Question

Which is the space shuttle in which the Indian-born astronaut Kalpana Chawla died?
1. Columbia
2. Discovery
3. Enterprise
4. Atlantis
5. Challenger

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : Columbia

The correct answer is Columbia.

• Kalpana Chawla was an American astronaut, engineer, and the first woman of Indian origin to go to space.
• She first flew & died on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
  • ​The accident was the second major disaster for the space shuttle program, following the 1986 explosion of the shuttle Challenger.
• Space shuttle Columbia:-
  • The Space Shuttle Columbia (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first space-rated orbiter in NASA's Space Shuttle fleet.
  • It launched for the first time on mission STS-1 on April 12, 1981, the first flight of the Space Shuttle program.
  • Serving for over 22 years, it completed 27 missions before disintegrating during re-entry near the end of its 28th mission, STS-107 on February 1, 2003, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members.