They got music in the solar system
Rock around the Milky Way
Dancing ´round the Borealis
They´re Space truckin´ every day

(Kalpana Chawla’s favorite rock music lyric from “space truckin”)

I´m tired of the bombs
I´m tired of the bullets
I´m tired of the crazies on TV
I´m the aviator
A dream´s a dream whatever it seems

I flew along the lighted street
I flew above the town
I flew in ever rising circles
ever further from the ground

I´m tired of the news
I´m tired of the weather
I´m tired of the same thing every day
I´m the aviator
A dream´s a dream whatever they say

(another favorite of Kalpana Chawla from ‘The Aviator”)

It was the synergy between Indian, Pakistani, and Rock music that captured Kalpana Chawla’s imagination.

On earth, as well as while hurtling through space, the Indian-American astronaut was inspired by the “spiritual experience” of the music and the lyrics of her choice.

Thus, among the charred debris that lies scattered along the path of space shuttle Columbia’s fiery return to earth, are to be found what once were the musical soundtracks of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Abida Parveen, and Deep Purple – all personal favorites of Kalpana Chawla.

According to her British-born husband, Jean-Pierre Harrison, they were among the cherished 20 CDs that astronaut Chawla carried for her listening pleasure aboard the ill-fated STS-107.

It included the classical music of the India’s grand masters such as Ravi Shankar and Hariprasad Chaurasia, as well as Jazz greats such as Thelonious Monk and Rock music’s Deep Purple. Chawla’s musical leanings included the intense encounter between sensitivity and spirituality that is Sufism as exemplified by the haunting voice of Abida Parveen the queen of Sufi and ghazal music from India and Pakistan – and the inheritor of the mantle of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It included the guitar fireworks of Steve Vai whose ‘Ultra Zone’ weaved samples of Indian prayers through a melody and chordal structure of great power and simple beauty. All this was what inspired her. Perhaps even provided part of her spiritual sustenance.

The 1970s British band Deep Purple provided some inspirational lyrics for the astronaut. Among her favorites were “Space Truckin” and “The Aviator”. Guitarist Steve Morse and singer Ian Gillan became her favorites more recently. An opportunity to meet them came when she accompanied her husband to the first rock concert of her life in 2001. They were planning to attend a Houston concert in June 2002 but space shuttle scheduling conflict arose, and Chawla never made it.

Recalls Jean-Pierre Harrison: “As my wife, STS-107 crewmember Kalpana Chawla, has commented, "Deep Purple has something so superior." She and I attended the Deep Purple concert in Bossier City, Louisiana, during the 2001 US tour, her first-ever rock concert and my first-ever DP concert. Kalpana is not exactly a rock music aficionado, but nevertheless characterized the show as "a spiritual experience". She was enthused about being right next to the stage, just a few feet away from Ian Gillan "the ´Jesus Christ Superstar´ singer - and I was right there!."

Harrison remembers that she had selected Deep Purple’s "Machine Head" and "Purpendicular" because they had aviation/space-related songs ("Space Truckin´" and "The Aviator", respectively). Also carried on the flight were CDs of Midori, Thelonius Monk, Steve Vai (for the rock and roll Hindu prayer on "Ultra Zone"), and Blackmore´s Night.

Shuttle crew members are given the option of selecting wakeup music during their missions, and Kalpana had asked her husband for suggestions. Harrison, a fan of Deep Purple, promptly consulted the band’s Ian Gillan, who quickly arranged to not only autograph CDs for Chawla but also agreed to meet both Chawla and her husband at the Houston Deep Purple concert in June 2002. But that was not to be. Though Kalpana had planned to meet with Deep Purple, the STS-107 crew had a scheduling conflict which found them at Kennedy Space Center on the day of the concert, recalls Harrison.

According to Harrison, it was Chawla’s intention to send all the CDs to the respective artists with certificates stating that their music had accompanied her on the flight aboard the Columbia.

It was to be a token of her gratitude.