Experience
After graduation from high school, McCulley enlisted in the U.S. Navy and subsequently served on one diesel-powered and two nuclear-powered submarines. In 1965 he entered Purdue University, and in January 1970, received his Officer's commission in the Navy and bachelor and master of science degrees. Following flight training, he served tours of duty in A-4 Skyhawk and A-6 Intruder aircraft, and was selected to attend the Empire Test Pilots' School in Britain. He served in a variety of test pilots billets at the Naval Air Test Center, Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, before returning to sea duty on USS Saratoga and USS Nimitz.
He has flown over 50 aircraft types, logging over 5,000 flying hours, and has nearly 400 carrier landings from six aircraft carriers.
Selected by NASA in May 1984, McCulley completed a one-year training and evaluation program in June 1985, qualifying him for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. His technical assignments include: Astronaut Office weather coordinator; flight crew representative to the Shuttle Requirements Control Board; Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations; lead of the Astronaut Support Team at the Kennedy Space Center. He flew on STS-34 in 1989 and has logged a total of 119 hours and 41 minutes in space.
In October 1990, following his retirement from NASA and the Navy, McCulley was employed by Lockheed Martin Space Operations and served as Vice President and Deputy Launch Site Director for the Kennedy Space Center. He was promoted to Director in November 1995.
McCulley next served as Vice President and Associate Program Manager for USA's (United Space Alliance) Ground Operations at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Named to this position on June 1, 1996, he was responsible for directing the integration of all processing activities associated with America's Space Shuttle program to ensure safe and successful fulfillment of all company contractual commitments to NASA.
In November 1999, Mike McCulley was named Chief Operating Officer (COO) of United Space Alliance (USA). In this role he had primary responsibility for the day-to-day operations and overall management of USA, the Prime Contractor for the Space Shuttle Program. Prior to being named COO, McCulley was Vice President and Deputy Program Manager for the Space Flight Operations Contract (SFOC), where he assisted USA’s Vice President and Program manager in the management of the Space Shuttle Program.
On May 15, 2003, Mike McCulley was named President and Chief Executive Officer of United Space Alliance and is ultimately responsible for the direction, development and operations of the company.
On September 28, 2007, Mike McCulley retired from his position as CEO of United Space Alliance.
Read more about this topic: Michael J. McCulley
Famous quotes containing the word experience:
“If Montaigne is a man in the prime of life sitting in his study on a warm morning and putting down the sum of his experience in his rich, sinewy prose, then Pascal is that same man lying awake in the small hours of the night when death seems very close and every thought is heightened by the apprehension that it may be his last.”
—Cyril Connolly (1903–1974)
“I think New Mexico was the greatest experience from the outside world that I have ever had.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)
“... religious experience, as we have studied it, cannot be cited as unequivocally supporting the infinitist belief. The only thing that it unequivocally testifies to is that we can experience union with something larger than ourselves and in that union find our greatest peace.”
—William James (1842–1910)