Ellison Onizuka
American astronaut from Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii, first Asian American to reach space, later died in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident · United States · On the map · Astronauts · Lived 1946 to 1986 · aged 39
Ellison Shoji Onizuka 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.
Ellison Onizuka is read about 361 times a day, in 35 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 104 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?A life in dates
Ronald Reagan 6 moreNASA Distinguished Service MedalAward1946Born24 June 1946Also in Deutsch
Media & music
Photos 6
The STS-51L Crew
Gravesite of Onizuka
Downtown Los Angeles as seen from the corner of Ellison S. Onizuka St., San Pedro St. and 2nd St. in Little Tokyo
Weller Court shopping plaza (left) and Onizuka St., with Los Angeles City Hall in the background
Ellison Onizuka and Challenger Crewmates memorial lantern in Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Palm Beach County, FloridaAwards
About this person
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.
