Editing Ronald Parise

{{Short description|Italian-American astronaut (1951–2008)}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name          =Ronald Anthony Parise
| image         =Ronald Parise.jpg
| image_size    =
| caption       =
| type          =[[Computer Sciences Corporation|CSC]] Payload Specialist
| nationality   =American
| birth_date    ={{birth date|1951|5|24}}
| birth_place   =[[Warren, Ohio]]
| death_date    ={{death date and age|2008|5|9|1951|5|24}}
| death_place   =[[Silver Spring, Maryland]]
| occupation    =[[Scientist]]
| selection     =
| time          =25d 14h 13m
| mission       =[[STS-35]], [[STS-67]]
| insignia      =[[Image:Sts-35-patch.svg|30px]][[Image:Sts-67-patch.svg|30px]]
|}}

'''Ronald Anthony Parise''' (May 24, 1951 – May 9, 2008) was an [[Italian American]] scientist who flew aboard two NASA [[Space Shuttle]] missions as a [[payload specialist]].

Parise was born in [[Warren, Ohio]], to Henry and Catherine Parise (nee Pasha). His father was born in [[Carovilli]].<ref name=Ethnicity>{{cite web|url=https://www.rainews.it/tgr/molise/video/2023/03/watchfolder-tgr-molise-web-come-eravamo-1988-intervista-astronauta-parisi-carovillimxf-370bb1c7-9cd1-4158-80ea-0dc1798c657c.html|language=italian|title=Un astronauta a Carovilli: intervista del 1988|publisher=RAI - Radio Televisione Italiana|access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref> By age 11, he became a licensed [[amateur radio]] operator. In his teens, he developed an interest in astronomy and aviation and became a pilot.<ref name="youth">{{cite web
  | url = http://cc.ysu.edu/physics-astro/parise.html
  | title = Ronald A. Parise
  | publisher = Youngstown State University
  | accessdate = 2008-05-13
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080422181035/http://cc.ysu.edu/physics-astro/parise.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-04-22}}</ref> He attended [[Western Reserve High School (Berlin Center, Ohio)|Western Reserve High School]]<!-- in Warren; edited out, as there is no such school in Warren; closest seems to be [[Western Reserve High School (Berlin Center, Ohio)]]-->, graduating in 1969 before attending [[Youngstown State University]]. In 1973, he obtained a bachelor of science degree in [[physics]], with minors in [[mathematics]], [[astronomy]], and [[geology]]. He went on to receive a master's degree in 1977 and a doctorate in 1979 from the [[University of Florida]], both in astronomy. He and his wife Cecelia Sokol Parise had two children.

Parise died from a [[brain tumor]] on May 9, 2008, at the age of 56.<ref>{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Stewart|title= Former astronaut, UV imaging telescope specialist dies |url= http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5771126.html |work=Houston Chronicle |location= Houston, Texas |date= 2008-05-07 |accessdate=2008-05-07 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Gorman |title= Astronaut, Warren native dies at 56 |url= http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/505209.html?nav=5021 |work=Tribune Chronicle |location= Warren, Ohio |date= 2008-05-07 |accessdate=2008-05-07 }}</ref>

==Career==
Upon graduation in 1979, Parise accepted a position at Operations Research Inc. (ORI) where he was involved in developing [[avionics]] requirements definitions and performing failure mode analyses for several NASA missions. In 1980 he began work at [[Computer Sciences Corporation]] in the [[International Ultraviolet Explorer]] (IUE) operations center as a data management scientist and in 1981 became the section manager of the IUE hardcopy facility.

In 1981 he began work on the development of a new [[Spacelab]] experiment called the [[Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope]] (UIT). His responsibilities involved flight hardware and software development, electronic system design, and mission planning activities for the UIT project. In 1984 he was selected by NASA as a payload specialist in support of the newly formed [[STS-35|Astro]] mission series. During his twelve years as a payload specialist he was involved in mission planning, simulator development, integration and test activities, flight procedure development, and scientific data analysis, in addition to his flight crew responsibilities for the Astro program. At the completion of the Astro program, Parise assumed an advanced planning and communications engineering support role for a variety of human space flight projects including [[Mir]], [[International Space Station]] (ISS), and the [[X-38]].

