Kalpana Chawla was born on 17 March 1962, in Karnal of present-day Haryana, India, 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, she was fascinated by aeroplanes and flying. She went to local flying clubs and watched planes with her father.After getting a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, India, she moved to the United States in 1982 and 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.
Chawla was married to Jean-Pierre Harrison.
