This painting showcases a portrait of Kalpana Chawla, who was an Indian born American astronaut and mechanical engineer. Born in Karnal, India in 1962, Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman to travel to space. As a child she was always facinated by airplanes and flying and this passion of hers led to go on two flights to space. Her first mission was on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1977 and her second and unfortunately last was on STS-107, the final Space Shuttle of Columbia. Although Chawla was not able to make it back as a result of issues with the spacecraft while re-entering Earth, she led the way for future astronauts and is known today as a national hero in both India and America.