Heavenly talk between Madam Curie and Kalpana Chawla

About 3 years ago I had written the following conversation for my daughter's school assignment. This conversation takes place in the Garden of Wisdom in the Heaven. The day is Feb 1, 2003. The Space Shuttle Columbia has just crashed. After the crash, the shuttle's India-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla lands in the Heaven where she meets great scientist Madam Curie. Here is what they talk during their meeting:

Madam Curie: Hi, have you seen that space vehicle of the humans turning into a fireball and breaking into smithereens?

Kalpana Chawla: Yeah, I was in that vehicle with six fellow crew members. We’ve just landed here.

Madam Curie: Ah, the God summoned all of you to the heaven at a young age. What happened to your vehicle?

Kalpana Chawla: Are we in the heaven?

Madam Curie: Yeah. But, tell me why did your vehicle crash?

Kalpana Chawla: Our vehicle was space shuttle Columbia. Its crash was just another instance of the human intellect failing before the God’s will. You know the space shuttle is a marvellous invention. The humans use it to go into the space and study various natural phenomena beyond the earth’s environs.

Madam Curie: I suppose your vehicle had developed some snag.

Kalpana Chawla: Yeah, its thermal protection foam had been damaged at one place during its launch from the earth. Because of that damage, the air friction turned Columbia into a fireball when it re-entered the earth’s environs.

Madam Curie: How unfortunate you were?

Kalpana Chawla: The God’s will is great. We all have to bow to it. By the way, may I know your name?

Madam Curie: Let me tell you, here nobody is known by their human identity. Here our only identity is our good work on the earth. However, on the earth I was known as Marie Curie.

Kalpana Chawla: Oh, you are Marie Curie who discovered radium and explained to the world the phenomenon of radioactivity.

Madam Curie: Yeah. It seems you have read about my work on the earth.

Kalpana Chawla: Yeah. At school, we were taught a lesson about your great work in the field of X-rays and discovery of radium and polonium. You were the first woman in the world to receive a Nobel Prize. And, you received this prize twice.

I had also read your biography and was greatly inspired by your life. During your childhood, your country Poland was under Russian occupation. The foreign rulers were dead against giving science education to Polish citizens. But you lived alone in Paris in trying circumstances to do landmark research for the good of humanity.

Madam Curie: You know a lot about my life on the earth. It gives me satisfaction that my work became useful for the humanity. However, I was greatly pained seeing the misuse of radioactive elements in America’s atomic attack on Nagasaki and Hiroshima after my departure from the earth.

Kalpana Chawla: I was not born at the time of this atomic attack. However, I had read about the serious impact on the health of the Japanese people of the radiation released by the atomic attack.

Madam Curie: You know radioactivity can be used for the welfare as well as destruction of the humanity. It can destroy cancerous cells in the body or produce immense amount of energy to fulfil human needs. But a devilish mind can destroy the world with radioactive elements as you have seen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My husband Pierre and I myself had also unknowingly suffered serious health problems while working with radioactive elements. But those days I didn’t believe that radioactivity could pose a danger to the human existence. Now, tell me about yourself and your country.

Kalpana Chawla: My earth identity goes with the name of Kalpana Chawla. I was born and brought up in Karnal that is a small town in India. I was the youngest of the four siblings. Since childhood I had interest in flying. Luckily, our small town had a flying club where I learnt flying.

Madam Curie: How did you become part of the space mission?

Kalpana Chawla: I did my graduation in aerospace engineering that was my favourite subject. However, my father wanted me to become a doctor or a teacher. He also objected to myself going to America for higher studies. But, later on he relented and sent me to America. After my studies, I joined NASA and went into the space twice. And, after the crash of my second space flight I have met you.

Madam Curie: So, you come from India. During my life at the earth I did not hear much about India. Maybe I was too immersed in my research to take interest in outside world. Tell me about your country.

Kalpana Chawla: India is a progressive country. Its functioning democracy and diverse cultures are a lesson for many young countries that are trying to evolve democratic systems. Most of the Indians are deeply religious. However, sometimes their blind faith in religion prevents the Indians to use their wisdom and do away with superstitious religious beliefs. This mindset slows down the country’s progress.

Madam Curie: I appreciate your views as a scientist. However, the masses in any country generally don’t have the scientific temperament nor access to right education. So, they are prone to reject what is good for them in the long run. But as a country progresses, its people become more educated, and the hollow religious beliefs become irrelevant. I am sure a great future awaits your country.

Sorry, we have to end our conversation. Let us search for your Columbia colleagues. I have to introduce all the Columbian crew to the God.

Kalpana Chawla: Meeting the God would be a great occasion as I have heard lots of stories about Him since my childhood. Let me tell you about a strange thing that I have noticed here. Your earth identity is of a Christian and mine of a Hindu. But we both are in the same heaven. It means the God is one.

Madam Curie: Yeah, God is one. But, most humans realize this eternal truth only after leaving the earth. Let us now move.