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Glenn Mahone/Doc Mirelson
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1898/1600)                     June 10, 2003

Eileen Hawley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

Jim Killian
Auburn University, Ala.
(Phone: 334/844-4218)

RELEASE: 03-191

VETERAN ASTRONAUT BEGINS NEW ADVENTURE IN EDUCATION

James Voss, deputy for flight operations, Space Station
Program Mission Integration and Operations Office, Johnson 
Space Center (JSC), Houston, has accepted the position of 
Associate Dean for External Affairs, Samuel Ginn College of 
Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.

Voss, a retired U.S. Army colonel, is one of NASA's most 
experienced astronaut managers. He logged five Space Shuttle 
flights and served as a member of the International Space 
Station Expedition 2 crew. 

"Jim has served as an integral part of the astronaut and 
human space flight program for more than 18 years," said 
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "His contributions to human 
space flight are numerous, but even more important, his 
professionalism and demeanor have served as positive 
examples for the astronaut corps. His efforts have helped 
make the International Space Station a success. He will be a 
valuable and wonderful addition to the Auburn University 
faculty. Jim will serve as a true inspiration for the next 
generation of explorers and scientists," Administrator 
O'Keefe said.

Voss received his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace 
Engineering from Auburn in 1972. He received his Master of 
Science in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the 
University of Colorado in 1974 and his honorary Doctorate 
from Colorado in 2000. He departed NASA last week, and he 
will assume his duties at Auburn in the fall.

"Jim Voss has been a frequent and welcome visitor to the 
Auburn campus during his tenure at NASA, and has spoken with 
many of our students, alumni, and faculty members" said 
Larry Benefield, dean of the Samuel Ginn College of 
Engineering at Auburn University.

"Jim will bring a unique perspective to the engineering 
classroom," Benefield noted. "As a veteran astronaut, he 
offers an exciting viewpoint that will elevate our 
instructional program in a way that would not otherwise be 
possible. "We are thrilled he will be joining us as we 
position the College of Engineering to seek out new levels 
of teaching, research and outreach. We also look to his 
ability to share Auburn's story as one of our most 
distinguished graduates," Benefield said. 

" When I was a professor 20 years ago, I found that I truly 
loved teaching young people.  So I decided that when I 
finished my service at NASA I would teach again.  Auburn 
University is giving me that opportunity. Teaching is a 
personal passion for me, and a core mission for both Auburn 
and NASA.  On each of my space flights, I tried to share the 
excitement and purpose of those missions with people 
throughout the world.  I look forward to returning to the 
classroom and continuing NASA's mission to inspire our next 
generation of explorers," Voss said.

Voss has worked at JSC since November 1984. As a Vehicle 
Integration Test Engineer, he supported Shuttle and payload 
testing at the Kennedy Space Center, and he participated in 
the Space Shuttle Challenger accident investigation. He was 
selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1987. Voss 
completed a one-year training and evaluation program in 
August 1988, which qualified him as a mission specialist on 
Shuttle flights.

Voss was a crewmember on STS-44 Atlantis (November 24-
December 1, 1991); STS-53 Discovery (December 2-9, 1992); 
STS-69 Endeavour (September 7-18, 1995); and STS-101 
Atlantis (May 19-29, 2000). The Expedition 2 crew launched 
on March 8, 2001, on STS-102 Discovery and docked with the 
Space Station on March 9, 2001. Voss served aboard the 
Station for 163 days and returned to Earth with the STS-105 
crew on August 22, 2001. During the expedition, Voss 
conducted spacewalks in both U.S. and Russian space suits, 
and he was the first person to operate the Space Station 
Robotic Manipulator System. During his career, Voss logged 
202 days in space and performed four spacewalks.

Voss has received numerous awards and honors including the 
University of Colorado Distinguished Engineering Alumni 
Award (2002); elected to the Alabama Engineering Hall of 
Fame (2001); NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2001); U.S. 
Army Distinguished Service Medal (1999); NASA Outstanding 
Leadership Award (1996); NASA Exceptional Service Medal 
(1994); and five NASA Space Flight Medals. 

For information about Voss on the Internet, visit:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp2/index.html

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/voss-ji.html

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