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Synopsis Not all who perish in the pursuit of their dreams become legends. Some, whose dreams are shared by the whole of humankind or a large section of it, do. Among them are pioneers and explorers, who transcend horizonless infinity of space. To their ranks belonged Kalpana chawla, born in India and later an American citizen. The girt from Karnal, Haryana, who dreamed to travel beyond the blue yonder, to fly into the heavens and touch the stars some day… and reached there, not once but twice, but didn’t return home the second time. Who would have thought that a young Indian girl with her feet firmly on the ground would one day fly into the heavens? Here was a small-town girl who dreamt big and had the self-belief to chase that dram. She chased it half way across the globe, caught up with it and then, lived it. Here was one braveheart who really had gone the distance to fulfil her motto: follow your dreams. This book traces Kalpana’s journey from Karnal to Cape Canaveral, her first flight to stardom and second to immortality. More than her personal life story, this is the story of her dreams and the path she followed in pursuit of her dreams to “reach out to the stars”. In the words of the US President, George W. Bush, “she went there and beyond.” What we have today with us is a compelling saga of aspiration and adventure of pure heroism. Through the life and works of Kalpana Chawla, the book endeavours to aspire the young to believe in themselves, set up such high goals and strive hard to attain them. To parents, it acts as a reminder to encourage and support their children in achieving seemingly impossible goals, irrespective if the child is a boy or a girl. Further, it discusses the probable causes of Columbia’s disaster and also provides interesting details about space flights.