Watch: The 20th Annual Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day

In his keynote address, NASA Astronaut R. Shane Kimbrough spoke about the special connection between himself and Ellison Onizuka.

Astronaut Shane-Kimbrough in a NASA spacesuit.
Astronaut Shane Kimbrough

The 20th Annual Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day was held on Saturday at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. The event honors the memory of astronaut Ellison Onizuka, the Kealakekua native and Konawaena High School alumnus whose life was cut short 30 years ago on the Space Shuttle Challenger mission.

The event—always hosted at UH Hilo and open to children grades 3 to 12 along with their parents and teachers—held STEM workshops and exhibits, and engineer and magician Ronald Ishimaru performed his crowd-favorite act.

This year, NASA Astronaut R. Shane Kimbrough was the keynote speaker. Kimbrough has logged a total of 189 days in space, including six spacewalks and over 39 hours outside the International Space Station’s orbiting library. In his remarks, the astronaut shared the story of his role in bringing a special soccer ball into space.

Full story at Big Island Video News.

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