Parise engaged in a number of astronomical research projects utilizing data from ground-based observatories, the [[Orbiting Astronomical Observatory#OAO-3 .28Copernicus.29|Copernicus satellite]] (OAO-3), IUE, and the Astro observatory. His research topics, including [[circumstellar dust|circumstellar matter]] in [[binary star]] systems and the evolutionary status of stars in [[globular clusters]], resulted in several professional publications. A veteran of two space flights, Parise logged more than 614 hours and 10.6 million miles in space. He served as a payload specialist aboard STS-35 in 1990 and STS-67 in 1995. At the end of his career, Parise supported the [[Goddard Space Flight Center]], Networks and Mission Services Project, in the area of advanced communications planning for human spaceflight missions. He was also involved with projects in the Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch that developed the use of standard Internet Protocols (IP) in space data transmission applications.

== Spaceflight experience ==
[[STS-35]]/Astro-1 ''[[Space Shuttle Columbia|Columbia]]'' (December 2–December 10, 1990). The Astro observatory is a unique complement of three telescopes designed to simultaneously record [[spectroscopy|spectral]] data, [[polarimetric]] data and imagery of faint astronomical objects in the far [[ultraviolet]]. The mission duration was 215 hours and 5 minutes. The Shuttle landed at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] in [[California]].<ref name=nasa/>

[[STS-67]]/Astro-2 ''[[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Endeavour]]'' (March 2–18, 1995). This was the second flight of the Astro observatory. During this record-setting 16-day mission, the crew conducted observations around the clock to study the far ultraviolet spectra of faint astronomical objects and the polarization of ultraviolet light coming from hot stars and distant [[galaxy|galaxies]]. The mission duration was 399 hours and 9 minutes. The landing was at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] in [[California]].<ref name=nasa>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/parise.pdf |title=RONALD A. PARISE (PH.D.), PAYLOAD SPECIALIST (DECEASED) |publisher=[[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] |date=May 2008|access-date=May 14, 2021}}</ref>

Coincidentally, Parise's fellow payload specialist on both his missions was [[Samuel T. Durrance|Sam Durrance]].

Parise was instrumental in bringing amateur radio equipment to the Shuttle and operated on the air during his own missions. His amateur radio call sign was WA4SIR.

== Organizations ==
* [[American Astronomical Society]]
* Astronomical Society of the Pacific
* Association of Space Explorers
* [[International Astronomical Union]]
* [[Sigma Xi]]
* [[Phi Kappa Phi]]
* Warren Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
* [[AMSAT]]
* ARISS
* Space Hams International
* Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society of Washington D.C.

== Awards and honors ==
* [[NASA Space Flight Medal]] (1991, 1995)
* Distinguished member of Phi Kappa Phi (1996)
* Honorary Doctor of Science degree, Youngstown State University (1996)
* NASA/GSFC Special Act Award (1995)
* Computer Sciences Corp., Space and Earth Technology Systems, Award for Technical Innovation (1999)
* [[NASA Group Achievement Award]] (1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000)
* NASA/GSFC Community Service Award (1990)
* Allied Signal, Quest for Excellence Award (1997)
* Ohio Historical Marker: Ronald A. Parise, Ph.D., Astronaut / Scientist<ref>{{cite web |first= Mike |last= Wintermantel |title= Ronald A. Parise, Ph.D., Astronaut / Scientist |url= 
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=121477 |work=Historical Marker Database |location= Warren, Ohio |date= 2018-08-11 |accessdate=2024-04-16 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parise, Ronald A.}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Warren, Ohio]]
[[Category:Youngstown State University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:NASA sponsored astronauts]]
[[Category:Deaths from brain cancer in Maryland]]
[[Category:Amateur radio people]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Warren G. Harding High School alumni]]
[[Category:Members of Phi Kappa Phi]]