Kalpana Chawla Birth Anniversary: 10 Facts About The First Indian-Born Woman To Fly In Space

Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal, Haryana on March 17, 1962. The city is popular for its important research centre, monuments and buildings.

She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.

Later, Kalpana Chawla moved to the US to pursue a Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas.

Followed by a Doctorate of Philosophy in the same field from the University of Colorado.

In 1988, Kalpana Chawla joined the Ames Research Centre of NASA. Shortly thereafter in 1994, she was selected as Astronaut Candidate by NASA.

First space mission: Kalpana Chawla joined Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a Mission Specialist and Primary Robotic Arm Operator.

Second space mission: Kalpana Chawla's second space journey was on STS-107, in 2003, a 16-day flight that saw an unfortunate ending.

Kalpana Chawla, along with six crew members on STS-107, lost their lives while re-entering Earth's atmosphere as the space shuttle disintegrated.

A display of nine artefacts recovered from the STS-107 tragedy that occurred on February 1, 2003.

According to her wishes, Kalpana Chawla's remains were cremated and scattered at a National Park in Utah, USA.