Kalpana Chawla was selected as an astronaut in the year 1994.

Explanation:
Kalpana Chawla, an Indian-American astronaut, was born on March 17, 1962, in Karnal, Haryana, India. She had a strong passion for flying from a young age and pursued her dream of becoming an astronaut.

In 1982, Kalpana Chawla earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, India. She then moved to the United States to further her education and received a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1984. She later obtained a second Master's degree in 1986 and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 1988 from the same university.

She started her career at NASA as a research scientist and joined Overset Methods Inc. in Los Altos, California, where she worked on the development of simulation software. Kalpana Chawla became a naturalized US citizen and applied to NASA's astronaut program.

Kalpana Chawla's selection as an astronaut took place in the year 1994. She became the first woman of Indian origin to travel to space when she flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia (mission STS-87) in 1997. During her first space mission, she logged over 372 hours in space.

Tragically, on February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry, resulting in the loss of all seven crew members, including Kalpana Chawla. Her contributions to space exploration and her inspirational journey continue to be remembered and celebrated.