Q&A With Winston Scott – Former NASA Astronaut and Current Florida Tech Professor of Aeronautics
By Space Coast Daily // July 27, 2017
'without education I could not have fulfilled my dreams'
Former NASA Astronaut Talks About Florida Tech’s Role in the Future of Space Exploration
Former NASA astronaut and Navy pilot Winston E. Scott’s interest in aviation and aeronautics started at a young age, but it took joining the U.S. Navy after college to launch his aeronautical engineering career.
“I had an interest in aviation as a child but never thought it a realistic profession,” Scott said. “It wasn’t until well into my undergrad university years that I began to think of pursuing aviation as a career.”
Scott, Senior Vice President for External Relations and Economic Development at Florida Tech, believes education was integral to making his dreams take flight, a message he has shared with students.
“There’s no doubt about it, without education I could not have fulfilled my dreams. To become a naval aviator, aeronautical engineer and astronaut requires education,” Scott said.
As a naval aviator, he accumulated 6,000-plus hours of flight time and has flown more than 25 types of aircraft, including the F-14 Tomcat, F/A-18 Hornet, A-7 Corsair jet and SH-2F helicopter.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Scott in 1992 to join its astronaut program, and he served as a mission specialist on two space shuttle flights and three spacewalks.
The Miami native talked to us about his pursuit of an aeronautical engineering career, the music he carried with him into space and Florida Tech’s role in the future of space exploration along the Space Coast.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE Q&A WITH WINSTON SCOTT
