Decorated Spaceflight Veteran, Former U.S. Navy Captain

NASA has named astronaut Scott Tingle to be Chief of the Astronaut Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, effective November 10. Tingle is a former U.S. Navy captain who’s logged over 4,500 flight hours in 51 different aircraft types and is a decorated veteran of spaceflight, having served as a flight engineer on board the International Space Station.

Tingle will be responsible for managing astronaut resources and operations. Beyond that he will help develop flight crew operations and decide crew assignments for future human spaceflights including Artemis Moon missions.

Tingle is a native of Randolph, Massachusetts, and was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Southeastern Massachusetts University and a Master’s in the same discipline from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Vanessa Wyche, Director of the Johnson Space Center said, “Our Johnson Space Center team extends heartfelt congratulations to Scott on his appointment as chief of the Astronaut Office. We wish him every success as he steps into this dynamic and inspiring leadership position. I also offer my deepest gratitude to Joe Acaba for his devoted leadership of the Astronaut Office.”

Wyche added, “He accomplished the remarkable work of readying our astronaut corps for bold missions to and from the International Space Station and channeling their expertise to shape and evaluate the technologies, software, and procedures that will make future spaceflight safer and more achievable for our nation’s explorers.”

Tingle succeeds NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, who was Chief of the Astronaut Office since February 2023. Acaba has progressed to the center director’s staff, providing technical advice on mission planning and strategy at NASA Johnson.

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/