1961 - 2003
Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-American astronaut and aerospace engineer, born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, India. She became the first woman of Indian origin to travel in space, flying on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 and again in 2003, when she tragically lost her life during the STS-107 mission. Chawla is celebrated for her contributions to space exploration and has inspired many with her accomplishments in a predominantly male field.