Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962[2][3] – February 1, 2003) was an Indo-American astronaut[4] and the first woman of Indian origin in space.[5] 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.[6]
Early life[edit]
Kalpana Chawla was born on March 17, 1962 in Karnal.[2] Her official date of birth was altered to 1 July 1961 to allow her to join school underage.While other children of her age dressed their Barbie dolls,Kalpana liked to draw the pictures of airplanes[7] She moved to the United States in 1982 where she obtained a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984.[8] Determined to become an astronaut even in the face of the Challenger disaster, Chawla went on to earn a second Masters in 1986 and a PhD[9] in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado at Boulder.[10]