Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla, born in Karnal, India, before becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen, achieved the kind of astronomical heights most people only dream of. After earning degrees in aeronautical engineering, she blasted through barriers, eventually joining NASA's astronaut corps in 1995.

Her first mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 made her a national hero in India and an inspiration worldwide. Sadly, her second and final mission on Columbia in 2003 ended tragically during re-entry, claiming her life and those of her six crewmates.

While her heritage was proudly Indian, and her journey definitively American, there's no indication that Kalpana Chawla's incredible trajectory ever intersected with Jewish identity or ancestry. Her achievements, however, are undeniably kvell-worthy, reaching far beyond earthly confines.

So, while we celebrate her monumental contributions to space exploration and her spirit of pioneering, we must conclude that Kalpana Chawla, despite her universal appeal, is simply Not a Jew.