STE Day 2012 Keynote Speaker, Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., Former NASA Astronaut - YouTube Video


April 9, 2012

During the Sixth Annual Science, Technology, and Engineering Day, students and teachers participated in ten interactive workshops designed to introduce them to new experiences outside of their traditional classrooms. Students also heard from two featured speakers— Raytheon’s Michael Walker, a cyber security expert, and Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., a former NASA astronaut and current senior vice president at Orbital.  MORE

With the arrival of the space shuttle Discovery to Dulles Airport only days away, the teachers and students then had a rare opportunity to interact with the keynote speaker, Frank Culbertson Jr. Mr. Culbertson, currently a senior vice president for Orbital Sciences Corporation, is a former International Space Station commander, space shuttle commander and pilot, and NASA manager for the Phase I Shuttle-Mir Program. He spoke candidly about his experiences in space, as well as shared his aviation-based life philosophy—“Navigate. Aviate. Communicate.” These words are critical when you fly any aircraft, but are equally applicable to your life, Culbertson told the group. He also recounted momentous events in his career including his NASA training, the technical details of lift-off, exercising in zero gravity, and how it felt to be the only American off of the planet during the 9/11 attacks. His full presentation is available on YouTube.