Michael J . McCulley Michael James McCulley ( born August 4 , 1943 ) is a retired Captain in the United States Navy , a former NASA astronaut and was the first submarine r in space . 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 . He currently resides in Friendswood , Texas . Organizations . Member of the : Special honors . Awarded the Legion of Merit , Defense Superior Service Medal , Navy Commendation Medal , National Defense Service Medal , Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal , Meritorious Unit Commendation , Small Arms Expert Ribbon , NASA Space Flight Medal , 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 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 . Space flight experience . McCulley was the pilot on mission 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 .