Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla NASA Astronaut Born March 17, 1962 Karnal, Punjab (now in Haryana), India Died February 1, 2003(2003-02-01) (aged 40) Aboard Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas, U.S. Previous occupation Research Scientist Alma mater Punjab Engineering College University of Texas at Arlington University of Colorado at Boulder Time in space 31 days, 14 hours, 54 minutes Selection 1994 NASA Group Missions STS-87, STS-107 Mission insignia Awards Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) was born in Karnal, India. She was the first Indian-American astronaut and first Indian woman in space. She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.