Bay State native orbiting Earth
A Bay State astronaut blasted into space yesterday on his way to the International Space Station.
Scott Tingle, born in Attleboro and raised in Randolph, was one of three astronauts who yesterday afternoon launched from Russia’s manned space-launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Tingle was aboard a capsule that also carried astronauts from Russia and Japan.
The capsule entered orbit nine minutes after it launched, authorities said. Also aboard the Soyuz capsule were astronauts Anton Shkaplerov of Russia and Norishige Kanai of Japan.
The capsule is slated to dock tomorrow with the orbiting space laboratory.
Tingle and others will join three other astronauts who have been aboard the International Space Station since September.
Tingle told The MetroWest Daily News earlier this month, “I’ve spent the last nine years at NASA preparing for this, and the last two years intensely preparing for this specific flight.” He spoke to the newspaper via satellite in Russia. “I’m very excited to get in orbit and work with the thousands of people that put all this stuff together. I think we’re going to do some really good work.”
Tingle also told the paper, “The biggest thing that I’m really looking forward to is working with the incredible team of people that make this whole system work. We literally have tens of thousands of people around the world working this program, working the multiple science projects, the multiple upgrades, the operations of the systems to make sure we can do it all safely and efficiently.”
‘I’m very excited to get in orbit and work with the thousands of people that put all this stuff together.’ — SCOTT TINGLE Bay State astronaut
Tingle is a 1987 graduate of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, which was then called Southeastern Massachusetts University. He obtained a master’s degree from Purdue University and later became a captain with the U.S. Navy.