Onizuka Space Center

Introduction

The Onizuka Space Center is located at Kona International Airport on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is an aerospace education venue built to honor Ellison Onizuka, the Japanese American astronaut born in Hawaii. Onizuka perished in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and was the first Japanese American astronaut. The center was jointly established by the Onizuka family and community, using exhibits, models, and interactive displays to introduce Onizuka's life, astronaut training, and space science knowledge. The center houses Onizuka's personal belongings, spacesuit replicas, space shuttle models, and various space science exhibits. Though modest in scale, the center carries deep memorial significance for Onizuka and a mission for science education for Hawaiian youth, making it a solemn place to learn about space history and honor this Hawaiian hero.

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🛈 Practical Info