A small group gathered Friday in McClelland Hall in memory of Kalpana Chawla and the other six Columbia crew members who lost their lives Feb. 1 when the shuttle exploded during re-entry.

The Columbia, NASA's oldest orbiter, spent nearly 16 days orbiting the earth but exploded 16 minutes before its scheduled landing in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

If we want to do some change in this world, we can do it -Prashant Rajgarhia Engineering Management sophomore

The memorial, sponsored by the India Club and the International Student Association, remembered the life of Chawla, born July 1, 1961, in Karnal, India.

In her native language, Chawla's first name, Kalpana, means "imagination," and many see her as a great example of the word.

Chawla came to the United States 20 years ago to further her education in aerospace engineering.

Later, she stretched her imagination to the limits and, in November 1996, boarded the Columbia for the first time. Chawla not only fulfilled her dream of entering space, but became the first Indian woman to do so.

The 2003 mission was her second.

Those at the memorial saw Chawla as an inspiration to dream, imagine and dare to excel.

"(Chawla) had power and passion to do something like this," said Poonam Broota, a molecular and cellular biology senior.

In India, it is difficult for a woman, especially one who is unmarried, to leave the country, said Broota, who spent six years convincing her own father to allow her to come to school in the United States.

"(Chawla) was from the average family," said Prashant Rajgarhia, an engineering management sophomore, who was inspired by the way Chawla could "come here and do great things."

"If we want to do some change in this world, we can do it," he told those at the memorial.

Friday's service also paid tribute to the other astronauts who died in the shuttle's explosion.

Mohan Rajagopalan, vice-president of the India Club, emphasized the importance of remembering the lives lived by all seven astronauts.

"It wasn't Saturday's tragedy that made them heroes," Rajagopalan said, adding that all of the Columbia's crew members had "courage, conviction (and) commitment." He hopes that others will be able to see the tragedy as a lesson.

"Let us not only pray for their souls," he said, "but reflect upon ourselves."

The Columbia was the first shuttle to orbit the earth in 1981. The shuttle lifted off on its 28th mission on Jan. 16, just 12 days before the 17-year anniversary of the loss of the space shuttle Challenger.