First Asian-American in space
According to NASA, Ellison Shoji Onizuka, Air Force aerospace engineer, was America’s first Asian-American in space when he flew as a mission specialist on STS 51-C Discovery, the first space shuttle Department of Defense mission. Onizuka died in the orbiter Challenger accident when it exploded one minute and 13 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986. (Courtesy photo from Wikipedia)