Former astronaut Janice Voss, one of only six women to make five forays into space, died Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she was being treated for breast cancer, Voss' alma mater Purdue University reported Tuesday.
She was 55.
Between 1993 and 2000 Voss flew on five space shuttle missions and twice served as payload commander. In all, Voss racked up 49 days in orbit.
"As the payload commander of two space shuttle missions, Janice was responsible for paving the way for experiments that we now perform on a daily basis on the International Space Station," chief astronaut Peggy Whitson, said in a statement.
Voss began working at NASA in 1973 while she was still an engineering student at Purdue. She returned in 1977 to work as an instructor, teaching entry guidance and navigation to space shuttle crews.
After completing her doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987, she worked within the aerospace industry until she was selected as an astronaut in 1990.
From 2004 to 2007, Voss served as the science director for the Kepler spacecraft at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View. Voss most recently served as the payloads lead of the Astronaut Office's space station branch.
"Even more than Janice's professional contributions, we will miss her positive outlook on the world and her determination to make all things better," Whitson said.
Image: Janice Voss last flew in space in February 2000, when she served as payload commander aboard shuttle Endeavour for an 11-day radar mapping mission. Credit: NASA.
Tags: Astronauts, NASA, Space Shuttle
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