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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

William N. Reining is an Electrical Engineer and Inventor. 

Mr. Reining was involved with several early experiments that were designed to measure the brightness of the sky at high altitudes in the ultraviolet spectrum.  Utilizing weather balloons, sounding rockets and the X-15 rocket plane sufficient data was gathered that allowed the construction and operation of the highly successful Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO).  He was responsible for the design and construction of the ground support equipment for the OAO.  Much of this work in aerospace was performed at the Space Astronomy Laboratory of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin and at Edwards AFB in California.

The ultraviolet photometer that Mr. Reining developed for use on the X-15 rocket plane received first place in the 1962 Engineering Exposition at the University of Wisconsin.  He developed many medical devices and electronic products after leaving the University.  His current interests include cosmology and the measurement and modeling of interstellar atmospheres.