Kalpana Chawla

Kalpana Chawla an Indian American astronaut, aerospace engineer. ‘Congressional Space Medal of Honor’ recipient. ‘NASA Distinguished Service Medal’ recipient. NASA Space Flight Medal recipient. First woman of Indian origin to fly to space.

She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator aboard STS-87. Chawla’s second flight was on STS-107, the final flight of Columbia, in 2003.