Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla (17 March 1962 – 1 February 2003) was an Indian-born American astronaut and aerospace engineer who was the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space. She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator aboard STS-87.
Kalpana Chawla | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 17, 1962 |
| Died | February 1, 2003 (aged 40) Over Texas, U.S. |
| Citizenship |
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| Education | Punjab Engineering College (BEng) University of Texas, Arlington (MS) University of Colorado, Boulder (MS, PhD) |
| Awards |
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 31d 14h 54m |
| Selection | NASA Group 15 (1994) |
| Missions | STS-87 STS-107 |
Mission insignia | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Aerospace engineering |
| Thesis | Computation of Dynamics and Control of Unsteady Vortical Flows (1988) |
Chawla's second flight was on STS-107, the final flight of Columbia, in 2003. She was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere on 1 February 2003. Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and several streets, universities, and institutions are named in her honor.
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