Five distinct space flights during her career placed Janice E. Voss among the few American women to achieve that flight frequency. An engineer by training and a mission specialist by appointment, she spent over 49 days orbiting the planet. Her professional trajectory bridged the gap between academic research in robotics and the practical application of software for the space shuttle program.
Educational Foundations
Voss attended Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, graduating in 1972. She subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering science from Purdue University in 1975. Her graduate studies took her to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she completed a Master of Science in electrical engineering in 1977. She later secured a Doctor of Philosophy in aeronautics and astronautics from the same institution in 1987. During this period, she also engaged in space physics research at Rice University and correspondence coursework at the University of Oklahoma.
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Her association with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration began in 1973 as a student co-op. She contributed to computer simulations within the Engineering and Development Directorate and served as a crew trainer for entry guidance and navigation. As a Draper Laboratory Fellow starting in 1983, she developed critical software for the space shuttle. Following her doctoral work, she joined the Orbital Sciences Corporation to support the Transfer Orbit Stage. Her later career included acting as Science Director for the Kepler space telescope from 2004 to 2007.
Spaceflight Experience
Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1990, Voss earned her status as an astronaut in 1991. She served as a mission specialist on STS-57, STS-63, STS-83, STS-94, and STS-99. During STS-63, she participated in the first shuttle rendezvous with the Mir space station. Her final mission, STS-99, involved the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, which generated a high-accuracy digital topographic map of the Earth. Throughout her flight career, she traveled approximately 18.8 million miles across 779 orbits.
Fast facts
- Born: 1956, South Bend
- Died: 2012, Scottsdale
- Education: Purdue University, MIT, Rice University
- NASA Career Start: 1973
- Total Space Flights: 5
- Total Time in Space: Over 49 days
- Awards: NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1998, 2001)
- Burial Site: Dupont Cemetery
Questions readers ask
How many times did Janice E. Voss fly in space?
She flew in space five times.
What was the cause of her death?
She died of breast cancer on February 6, 2012.
Achievements
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at Rice University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Purdue University
- Worked as astronaut and engineer
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