Curious about Kalpana Chawala? Check this out to learn detailed information about Kalpana Chawla , her education, early life, NASA career, death and monumental legacy. Shop for Bestsellers, New-releases & More. Best Prices on Millions of Titles 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, Kalpana Chawla was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. Kalpana Chawla (1962-2003) was an Indian American astronaut and aerospace engineer who is best known for being the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space. On 1 February 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart when the shuttle was trying to re-enter into the Earth’s atmosphere, which led to her untimely demise.
