Mario Runco, Jr.
| Mario Runco Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
January 26, 1952 New York City |
|
Other occupation
|
Physicist |
| Rank | Commander, USN |
|
Time in space
|
22 days 23 hours 08 minutes |
| Selection | 1987 NASA Group |
|
Total EVAs
|
1 |
|
Total EVA time
|
4 hours 28 minutes |
| Missions | STS-44, STS-54, STS-77 |
|
Mission insignia
|
  
|
Mario Runco Jr. (born January 26, 1952), is a former United States Navy officer and NASA astronaut. He is an Earth and planetary physicist.
Mario was born in the Bronx, New York on January 26, 1952. Raised in the Highbridge section of the Bronx near Yankee Stadium, his family moved to Yonkers, New York in his early teen years. He is married to the former Susan Kay Friess of Sylvania, Ohio; they have two children, Maria and Carl. He enjoys ice hockey, baseball, softball, camping, model railroads, toy train collecting, and astronomy among other interests. He played intercollegiate ice hockey on the City College of New York and Rutgers University teams. Mario’s parents Mario and Filomena Ragusa Runco (originally from Lago, in the province of Cosenza, Italy) still reside in Yonkers, and Sue’s parents, Fredrick and Margaret Bidlack Friess, reside in Sylvania, Ohio.
Graduated from Sacred Heart School in the Bronx in 1966 and Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx in 1970; he received a bachelor of science degree in Earth and Planetary Science from the City College of New York in 1974, a master of science degree in Atmospheric Physics from Rutgers University in 1976, and an honorary doctor of science degree from the City College of New York in 1999.
Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and Navy Pistol Expert Medal. Also awarded three NASA Space Flight Medals (STS-44, STS-54 and STS-77), two Navy Sea Service Ribbons (USS Nassau and USNS Chauvenet), and the Navy Battle Efficiency Ribbon (USS Nassau). Mario was also the recipient of the City College of New York's Townsend Harris Medal (1993), and the Cardinal Hayes High School John Cardinal Spellman Award (1993). As an undergraduate, he received the City College of New York Class of 1938 Athletic Service Award.
...
Wikipedia