Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial, (sculpture).

Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial, (sculpture).

Hirai, Isao, 1934- , sculptor.

Hernandez, Joseph, d. 1991, designer.

Scale Model Company, fabricator.

Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial, (sculpture).

Challenger Shuttle, (sculpture).

1990. Dedicated Oct. 19, 1990.

Sculpture: fiberglass, painted; Plaques: bronze; Base: black granite.

Sculpture: approx. 18 ft. 4 in x 4 ft. x 2 ft.; Base: approx. 7 x 4 x 4 ft.

(On plaque to the right of bas-relief bust:) COLONEL (USAF) ELLISON SHOJI ONIZUKA/Astronaut/National Aeronautics and Space Administration/June 24, 1946-January 28, 1986/Colonel Onizuka was the first Japanese American astronaut selected to/participate in America's Space Program./Born and raised in a simple rural community, he walked a remarkable path/that led from the coffee fields of Kona, Hawaii to miles above the earth./In 1985, he flew on a Department of Defense mission aboard the Space/Shuttle Discovery, America's first classified manned military space flight./The Challenger flight was his second mission into space./A humble man, he was especially proud of his Japanese heritage and/remained genuinely grateful to all those responsible for his achievements./The embarrassed hero who was adored by children across many lands, he/dreamed, he dared, and he delivered..."Your visions are not limited by/what your eyes can see, but by what your minds can imagine. Make your/life count, and the world will be a better place because you tried."/Ellison S. Onizuka (followed by text translated into Japanese)

(On plaque on base:) U.S. SPACE PROGRAM/The United States with international cooperation/has a long range program to study and explore our/solar system, reaching out to the moon, the sun/and the planets./While recognizing tragic losses, we also hail the/positive achievements of the Space Program - /achievements that benefit all of mankind. Satellite/communications and weather forecasting,/advanced computer utilization, aerospace/medicine, laser technology, state of the art/instrumentation, new space age materials,/ecological mapping and environmental ecology are/but a few of the remarkable achievements that/have become part of our daily lives as a result of/the U.S. Space Program./These projects have enriched the lives of untold/millions of people./Colonel Ellison Onizuka was a whole-hearted/promoter of the NASA Program and America's/future in space. (To the right of the English text, is text in Japanese)

(On plaque on base:) CHALLENGER SEVEN/The crew of Challenger Flight 51-L was carefully/chosen to reflect the spirit of America. All walks of/life, backgrounds and regions were represented on/this shuttle flight of civilians and military personnel,/five astronauts, a payload specialist and a teacher/observer./On January 28, 1986, The Challenger Seven Crew/lifted from earth. At 11:39 A.M., the orbiter/exploded tragically ending seven lives of/ambitions, dreams and courage./We honor their bravery, their pioneering/achievements and their sacrifices to our nation./Francis R. Scobee, Commander/Michael J. Smith, Pilot Judith A. Resnick, Mission Specialist/Ellison S. Onizuka, Mission Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, Payload Specialist/Ronald E. McNair, Mission Specialist Christie McAuliffe, Teacher Observer (To the right of English text is text in Japanese)

(On fourth side of base:) OUR SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING/FRIENDS WHO PARTICIPATED IN MAKING/THE ASTRONAUT ELLISON S. ONIZUKA/CHALLENGER SPACE SHUTTLE A SUCCESS (followed by list of donors) unsigned

Fiberglass model of the Space Shuttle Challenger on a 1/10 scale. The shuttle points upward in launch position, with boosters and fuel tank attached. The shuttle is white with black trimming; the fuel tank is orange and the boosters are white with orange and black trimming near the base. The model is mounted on a sloped, square black granite pedestal. On one side of the pedestal is a bronze bas-relief bust of Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka. He is shown in uniform, with name patch and mission patches on the uniform chest.

Portrait -- Onizuka, Ellison S., -- Bust

Occupation -- Transportation -- Astronaut

Architecture -- Vehicle -- Spacecraft

Disaster -- Accident -- Explosion

Ethnic -- Japanese

Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Los Angeles

Administered by Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial Committee, Ashindo, Inc., 250 East 1st Street, Los Angeles, California 90012

Located Little Tokyo, Ellison S. Onizuka Street, Los Angeles, California

Ellison S. Onizuka was the first Japanese-American astronaut. The model of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was designed from drawings supplied by Rockwell International, was constructed by Isao Harai, president of Scale Model Company, who was commissioned to construct the sculpture. Joseph Hernandez designed the bas-relief bust of Onizuka. Cost of the memorial was $350,000. Fund raising efforts were led by the Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka Commemorative Committee. IAS files contain copy of related material from Michael Several's "Little Tokyo, The Public Art of Los Angeles, Part 2" 1994, pg. 31-33. IAS files contain copies of a fund-raising brochure; the Dedication Ceremony Program; and related articles from the Los Angeles Times, Oct. 20, 1990, and Los Angeles Japanese Daily News, Sept. 22, 1990.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, California survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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