who was the first indian woman to go to space
Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla (March 17, 1962 â€“ February 1, 2003) was an American astronaut[2] and the first woman of Indian origin in space.[3] 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 [4] when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Chawla is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.