Frank Lee Culbertson Jr. (born May 15, 1949) (Capt, USN, Ret.) is an American former naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, NASA astronaut, graduate of the US Naval Academy, and member of the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame. He served as the commander of the International Space Station for almost four months in 2001 and was the only U.S. citizen not on Earth when the September 11 attacks occurred.
Early life and education
Culbertson was born on May 15, 1949, in Charleston, South Carolina, but considers Holly Hill, South Carolina, to be his hometown. He has five children and nine grandchildren.
Culbertson was a Boy Scout and earned the rank of Second Class. He graduated from Holly Hill High School in 1967, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1971. He was a member of varsity rowing and wrestling teams at U.S. Naval Academy.
Spaceflight experience
thumb|right|Culbertson as the [[Expedition 3|ISS-03 Commander]]
A veteran of three space flights, Culbertson has logged over 143 days in space.
STS-51 Discovery (September 12–22, 1993) was a ten-day mission during which the crew deployed the U.S. Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS/TOS), and the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (ORFEUS/SPAS) carrying U.S. and German scientific experiments, including an ultraviolet spectrometer. A seven-hour EVA was also conducted to evaluate Hubble Space Telescope repair tools and methods. After the SPAS spacecraft had completed six days of free flight some 40 miles from Discovery, the crew completed a successful rendezvous and recovered the SPAS with the Shuttle's robot arm. The mission concluded with the first night landing of the Shuttle at the Kennedy Space Center. Mission duration was 158 Earth orbits in 236 hours and 11 minutes.
thumb|left| Culbertson inside Soyuz TM-32 during its moving to another docking port
The Expedition 3 crew launched on August 10, 2001, aboard STS-105 Discovery and docked with the International Space Station on August 12, 2001. Culbertson lived and worked aboard the station for a total of 129 days, and was in command of the station for 117 days. He was the only American not to be on Earth during the September 11 attacks. As the ISS passed over the New York City area after the attacks, Culbertson took photographs of the smoke emanating from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. He later learned that the plane that struck the Pentagon had been piloted (at takeoff) by his Naval Academy classmate Charles Burlingame. The two had been aeronautical engineering majors together, and had been F-4 fighter pilots. Culbertson had his trumpet onboard ISS, and with their Academy class having their 30th reunion, he played "Taps," which he felt was especially fitting in that the two had also played in the academy's Drum & Bugle Corps together. The Expedition 3 crew left the station on December 15 aboard STS-108 Endeavour, landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 17, 2001.
Post-NASA career
In September 2002, Culbertson joined SAIC as Senior its Vice President and Program Manager for the Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance (SR&QA) contract with NASA. In 2008, he moved to Orbital Sciences Corporation to lead the company’s COTS, CRS and other human spaceflight programs.
With purchase of Orbital by Northrop Grumman, Culbertson became President of the Space Systems Group at Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, where he was responsible for the execution, business development, and financial performance of the company's human spaceflight, science, commercial communications, and national security satellite activities, as well as technical services to various government customers. These include some of Northrop Grumman's largest programs such as NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) initiatives to the International Space Station (ISS) as well as various national security-related programs.
In 2018, Culbertson retired from Northrop Grumman. In December 2020, he joined the Board of Directors of the Space Foundation.
Organizations
thumb|right|Culbertson at [[Antares (rocket)|Antares press conference in 2014]]
He is a member of a number of organisations, including the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (senior fellow), the Association of Naval Aviators, the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, the Aviation Boatswains Mates Association, and the Association of Space Explorers.
Awards and honors
Culbertson has received numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, NASA Space Flight Medals, Navy Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, and various other unit and service awards. Distinguished graduate, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. He has been awarded Honorary Doctor of Science Degrees from the College of Charleston, 1994, and Lander University, 1999; he has also been awarded the Komarov Certificate for Space Flight Achievement, 1994, the AAS Flight Achievement Award for STS-51, 1994, Aviation Week & Space Technology 1997 Laurel for Achievement in Space, IEEE/ASME Award for Manager of the Year, 1997, and the Space Center Rotary Club Stellar Award for 1998. Inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010 and the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997. Designated a Fellow of AIAA in 2013.