page_title: Onizuka Center for International Astronomy
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Onizuka Center for International Astronomy / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka.
context_page_description: The Onizuka Center for International Astronomy, also known as Hale Pōhaku, is a complex of support facilities for the telescopes and other instruments that comprise the Mauna Kea Observatory atop Mauna Kea, on Hawaiʻi island.
context_section_description: A few rustic cabins named Hale Pōhaku (which means "stone house" in the  Hawaiian language)  were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps on the southern slope of Mauna Kea in the 1930s for hunters and other explorers.
  A rough jeep trail was built in 1964 under Governor John A. Burns, and a small telescope determined that Mauna Kea would be an ideal place for an astronomical observatory. The Hale Pōhaku area was used as a construction camp for the building of the observatories through the 1970s, and the road realigned in 1975. A permanent complex of buildings was constructed in 1983 known as the Mid-Level Facility.
  The Mid-Level Facility was renamed for the Hawaiʻi-born astronaut Ellison Onizuka, who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster  in 1986. 
  It is located at the 9,300-foot (2,800 m) elevation, south of the summit at 19°45′41″N 155°27′22″W, up Mauna Kea Access Road from the Saddle Road (Route 200).
  The center consists of dormitories with sleeping accommodation for 72, as well as a main building which houses the shared facilities such as cafeteria, laundry, and common room. Astronomers or technicians normally spend up to 24 hours at Hale Pōhaku to acclimatize to the altitude, before proceeding to the summit at almost 14,000 feet (4,300 m). There is no admission to these support facilities for the general public. The center is operated by the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Hawaii.
  The harsh conditions of the observatories require ongoing maintenance, with technicians and construction workers being common residents.
  Originally any astronomer wishing to use the observatory needed to stay at these facilities to physically be present during the nights they were assigned to use the telescopes. Although first-time users of the observatories are still encouraged to actually travel to the summit to familiarize themselves with the instruments, most observations can now be done over the Internet. Often the work is done in teams, with a staff of two at the summit, and others connected by teleconference at Hale Pōhaku, the University of Hawaii at Hilo,  University of Hawaii at Manoa, or the researcher's office.W. M. Keck Observatory reported 90% of observations were remote by 2002, many from their facility in Waimea, on the plateau north of the mountain, and automation allowed control from California.
caption: Astronaut Ellison Shoji Onizuka (1946–1986)
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