Glenn Mahone/Doc Mirelson<br />Headquarters, Washington<br />(Phone: 202/358-1898/1600) June 10, 2003<br /><br /><br />Eileen Hawley<br />Johnson Space Center, Houston<br />(Phone: 281/483-5111)<br /><br /><br />Jim Killian<br />Auburn University, Ala.<br />(Phone: 334/844-4218)<br /><br /><br />RELEASE: 03-191<br /><br /><br />VETERAN ASTRONAUT BEGINS NEW ADVENTURE IN EDUCATION<br /><br /><br /> James Voss, deputy for flight operations, Space Station <br />Program Mission Integration and Operations Office, Johnson <br />Space Center (JSC), Houston, has accepted the position of <br />Associate Dean for External Affairs, Samuel Ginn College of <br />Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.<br /><br /><br />Voss, a retired U.S. Army colonel, is one of NASA's most <br />experienced astronaut managers. He logged five Space Shuttle <br />flights and served as a member of the International Space <br />Station Expedition 2 crew. <br /><br /><br />"Jim has served as an integral part of the astronaut and <br />human space flight program for more than 18 years," said <br />NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "His contributions to human <br />space flight are numerous, but even more important, his <br />professionalism and demeanor have served as positive <br />examples for the astronaut corps. His efforts have helped <br />make the International Space Station a success. He will be a <br />valuable and wonderful addition to the Auburn University <br />faculty. Jim will serve as a true inspiration for the next <br />generation of explorers and scientists," Administrator <br />O'Keefe said.<br /><br /><br />Voss received his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace <br />Engineering from Auburn in 1972. He received his Master of <br />Science in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the <br />University of Colorado in 1974 and his honorary Doctorate <br />from Colorado in 2000. He departed NASA last week, and he <br />will assume his duties at Auburn in the fall.<br /><br /><br />"Jim Voss has been a frequent and welcome visitor to the <br />Auburn campus during his tenure at NASA, and has spoken with <br />many of our students, alumni, and faculty members" said <br />Larry Benefield, dean of the Samuel Ginn College of <br />Engineering at Auburn University.<br /><br /><br />"Jim will bring a unique perspective to the engineering <br />classroom," Benefield noted. "As a veteran astronaut, he <br />offers an exciting viewpoint that will elevate our <br />instructional program in a way that would not otherwise be <br />possible. "We are thrilled he will be joining us as we <br />position the College of Engineering to seek out new levels <br />of teaching, research and outreach. We also look to his <br />ability to share Auburn's story as one of our most <br />distinguished graduates," Benefield said. <br /><br /><br />" When I was a professor 20 years ago, I found that I truly <br />loved teaching young people. So I decided that when I <br />finished my service at NASA I would teach again. Auburn <br />University is giving me that opportunity. Teaching is a <br />personal passion for me, and a core mission for both Auburn <br />and NASA. On each of my space flights, I tried to share the <br />excitement and purpose of those missions with people <br />throughout the world. I look forward to returning to the <br />classroom and continuing NASA's mission to inspire our next <br />generation of explorers," Voss said.<br /><br /><br />Voss has worked at JSC since November 1984. As a Vehicle <br />Integration Test Engineer, he supported Shuttle and payload <br />testing at the Kennedy Space Center, and he participated in <br />the Space Shuttle Challenger accident investigation. He was <br />selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1987. Voss <br />completed a one-year training and evaluation program in <br />August 1988, which qualified him as a mission specialist on <br />Shuttle flights.<br /><br /><br />Voss was a crewmember on STS-44 Atlantis (November 24-<br />December 1, 1991); STS-53 Discovery (December 2-9, 1992); <br />STS-69 Endeavour (September 7-18, 1995); and STS-101 <br />Atlantis (May 19-29, 2000). The Expedition 2 crew launched <br />on March 8, 2001, on STS-102 Discovery and docked with the <br />Space Station on March 9, 2001. Voss served aboard the <br />Station for 163 days and returned to Earth with the STS-105 <br />crew on August 22, 2001. During the expedition, Voss <br />conducted spacewalks in both U.S. and Russian space suits, <br />and he was the first person to operate the Space Station <br />Robotic Manipulator System. During his career, Voss logged <br />202 days in space and performed four spacewalks.<br /><br /><br />Voss has received numerous awards and honors including the <br />University of Colorado Distinguished Engineering Alumni <br />Award (2002); elected to the Alabama Engineering Hall of <br />Fame (2001); NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2001); U.S. <br />Army Distinguished Service Medal (1999); NASA Outstanding <br />Leadership Award (1996); NASA Exceptional Service Medal <br />(1994); and five NASA Space Flight Medals. <br /><br /><br />For information about Voss on the Internet, visit:<br /><br /><br />http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp2/index.html<br /><br /><br />http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/voss-ji.html