Frank L. Culbertson Jr.
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.
Frank Culbertson | |
|---|---|
Culbertson in 2001 | |
| Born | Frank Lee Culbertson Jr. May 15, 1949 |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Defense Superior Service Medal Distinguished Flying Cross Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Captain, USN |
Time in space | 143d 14h 50m |
| Selection | NASA Group 10 (1984) |
Total EVAs | 1 |
Total EVA time | 5h 4m |
| Missions | STS-38 STS-51 STS-105 Expedition 3 STS-108 |
Mission insignia | |
| Retirement | August 24, 2002 |
Culbertson retired as 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.