Historical Figure
Ellison Onizuka
d. 1986
American astronaut and engineer (1946–1986)
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Biography
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. 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.
Timeline
The story of Ellison Onizuka, told in moments.
Graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in aerospace engineering. Commissioned as a U.S. Air Force officer. Became a flight test engineer at McClellan and Edwards Air Force Bases.
Selected by NASA for astronaut training. One of 35 chosen from over 8,000 applicants.
Flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-51-C. Became the first Asian American and first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space.
Killed when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch. He was 39. All seven crew members died. An O-ring seal had failed in the cold morning temperatures.
Artifacts (9)
Nancy Davis [is] delightful as [a] gentle, plain, and understanding wife.
ife who hears the voice of God from her radio. Influential reviewer Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that "Nancy Davis [is] delightful as [a] gentle, plain, and understanding wife." MGM...
Nothing can happen to my Ronnie. My life would be over.
Ronnie". While the president was recuperating in the hospital after the 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy wrote in her diary, "Nothing can happen to my Ronnie. My life would be over." In a letter to...
whatever I treasure and enjoy ... all would be without meaning if I didn't have ...
wrote in her diary, "Nothing can happen to my Ronnie. My life would be over." In a letter to Nancy, Ronald wrote, "whatever I treasure and enjoy ... all would be without meaning if I didn't have you."...
Our relationship is very special. We were very much in love and still are. When ...
ave you." In 1998, a few years after her husband had been given a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, Nancy told Vanity Fair, "Our relationship is very special. We were very much in love and still are....
"Nancy Reagan". In Sibley, Katherine A. S. (ed.). A Companion to First Ladies. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 585–603
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