Posted at 2:12 p.m., Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Astronaut to speak at Kawananakoa Middle School
Advertiser Staff
NASA Astronaut Donald Thomas, a veteran of four space missions, will speak to local students Thursday at Kawananakoa Middle School as part of the annual Ellison Onizuka Science Day held on the Big Island and sponsored by American Savings Bank.The bank has sponsored the event for seven years in honor of Hawai'i native astronaut Onizuka, who died in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger 1 minute and 13 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986. His brother, Claude Onizuka, was a former American Savings employee and will also be in attendance.
The annual event is a collaborative effort by members of the scientific community on the Big Island, the state Department of Education, NASA and the University of Hawai'i-Hilo faculty.
Thomas will speak to students at the first assembly at 8:30 a.m., and again at the second assembly at 9:30 a.m.
