Submitted by: Nadine Hardin
HOUSTON (AP) — NASA astronaut Janice Voss, who first
worked for the space agency as a teenager and flew five shuttle
missions in seven years, has died. She was 55.
The agency said in a statement Tuesday that Voss died overnight
after a battle with cancer.
A native of South Bend, Indiana, Voss started with NASA
while attending Purdue University in 1973. She later worked as an
instructor before being selected as an astronaut in 1990.
Voss flew four missions in the 1990s before a flight to the
International Space Station in 2000. Her final trip was part of a
radar topography mission that mapped more than 47 million square
miles (120 million square kilometers) of Earth's surface.
NASA says Voss was one of six women to fly in space at least five
times.
Submitted by: S. Vanden Bossche
Reuters
7:24 p.m. EST, February 7, 2012
(Reuters) - Former Astronaut Janice E. Voss, one of the few women
launched into space, has died of breast cancer in Arizona, her
alma mater said on Tuesday.
Voss, 55, died on Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she was
receiving treatment, Purdue University said in a news release.
She had logged five space flights with NASA, spending a total of
49 days in orbit and traveling 18.8 million miles in 779 laps of
the Earth.
Born in South Bend, Indiana, Voss earned her bachelor's degree in
engineering science at Purdue and then gained a doctorate in
aeronautics and astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
She became an astronaut in 1991, blasting into space for the
first time two years later. She took part in space missions in
1995, two in 1997 and the last in 2000.
Her final mission was an 11-day flight during which the
international crew aboard shuttle Endeavour mapped more than 47
million square miles of the Earth's land surface.
After her final space mission, Voss continued to work for NASA on
payload issues, and used her cachet as an astronaut to encourage
students to study science and math.
Plans for a memorial service are pending.
October 8, 1956 – February 6, 2012
| 2/8/2012 1:30:00 PM - North Vernon, IN | ||||
Dr. Janice Voss, 55 Dr. Janice Voss, 55, of Houston, Texas, died Monday, February 6, 2012 in Scottsdale, Arizona after a battle with breast cancer, according to NASA. There will be a celebration of life at a later date in Rockland, Illinois, where Miss Voss' education began. As a young girl, Dr. Voss became captivated by space during a visit to her grandparent's farm near Dupont. She first worked for NASA as a teenager. Miss Voss graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Massachusetts in 1972; received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering science from Purdue University in 1975; a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in aeronautics/astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977 and 1987, respectively. She studied at the University of Oklahoma and space physics at Rice University in 1977 and 1978. She became an astronaut in 1991, Purdue University's first female graduate to do so. She flew on every shuttle except Atlantis, racking up 49 total days in orbit as well as 18.8 million miles and 779 earth orbits. Her career was highlighted by her work and dedication to scientific payloads and exploration, according to NASA. She was one of only six women to make five trips into space from 1993 to 2000. In addition to her demanding career, she enjoyed reading science fiction, dancing, volleyball and flying. Born Oct. 8, 1956, in South Bend, Miss Voss was the daughter of Dr. James R. and Louise Voss of Dupont. A scholarship fund will be set
up in her honor at Purdue University. More information
about the scholarship will be published as it becomes
available. |
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