Ronald A. Parise (Ph.D.) is a two-time shuttle astronaut, who
flew aboard the only NASA missions to be completely dedicated
to astronomy. Born on May 24, 1951, he grew up in Warren, Ohio.
Attending Youngstown State University (Ohio), he received his
bachelor of science degree in physics, with minors in mathematics,
astronomy, and geology.
Then,
at the University of Florida, he earned a master of science
degree and a doctor of philosophy degree in astronomy. Dr. Parise
went to work at Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) in Silver
Springs, Maryland, shortly after receiving his Ph.D. He became
manager of the Advanced Astronomy Programs and was involved
in flight software development, electronic system design, and
mission-planning activities for the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope
(UIT). As part of the crew assigned to Space Shuttle mission
STS-61E, Dr. Parise was announced as a payload specialist in
June 1984. However, due to the Challenger accident in 1986,
his first mission would not fly until six years later. STS-35,
which launched on December 2, 1990, carried into orbit the Astro-1
Spacelab, including four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet
Telescope (HUT), the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polarimeter
Experiment (WUPPE), the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT),
and the Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT). The orbiting platform
allowed for round-the-clock observations of the celestial sphere
in ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy.
The
crew also conducted the Space Classroom Program, Assignment:
The Stars, to spark student interest in science, math, and
technology. Dr. Parise flew again on STS-67, which also saw
the re-flight of the Astro payload. Logically dubbed Astro-2,
the 68th shuttle mission continued the research started on STS-35.
The experiments selected targets from a list of over 600 and
observed objects ranging from some inside the solar system to
individual stars, nebulae, supernova remnants, galaxies and
active extragalactic objects. Astro-2 had almost twice the duration
of its predecessor and a launch at a different time of year,
which allowed the telescopes to view different portions of the
sky. Both missions carried the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment
(SAREX), which allowed communication between HAM radio hobbyists
on the ground and the astronauts. Dr. Parise was one of the
astronauts who operated SAREX (he became an amateur radio operator
at age 11; his callsign is: WA4SIR).
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