It’s been 30 years, but Rob Kelso said he remembers the moment like it was yesterday.
That day, the NASA Challenger space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing the entire crew, which included Kelso’s close friend, astronaut and Kona native Ellison Onizuka.
“I think everyone went into shock,” said Kelso, who is now executive director of the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems. “Whether you were at the launch site, at the control center, or watching it on TV live, it was like this Kennedy moment — you knew where you were when you heard and what you felt like. It’s like a memory imprint and for me, very personal.”
In honor of Onizuka, who was Hawaii’s first astronaut and the first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space, PISCES teamed up with Keaau High School to host a special ceremony Thursday, the 30th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.
More than 100 people attended the 90-minute event, which included the unveiling of a recently reconstructed space shuttle flight simulator. The life-size, space shuttle replica, named Kaho‘omakahou or “the New Beginning,” was renovated in Onizuka’s honor by students from Keaau, Hawaii Community College and the Hawaii Civil Air Patrol.
“Ell had such a heart for the kids and getting kids to study science and technology,” Kelso said.
“I think he would absolutely love this and he’d be very proud that his heritage is connected to these kids.”
The shuttle had previously sat unused in an aviation museum on Oahu.
The nearly 30 students spent four months renovating the spacecraft, a project funded with about $7,000 in corporate donations.
The community college students handled much of the electrical wiring, while the Civil Air Patrol installed the flight simulator.
Keaau students handled most of the body work repairs.
“I thought my kids would really be in for it,” said Keaau Principal Dean Cevallos. “It’s that perfect thing for them, gives them that experience and it gives them that hands-on opportunity. And it did — they learned so much and they just really embraced it. And they did better than I ever could have wished. ”
On Thursday, the fruits of the students’ months of labor appeared to pay off — the shuttle earned plenty of oohs and aahs at the unveiling.
“My favorite part is seeing everyone now,” said 18-year-old Keaau student Kuma Kekipi.
“Seeing their eyes glow, it’s an amazing moment.”
The shuttle will remain at Keaau for now, while officials decide on a permanent location. Ideally, Kelso said, they’d like to move it to the Kona side of the island, where Onizuka is from.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com
