Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) was an Indian-American astronaut and aerospace engineer who was the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space.

Kalpana Chawla (born March 17, 1962, Karnal [now in Haryana], India —died February 1, 2003, in flight, over Louisiana and Texas, U.S.) was an Indian-born American astronaut and the first woman of …

Died on February 1, 2003 over the southern United States when Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew perished during entry, 16 minutes prior to scheduled landing. She is survived by her husband. …

Mar 19, 2025 · Honoring Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla on her birth anniversary. A trailblazer in space exploration, her courage and achievements inspire countless individuals to …

Dr. Kalpana Chawla was an astronaut and aerospace engineer on the space shuttle Columbia, and the first Indian woman in space.

Her career is marked by important experiments, breaking barriers, and leaving a lasting legacy of inspiring children in India and around the world to pursue a career in space. Photo courtesy of NASA. …

Kalpana, born in Kerala, India, was a highly acclaimed Indian actress who left an indelible mark on the South Indian film industry. Her full name was Kalpana Ranjani, and she began her career in the early …

Read this article to learn about the NASA astronaut and engineer Kalpana Chawla, who was born in India, and made two trips to space throughout her lifetime.

Kalpana Ranjani (5 October 1965 – 25 January 2016), better known mononymously as Kalpana, was an Indian actress who appeared in South Indian films, predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil.

On 1 February 2003, Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman to fly to space, was just minutes away from landing on Earth aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. It was already too late.