posted 05-11-2008 08:37 AM               

Youngstown Vindactor: Shuttle astronaut of Warren dies at 56:

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Two-time space shuttle astronaut Ronald A. Parise, 56, a Warren native and noted graduate of the Warren City Schools and Youngstown State University, has died.

His spaceflight experience was on Shuttle Columbia (Dec. 2-10, 1990) and Shuttle Endeavour (March 2�18, 1995). He had a lifelong love for astronomy and amateur radio.

His death Friday was confirmed by Richard Pirko, the show producer at the Youngstown State University planetarium. The former astronaut had been in poor health for about three years and died of complications of a brain tumor in Silver Spring, Md., where he made his home.

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The father of astronaut Ron Parise said some tried to discourage his son from taking part in the space program because of the danger.

But Henry Parise said Saturday, the day after the Warren native and Western Reserve High School grad died of a brain tumor at the age of 56, that he decided not to interfere with his son�s career choice.

"I think he was a person who wanted to do more than just the ordinary," Henry Parise said of his son.

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On a personal note, I had the great pleasure and hosting Ron as a guest speaker at the University of Maryland and then again a few years later as one of our featured guests on the Ask An Astronaut website. For the latter, I visited with him at his office at Goddard Space Flight Center. He was very gracious with his time and friendship.

In replying to the questions posed by Ask An Astronaut, Ron described his emotional response to spaceflight.

"The experience of space flight is unlike any other. All aspects of it are unfamiliar to you. There is of course the physical and mental stress of launch, the indescribable feeling of the long period of weightlessness, and the unimaginable view of the earth and sky out the window. Normal everyday activities such as eating, dressing, and bathing become a new challenge.

"This new environment brings with it a whole mixture of emotions and feelings that are difficult to separate. To classify one particular event as scary, humorous, magnificent, or exciting is not possible. Almost every activity or event during a mission has elements of all of these feelings associated with it."

"The best part of being an astronaut is having the opportunity to participate in what must be the greatest adventure of all time. To leave our home world and look back at it from space is a most incredible experience."

posted 05-11-2008 12:05 PM               

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