Ellison Onizuka

Ellison Onizuka
Onizuka, c. 1980
Born
Ellison Shoji Onizuka

(1946-06-24)June 24, 1946
DiedJanuary 28, 1986(1986-01-28) (aged 39)
North Atlantic Ocean
EducationUniversity of Colorado, Boulder (BS, MS)
AwardsCongressional Space Medal of Honor
Space career
NASA astronaut
RankColonel, USAF
Time in space
3d 1h 33m
SelectionNASA Group 8 (1978)
MissionsSTS-51-C
STS-51-L (disaster)
Mission insignia

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 flight test engineer from Kealakekua, Hawaii, who successfully flew into space with the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C. He died in the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger, on which he was serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L. Onizuka was the first Asian American and the first person of Japanese origin to reach space.[1][2]

  1. ^ Furuyama, Katie (November 30, 2013). "Ellison Onizuka". In Zhao, Xiaojian; Park, Edward J.W. (eds.). Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History. ABC-CLIO. p. 899. ISBN 9781598842401. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  2. ^ "Challenger astronaut and Hawaii native Ellison S. Onizuka always wanted to go to space". Plain Dealer. January 26, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2014.