posted 08-30-2002 10:02 PM               

Astronaut Frank Culbertson Departs NASA

Astronaut Frank L. Culbertson Jr. (Capt., USN, Ret.) ended his NASA career, retiring last week from the U.S. astronaut corps to pursue new opportunities in the private sector. An International Space Station commander, space shuttle commander and pilot, and NASA manager for the Phase I Shuttle-Mir Program, he departed NASA on Aug. 24.

A veteran of three spaceflights totaling 144 days in space, Culbertson returned in December 2001 from a four-month stay aboard the space station as the commander of Expedition Three. He was the sole American off the planet on Sept. 11 and saw the effects of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Before space station training, Culbertson was instrumental in the successful implementation of the Phase I program with Russia. He commanded the 1993 STS-51 shuttle mission and served as pilot for STS-38 in 1990. Before his selection to become an astronaut, Culbertson served as a Navy pilot and test pilot with over 6,500 hours flying time in more than 50 types of aircraft and three types of spacecraft.

"Frank has had an incredible career as a pilot, astronaut and NASA manager," said Charlie Precourt, chief of the Astronaut Office. "It takes a truly unique combination of technical and managerial skills to succeed in these fields, and Frank can do it all. We all wish him well in his new endeavors."

Capt. Culbertson said, "Flying in space became my childhood dream shortly after President Kennedy gave us the challenge to go to the moon. I have had the rare and fortunate opportunity of living this dream for 18 years and being a small part of our country's space history. I want to thank the hundreds of people in NASA, Russia, and our partner nations who have helped make that possible for me over the years. My prayers will be with them as they continue to make history and overcome the risks that enable great achievements. It has been an honor to work with such a talented and courageous international team."

posted 08-27-2008 09:35 PM               

Orbital Names Frank Culbertson To Management Team

Mr. Frank L. Culbertson, Jr. has joined the company as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Manager of the Advanced Programs Group, based in Dulles, VA. Mr. Culbertson will be responsible for Orbital's human spaceflight programs, including commercial transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS) and the Orion Launch Abort System.

About Frank L. Culbertson

Prior to joining Orbital, Mr. Culbertson was a Senior Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), initially as Program Manager of the Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance contract at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, before progressing to business unit general management and, most recently, Director of SAIC's Global Climate Change Programs. Before joining SAIC, Mr. Culbertson had a distinguished career as both an astronaut for NASA and as a Naval Aviator.

Mr. Culbertson was originally selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 1984. For the next 18 years, he served in a variety of critical spaceflight and management roles for NASA's Space Shuttle and Space Station programs, including three launches aboard the Space Shuttle and command of the International Space Station. These flights included piloting STS-38 Atlantis in 1990, commanding STS-51 Discovery in 1993, and launching on STS-105 Endeavour to the ISS in 2001, plus returning aboard STS-108 Discovery after four months on the ISS. During Expedition 3 to the ISS, which began in August 2001 and returned to Earth in December 2001, Mr. Culbertson and his two Russian crewmates lived and worked in space for 129 days. In total, he has logged over 144 days in space and over five hours of extra-vehicular activity (space walk) experience.

While at NASA, Mr. Culbertson also served as Program Manager of the Shuttle-Mir Program for three years and Deputy Program Manager for Operations for the ISS program.

Mr. Culbertson is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. His career in the U.S. Navy included several deployments aboard aircraft carriers and tours as an instructor pilot and automatic carrier landing system test pilot. He has logged almost 7,000 hours flying time in 50 different types of aircraft and has made more than 350 carrier landings. He retired from active duty as a U.S. Navy Captain in 1997.

About Orbital

Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company's primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to government agencies and laboratories.

posted 12-14-2020 10:04 AM               

Space Foundation Announces Addition of Frank Culbertson to Its Board of Directors

Space Foundation, a 501(c)(3) global space advocate for 37 years, today announced a new at-large member to its board of directors. Retired aerospace executive, NASA astronaut, and U.S. Navy officer, Frank Culbertson, Jr., has been appointed to a three-year term beginning Oct. 30, 2020.

In announcing Culbertson's appointment, Space Foundation CEO Tom Zelibor shared, "The addition of Frank Culbertson to our board brings unparalleled experience to Space Foundation. His distinguished leadership in military, civilian, international, and commercial space arenas brings tremendous insight to our organization as we seek new partnerships and opportunities with the expanding global space community. We are incredibly fortunate to have Frank's talent on our team."

Frank Lee Culbertson Jr. (CAPT, USN, Ret.) is a former U.S. Naval Officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, NASA astronaut, and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He served as the Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly four months in 2001, and he was the only U.S. citizen not on Earth when the September 11, 2001 attacks occurred.

He recently retired as President of the Space Systems Group at Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. Culbertson 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 services include some of Northrop Grumman's largest and most important programs, such as NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) initiatives to the ISS, as well as various national security-related programs.

A veteran of three spaceflights, Culbertson has logged more than 144 days in space as a part of missions STS-38 (Shuttle Atlantis/Nov. 1990), STS-51 (Shuttle Discovery/Sept. 1993), and as a member of the ISS Expedition III crew (which arrived aboard Shuttle Atlantis in Aug. 2001 and returned on mission STS-105 aboard Shuttle Discovery in Dec. 2001). He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office Mission Support Branch, Chief of the Johnson Space Center Russian Projects Office, and Manager of the Shuttle-Mir Program.

Prior to being selected as a NASA astronaut in 1985, Culbertson served as a naval aviator with service in the Vietnam War, along with numerous other notable flight assignments, logging more than 9,500 hours of flying time in 60 different types of aircraft.

posted 03-24-2021 10:32 PM               

He will begin his three-year terms in May 2021.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world's largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense.