[Previous entry: "Lucky boy"] [Next entry: "Signed!"]

13/07/2004: "Kalpana Chawla"

Almost one and a half years after the tragic disaster of the Nasa space shuttle Columbia, one of its crew, the late Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla has been honoured by the New York City administration. Kalpana Chawla was one of the seven astronauts killed when the Colombia shuttle disintegrated in mid-air on 1 February, 2003 (STS-107 mission).

74th Street in the Jackson Heights area of the city has now been renamed, 74 Street Kalpana Chawla Way. The Jackson Heights area, also known as Little India, has a strong concentration of people of South Asian origin who strongly favoured the move to honour Chawla. People from all walks of life remember the astronaut's warm smile and pioneering spirit. A life that ended so abruptly will now be remembered for generations to come every time they visit Jackson Heights.