Ellison Shoji Onizuka
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Killed during mission
Born	June 24, 1946(1946-06-24) Keopu, Hawaii
Died	January 28, 1986 (aged 39) Cape Canaveral, Florida
Other occupation	Research Engineer
Rank	Colonel, USAF
Space time	3d 01h 33m
Selection	1978 NASA Group
Missions	STS-51-C, STS-51-L
Mission insignia

Ellison Shoji Onizuka (June 24, 1946 - January 28, 1986) was a Japanese-American astronaut from Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii who died during the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, where he was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Cape Canaveral from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County Florida, United States, near the center of that Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of Engineering. See also Colonel In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, colonel 1957 - Man In Space Soonest Group 1 - USA Neil A Armstrong, Albert S STS 51-C was the fifteenth flight of a space shuttle, the third flight of Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', and the first United States Department of Defense STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An astronaut or cosmonaut (космона́вт) is a person trained Kealakekua is a Census-designated place (CDP in Hawai{{okina}}i County Hawai{{okina}}i, United States. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Space Shuttle Challenger ( NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099 was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service Astronaut ranks and positions‎ A Mission Specialist (MS is a position held by certain NASA Astronauts for the Space Shuttle program STS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time a civilian had flown aboard the Space Shuttle

Early life

Ellison Onizuka was the oldest son and second youngest child of the late Masamitsu and Mitsue Onizuka. He had two older sisters, Shirley and Norma, and a younger brother, Claude. Claude became the family spokesman when Ellison attained fame as an astronaut and continued after the Challenger accident. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster took place on January 28 1986 when ''Challenger'', a Space Shuttle operated by NASA, broke apart Growing up, Ellison was an active participant in 4-H and the Boy Scouts, where he reached the level of Eagle Scout. 4-H in the United States is a Youth organization administered by the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES of the United States Scouting in Hawaii has a long history from the 1900s to the present day serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the unique environment in which they live Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA ^[1]

He graduated from Konawaena High School in Kealakekua in 1964. Konawaena High School is a public school located in Kealakekua Hawai'i. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. He received a Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering in June 1969, and a Master's in that field in December of the same year, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Aerospace engineering is the branch of Engineering behind the design construction and science of Aircraft and Spacecraft. The University of Colorado at Boulder ( CU-Boulder, UCB officially Colorado and CU colloquially is the Flagship University He participated in Air Force ROTC during his time there and is an alumnus of Triangle Fraternity. Triangle Fraternity is a social fraternity, limiting its recruitment of members to male students majoring in engineering architecture and the physical mathematical biological

Onizuka married Lorna Leiko Yoshida while completing his studies at the University of Colorado. They had two daughters, Zoe Spears (b. 1969) and Darien Lei Shizue (b. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 1975). Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Air Force career

In January 1970, Onizuka entered active duty with the United States Air Force, where he served as a flight test engineer and as a test pilot. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At the Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base, he worked in test flight programs and systems security engineering for the F-84, F-100, F-105, F-111, EC-121T, T-33, T-39, T-28, and A-1. McClellan Air Force Base (1935-2001 is a former front-line United States Air Force base located 7 miles Northeast of Sacramento California. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see Wikipe diaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout This refers to the aircraft For other uses see T28. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

From August 1974 to July 1975, Onizuka attended the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The US Air Force Flight Test School is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California. In July 1975, he was assigned to the Test Flight Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. He became a squadron test flight engineer at the Test Pilot School, and later worked as a manager for engineering support in the training resources division. His duties there were based on the instruction of courses and the management of the airship fleet (A-7, A-37, T-38, F-4, T-33, and NKC-135) being used for the Test Pilot School and Test Flight Center. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Onizuka managed to register more than 1,700 flight hours.

NASA career

Onizuka was selected for the astronaut program in January 1978, and completed one year of evaluation and training in August 1979. Later, he worked in the experimentation team, Orbiter test team, and launch support crew at the Kennedy Space Center for the STS-1 and STS-2. The John F Kennedy Space Center ( KSC) is the NASA Space vehicle launch facility and Launch Control Center ( Spaceport) on At NASA, he worked on the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) test and revision software team. He also collaborated on other technical projects, for instance, as astronaut crew team coordinator.

His first space mission took place on January 24, 1985, with the Kennedy Space Center launch of mission STS 51-C on Space Shuttle Discovery, the first space shuttle mission for the Department of Defense. Events 41 - Gaius Caesar (Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel Despotism, is Assassinated by his disgruntled Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) STS 51-C was the fifteenth flight of a space shuttle, the third flight of Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', and the first United States Department of Defense Space Shuttle Discovery ( Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103 is one of the three currently operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government Onizuka was accompanied by the commander Ken Mattingly, pilot Loren Shriver, fellow mission specialist James Buchli, and payload specialist Gary E. Payton. Thomas Kenneth "Ken" Mattingly II, Rear Admiral, USN (retired (born March 17, 1936) is a former American Astronaut Loren James Shriver (born 23 September 1944) is a retired NASA Astronaut, Aviator, and a retired US Air Force Colonel James Frederick Buchli (Colonel USMC Ret is a former NASA Astronaut who flew on four Space shuttle missions Colonel Gary Eugene Payton, USAF (born 20 June, 1948) is a former American Astronaut. During the mission, Onizuka was responsible for the activities of the primary payloads, which included the unfolding of the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) surface. After 48 orbits around the Earth, Discovery landed at the Kennedy Space Center on January 27, 1985. Events 98 - Trajan becomes Roman Emperor after the death of Nerva. Onizuka had completed a total of 74 hours in space.

