<Tr> <Th> Mission insignia </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Awards </Th> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962--February 1, 2003) was an American astronaut and the first woman of Indian origin in space . She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator . In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere . Chawla is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor . </P> <P> Chawla was born on 17 March 1962, but her official date of birth was altered to 1 July 1961 to allow her to become eligible for the matriculation exam . As a child, Kalpana liked to draw pictures of airplanes. After getting a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, she moved to the United States in 1982 where she obtained a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984 . Chawla went on to earn a second Masters in 1986 and a PhD in aerospace engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado Boulder . </P>

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