Robert was born 7 Sept. '43 in Washington D.C. to Maj. Earl D. Payne Sr. and Eleanor N. Payne. He has one sister Joyce Lee , b. ' 27 & one brother, Earl D. Payne jr. b.' 31.

He went to grade school in Arlington VA to the third grade. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. He then attended grade school, high school and college in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in ' 67 with a B.A. in Political Science and in ' 71 with a M.A. in Public Administration. Having completed successfully four years of R.O.T.C. he was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in Air Defense Artillery. Robert served two years with the 33rd Air Division @ Ft. Lee, VA, ' 68 - ' 69 giving early warning information to surface to air missile batteries protecting Washington D.C.

Bob then left active duty and served eight years with the U.S. Army Reserves in Air Defense Artillery. He became a social worker in Aide for Dependent Children in Cincinnati, Ohio where he met his future wife , Mary Winifred Elder. Bob and Winnie were blessed with three healthy children, Jennifer Ellen b. ' 71, Robert Earl b. ' 72 , and Emily Claire b. ' 76.
They all grew up to become productive and proud citizens of the United States & disciples of Jesus Christ.

By age 34 Bob completed a M.Div.. @ Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis , Indiana. He then reentered the military as a U.S. Army chaplain serving 171/2 more years active duty both in the U.S. and in Germany , 2nd 11th ACR and in South Korea. He served soldiers and their families in all his tours of active duty mostly in combat arms units.

Bob was from an early age intrigued by airplanes and rockets and in exploring outer space. His training @ Ft. Bliss , Tex. in Air Defense Artillery missiles both the Nike Ajax and the Nike Hercules over ten years made him even more enthusiastic about all things pertaining to flight. He enjoyed reading about the early U.S. space achievements by NASA, the Mercury , the Gemini , and the Apollo space programs leading up to the 1st moon landing on 20 July ' 69. He was in awe of the complexity of all the U.S. Space Shuttle missions beginning in ' 81 to 2011.

Chaplain Payne ' s most earnest passion was and is his love of God , his love of his wife and their three children , his love of the United States of America , and his love of flight. He believed exploring outer space would produce many benefits for all the world's people.

Profile by Robert B. Payne , Maj. Ret. USA