‘KALPANA CHAWLA WAS A WONDERFUL LADY. WE CALLED HER K.C'

Susan Kilrain flew twice into space. Both times it was on the Columbia space shuttle, ‘the exact same space shuttle’ that exploded in 2003 killing its crew of 7. Three of them were from Susan’s class, among them Kalpana Chawla the first woman of Indian origin to fly into space, and a beacon of hope to many in her native India.

‘Kalpana Chawla was in my astronaut class. Wonderful, wonderful lady,’ says Susan, who remembers her as a good friend. ‘Kalpana was definitely a special woman. We called her K.C. by the way… K.C. for Kalpana Chawla. We were pretty close friends … I wouldn’t say best friends … but we were very close though.

‘And I loved talking with her about her culture … we talked a lot about being a vegetarian. When you are flying in space that makes a big difference — what types of food can be flown for you… and how to get all the nutrients you need with the available space food. I really really enjoyed talking with her; she was sweet and quiet and just a wonderful, wonderful lady.’