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 working aboard the space station in 2001. Credit: NASA

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.