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Ellison Onizuka
1946 -1986
Summary ... Video ... Color Page ... Pictures ... Netlinks ... Timeline ... Biography ... ProjectsEllison Onizuka was born in a village on Kona, in Hawaii.
His grandparents had moved to Hawaii from Japan as young adults.
Ellison was thirteen when Hawaii became the fiftieth state of the United State.
As an American Citizen, Ellison dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
After graduating from high school Ellison went to college in Colorado.
Ellison studied science in college.
He earned a Bachelors and a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering.
During college, Ellison joined ROTC to become a military officer.
After getting his degrees, Ellison joined the Air Force.
Ellison Onizuka was a test pilot and a safety engineer in the Air Force.
In 1978, Ellison Onizuka was selected to join the Astonaut team.
In 1985, Ellison went on his first space flight on the shuttle Discovery.
He made 48 orbits of the earth on that flight.
Ellison Onizuka was named to the crew of the Challenger for its fateful flight.
On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded before it reached orbit around the earth.
The entire crew and the two passengers died in the explosion, including Ellison Onizuka.
