Onizuka Space Center - Kona, Big Island, Hawaii - Tribute to an Astronaut and Space Exploration

The Onizuka Space Center is located within Kona International Airport on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is dedicated to the memory of Colonel Ellison S. Onizuka, a NASA astronaut who died on January 28, 1986, when the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded shortly after launch.

Onizuka was born on June 24, 1946, in Kealakekua, Kona, Hawaii. He graduated from Konawaena High School in Kealakekua and went on to the University of Colorado, where he received his bachelor and master of science degrees in aerospace engineering in 1969. He was a distinguished ROTC military graduate and entered active duty with the United States Air Force in January 1970.

In the mid-1970s, Onizuka attended the USAF Test Pilot School. He served at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and was a squadron flight test engineer. Later, he was promoted to chief of the engineering support section in the training resources branch.

Hawaiians are proud of Onizuka's selection as a candidate for NASA's astronaut training program in January 1978. He went on to become the payload specialist for the Space Shuttle Discovery and logged 74 hours in space as the vessel orbited the earth 48 times in January 1985.

Tragically, Onizuka was on board the Challenger that fateful day when it exploded, just one minute and 13 seconds after launch. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Colonel and awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

The non-profit Onizuka Space Center was created within the Kona International Airport as an educational facility dedicated to the memory of Hawaii's first astronaut. Its two-story museum contains a number of interactive exhibits and videos that describe the history and physics of manned space flight. Also portrayed are the details of daily life in space.

Many of the personal items of Ellison S. Onizuka are on display here. Other exhibits include space-related concepts, a sample of lunar soil, an Apollo 13 space suit, and several other collections related to space exploration. There are both permanent and rotating temporary exhibitions, and a library of books on space is open to the public.

The center conducts a number of programs and tours, too. School excursions are frequently organized, as are teacher workshops, teacher training programs, demonstrations, and interactive multimedia presentations for public use. Films are shown in the Center's 45-seat theater. Information on self-guided tours can be obtained at the visitor center.

Each July, a special anniversary event is held to celebrate the opening of the facility. Each January, a commemorative event is conducted in remembrance of Onizuka and the rest of the Challenger crew. Friends of the Onizuka Space Center offer memberships for individuals for $20 and families for $35 each. Gift and souvenir items are sold in the Center's museum store, and the proceeds go toward supporting the Center.

The Onizuka Space Center is located within the tall, white building next to the flag poles between the Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines ticket counters at the Kona International Airport. It is open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm, but closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children aged 12 and under. Commercial parking is available at the airport. Both floors of the Center are handicap accessible.