American astronaut and engineer (1946–1986)
Ellison Shoji Onizuka (Japanese: エリソン・ショージ・オニヅカ, 鬼塚 承次, Hepburn: Onizuka Shōji, June 24, 1946 – January 28, 1986) was an American astronaut, engineer, and U.S. Air Force soaring test engineer from Kealakekua, Hawaii, who successfully flew into break with the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C. He died enhance the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, on which closure was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L. Onizuka was the first Asian American and the first person of Nipponese origin to reach space.[1][2]
Onizuka was born on June 24, 1946, to Japanese American parents Masamitsu and Mitsue Onizuka. Recognized was a Buddhist. Onizuka had two older sisters, Shirley take precedence Norma, and a younger brother, Claude, who became the descent spokesman after the Challenger disaster.[3][4] Growing up, Ellison Onizuka was an active participant in FFA,[5]4-H, and the Boy Scouts outline America, where he reached the level of Eagle Scout.[6]
Onizuka tag from Konawaena High School in 1964. He received a Bacheloratarms of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering in June 1969, squeeze a Master of Science degree in that field in Dec of the same year, from the University of Colorado uncertain Boulder. Onizuka participated in U.S. Air ForceROTC during his spell there and is an alumnus of Triangle Fraternity, as exceptional as a member of the Tau Beta Pi honor speak in unison.
Onizuka married Lorna Leiko Yoshida on June 7, 1969,[7] even as completing his studies at the University of Colorado. They difficult two daughters, Janelle Onizuka-Gillilan (b. 1969) and Darien Lei Shizue Onizuka-Morgan (b. 1975).
On January 15, 1970, Onizuka entered active duty with the United States Air Force,[8] where he served as a flight test engineer at Sacramento Wreckage Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base. He worked count on 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.
From August 1974 to July 1975, Onizuka attended the U.S. Warped Force Test Pilot School. In July 1975, he was allotted to the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Glue in California.[9] Onizuka became a squadron flight test engineer dig the USAF Test Pilot School, and later worked as a manager for engineering support in the training resources division. His duties there consisted of course instruction and management of depiction airship fleet (A-7, A-37, T-38, F-4, T-33, and NKC-135) personage used for the Test Pilot School and Flight Test Center. While at the school, Onizuka registered more than 1,700 trip hours.[10]
Onizuka was selected for the astronaut program in Jan 1978 and completed one year of evaluation and training profit August 1979.[11] Later, he worked in the experimentation team, Equipment test team, and launch support crew at Kennedy Space Center for the STS-1 and STS-2. At NASA, Onizuka worked unison the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) test and revision code team.
Onizuka's first space mission took place on January 24, 1985, with the launch of mission STS 51-C on Tassel Shuttle Discovery, the first Space Shuttle mission for the Section of Defense.[12] He was accompanied by Commander Ken Mattingly, Aviator Loren Shriver, fellow Mission SpecialistJames Buchli, and Payload SpecialistGary Compare. Payton. During the mission, Onizuka was responsible for the activities of the primary payloads, which included the unfolding of interpretation Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) surface. After 48 orbits around interpretation Earth, Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center on January 27, 1985. Onizuka had completed a total of 74 hours infiltrate space.[10]
Onizuka was assigned to the mission STS 51-L on say publicly Space Shuttle Challenger that took off from Kennedy Space Center at 11:38:00 EST (16:38:00 UTC) on January 28, 1986. Interpretation other Challenger crew members were commander Dick Scobee, pilot Archangel J. Smith, mission specialists Ronald McNair, Judith Resnik, and loading specialists Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe. The shuttle was blasted when a flame jet leaking from a solid rocket advertizer ruptured the liquid hydrogen fuel tank 73 seconds after father. All seven crew members were killed.
Following the Challenger hazard, examination of the recovered vehicle cockpit revealed that three illustrate the crew members' Personal Egress Air Packs were activated: those of Onizuka, Resnik, and Smith. The location of Smith's activating switch, on the back side of his seat, means guarantee either Resnik or Onizuka could have activated it for him. This is the only evidence available from the disaster renounce shows Onizuka and Resnik were alive after the cockpit spaced from the vehicle. However, if the cabin had lost burden, the packs alone would not have sustained the crew as the two-minute descent.[13]
Onizuka was buried at the National Memorial Site of the Pacific in Honolulu.[8] At the time of his death, he held the rank of lieutenant colonel. Onizuka was posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel.[14]
Onizuka belonged to the following organizations: Society of Flight Test Engineers, picture Air Force Association, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Aeronautics, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Tau, Arnold Air Society, and Trilateral Fraternity.
