Stellar Wisdom

It’s not every day one gets to have coffee with an astronaut. This was the privilege I had on a cool spring morning at Argonaut Coffee, when I sat down with retired US Navy Captain and NASA Astronaut Winston Scott, a three-time spacewalk veteran and current astronaut in residence at the Kennedy Space Center. With a latte on my side and a classic brew with cream and sugar on his, Scott caught me up on his incredible life story.

This is far from Scott’s first time conversing over coffee in Tallahassee. Before Scott worked as Vice President for Student Affairs at the turn of the millennium, he attended Florida State University (FSU) from 1968 to 1972, during an era of activism and change.

“We were newly integrating FSU,” Scott says. “There was campus unrest––protests against the Vietnam War. But there were also demonstrations about basic civil rights. So we formed the Black Student Union. I was one of the inaugural members of the BSU, which still exists on campus today.”

An accomplished trumpet player already, Scott originally came to Florida State to study music, but found countless other learning opportunities at the university. Technology was of particular interest.

When he entered FSU, Scott says, “I liked machines and batteries … I was always curious about technical things. But when I came along, we didn’t have any programs in my neighborhood to introduce us to engineering. FSU really opened up my eyes.”

“In those days, believe it or not, you [paid] one tuition fee to take as many hours as you wanted. So, I just sort of discovered engineering by accident. I [decided to take] math, science, and engineering courses in addition to my music. I was taking 21 hours a quarter. I did get special permission from my advisor,” Scott says with a laugh.

Scott finished his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and soon after joined the Navy, which granted him a pathway to finish a second degree in Engineering. He completed Navy pilot training, experienced a successful 18-year career as an Airman, and then stumbled upon a new opportunity.

“NASA was holding a selection for astronauts. You had to apply. And I was fortunate enough to be one of the ones selected,” Scott says simply.

While the selection process may sound simple, Scott found the training to become an astronaut was complex in the best way. Training for space flight took over a year and encompassed a wealth of knowledge pools.

“People may not know that the space program encompasses every profession,” Scott says. Astronauts receive support from professionals like trained dieticians, but also receive their own training in a variety of specialized tasks, like space photography, space kinesiology, first aid, and how to carry out experiments to support scientists on the ground.

Scott’s astronaut training feels like a mirror to his earlier educational career, where intellectual diversity was a cornerstone. To become a well-rounded person, he advises students today to be open-minded and follow wherever their interests lead.

“Don’t be a unidimensional person,”  Scott says of academic interests, careers, and hobbies. “Broaden yourself, broaden your life. It’s much more enjoyable that way.”

No matter where we are in our lifelong journey through the cosmos, these are fine words to guide us.

Today, Winston Scott is the astronaut in residence at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, where he offers educational programming and coordinates visits from other accomplished  astronauts. The center is open year-round except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. For ticket, tour, and even rocket launch viewing information, visit kennedyspacecenter.com