MICHAEL J. MCCULLEY (CAPTAIN, USN, RET.) 

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born August 4, 1943, in San Diego, California, but considers 

Livingston, Tennessee to be his hometown. Married to the former Jane Emalie Thygeson 

of Melbourne, Florida. Six children. Recreational interests include skiing, reading, 

camping, and jogging.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Livingston Academy Livingston, Tennessee, in 1961; 

received a bachelor of science degree and a master of science degree in Metallurgical 

Engineering from Purdue University.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Association 

of Space Explorers, the Boy Scouts of America (Eagle Scout), and Tau Beta Pi. Active in 

community affairs, he served on the curriculum advisory committee for the engineering 

school at Purdue University, and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Clear Lake 

Regional Medical Center.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, NASA Space Flight Medal, Navy 

Commendation medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Medal, Small 

Arms Expert Ribbon, and the Child Advocate of the Year Award for the state of Florida from the Children’s Home Society, an 

organization dedicated to services for children and young mothers.

EXPERIENCE: After graduation from high school, McCulley enlisted in the U.S. Navy and subsequently served on one dieselpowered and two nuclear-powered submarines. In 1965 he entered Purdue University, and in January 1970, received his Naval 

Officers commission and both degrees. Following flight training, he served tours of duty in A-4 and A-6 aircraft, and was selected 

to attend the Empire Test Pilots School in Great Britain. He served in a variety of test pilots billets at the Naval Air Test Center, 

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. He was promoted to 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 and, in November 1999, was named Chief Operating Officer (COO) of USA, responsible for the day-today operations and overall management of USA, the Prime Contractor for the Space Shuttle Program.

On May 15, 2003, Mike McCulley was named President and Chief Executive Officer of United Space Alliance with responsibility 

for the direction, development and operations of the company. McCulley retired from USA in September 2007

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National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: McCulley was the pilot on STS-34. The crew aboard Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis launched from 

Kennedy Space Center, Florida on October 18, 1989, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 23, 1989. 

During the mission crew members successfully deployed the Galileo spacecraft on its journey to explore Jupiter, operated the 

Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SSBUV) to map atmospheric ozone, and performed numerous secondary 

experiments involving radiation measurements, polymer morphology, lightning research, microgravity effects on plants, and a 

student experiment on ice crystal growth in space. Mission duration was 4 days, 23 hours, 41 minutes.

OCTOBER 2007

This is the latest revision available through NASA. Further updates should be requested from the above named individual.