Veteran Astronaut Winston E. Scott has been named Director of Operational Excellence at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
What’s Happening:
- Winston E. Scott, a veteran astronaut and retired United States Navy Captain, has been appointed Director of Operational Excellence at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Scott will be replacing veteran astronaut Bruce Melnick, as of April 15, 2023.
- In his new role, Scott will be responsible for providing visitors with an exciting and memorable experience with veteran astronauts through oversight of the Astronaut Encounter program at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. In addition to the Astronaut Encounter experience, there are numerous ways for visitors to interact with real astronauts every day at the visitor complex, including behind-the-scenes tours like Fly With An Astronaut and the intimate Chat With An Astronaut.
- Scott has spent a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space. As mission specialist for the STS-72 Endeavour flight in 1996, Scott spent nine days in space with the crew that retrieved two satellites. During the mission, he also conducted two spacewalks to demonstrate and evaluate techniques to be used in the assembly of the International Space Station. The mission was accomplished in 142 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.7 million miles, and logged him a total of 214 hours and 41 seconds in space.
- In 1997, he served as mission specialist for STS-87, the fourth U.S. Microgravity Payload flight that focused on experiments designed to study how the weightless environment of space affects various physical processes and on the Sun’s outer atmospheric layers. During the mission, Scott performed two spacewalks. The first, a seven-hour 43-minute spacewalk, featured the manual capture of a Spartan satellite, in addition to testing tools and procedures for future Space Station assembly. The second spacewalk lasted five hours and also featured space station assembly tests. The entire mission was accomplished in 252 Earth orbits, traveling 6.5 million miles in 376 hours and 34 minutes.
- Prior to joining the Astronaut Corps, Scott attended the Aviation Officer Candidate School after graduating from Florida State University in December 1972. He completed flight training in fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft and was designated a Naval Aviator in August 1974. He then served a four-year tour of duty with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 33 at the Naval Air Station North Island, California, flying the SH-2F Light Airborne Multi-Purpose Systems (LAMPS) helicopter.
- In 1978, Scott was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, where he earned his master of science degree in aeronautical engineering with an emphasis in avionics.
- After completing jet training in the TA-4J Skyhawk, Scott served a tour of duty with Fighter Squadron 84 (VF-84) at NAS Oceana, Virginia, flying the F-14 Tomcat. In June 1986 he was designated an Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer. He then served as a production test pilot at Naval Aviation Depot Jacksonville at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, flying the F/A-18 Hornet and the A-7 Corsair II aircraft. He was also assigned as Director of the Product Support (engineering) Department. He was next assigned as the Deputy Director of the Tactical Aircraft Systems Department at the Naval Air Development Center at Warminster, Pennsylvania. As a research and development project pilot, he flew the F-14, F/A-18 and A-7 aircraft.
- During his Naval career, Scott accumulated more than 7,000 hours of flight time in 25 different military and civilian aircraft and more than 200 shipboard landings.
What’s Happening:
- Winston Scott: “As we embark on an exciting new chapter in space exploration and eventually interplanetary travel, the opportunity to educate the next generation of space explorers is the perfect next phase of my career. I’m looking forward to sharing my passion for adventure and my experiences in space – and on Earth – with our guests.”