Kalpana Chawla Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 4 in |
Weight | 56 kg |
Date of Birth | March 17, 1962 |
Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
Date of Death | February 1, 2003 |
Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-born American astronaut and aerospace engineer who became the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space. In 1997, she flew on Space Shuttle Columbia as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator and then flew on the ill-fated STS-107 mission, the final flight of Columbia, in 2003. Chawla was one of the 7 crew members who lost their lives in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere on February 1, 2003. Kalpana Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
Born Name
Kalpana Chawla
Nick Names
Montsu, Montu

Age
She was born on March 17, 1962.
Died
On February 1, 2003, Kalpana Chawla died aboard Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas, United States in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. She was 40 years old at that time.
Sun Sign
Pisces
Born Place
Karnal, East Punjab state, India (later: Haryana, India)
Nationality
Education
Kalpana Chawla studied at Tagore Baal Niketan Senior Secondary School in Karnal. Then, she got enrolled at Punjab Engineering College and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering. She earned a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in Arlington, Texas in 1984.
After that, she obtained a second Master’s in 1986 and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Occupation
Astronaut, Aerospace Engineer
Family
- Father – Banarasi Lal Chawla
- Mother – Sanjyothi Chawla
- Siblings – Sunita Chawla (Older Sister), Deepa Chawla (Older Sister), Sanjay Chawla (Older Brother)
Citizenship
- India (1962–1991)
- United States (1991–2003)
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 4 in or 162.5 cm
Weight
56 kg or 123.5 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Kalpana Chawla had dated –
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)

Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Smile
Kalpana Chawla Facts
Featured Image by United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) / science.ksc.nasa.gov / Public Domain
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