WEST LAFAYETTE — A Purdue graduate is one of 18 astronauts selected by NASA to make up the Artemis team.
Astronaut Scott Tingle is no stranger to space. He's spent 168 days aboard the International Space Station.
The Artemis Team will pave the way for the next astronaut missions on and around the moon.
Vice President Mike Pence introduced team members during the eighth National Space Council meeting at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “I give you the heroes who will carry us to the Moon and beyond – the Artemis Generation,” said Pence. “It is amazing to think that the next man and first woman on the Moon are among the names that we just read. The Artemis Team astronauts are the future of American space exploration – and that future is bright."
Tingle earned a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue in 1988, with a specialty in fluid mechanics and propulsion. He was one of nine astronaut candidates originally selected by NASA in 2009 from among more than 3,500 applicants.
He has accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours in 48 types of aircraft, including combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. His decorations include a Meritorious Service Medal, three Air Medals, six Navy Commendation Medals to include a Combat V, four Navy Achievement Medals and various unit commendations.
Tingle and his wife, Raynette, have three children, Amy, Sean and Eric.
NASA's plan is to land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024 and establish a sustainable human lunar presence by the end of the decade.
The astronauts of the Artemis Team will help NASA prepare for the coming Artemis missions, which begin next year, working with the agency’s commercial partners as they develop human landing systems; assisting in the development of training; defining hardware requirements; and consulting on technical development.
Purdue, known as the Cradle of Astronauts, counts 25 alumni as astronauts, including the first and last men on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan.
