NASA Astronaut & Blue Hills Grad Scott Tingle Visits School

PHOTO CAPTION: NASA Astronaut Scott D. Tingle of Randolph, a member of the Class of '83 at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton, holds a box containing a replica of the International Space Station which he took with him in space from December 2017 to June 2018. Blue Hills students made the replica and the box just for him. Captain Tingle visited the his former high school on November 13, 2018. Photo by Judy Bass.

By Judy Bass

NASA Astronaut Scott D. Tingle of Randolph, a distinguished member of the Class of 1983 at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton and a Captain in the U.S. Navy, returned to his former high school in triumph on November 13, exactly nine months to the day after he visited with its students and staff from space in real time from aboard the International Space Station (ISS). That lively, long-distance question-and-answer session made possible by sophisticated technology and the exhaustive planning of a dedicated team at Blue Hills Regional was an unforgettable, still-buzzed-about event for everyone at the school.

Captain Tingle, 53, finally came back to Earth on June 3, 2018, after six productive months on the ISS. His heartfelt connection to Blue Hills endures wherever he goes, as does his stature as an intrepid explorer of the skies and a genuine hometown hero.

“Captain Tingle is an inspiration and an amazing role model,” said Blue Hills Principal Jill Rossetti. “He is humble, kind, intelligent and gives back to his community. We are so grateful for the opportunities and experiences he has shared with us. He is living proof that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it.”

Blue Hills was just one stop on Captain Tingle’s whirlwind week in his native Massachusetts, which he has not been able to visit in several years due to his extremely hectic NASA schedule. He was a guest at the Veterans Day breakfast in Randolph; he spoke at UMass Dartmouth, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1987; and he attended two reunions with classmates from Blue Hills, just to name a few of the highlights.

Captain Tingle brought with him to Blue Hills the replica of the ISS made by Engineering student Christopher Bullock ‘17 and the handsome wooden box for it that was crafted by Construction students Jill Yurewicz ‘17 and Robert Devine ‘16. Those items – the idea behind their creation originated with Blue Hills Superintendent James P. Quaglia - traveled with Captain Tingle aboard the ISS on his journey during countless trips around the globe from December 2017 to June 2018. Now, those precious objects have come full circle and are at Blue Hills Regional, where Captain Tingle jubilantly presented them to Principal Jill Rossetti as the students proudly cheered. He gave them back “so they can be at Blue Hills forever,” he said.

In front of Blue Hills’ entire student population, many of the staff, and his beaming mother and daughter, Captain Tingle flexed his showmanship and good humor, presenting his background in a PowerPoint presentation and then fielding questions from the students about every topic imaginable, from the experiments he and his crew mates performed – there were some 200 to 250 of them going on at any given time - to how he coped with the lack of a shower on the ISS [Captain Tingle said he and his colleagues just wiped themselves down with hot, wet towels and took the inconvenience in their daily hygiene regimen in stride].

A consistent theme of Captain Tingle’s appearance at Blue Hills Regional - which was frequently punctuated with rollicking laughter and applause - was the immense, lasting value of the education he received there. He studied Machine Drafting and said that “the skills and fundamentals” he gained from his high school years serve him well to this day in his professional life. He also told the students that NASA needs talent in all areas. “There’s a spot for you because the team is huge,” Captain Tingle said.

The students’ questions for him came thick and fast. What did he miss most while he was in space? Not being able to take a shower. How was the food? “I liked it. I actually gained a few pounds” on the fare, which resembled military-style MREs [Meals Ready to Eat]. What in his opinion is the most accurate movie made about space travel? Saying it may not necessarily be the most authentic representation of space flight, Captain Tingle nevertheless praised the gripping drama “Apollo 13.”

What was Russia like? [Tingle trained extensively there because he and the crew went up to the ISS on a Russian launch vehicle called the Soyuz.] “It’s a cool place to go,” Captain Tingle said. “We are really one world. We can’t do it without each other. We must never fight.” What did lifting off feel like? “The best roller coaster you’ve ever been on. It’s short, so it’s easy to get through.” What was landing like? “A controlled car crash. It’s a little uncomfortable.” What does being in space do to the human body? You lose bulk mass, Captain Tingle explained, and the little muscles don’t get much of a workout even though the astronauts try to exercise as best as they can every day in a very confined environment. “After a week or two [back home on Earth], you start to feel pretty good,” he observed.

As Captain Tingle’s hour-long visit drew to a close, he graciously praised the “positive energy” he detected from the students and staff and hopefully, the students harkened back to the message he imparted to them from the ISS in February, a message he truly embodies – to dream big and never give up.