University of Colorado at Boulder alumnus Jim Voss is slated to make his fourth journey into the heavens April 24 when NASA's space shuttle Atlantis blasts off from Cape Kennedy, Fla.
Slated for launch at approximately 2:15 p.m. MST, the shuttle -- carrying a seven-person crew -- is set to dock with the International Space Station and unload more than 2,000 pounds of cargo. The crew also will perform maintenance tasks onboard to ensure the space station remains in good condition as its orbital assembly continues later this year.
Voss, who received a master聮s degree in aerospace engineering from CU-Boulder in 1974, previously flew on a 1991 military flight aboard Atlantis and a 1992 military flight aboard Discovery. In addition, he was the payload commander in a 1995 mission that successfully deployed and retrieved the SPARTAN satellite.
Voss also will perform a space walk to work on the exterior of the space station with mission specialist Jeff Williams. The crew on the 10-day Atlantis mission includes six NASA astronauts and Russian cosmonaut Uri Usachev, who has spent 376 days in space during two previous Mir Space Station stays.
Voss began working at Johnson Space Center in 1984 and became an astronaut candidate in June 1987. He completed the one-year NASA astronaut training and evaluation program in August 1988.
Voss is one of 15 CU astronaut alumni who have flown in space. For more information contact Jim Scott, CU-Boulder News Services Office at (303) 492-3114.