BOULDER, Colo. — Dr. Kalpana Chawla died when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated 16 minutes before it was supposed to land on Feb. 1, 2003, exactly 17 years ago this weekend.
Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space, and she spent a total of 30 days, 14 hours and 54 minutes there.
She is so inspiring even to this day that people hope to receive the award named for her given by the University of Colorado Boulder, where Chawla earned her Ph.D.
"She was someone [for] every little girl who aspired to do great things in an area dominated traditionally by men," said Meshach Rhoades, who earned the award in 2015. "She was a good example of that."
Rhoades said as a Hispanic woman, she knew she was in the minority when it came to the legal profession but knew the woman she looked up to faced a similar hurdle.
"I wanted to make that change in the community and open up doors for people who looked like me," she said.
Rhoades not only went on to become a lawyer but also started a non-profit.
"The Latinas First Foundation motto is girls can be what they can see," she said. "I think that motto is right on point with Dr. Chawla."
Rhoades believes Chawla will continue to inspire the next generation.
"Doing what she was doing in that era, just that alone, speaks volumes to young girls who can say, 'OK, I, too, can get two masters degrees. I, too, can get a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering," she said.
This Sunday, CU Boulder will hold a memorial event for Dr. Chawla. Organizers will also honor the memory of Col. Ellison Onizuka, the CU astronaut who died in the Challenger explosion.
The memorial is open to the public.
WATCH: CU astronaut lost 17 years ago still impacting students who've come after her
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