Chapter 4: An Indian – American Woman in Space
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Chapter 4: An Indian – American Woman in Space
Class: VI
Exercise number - 1
Question a
Answer the following questions.
- Where was Kalpana Chawla born? Why is she called an Indian-American? (3)
- When and why did she go to the U.S.? Who did she marry? (2, 3)
- How did she become an astronaut? What gave her the idea that she could be an astronaut? (3)
- What abilities must an astronaut have, according to the journalist? (6)
- Describe Kalpana Chawla’s first mission in space. (5)
- What does Kalpana Chawla say about pursuing a dream? Do you agree with her that success is possible? (7)
Answer a
- Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana. As she married a flight instructor Jean-Pierre Harrison she was was called an Indian-American because she was a naturalised U.S. citizen.
- To pursue her master’s degree she went to the United States. She got married to a flight instructor Jean-Pierre Harrison.
- Kalpana began to consider another challenge after qualifying as a pilot, to apply for NASA’s space shuttle program. She was first selected as a research scientist at NASA. Later in the year 1994, she was selected for training as an astronaut by NASA. Her desire to follow her dreams made her an astronaut.
- An astronaut must have enough ability and should know about everything, from biology to astrophysics to aeronautical engineering. To be an astronaut in this age of super-specialisation, one must have encyclopaedic knowledge.
- Columbia, was Kalpana’s first space mission was in the space shuttle which lasted for 15 days, 16 hours, and 34 minutes. At that time she went around the Earth 252 times, travelling 10.45 million kilometres. A Japanese and a Ukrainian astronaut were included in the crew. There were few experiments performed by the crew on space by pollinating plants to observe food growth in space, tests for making stronger metals and faster computer chips.
- About pursing a dream, Kalpana told that the path from dreams to success does exist. One needs to have the vision to find it, and the courage to get onto it. Success is possible and her life is one example.
Question b
Read the newspaper report to find the following facts about the Columbia’s ill-fated voyage.
- Date and place of lift off: _____________
- Number of astronauts on board: _____________
- Number of days it stayed in space: _____________
- Number of experiments done by scientists: ______________
- Date of return journey: _________
- Height at which it lost contact: ___________
Answer b
- Date and place of lift off: 16th January, 2003; Kennedy Space Center, Florida
- 2. Number of astronauts on board: Seven
- 3. Number of days it stayed in space: 16
- 4. Number of experiments done by scientists: 80
- 5. Date of return journey:1st February, 2003
- 6. Height at which it lost contact: 200,000 feet
Question a
Match the following.
- unprecedented space tragedy : something that causes feelings of respect and wonder
- certified flight instructor : having knowledge of a wide variety of subjects
- space mission : nowadays, in these times
- super specialisation : a set of jobs to be done in space by a group
- encyclopaedic knowledge : a person with the correct qualification to teach people to fly planes
- awe-inspiring : a sad accident of a kind that has never happened before in space
- in this age : great expertise in a limited field or a particular subject
Answer a
- unprecedented space tragedy : A sad accident of a kind that has never happened in space
- 2. certified flight instructor : A person with the correct qualification to teach people to fly planes
- 3. space mission : A set of jobs to be done in space by a group
- 4. super specialisation : Great expertise in a limited field or a particular subject
- encyclopaedic knowledge : Having knowledge of a wide variety of subjects
- 6. awe-inspiring : Something that causes feelings of respect and wonder
- 7. in this age : Nowadays, in these times
Question b
Use these phrases in sentences of your own, after finding out their meanings.
- broke apart 4. lifted off 7. cheered along
- streaked over 5. blast off 8. on board
- spread across 6. went on 9. carry on
Answer b
- 1. Broke apart – Divide violently into parts
His phone broke apart when Daniel dropped it by mistake.
- 2. Streaked over – Flash brightly leaving a visible line
Fireworks streaked over the horizon to show celebration.
- Spread across – Distributed over a given area
Viral infection has spread across all states.
- Lifted off – The action of an aircraft in becoming airborne
My flight lifted off at 2 A.M and we arrived at 9 A.M.
- 5. Blast off – Action of a rocket leaving its launch pad
There will be too much noise when a rocket blasts off.
- 6. Went on – Continued
The match went on, despite the rain.
- 7. Cheered along – Stood by to shout their support
The crowd cheered along when we won the interschool cricket tournament.
- 8. On board – On a ship, plane or other vehicle
The passengers on board are having a good time.
- 9. Carry on – To conduct
I was asked to carry on with my presentation even in case of power failure.
Question c
We add ‘un-’ to make opposites.
For example, true — untrue.
Add ‘un’− to the words below to make their opposites. Then look up the meanings of the words you have formed in the dictionary.
- identified ___________________ 6. educated ___________________
- controlled ___________________ 7. interesting ___________________
- attended ___________________ 8. qualified ___________________
- successful ___________________ 9. trained ___________________
- important ___________________ 10. answerable ___________________
Answer c
- identified Unidentified 6. educated Uneducated
- controlled Uncontrolled 7. interesting Uninteresting
- attended Unattended 8. qualified Unqualified
- successful Unsuccessful 9. trained Untrained
- important Unimportant 10. answerable Unanswerable
