Personal Information :
She was conceived on March 17, 1962. She was born in Karnal, India. On February 1, 2003, she passed away in the Space Shuttle Columbia over Texas, USA. Her parents were Sanjyothi Chawla and Banarasi Lal Chawla. She was the youngest of four children and has four siblings. She earned a BS in engineering from Punjab Engineering College, an MS from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Reason of her death :
Chawla was chosen for her second journey as a member of the STS-107 crew in 2001. Due to scheduling issues and technical issues, including the July 2002 discovery of fractures in the shuttle engine flow liners, this mission was frequently postponed. On the tragic STS-107 mission, Chawla made her long-awaited return to orbit on January 16, 2003, aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The port wing of orbiter was struck by a piece of foam insulation that came loose from the Space Shuttle external tank during the launch of STS-107, 28th mission of Columbia.
Due to the damage, hot atmospheric gases were able to permeate interior wing of Columbia structure during its re-entry into Earth atmosphere, causing the spacecraft to become unstable and disintegrate. The International Space Station (ISS) was halted in its construction, and for 29 months before Shuttle missions began with STS-114 and for 41 months for crew rotation, the station was wholly dependent on supplies provided by the Russian Roscosmos State Corporation.
Along with the other six crew members, Chawla perished in the Space Shuttle Columbia accident on 1 February 2003 when Columbia exploded over Texas during re-entry into the Earth atmosphere. Her and the crew members bodies were identified, cremated, and dispersed at Zion National Park in Utah.