Kalpana Chawla was still a little girl in India when she discovered her love of flying. An intelligent and determined student, she worked hard to become an astronaut. Many people tried to talk Kalpana out of a career in aerospace, but she refused to listen to them. After finishing her education in the United States, Kalpana became a NASA astronaut. She flew on two space missions before a horrible accident took her life. Part of the Notable Asian Americans series, this book is an inspiring story for people everywhere. Kalpana did not worry about being the first. She simply focused on making her dreams of space flight a reality.