Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla, born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, India, was a pioneering astronaut and the first woman of Indian origin in space. She earned a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and later a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. Chawla joined NASA in 1995 and made history as the first female astronaut of Indian descent to fly in space on the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-87 in 1997. Her achievements and contributions to space exploration were widely recognized, and she inspired many with her passion for science, determination, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. Tragically, Kalpana Chawla lost her life in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003, but her legacy continues to inspire future generations of astronauts and scientists worldwide.