Frank
Lee CULBERTSON junior
ISS commander,
flight engineer -2 for the Soyuz TM transport vehicle, retired
captain of US Navy,
NASA astronaut, USA
DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: May 15, 1949, Charlston, South
Carolina. Parents - Mrs. Culbertson and doctor Frank Culbertson
senior, live in Holly Hill, South Carolina.
EDUCATION: in 1971 he took bachelor degree in aerospace
machine-building at US Navy Academy (Annapolis). He passed
flying training at the Air Force. In 1982 he graduated from
test pilots school at Patucsent River, Maryland.
FAMILY STATUS: married, five children.
Wife - Rebecca Helen Dora Culbertson.
AWARDS AND RANKS: US Navy Aviator Cross Order, Air Force
and NASA medal. Honorary graduate of US Navy Test Pilots
School, honorary doctor science of Charlston College.
HOBBIES: plane flights, cycling, squash tennis, jogging,
golf, photo-shooting, music, water sports. He was a member
of rowing and wrestling combined team at US Navy Academy.
WORK EXPERIENCE: after graduating from the Academy he served
onboard a Navy ship. Then, after flying training, - at the
marine aviation and Air Force. In 1982 he became a test-pilot
at the Navy. His total flight is over 5000 hours at 40 various
types of planes. He performed 350 landings onboard aircraft-carrier.
In 1984 he was selected as a candidate astronaut at NASA.
In 1985 he finished a course of general space training.
He worked at the launch support team at KSC.
He took part in investigation of the Challenger shuttle
crash. He was Chief Leader of SAIL laboratory (integration
of the software for shuttle flights) from the Astronauts
Office. He headed the First Team on the Emergency Escape
(evaluation of modifications of the ground escape from the
shuttle). HE worked at the Astronaut Office Security Division,
Chief operator at MCC.
In November, 1990, he performed his first space flight as
STS-38 pilot on the Atlantis of 5 days duration.
After the first flight he worked as Deputy Manager of Crew
Flight Operations Office to support Freedom space station
program. He also headed Flight Support Division at the Astronaut
Office and Russian Projects Office at JSC, the Mir-Shuttle
Phase 1 program.
In September, 1993, he performed his second space flight
as STS-51 crew commander on the Discovery Shuttle. That
flight lasted 10 days. In the course of it the crew injected
two satellites, one of which was captured again by the manipulator
arm following 6 days stand alone flight. The flight was
successfully finished on September 22 by the first night
landing at KSC.
Starting at September, 1999, he has been under training
as ISS-3 main crew commander.
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