Around Town With Phil: NASA Astronaut Re-Enters the Area

If you happen to see Buzz Lightyear on the campus of the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, it will actually be NASA Astronaut Capt. Scott Tingle, who spent 168 days aboard the International Space Station.

Capt. Tingle will talk about his amazing experience at 11 a.m. on November 15 at the main auditorium (please park in Lots 5 or 6 if you attend).

Tingle was in low-Earth orbit, about 250 miles above our planet, traveling at about 17,500 miles per hour. He said that he saw everything from auroras up at the poles to typhoons down at the equator. Find out how demanding walking in space is on the body and ask questions about his expedition, which ran from December 2017 to June 2018. In fact, Capt. Tingle has said in previous interviews that going to the bathroom in space is so much different, and once in a while a little escapes!

This space mission was part of Expedition 54/55, conducting science investigations in biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development. Back in March 2018, UMD held a satellite downlink event with Tingle while he was in space.

The time I spoke with Capt. Tingle, he laughed when I asked if he could bring some cheese rolls, linguica and coffee milk on the space station to remind him of home. Tingle received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from UMass Dartmouth in 1987.

Around Town With Phil is brought to you as a public service by Flagship Insurance.