Long before his death in the Challenger spacecraft explosion on Jan. 28, 1986, NASA astronaut Ellison Onizuka was a hometown hero Hawai'i would never forget.
Onizuka was born in 1946 in Kealakekua, Kona. His parents owned a small store in Keopu where the young Onizuka often helped out. Growing up, he was a tireless reader, a hard-working honor student and an Eagle Scout.
He dreamed of space and that dream took him to the University of Colorado for degrees in aerospace engineering. He also was an Air Force ROTC cadet and became an active-duty officer in 1970.
Onizuka was selected for astronaut training in 1978.
His first trip to space was aboard the space shuttle Discovery on a classified Department of Defense mission that launched in January 1985. He spent 74 hours in space and circled the Earth 48 times.
When he returned safely, Onizuka made his way to Hawai'i and immediately began a statewide tour of schools to share his experiences with children. He answered every question. At Konawaena High School, he stayed for nearly three hours.
Onizuka was a mission specialist aboard Challenger. The launch, on an unusually cold day at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, pierced a bright blue sky.
Seventy-three seconds after liftoff, Challenger exploded.
All seven crew members were killed.
Onizuka was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. He was 39.
