Bachelor of arts in astronomy from Harvard College, 1970; master of science in physics from MIT, 1973; doctor of philosophy degree in astrophysics from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1976; selected in 1987 as SDI-STARLAB Payload Specialist and was assigned for a StarLab mission (originally manifested as STS-50; that designation was given to another flight upon StarLab's cancellation), but the mission was cancelled; currently he serves as head of department at TASC in Reading, Massachusetts; hobbies: skiing, scuba diving, classical music, hiking.