KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - This year’s University of Tennessee homecoming celebration will feature an out-of-this-world grand marshal: astronaut Butch Wilmore.

Wilmore is a class of 1994 graduate from UT’s Space Institute master’s program. He’ll be serving as the university’s homecoming parade grand marshal as the Vols work to honor this year’s theme: Torchbearers and Trailblazers. The theme is aimed at showcasing the icons of the UT community.

Wilmore earned his degree then went on to serve as a U.S. Navy test pilot before being picked by NASA to become an astronaut. His most recent trip to outer space saw him stranded on the International Space Station for months, thanks to a technical issue with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

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