Fw: Fwd: [amsat-dc] Ronald A. Parise, WA4SIR, SK

[Paul Rinaldo]

FYI.

-----Forwarded Message-----
>From: Richard Rucker <richard.rucker at wap.org>
>Sent: May 10, 2008 8:59 AM
>To: Undisclosed-recipients at null, @unspecified-domain, null at null
>Subject: Fwd: [amsat-dc]  Ronald A. Parise, WA4SIR, SK
>
>Begin forwarded message:
>
>From: "Pat Kilroy" <pat at patkilroy.com>
>Date: May 9, 2008 9:01:57 PM EDT
>To: wa3nan at listserv.gsfc.nasa.gov
>Cc: amsat-dc at AMSAT.Org
>Subject: [amsat-dc]  Ronald A. Parise, WA4SIR, SK
>Reply-To: pat at patkilroy.com
>
>FYI
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Frank H. Bauer [mailto:ka3hdo at comcast.net]
>Sent: Friday, May 9, 2008 08:48 PM
>Subject: Ronald A. Parise, SK
>
>It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of a great  
>friend, colleague and fellow ham radio operator. Dr. Ronald A. Parise,  
>WA4SIR, left this Earth today, Friday May 9, 2008 after a very long  
>and courageous battle with cancer.
>
>Ron Parise was--and continues to be--an inspiration to countless  
>students, ham radio operators, and friends the world over. His  
>accomplishments were many, including: space explorer, pioneer,  
>astrophysicist, pilot, ham radio operator, avionics and software  
>expert, inspirational speaker and motivator, student satellite mentor,  
>husband, father, and friend. While he certainly did some truly  
>extraordinary things in his lifetime, Ron Parise is best known and  
>cherished for keeping family and friends first…and for this, we will  
>miss him most.
>
>Ron flew as a payload specialist on two Space Shuttle missions: STS-35  
>on the Space Shuttle Columbia in December 1990 and STS-67 on the Space  
>Shuttle Endeavour in March 1995. These two missions, called ASTRO-1 &  
>2 respectively, carried out Ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy  
>observations. He logged over 614 hours and 10.6 million miles in  
>space. Ron and his crew members on ASTRO-1 became the first  
>astronomers to operate a telescope from space, making hundreds of  
>observations during the mission. His personal contributions to these  
>two missions have provided scientists with an unprecedented view of  
>our universe, expanding our understanding of the birth, life and death  
>of stars and galaxies.
>
>Ron was also the ultimate ham radio operator—in space and on the  
>ground. First licensed when he was 11, Ron kept the amateur radio  
>hobby at the forefront of everything he did—including his operations  
>from space. During his two Space Shuttle flights, he talked to  
>hundreds of hams on the ground, giving new meaning to the phrase the  
>“ultimate DX-pedition”. He was instrumental in guiding the development  
>of a simple ham radio system that could be used in multiple  
>configurations on the Space Shuttle. As a result, his first flight on  
>STS-35 ushered in the “frequent flyer” era of the Shuttle Amateur  
>Radio Experiment (SAREX) payload. He was the first ham in space to  
>operate packet radio. And his flight pioneered the telebridge ground  
>station concept to enable more schools to talk to Shuttle crew members  
>despite time and orbit constraints. In his two shuttle flights, he  
>inspired countless students to seek technical careers and he created  
>memories at the schools and communities that will never be forgotten.
>
>Ron’s love for the amateur radio hobby and his love of inspiring  
>students continued well beyond his two Shuttle flights. During the  
>formation of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station  
>(ARISS) program, Ron was a tremendous resource to the newly forming  
>international team. I know of many instances where Ron’s wisdom and  
>sage advice was instrumental in helping our international team resolve  
>issues when we reached critical technical or political roadblocks. And  
>he was a key volunteer in the development of the ham radio hardware  
>systems that are now on-board ISS. The ARISS team is deeply indebted  
>to WA4SIR for his leadership, technical advice and tremendous vision.
>
>Ron worked hand-in-hand with the students at the Naval Academy and  
>Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on the development of their  
>student satellites. He helped develop Radio Jove—a student educational  
>project to listen to the radio signals emanating from Jupiter. And he  
>spoke at numerous schools over the years, inspiring them to pursue  
>careers in science, math and technology.
>
>I feel blessed to have had Ron as a friend, colleague, ham buddy and  
>mentor. He gave so much, cheerfully, to our collective hobby and was  
>always there with the right answer no matter the topic. I will miss  
>him dearly.
>
>In an effort to continue Ron’s tireless work to inspire the next  
>generation, the Parise family has set up a scholarship fund in Ron’s  
>honor. The scholarship is for students pursuing technical degrees at  
>Youngtown State University, where Ron received his Bachelors of  
>Science degree. In lieu of flowers, those interested are welcome to  
>send donations to the Dr. Ronald A. Parise Scholarship Fund,  
>Youngstown State University, One University Plaza, Youngstown, Ohio  
>44555.
>
>On behalf of AMSAT and the ARISS International team, I would like to  
>extend our collective condolences to the Parise family and to all  
>Ron’s friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
>
>And to Ron Parise, WA4SIR SK: Our sincerest 73's and 88's…may your  
>exploration spirit live on in us all!!
>
>
>Frank H. Bauer, KA3HDO
>AMSAT-NA V.P. for Human Spaceflight Programs
>Chairman, ARISS International
>
>
>
>Pat Kilroy
>n8pk at amsat.org
>
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>