First woman of Indian origin in space.

Kalpana chawla (march 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) was an Indian 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 members killed in the space shuttle Columbia disaster. Her first space mission began on Nov. 19, 1997, as part of the six astronaut crew that flew the space shuttle Columbia flight STS-87. In 2000, chawla selected for her second flight as part of the crew of STS-107.