Ellison Onizuka
Ellison Onizuka | |
|---|---|
Onizuka, c. 1980 | |
| Born | Ellison Shoji Onizuka June 24, 1946 Kealakekua, Hawaii Territory, U.S. |
| Died | January 28, 1986 (aged 39) North Atlantic Ocean |
| Cause of death | Space Shuttle Challenger disaster |
| Education | University of Colorado, Boulder (BS, MS) |
| Awards | Congressional Space Medal of Honor |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, USAF |
Time in space | 3d 1h 33m |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
| Missions | STS-51-C STS-51-L |
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 ancestry to reach space.