Antonio Paris is a Professor of Astronomy at St. Petersburg College, FL. Additionally, he is an Astronaut Candidate for Project PoSSUM's Suborbital Mission supported by NASA's Flight Opportunities Program; the Director of Planetarium and Space Programs at the Museum of Science and Industry; and the Chief Scientist at the Center for Planetary Science – a science outreach program promoting astronomy, planetary science, and astrophysics to the next generation of space explorers. Prof. Paris, moreover, is a 2015 graduate of NASA’s Mars Education Program at the Mars Space Flight Center, Arizona State University. His latest peer-reviewed publications include:

The Physiological & Psychological Aspects of Sending Humans to Mars - an extensive research centered on the implications of prolonged spaceflight, which include radiation, the cardiovascular system in space and long-term nutritional concerns in a microgravity environment.

Hydrogen Clouds from Comets 266/P Christensen and P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs) are Candidates for the Source of the 1977 "Wow" Signal- a hypothesis proposing the alleged extraterrestrial "Wow" signal was a result of a neutral hydrogen envelop from a planetary body.

Prof. Paris, additionally, is a former US Army Intelligence Officer, Infantry Officer, Paratrooper and was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for Valor in Iraq. He is also the author of two books, Aerial Phenomena and Space Science; is a certified PADI SCUBA Instructor and Divemaster; and is a professional member of the Washington Academy of Sciences and the American Astronomical Society.