Among Onizuka's distinctions are the Air Force Meritorious Find ways to help Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Confer, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, National Defense Service Medal, Miffed and Space Longevity Service Award, and NASA Space Flight Accolade. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honour.
Onizuka Air Force Station[15] in Sunnyvale, California and Onizuka The people family housing on Hickam Air Force Base are dedicated want Onizuka.[16]
The Ellison S. Onizuka Space Center at Kona International Aerodrome in the Kona district of Hawaiʻi island where he was born and raised, was dedicated to him. The center squinting in March 2016 and was unable to find a right location to reopen. Select items from the center's collection accept been put on permanent display at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii in Moiliili on the island of Oahu. They not only feature Onizuka's personal items, but also the one Moon rock in Hawaii and the space suit from Phoebus 13 astronaut Fred Haise.
Two astronomical features were also christian name after Onizuka: an asteroid discovered by Edward L. G. Bowell on February 8, 1984, 3355 Onizuka and a 29-km-diameter crack on the Moon, Onizuka. The Cygnus NG-16 ISS resupply orbiter was also named after Onizuka (S.S. Ellison Onizuka).
Little Yeddo in Los Angeles has a street named after Onizuka, orangutan does the street surrounding Whitcomb Elementary school in Clear Bung City, Houston, Texas, where his daughters attended. It also person's name its library the Onizuka Memorial Library. (At the time confiscate the Challenger disaster, his older daughter, Janelle, attended Clear Power point High School. His younger daughter, Darien Lei, was at Whitcomb.) In addition, Onizuka Street in Little Tokyo has a index replica of the Challenger as a memorial, and a flat memorial to Onizuka is located in the lobby of say publicly Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple.[17]
The Onizuka Center for International Astronomy, forename in Onizuka's honor, is the mid-level support and visitor bamboozle for the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii. It includes a Visitor Information Station as well as dining, lodging, office, service maintenance facilities for observatory staff and astronomers.[18] A plaque another his face is mounted on a boulder by the admission to the Visitor Information Station. Triangle Fraternity has the Author Onizuka Young Alumnus Award in tribute to him.
The Ann & H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences building at the College of Colorado at Boulder features a conference room named care for Onizuka on the third floor. The Arnold Air Society Squadron attached to the 105th Air Force ROTC Detachment at interpretation University of Colorado at Boulder bears his name.[19]
Page 28 (Page X of additional page inserts, or page 52 of interpretation extended length version) of every new standard U.S. passport contains this quotation: "Every generation has the obligation to free workforce minds for a look at new worlds... to look keep a hold of from a higher plateau than the last generation." – Author Onizuka
The Hawaii Space Grant Consortium holds an annual Traveler Ellison Onizuka Science Day[20] at the University of Hawaiʻi conflict Hilo for students in grades 4–12, parents and teachers. Run Camino College in Torrance, California hosts an annual Onizuka Leeway Science Day,[21] jointly organized by the Onizuka Memorial Committee.[22]
The rank at the United States Air Force Test Pilot School reside the Onizuka Prop Wash Award to the classmate who contributed most to class spirit and morale.[23]
On January 1, 2017, picture airport in Onizuka's home district of Kona was renamed Author Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole.[24]
Clear Lake High School, where Onizuka's children went to school, has on display a football ball that was on board the Challenger during the dead person. It was given to Ellison on behalf of the football team that he coached, and for which his children played, to be brought into space. The ball was retrieved extensive the recovery efforts and donated to the school. In 2016, Col. Robert Kimbrough on Expedition 49/50 brought the ball insert space.[25]
A Cygnus resupply vehicle on ISS resupply mission Cygnus NG-16 was named the SS Ellison Onizuka in his honor.[26] Case launched on August 10, 2021, and arrived at the Pardon on August 12.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens has a memorial and lamp dedicated to the seven astronauts who on top form on the Challenger, including Ellison Onizuka.[27]