Ronald M . Sega Ronald " Ron " Michael Sega ( also Ronald Šega ) ( Ph . D . ) ( born December 4 , 1952 ) is professor of systems engineering and Vice President for Energy and the Environment at the Colorado State University Research Foundation , a non - profit advocacy organization supporting CSU . He is also the Vice President and Enterprise Executive for Energy and Environment at The Ohio State University . From August 2005 to August 2007 , he served as Under Secretary of the Air Force . He is a retired Major General in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut . Sega was born in Cleveland , Ohio , he is of Slovene origin . He was married to fellow astronaut Bonnie J . Dunbar . He is now married to Ann Sega and they have two sons . Education . Sega graduated from Nordonia High School , Macedonia , Ohio , in 1970 after which he received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and physics from the United States Air Force Academy in 1974 , a master of science degree in physics from Ohio State University in 1975 , and a doctorate in electrical engineering from University of Colorado at Boulder in 1982 . Career . Sega completed pilot training in 1976 and served as an Instructor Pilot at Williams Air Force Base , Arizona , until 1979 . From 1979 to 1982 he was on the faculty of the United States Air Force Academy in the physics department where he designed and constructed a laboratory facility to investigate microwave fields using infrared techniques while pursuing a doctorate in electrical engineering . In 1982 he joined the faculty of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs as assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering . He was promoted to associate professor in 1985 , granted tenure in 1988 , promoted to professor in 1990 , and is currently on an extended leave of absence . From 1987 to 1988 he served as Technical Director , Lasers and Aerospace Mechanics Directorate , of the Frank J . Seiler Research Laboratory at the U . S . Air Force Academy . From 1989 to 1990 , while on leave from the University of Colorado , he served as Research Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Houston , affiliated with the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center , and is adjunct professor of physics . Sega is a co - principal investigator and mission director for the Wake Shield Facility ( WSF ) which has flown on Space Shuttle mission STS - 60 in February 1994 and STS - 76 in 1996 . He has authored or co - authored over 100 technical publications . As a pilot , Sega has logged over 4 , 000 hours in the Air Force , Air Force Reserves and NASA . NASA career . Sega became an astronaut in July 1991 after selection in 1990 . His technical assignments included : From November 1994 to March 1995 , Sega was the NASA Director of Operations , Star City , Russia ( The Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center ) responsible for managing NASA activities at Star City . These activities involved building an organization and infrastructure to support astronaut and cosmonaut mission and science training for flight on the Russian Space Station Mir . He also participated in training on Russian Space Systems and was the first American to train in the Russian EVA suit ( Orlan ) in their underwater facility ( Hydrolaboratory ) . A veteran of two space flights ( STS - 60 in 1994 and STS - 76 in 1996 ) , Sega logged over 420 hours in space . Space flight experience . STS - 60 was the first joint U . S . / Russia n Space Shuttle mission . Launched on February 3 , 1994 , STS - 60 was the second flight of the Space Habitation Module - 2 ( Spacehab - 2 ) , and the first flight of the Wake Shield Facility ( WSF - 1 ) . During the 8 - day flight , the crew of " Discovery " conducted a wide variety of biological , materials science , earth observation , and life science experiments . Sega was the flight engineer for ascent and entry on this mission , performed several experiments on orbit , and operated the robotic arm , berthing the Wake Shield onto its payload bay carrier on four separate occasions . Following 130 orbits of the Earth in 3 , 439 , 705 miles , STS - 60 landed at Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on February 11 , 1994 . With the completion of his first space flight , Sega logged 8 days , 7 hours , 9 minutes in space . STS - 76 , the third docking mission to the Russian space station Mir , launched on March 22 , 1996 with a crew of six aboard " Atlantis " . Following rendezvous and docking with Mir , a NASA Astronaut transferred to Mir for a five month stay to begin a continuous presence of U . S . astronauts aboard Mir for the next two years . Sega was the payload commander for this mission and lead on Biorack , a small multipurpose laboratory located in the Spacehab module carried in the Shuttle payload bay . Biorack was used to technology development , fundamental biology ( research into plant and animal cellular function ) , and environment characterization . He was responsible for planning and on - orbit operations , including extensive transfer of logistics and science , including 4800 pounds of science and mission hardware , food , water and air to Mir , and returning over 1100 pounds of U . S . and ESA science and Russian hardware . Following 144 orbits of the Earth , " Atlantis " landed with a crew of five at Edwards Air Force Base in California on March 31 , 1996 . Mission duration was 9 days , 5 hours , 15 minutes . Post - NASA career . Sega left NASA on July 1 , 1996 to become Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science , University of Colorado at Colorado Springs . In 2001 , he became acting Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear , Chemical and Biological Programs . Sega served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering , from August 2001 through August 2005 . The Defense Research and Engineering was made by Paul Wolfowitz the key compliance officer regarding , among others , the protection of human subjects in DoD supported research . In the same period , he also served as the Reserve Assistant to the Chairman , Joint Chiefs of Staff JCS . Accordingly to the Senate Armed Services Committee Report of the Inquiry into the Treatment of Detainees in U . S . Custody , The Joint Chiefs were involved in the approval of the controversial interrogation program both the DoD and the CIA engaged . In January 2004 , during Saga ' s tenure as director , a DoD - wide review of human subjects protection policies was initiated by Defense Research and Engineering ( DDR & E ) . On November 14 , 2006 , A Navy presentation at a DoD Training Day said the review found the Navy " not in full compliance with Federal policies on human subjects protection . " It was pointed out that the Navy had " no single point of accountability for human subject protections . " In 2005 he became Under Secretary of the Air Force , thus serving as Department of Defense Executive Agent and Milestone Decision Authority for Space . Starting in 2007 , he worked at the Colorado State University , where Sega has " served as Vice President of Energy and the Environment for the Colorado State University Research Foundation , a private , non - profit advocacy organization for the university , and as the Woodward Professor of Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering " . In September 2010 , Colorado State University and The Ohio State University collaborated to create a shared position called the Vice President and Enterprise Executive for Energy and the Environment . In this position , Sega " will help the institutions work together to identify and lead potential national initiatives and economic development opportunities and will also look for opportunities for collaboration between the universities . "