This is the celebration and special day honoring the life and legacy of Ellison Onizuka, who was an American astronaut from Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi. He 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. He was the first Asian American and the first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space.

Initiated in 2002 by Art and Rene Kimura, directors of Future Flight Hawai‘i, the Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day showcases wonderful, hands-on activities in workshops and demonstrations. This event is typically held in January in Hilo.

Paying tribute to the legacy of Hawai‘i's first astronaut and to the crew of the last flight of the Space Shuttle, Challenger.

Past Events