Kalpana Chawla (Astronaut) Biography, Age, Death, Husband, Family, Facts, Wiki & More
Short Biography
Kalpana Chawla was born on 17-03-1962 in Karnal in the state of Haryana, India. She was an Indian-born American Astronaut, Engineer & Scientist who is known as India's first woman to go to space.
Kalpana Chawla Complete Bio & Career
Kalpana Chawla came from a very humble background and did her schooling from Karnal. She obtained her graduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh. Thereafter, she moved to the US and obtained her Master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Texas, U.S. She completed her second Masters's and also did Ph.D. in aerospace engineering in Boulder from the University of Colorado. Since then she was employed at NASA.
She joined NASA Astronaut Corp and selected for her maiden flight in the year 1998. In her first flight, she traveled a distance of around 10.4 million Kilometres. Thereby, she created history by becoming the first-ever Indian woman to travel space. She was only the second Indian since Rakesh Sharma to travel in a spacecraft. She stationed the malfunctioned Satellite, Spartan.
After her first successful mission, she was again picked for her second mission in 2000. Unfortunately, due to some technical faults, the mission got delayed. In 2003, she aboard the space shuttle for the STS-107 mission. She along with six other crew members were a part of the ill-fated mission. While their entry into the Earth, their spacecraft got disintegrated and Kalpana Chawla along with crew members was lost.
She got several recognition and awards for her contributions. Both Indian and American governments honored her on numerous occasions.
Kalpana Chawla's Health Issues, Illness, and Death Info
Kalpana Chawla died on 01-02-2003 in Texas, United States. The space shuttle disintegrated while re-entry into the atmosphere of Earth and she died along with seven crew members in the US Space Shuttle Columbia disaster just landing before 16 minutes.
| DEATHDAY | DEATH PLACE | DEATH COUNTRY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 February 2003 (Monday) | Texas | United States |
Kalpana Chawla Family, Relatives, and Other Relations
She was born to Sanjyothi Chawla and Banarasi Lal Chawla. She had two sisters Deepa Chawla, Sunita Chawla & a brother named Sanjay Chawla. She married her flying instructor named Jean-Pierre Harrison on 02-12-1983 and became a US citizen.
Life's Important Dates Of Kalpana Chawla
- December 2, 1983, Kalpana Chawla & Jean-Pierre Harrison tied the knot on 02-12-1983.
Kalpana Chawla's Body Measurements
| Skin Colour | Wheatish |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
Kalpana Chawla's Personal Info
| Home Town | Karnal, Haryana, India |
| Nationality | Indian, American |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Address | Texas, United States |
| School | Tagore Baal Niketan Sr. Sec. School, Karnal |
| College | Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder |
| Qualification | Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering |
| Hobbies | Dancing, Playing Badminton & Reading Poetry |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Debut | 1988 - She joined NASA 19-11-1997 - First Space Mission (10.4 Million Miles in 372 hours) |
| Salary | N/A |
| Net Worth | N/A |
| Official Website | N/A |
Kalpana Chawla's Favourites
| Favorite Color | Blue |
| Favorite Sport | Badminton |
| Favorite Place | New York City |
Shocking / Interesting Facts & Secrets About Kalpana Chawla
- Kalpana Chawla is an American astronaut engineer and the first woman from India who went to space.
- She died on 1 February 2003 when she came back from a space mission by Space Shuttle Columbia which was crashed when entered the earth's surface. In this accident, Kalpana and her seven crew members died.
- Ms. Chawla loved to write poetry and dancing during her school days.
- The astronaut spent 31 days in space with her crewmates.
- She is the wife of Mr. Jean-Pierre Harrison.
