James S . Voss James Shelton Voss ( born March 3 , 1949 ) is the Vice President of Engineering at SpaceDev . He is a retired United States Army Colonel and NASA astronaut . During his time with NASA , Voss flew in space five times on board the Space Shuttle and International Space Station . He also served as deputy of Flight Operations for the Space Station Program Mission Integration and Operations Office . While participating in ISS Expedition 2 , he and Susan Helms conducted an 8 hour and 56 minute spacewalk , the longest to date . Early Life and Education . Voss was born on March 3 , 1949 in Cordova , Alabama and was raised by his grandparents in Opelika , Alabama . As a child he read a lot of science fiction with an emphasis on spaceflight . While attending Opelika High School he participated in wrestling and football . After graduating high school , Voss attended Auburn University . As an undergraduate , he played on the Auburn University wrestling team . He was also a member of Beta Zeta Chapter of the Theta Xi Fraternity , where he served as Chapter President for the school year 1970 - 71 . While at Auburn , Voss also participated in Army ROTC . After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1972 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U . S . Army . Under the Army Graduate Fellowship Program , Voss was allowed to defer his entry into active duty in order to attend the University of Colorado . He graduated in 1974 with a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences . Army career . After receiving his Masters degree , Voss attended the Infantry Basic Course in 1974 where he was listed as a Distinguished Graduate . He then attended Airborne School and Ranger School , at the latter he was awarded the Honor Graduate and Leadership Award . Voss was then stationed with the 2nd Battalion , 48th Infantry Regiment in West Germany serving as a platoon leader , intelligence staff officer , and company commander . He returned to the United States and attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course in 1979 , making the Commandant ' s List . He taught in the Department of Mechanics at the United States Military Academy at West Point . While at West Point , Voss participated in a NASA Summer Faculty Research Fellowship and received the William P . Clements Jr . Award for Excellence in Education . Voss then attended the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School , graduating with the Outstanding Student Award in 1983 . He then attended the Armed Forces Staff College . Voss was subsequently assigned as a Flight Test Engineer / Research and Development Coordinator with the U . S . Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity . He participated in major flight test programs before being assigned to NASA . At NASA , Voss worked at the Johnson Space Center from November 1984 to June 1987 . He worked as a Vehicle Integration Test Engineer supporting the STS - 51 - D , STS - 51 - F , STS - 61 - C , and STS - 51 - L missions . After the " Challenger " accident , Voss participated in the investigation . He was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in June 1987 . Astronaut . Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June 1987 , Voss completed a one - year training and evaluation program in August 1988 , which qualified him for assignment as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle flights . He has worked as a flight crew representative in the area of Shuttle safety , as a CAPCOM , providing a communications interface between ground controllers and flight crews during simulations and Shuttle flights , and as the Astronaut Office Training Officer . After his third spaceflight Voss spent two years training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City , Russia . He served as a backup to Michael Foale on the STS - 84 / Mir 23 / Mir 24 / STS - 86 mission and to Andrew Thomas for the STS - 89 / Mir 24 / Mir 25 / STS - 91 mission . After his fifth flight , Voss served as the Deputy for Flight Operations in the Space Station Program Mission Integration and Operations Office . Spaceflight experience . STS - 44 . Voss was a mission specialist on board Space Shuttle " Atlantis " during STS - 44 from November 24 - December 1 , 1991 . The mission ' s primary objective was the deployment of a Defense Support Program satellite with an Inertial Upper Stage booster rocket . The crew also conducted two Military Man in Space experiments , three radiation monitoring experiments , and numerous medical tests to support longer duration spaceflight . The mission orbited the Earth 110 times before returning to Edwards Air Force Base in California . STS - 53 . From December 2 – 9 , 1992 , Voss flew as a Mission Specialist on STS - 53 . The 171 orbit flight of the Space Shuttle " Discovery " deployed a classified Department of Defense payload . The satellite was the second launch of a Satellite Data System - 2 military communications satellite . STS - 69 . During STS - 69 , Voss was a Mission Specialist and Payload Commander on board Space Shuttle " Endeavour " . The flight , which orbited the Earth 171 times from September 7 – 18 , 1995 , successfully deployed a SPARTAN satellite and the Wake Shield Facility . Also on board was the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker Payload as well as various medical experiments . Voss and Michael Gernhardt performed a six hour spacewalk in order to test space suit modifications and to evaluate tools and procedures for future use on the International Space Station . STS - 101 . Voss was a mission specialist on board Space Shuttle " Atlantis " on STS - 101 . The Shuttle visited the then - unmanned International Space Station and delivered over 3 , 000 pounds of equipment and supplies . The crew also repaired the Station ' s electrical and environmental control systems . At the time of the flight Jim was already assigned to fly on Expedition 2 . His crewmates Yuri Usachev and Susan Helms flew with him on " Atlantis " in order to gain experience for their future long - duration stay . Jim and Jeff Williams conducted a six hour spacewalk to finish installation of a Russian crane , replace a faulty antenna , and install handrails on the outside of the station . STS - 102 . Voss and his Expedition 2 crewmates launched as Mission Specialists March 8 , 2001 , on board Space Shuttle " Discovery " during the STS - 102 mission . The primary objectives of the flight were to rotate crew members and to resupply the station using the Multi - Purpose Logistics Module . Voss participated in one of the missions two spacewalks , along with Susan Helms , to prepare a Pressurized Mating Adapter for relocation . The spacewalk set a record of 8 hours 56 minutes duration . Expedition 2 . Voss , Susan Helms , and Yuri Usachev spent 163 days aboard the International Space Station conducting 18 scientific experiments , maintenance , and outfitting . During the flight , Jim ( who was a Flight Engineer ) was the first person to operate the Space Station Robotic Manipulator System ( Canadarm2 ) . He also participated in a 19 minute EVA , in which Voss and Usachev prepared a docking probe for the arrival of the Pirs Docking Compartment . During Jims stay on the ISS , the space station was visited by two unmanned cargo vehicles , the Soyuz TM - 32 taxi mission , as well as two Space Shuttles ( STS - 100 and STS - 104 ) . Voss was also on board to witness the arrival of the Quest Airlock . He was one of the cinematographers and featured astronauts of the first 3D film shot in space , Space Station 3D . The film was released in theaters in 2002 and on DVD in 2005 . STS - 105 . Voss returned home from his fifth spaceflight as a Mission Specialist on board the Space Shuttle " Discovery " on August 20 , 2001 ( STS - 105 ) . The mission saw a crew rotation , two spacewalks , and another flight of the MPLM . Post - NASA career . After retiring from NASA in 2003 , Voss became Associate Dean of Engineering for External Affairs at Auburn University , assisting with student projects and development for the College and teaching a class in Aerospace Engineering on human spacecraft design . While at Auburn he led a team of twelve aerospace engineering seniors and one graduate research assistant in the development of a crew seat prototype for space startup Transformational Space Corporation , or t / Space . In November 2007 Voss left t / Space to become the Vice President of Engineering at SpaceDev . He is now Sierra Nevada Corporation ' s director of advanced programs and program executive on the Dream Chaser spaceplane . In August 2009 Voss began a teaching as a Scholar in Residence at the University of Colorado at Boulder teaching a class on human spaceflight . Awards and decorations . Voss has also been awarded :