Frank Culbertson

Frank Lee Culbertson ml.
Frank Culbertson Jr.jpg
Astronaut NASA
Státní příslušnostUSA
Datum narození15. května 1949 (73 let)
Místo narozeníUSA Charleston, Jižní Karolína, USA
Předchozí
zaměstnání
Pilot Námořnictva USA
HodnostKapitán námořnictva
Čas ve vesmíru143 dní, 14 hodin a 53 minut
Kosmonaut od23. května 1984
MiseSTS-38, STS-51, Expedice 3
(STS-105/ISS/STS-108)
Znaky misíSts-38-patch.png Sts-51-patch.png Sts-105-patch.png Iss expedition 3 mission patch.png STS-108 Patch.svg
Kosmonaut dosrpna 2002
Některá data mohou pocházet z datové položky.

Frank Lee Culbertson ml. (* 15. května 1949 v Charlestonu, Jižní Karolíně, USA), původně pilot námořnictva Spojených států, byl od května 1984 do srpna 2002 astronautem NASA. Má za sebou tři kosmické lety, dva krátkodobé v raketoplánu a čtyřměsíční pobyt na Mezinárodní vesmírné stanici (ISS). Celkem strávil ve vesmíru 143 dní, 14 hodin a 53 minut.

Život

Mládí

Frank Culbertson se narodil se v Charlestonu v Jižní Karolíně, vyrostl ve městě Holly Hill ve stejném státě. Po ukončení střední školy (1967) přešel na Námořní akademii v Annapolisu, zde roku 1971 získal titul bakaláře. Téhož roku vstoupil k námořnictvu, sloužil na lodi Fox (CG-33) v Tonkinském zálivu. Po absolvování pilotního výcviku sloužil v různých leteckých jednotkách námořnictva, také na letadlových lodích Midway a John F. Kennedy.[1]

Astronaut

Přihlásil se do 10. náboru astronautů NASA, uspěl a 23. května 1984 byl začleněn do oddílu astronautů NASA. Absolvoval kurz všeobecné kosmické přípravy a v červnu 1985 získal kvalifikaci pilota raketoplánu Space Shuttle.[2]

Po dokončení přípravy pracoval ve skupině zabezpečení startů, zúčastnil se vyšetřování havárie Challengeru, pracoval ve středisku řízení letů v Houstonu.[1]

Ve dnech 15. – 20. listopadu 1990 poprvé pobýval ve vesmíru jako pilot raketoplánu Atlantis. Tajný vojenský let STS-38 trval 4 dny 21 hodin a 55 minut. Hlavním cílem mise bylo vypuštění vojenské družice.[3]

Podruhé se do vesmíru dostal ve dnech 12. až 22. září 1993 už jako velitel shuttlu Discovery při letu STS-51. Posádka vypustila telekomunikační družici ACTS, vypustila a zase odchytila platformu Astro-SPAS a při výstupu do otevřeného kosmu ověřovala funkčnost postupů a nástrojů pro opravy Hubbleova teleskopu. Délka letu byla 9 dní, 20 hodin a 12 minut.[4]

V září 1999 byl jmenován velitelem Expedice 3 na Mezinárodní vesmírnou stanici (ISS), kolegy v posádce se stali Vladimir Děžurov a Michail Ťurin.[2] Do vesmíru nová posádka ISS vzlétla 10. srpna 2001 v raketoplánu Discovery (let STS-105). Po běžném čtyřměsíčním pobytu na ISS se trojice kosmonautů vrátila na Zem v Endeavouru při letu STS-108. Přistání proběhlo 17. prosince 2001 po 128 dnech, 20 hodinách a 46 minutách letu.[5]

V srpnu 2002 odešel z NASA na místo viceprezidenta společnosti Applications International Corporation's.[2]

Frank Culbertson je ženatý, má pět dětí.[2]

Reference

  1. a b Biographical data. Frank L. Culbertson, Jr. [online]. Houston: NASA, rev. 2003-01 [cit. 2009-10-22]. Dostupné online. (anglicky)  – Oficiální biografie NASA
  2. a b c d IVANOV, Ivan, a kol. Космическая энциклопедия ASTROnote [online]. Moskva: rev. 2008-08-11 [cit. 2009-10-22]. Kapitola Frank Lee Culbertson Jr.. Dostupné online. (rusky) 
  3. HOLUB, Aleš. MEK. Malá encyklopedie kosmonautiky [online]. Rev. 1997-05-31 [cit. 2009-10-19]. Kapitola STS-38 At/F-7. [dále jen Holub]. Dostupné online. 
  4. Holub. Rev. 1997-08-13 [cit. 2009-10-19]. Kapitola STS-51 Di/F-17. 
  5. Holub. Rev. 2002-01-12 [cit. 2009-10-13]. Kapitola Expedice 3. 

