Mission Specialist(Kealakekua, Hawaii)
Onizuka, 39, was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.
An astronaut since 1978, Onizuka was a crew member on a secret Defense Department shuttle flight a year ago. The Challenger mission was his second space flight.
He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado. He was an aerospace flight test engineer with the Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base.
Onizuka and his wife, Lorna, had two children: Janelle and Darien.