Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-born American astronaut and engineer, renowned for being the first woman of Indian origin in space. Born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, India, she moved to the United States for higher studies and became a naturalized citizen. Chawla flew on two Space Shuttle missions, including STS-107, which tragically ended when the mission's shuttle, Columbia, disintegrated during reentry in 2003, killing all seven crew members. Chawla's legacy inspires many in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and she is celebrated for her contributions to space exploration.