Externí odkazy

Média použitá na této stránce

STS-108 Patch.svg
This is the mission patch of STS-108. Space Shuttle Endeavour is seen approaching the International Space Station. Two astronaut symbols represent the crew commanders of both ISS expeditions. The ascending one represents cosmonaut Yury Onufriyenko of Russia. (The ascending astronaut symbol shows a flag of Russia.) The descending astronaut symbol represents Frank Culbertson of the USA. This represents crew rotation, as three stars are depicted on the symbols. The space shuttle crew members are depicted along the border while the ISS crews are depicted along the chevron on the border of the patch.
  • This is the insignia for the STS-108 mission, which marks a major milestone in the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) as the first designated Utilization Flight, UF-1. The crew of Endeavour will bring the Expedition Four crew to ISS and return the Expedition Three crew to Earth. Endeavour will also launch with a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) that will be berthed to ISS and unloaded. The MPLM will be returned to Endeavour for the trip home and used again on a later flight. The crew patch depicts Endeavour and the ISS in the configuration at the time of arrival and docking. The Station is shown viewed along the direction of flight as will be seen by the Shuttle crew during their final approach and docking along the X-axis. The three ribbons and stars on the left side of the patch signify the returning Expedition Three crew. The red, white and blue order of the ribbons represents the American commander for that mission. The three ribbons and stars on the right depict the arriving Expedition Four crew. The white, blue, red order of the Expedition Four ribbon matches the color of the Russian flag and signifies that the commander of Expedition Four is a Russian cosmonaut. Each white star in the center of the patch represents the four Endeavour crew members. The names of the four astronauts who will crew Endeavour are shown along the top border of the patch. The three astronauts and three cosmonauts of the two expedition crews are shown on the chevron at the bottom of the patch.
Sts-105-patch.png
The STS-105 crew patch symbolizes the exchange of the Expedition Two and Expedition Three crews aboard the International Space Station. The three gold stars near the ascending Orbiter represent the U.S. commanded Expedition Three crew as they journey into space, while the two gold stars near the descending Orbiter represent the Russian commanded Expedition Two crew and their return to Earth. The plumes of each Orbiter represent the flags of the United States and Russia and symbolize the close cooperation between the two countries. The Astronaut Office symbol, a star with three rays of light, depicts the unbroken link between Earth and the newest and brightest star on the horizon, the International Space Station (ISS). The ascending and descending Orbiters form a circle that represents both the crew rotation and the continuous presence in space aboard the ISS. The names of the four astronauts who will crew Discovery are shown along the border of the patch. The names of the Expedition Three and Expedition Two crews are shown on the chevron at the bottom of the patch. The NASA insignia design for Shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced.
Iss expedition 3 mission patch.png

ISS Expedition 3 Mission patch
It depicts the book of space history, turning from the chapter with the Russian space station Mir and the space shuttle to the next chapter, one that will be written on the blank pages of the future by space explorers working for the benefit of the entire world. Above the book is a layout of what the station will look like when completed, docked with the space shuttle.

The Expedition Three crew members – astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., commander, and cosmonauts Vladimir N. Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, flight engineers – had the following to say about the insignia for their scheduled mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS): “The book of space history turns from the chapter written onboard the Russian Mir Station and the U.S. Space Shuttle to the next new chapter, one that will be written on the blank pages of the future by space explorers working for the benefit of the entire world. The space walker signifies the human element of this endeavor. The star representing the members of the third expedition, and the entire multi-national Space Station building team, streaks into the dawning era of cooperative space exploration, represented by the image of the International Space Station as it nears completion.”
Frank Culbertson Jr.jpg
JSC2001-01342 (21 February 2001) --- Astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., mission commander (Editor's Note: Named as Expedition Three commander in September of 1999, Culbertson will be joined by two cosmonaut flight engineers representing Rosaviakosmos when they assume seats on the STS-105 mission, scheduled later this year).
Sts-38-patch.png

STS-38 Mission Insignia

The STS-38 patch was designed to represent and pay tribute to all the men and woman who contribute to the Space Shuttle program. The top orbiter, with the stylistic Orbital Maneuvering System burn, symbolizes the continuing dynamic nature of the Space Shuttle Program. The bottom orbiter, a black and white mirror image, acknowledges the thousands of unheralded individuals who work behind the scenes in support of America's Space Shuttle program. This mirror image symbolizes the importance of their contributions.
Sts-51-patch.png

STS-51 Patch

Designed by the crewmembers, the STS-51 crew patch honors all who have contributed to mission success. It symbolizes NASA's continuing quest to increase mankind's knowledge and use of space through this multi-faceted mission. The gold star represents the U.S. Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) boosted by the Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS). The rays below the ACT\TOS represent the innovative communication technologies to be tested by this experiment. The stylized Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS) represents the German-sponsored ASTRO\SPAS mission. The constellation Orion below SPAS is representative of the types of stellar objects to be studied by its experimenters. The stars in Orion also commemorate the astronauts who have sacrificed their lives for the space program. The ascending spiral, symbolizing America's continuing commitment to leadership in space exploration and development, originates with the thousands of persons who ensure the success of each Shuttle flight. The five large white stars, representing the five crewmembers, along with the single gold star, form the mission's numerical designation.