Frank Lee Culbertson Jr. (Capt. USN, Ret.) is a former American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, NASA astronaut, and graduate of the US Naval Academy. He served as the Commander of the International Space Station in 2001. Most recently, Mr. Culbertson held the position of President of the Space Systems Group at Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. There 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. Mr. Culbertson was named Deputy Program Manager, Phase 1 Shuttle-Mir, and became Manager of the Shuttle-Mir Program and spent one year as Deputy Program Manager for Operations of the International Space Station Program. A recipient of numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and the Navy and Air Force Commendation Medals; Culbertson was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010, the South Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997, and was designated a Fellow of AIAA in 2013.
Frank Culbertson, Jr.