Onizuka was assigned to the mission STS 51-L on the Space Shuttle Challenger that took off from Kennedy Space Center at 11:38:00 EST (16:38:00 UTC) on January 28, 1986. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster took place on January 28 1986 when ''Challenger'', a Space Shuttle operated by NASA, broke apart Space Shuttle Challenger ( NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099 was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) The other Challenger crew members were commander Dick Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, mission specialists Ronald McNair, Judith Resnik, and Gregory Jarvis, and payload specialist Christa McAuliffe. Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee ( May 19, 1939 - January 28, 1986) was an American Astronaut who was killed commanding Michael John Smith usually known as Mike Smith ( April 30, 1945 – January 28, 1986) was an American Astronaut Ronald Ervin McNair PhD ( October 21, 1950 &ndash January 28, 1986) was an American Physicist and NASA Judith Arlene Resnik ( April 5, 1949 – January 28, 1986) was an American Engineer and a NASA Astronaut Gregory Bruce Jarvis ( August 24, 1944 - January 28, 1986) was an American Engineer who died during the destruction Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe ( September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher from Concord New Hampshire Challenger was destroyed by aerodynamic stress when rupture of the fuel tank at 73 seconds after launch turned the spacecraft out of proper position. All seven crew members were killed. NASA had estimated that the probability of a catastrophic accident during launch, the most perilous portion of space flight, was 1 in 438.

Gravesite of Ellison Onizuka

Ellison was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (also Punchbowl National Cemetery) is a Cemetery located in Honolulu, Hawai'i that serves a memorial Honolulu is the Capital and most populous Census-designated place (CDP in the U The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the

At the time of his death, Onizuka held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Memberships and distinctions

Onizuka belonged to the following organizations: Society of Flight Test Engineers, the Air Force Association, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Tau, Arnold Air Society, and Triangle Fraternity. Triangle Fraternity is a social fraternity, limiting its recruitment of members to male students majoring in engineering architecture and the physical mathematical biological

Among his distinctions are the Air Force Medallion of Merit, Air Force Service Medallion, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, and National Defense Service Medal. He was awarded the Purple Heart medal after the accident. The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving

Legacy

Astronaut Ellison S Onizuka St. in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood

Onizuka Air Force Station in Sunnyvale, California, Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, Onizuka Village family housing on Hickam Air Force Base and the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Air Force Station is a United States Air Force installation in Sunnyvale California, at the intersection of U Sunnyvale ( or) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Mauna Kea is a Dormant volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanoes which together form the Island of Hawaii. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Onizuka Space Center, http://www.onizukaspacecenter.org at Kona International Airport in Hawaii are dedicated to him. Kona International Airport at Keahole is an Airport on the Island of Hawai‘i, in Hawai‘i County, Hawai‘i, United States The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the

Two astronomical features were also named after him: an asteroid discovered by Edward L. G. Bowell on February 8, 1984, 3355 Onizuka and a 29 km diameter crater on the moon, Onizuka Crater. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) 3355 Onizuka (1984 CC1 is a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on February 08, 1984 by E In the broadest sense the term impact crater can be applied to any depression natural or manmade resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with larger body Onizuka is a small lunar Impact crater that lies within the inner ring of the Apollo impact basin. Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, California also has a street named after him, as does the street surrounding Whitcomb Elementary in Clear Lake City, Houston, Texas, where his daughters attended school at the time of the Challenger disaster. Little Tokyo, also known as Little Tokyo Historic District, is an ethnic Japanese American district in Downtown Los Angeles and one of only three official Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Clear Lake City is a Master-planned community located in southeast Harris County Texas and is the second-largest master-planned community in Houston&mdashbehind

Triangle Fraternity has the Ellison Onizuka Young Alumnus Award in tribute to him. Triangle Fraternity is a social fraternity, limiting its recruitment of members to male students majoring in engineering architecture and the physical mathematical biological

Page 28 (Page X of additional page inserts) of every new U. S. passport contains this quote:

"Every generation has the obligation to free men's minds for a look at new worlds. . . to look out from a higher plateau than the last generation. " - Ellison S. Onizuka

In Movies/TV

• Onizuka was portrayed by Keone Young in the 1990 TV movie Challenger. Keone J Young (born September 6, 1947) is an American character actor Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Challenger is an ABC TV-movie based on the events surrounding the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster.
• In Star Trek: The Next Generation, a shuttlecraft carried aboard the starship Enterprise bears his name, as seen in the three episodes "The Ensigns of Command", "The Mind's Eye" and "The Outcast."

References

• This article draws heavily on the corresponding article in the Spanish-language Wikipedia, which was accessed in the version of July 8, 2005. Ellison Shoji Onizuka ( June 24, 1946 - January 28, 1986) was a Japanese-American Astronaut from Kealakekua, Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

External links

• Official NASA Bio
• Challenger Center bio
• Mauna Kea visitor information station
• Astronaut Memorial Foundation website
• Ellison Onizuka at Find A Grave