Kalpana Chawla: She Watched Planes Over Her Small Town… Then Flew Into Space
As a girl in Karnal, India, Kalpana Chawla rode her bicycle to watch the planes. People said engineering was not for girls. In 1997 she became the first woman born in India to go to space. Learn five B1 words with the true story of Kalpana Chawla.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
Have you ever watched a plane and wanted to fly it?
A girl in a small Indian town did.
Years later, she flew around the Earth 252 times.
This is the story of Kalpana Chawla.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. is the work of designing and building things like machines, planes and bridges.
She studied in India and America.
. An is a person who travels into space.
NASA chose her as a new .
. The space was a spaceship that flew into space and came back to land like a plane.
The took her into space.
. A is an important job or trip that a team is sent to do.
Her first lasted almost sixteen days.
. When you , you hope for something great, even if it seems impossible.
She showed girls in India how to .
Now, one pattern: have you ever.
We use it to ask about experiences at any time in your life.
She saw the Himalayas from space.
Have you ever seen the Himalayas from space?
Ready? Let's begin.
Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, a small town in northern India, in the early 1960s.
Her family called her Montu.
When she started school, she chose her own name: Kalpana.
It means "imagination".
Near her home, there was a small .
Kalpana and her brother rode their bicycles to watch the planes.
In art class, she drew airplanes.
Could a girl from Karnal ever fly up there?
Has anyone ever told you that something is not for you?
People told Kalpana that was not for girls.
Her father hoped she would be a doctor or a teacher.
But she studied aeronautical .
In 1982, she finished her degree.
Then she moved to the United States.
She studied in Texas and Colorado and became a doctor of .
She worked for NASA on how air moves around planes.
She also became a flying teacher, and she loved flying upside down.
In 1994, NASA chose her as one of nineteen new .
She trained for years as an .
Then the big day came.
On 19 November 1997, she sat in the space Columbia.
Ten. Nine. Eight.
The engines roared.
The shook.
A few minutes later, everything was quiet.
Below her was the blue Earth.
Have you ever seen the Himalayas from space?
Kalpana did. She was the first woman born in India to go to space.
On this , she flew around the Earth 252 times.
Her first lasted almost sixteen days.
She said: "Earth is very beautiful.
I wish everyone could see it."
Very few people have ever seen it like that.
In 2003, she flew on a second , again on Columbia.
On 1 February, on the way home, there was an accident.
Kalpana and the six other died.
India named a weather after her.
Many students from her old school in Karnal have visited NASA since 1998.
She showed girls in India how to .
Let's review. She studied in India and America.
NASA chose her as a new .
The took her into space.
Her first lasted almost sixteen days.
She showed girls in India how to .
And remember: have you ever seen the Himalayas from space?
Kalpana Chawla's story teaches us: your imagination can take you higher than the sky.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
engineering noun
the work of designing and building machines, planes, roads or bridges
“She studied engineering in India and America.”
astronaut noun
a person who travels into space
“NASA chose her as a new astronaut.”
shuttle noun
(the space shuttle) a spaceship that flew to space and landed again like a plane
“The shuttle took her into space.”
mission noun
an important job or trip that a team is sent to do
“Her first mission lasted almost sixteen days.”
dream big phrase
to hope for something great, even if it seems impossible
“She showed girls in India how to dream big.”
satellite noun
a machine sent into space to go around the Earth, for example to watch the weather
“India named a weather satellite after her.”
aerospace adjective / noun
about building and flying planes and spaceships
“She became a doctor of aerospace engineering.”
flying club noun
a small airfield where people learn to fly and keep small planes
“There was a small flying club near her home.”
Grammar in the story
Have you ever + past participle …?
We use it for: present perfect for experience: to ask or talk about experiences at any time in a life, with no time word
- Have you ever seen the Himalayas from space?
- Has anyone ever told you that…?
- Very few people have ever seen it.
From the story
- Have you ever seen the Himalayas from space?
- Very few people have ever seen it like that.
Find it in the story 7 times
Your turn
Have you ever the Himalayas?
anyone ever told you that something is not for you?
Very few people have been to space.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Have you ever been on a plane? Have you ever looked at the stars and wanted to go there? What did you want to be when you were a child?
After you watch: Write three questions with Have you ever …? and answer them. For example: Have you ever seen the sea? Yes, I have. Have you ever flown a plane? No, I haven’t.
Think about it: People told Kalpana that engineering was not for girls. Are there jobs that people in your country say are “not for girls” or “not for boys”? Do you agree?
