crew (Second Mission): Kalpana's six friends on her last trip—Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, David Brown, Laurel Clark, and Ilan Ramon. They all work together but face a sad end.
Themes and Moral
This story has some big ideas that teach us good lessons:
- Follow Your Dreams: Kalpana shows that if you love something, like flying, you can make it happen with hard work. No dream is too big.
- Girls Can Do Anything: In old times, people thought only boys could be pilots or scientists. Kalpana proves girls from India can reach space too.
- Courage and Teamwork: Going to space is scary, but Kalpana was brave and worked well with her friends. It teaches us to face fears together.
- Never Give Up: Even after many years of study and training, she kept trying. The moral is: Keep working, and your efforts will shine like stars.
The main lesson is that ordinary people from anywhere can do extraordinary things if they believe in themselves.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
Here are some key words and short phrases from the chapter. I explain them in easy words, like chatting with a friend:
- Astronaut: A person who travels to space in a rocket or shuttle. Like a pilot for the stars.
- Shuttle: A special plane-like ship that goes to space and comes back. It looks like a big glider.
- Orbit: When something goes around the Earth in a circle, high up in the sky. Like a ball tied to a string spinning around.
- Aeronautical Engineering: The study of how planes and flying machines are made and work. It's like learning the secrets of birds.
- Launch Pad: The flat place where a rocket or shuttle stands before it blasts off into space. Like a starting line for a race.
- Zero Gravity: When there is no weight pulling you down in space, so things float. Imagine jumping and never coming down!
- Blasted Off: When the shuttle starts its journey to space with a big burst of fire and smoke. Like fireworks going up fast.
- Naturalized Citizen: When someone from another country becomes a full member of a new country. Kalpana became American but stayed Indian at heart.
- "Touch the Stars": A fun phrase meaning to achieve very big goals, like reaching space. It's what Kalpana dreamed of.
- "Proud of Her Roots": Feeling happy and strong about where you come from. Kalpana loved her Indian home even in America.
These words help make the story fun and clear. Try using them in your own sentences!