Kalpana Chawla

“Do something because you really want to do it. If you're doing it just for the goal and don't enjoy the path, then I think you're cheating yourself.”

“Every once in a while, we'd ask my dad if we could get a ride in one of these planes. And, he did take us to the flying club and get us a ride in the Pushpak and a glider that the flying club had.”

“I would say if you have a dream, follow it. It doesn't really matter whether you are a woman or from India or from wherever.”

“I've always been very determined. I don't get easily discouraged.”

“If you want to do something, what does it matter where you are ranked?”

“In summers, while growing up in India, we often slept in the courtyard under the stars.”

“The journey matters as much as the goal.”

“The list of what I want to do is so long, I would need a few lifetimes to achieve them. For instance, I would like to fly small planes, maybe over the Ganges one day.”

“When you lift off, the pressure is supposed to be maximum. But actually, it was very benign. Very enjoyable. But as soon as the engines cut off and you get to zero gravity, you felt as if you were being pushed off your seat. You feel disoriented. You don't feel aligned with anything. I felt for a few good hours that I was falling.”

“It's easy for me to be motivated and inspired by seeing somebody who just goes all out to do something.”

“When you look at the stars and the galaxy, you feel that you are not just from any particular piece of land, but from the solar system.”

“The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it.”

“I was interested in aerospace and flying, and the U.S. is really the best place in the world for flying.”

“You are just your intelligence.”

“Material interests are not the only guiding light.”

“I am from Karnal, India.”

“I don't know why I always liked aerospace engineering. I was in the 10th grade when I figured that's what I wanted to do.”

“We gazed dreamily at the Milky Way and once in a while caught some shooting stars. Times like those gave me the opportunity to wonder and ask all those very basic questions. That sense of awe for the heavens started there.”

“Some of the senior people, the very senior astronauts, shook my hand and said, 'K.C., you did a great job. Don't let anyone tell you different.'”

“Take good care of our fragile planet.”