Across countries, through education
Kalpana Chawla was born in Karnal. After studying aeronautical engineering at Punjab Engineering College, she earned a master’s degree at the University of Texas in 1984 and a doctorate at the University of Colorado in 1988.
The work before the milestone
She began research at NASA Ames in 1988. NASA selected her for astronaut training in 1994; her first spaceflight followed in 1997. Her official biography also remembers someone who enjoyed hiking, reading and flying.
Remembering a whole life
Chawla and her six crewmates died aboard Columbia on February 1, 2003. This short archive profile follows NASA’s biographical record. It is not an interview, and the excerpt above is DishaPrayan’s summary, not a quotation attributed to her.
The record behind this piece
Sources & transparency
Primary sources checked 17 Sept 2026. Prepared with AI assistance. Named human editorial review has not yet been recorded.
Updates and corrections
17 Sept 2026 — First publication. No subsequent corrections recorded.