Kalpana Chawla Age, Wiki and Bio

Kalpana Chawla

Quick Info

ProfessionAstronaut
NationalityAmerican
Date of Birth17/03/1962
Age40 years (died on 01, Feb, 2003)
BirthplaceKarnal, Haryana, India
Date of Death01/02/2003

Bio/Wiki

Real NameKalpana Chawla
NicknameMonto

Physical Stats & More

Height163 cm
Eye ColorDark Brown
Hair ColorBlack

Educational Qualification(s)

SchoolTagore Bal Niketan School, Karnal
College/University
  • Dyal Singh College, Karnal, Haryana
  • Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh, India
  • The University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, U.S.
  • The University of Colorado, Boulder, U.S.
Educational Qualifications
  • Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College
  • Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas
  • Second Masters and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado

Personal Life

Date of Death01/02/2003
Place of DeathAboard Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas, U.S.
Age (as on 1 February 2003)40 Years
Zodiac sign/Sun signCancer
HometownTexas, U.S.
ReligionHinduism
Hobbies
  • Reading Poetry
  • Playing Badminton
  • Dancing

Relationships & More

Marital StatusMarried
Affairs/BoyfriendsJean-Pierre Harrison
Husband/SpouseJean-Pierre Harrison (flying instructor and an aviation author)
Marriage DateYear- 1983
Children
SonN/A
DaughterN/A

Family

FatherBanarasi Lal Chawla (deceased)
MotherSanjyothi Chawla
Siblings
BrotherSanjay
Sister
  • Sunita
  • Dipa
  • 1 other

Career

NASA Missions
  • STS-87
  • STS-107
Combined Time Spent in Space31 days 14 hours and 54 minutes
Combined Distance Travelled10.67 million km
Awards (Posthumous)
  • Congressional Space Medal of Honor
  • NASA Space Flight Medal
  • NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Some Lesser Known Facts

Kalpana Chawla made history as the first Indian-origin woman in space.
She held certifications as a pilot for seaplanes, multi-engine airplanes, and gliders.
Kalpana picked her own name when enrolling in nursery school.
She conducted research on Computational Fluid Dynamics at NASA Ames Research Center.
NASA honored Kalpana Chawla by dedicating a supercomputer to her.