Former space shuttle payload specialist Ronald Parise died at his home in Silver Springs, Md., Friday after a three-year battle with brain cancer. He was 56.An astronomer and computer specialist, Parise was one of the developers of the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. He flew on two space shuttle missions in 1990 and 1995 that used the telescope to study stars and other celestial objects.
He was born May 24, 1951, in Warren, Ohio. He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Youngstown State University and master's and doctorate degrees in astronomy from the University of Florida.
Always interested in science and technology, he first earned his amateur radio license at age 11 and remained active in radio using the call sign WA4SIR, his wife, Cecelia, said Sunday.
As a teenager, he became active in the Mahoning Valley Astronomical Society and built two telescopes. He also learned to fly and enjoyed piloting small aircraft until his disease became advanced, his wife said.
In 1984, he became a NASA payload specialist, working on several technical projects in addition to spending 614 hours in orbit and traveling 10.6 million miles in space. He spent 12 years with NASA before moving on to several other space, astronomy and computer-related jobs.
He and the former Cecelia Sokol met at Youngstown State University and married in 1973. Their son, Nicholas, is in the Air Force. Their daughter, Katherine, lives in Silver Springs.
The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Resurrection Catholic Church in Burtonsville, Md., with burial at Burtonsville Union Cemetery under the direction of Collins Funeral Home in Silver Springs, Md.
His family requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Youngstown State University Foundation's Dr. Ronald A. Parise Scholarship fund, One University Plaza, Youngstown, Ohio 44555.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Welcome, Lunatics!