While most people only dream of being an astronaut, the grandfather of Silver Gate Elementary School 1st-grader and 6-year-old Kayliegh Mananasala actually became one. But it wasn’t easy.
U.S. Navy Capt. Frank Culbertson, Ret., flew and tested more than 40 types of Navy aircraft and logged over 6,000 hours of flying time, according to his official National Aeronautics and Space Administration biography.
Despite his distinguished career as a test pilot for the Navy ” earning him myriad medals and commendations ” he had to apply to NASA four times before being accepted as a potential astronaut candidate.
“Follow your dreams,” he said to an auditorium full of kindergarten and 1st-graders at Silver Gate Elementary on Dec. 9.
“Never give up on it. People will help you get there,” he said.
Culbertson took his message of success through perseverance to a room full of restless, yet attentive, kindergarten and 1st-grade students.
He shared stories of space exploration, adventure and the teamwork he relied upon for survival during the four-month space mission, Expedition 3, he worked on about six years ago. For those months in 2001, Culbertson and two Russian cosmonauts worked on top-secret missions and science experiments in space.
At certain times during the mission Culbertson said he walked outside, in space, on the space station Mir to make repairs or to work. The closest ground was back on Earth, 200 miles away.
“There is nothing below me for 200 miles,” he said. “I [thought] I better hold on tight.”
The only thing that kept Culbertson from floating away into the ubiquitous void of outer space was the tether that connected him to the space station. He said it felt like he was almost alone in the universe.
But even in the blackness of space, Culbertson was far from alone. Along with the skills and knowledge of the crew of cosmonauts, he said he knew he had the teamwork of hundreds of NASA engineers and employees literally underneath him.
“The most important is to work as a team. We had to learn to work as a team,” he said.
Culbertson said it takes the combined work of hundreds of people to successfully complete a space mission like the Expedition 3. He told students that they would have to learn to work with each other as a team for almost anything they wanted to accomplish in life.
Along with his message of perseverance, hard work and determination, Culbertson also shared some of his memories of one of the most critical times in recent U.S. history.
Although most of the students were too young to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Culbertson recalled the events as he saw them unfold from space.
As the space station flew over Canada toward New York, Culbertson said he could see a plume of smoke coming from what surface personnel told him was the World Trade Center under attack.
“I could see a column of smoke,” he said. “It was the second tower coming down.”
Though it was a sad time for Culbertson and the rest of the world, he continued his work. The Expedition 3 crew conducted several experiments, further contributing to the growing body of scientific knowledge, including how cancer cells react in space.
Now retired, however, Culbertson said he would no longer take any more trips to space. The next generation of astronauts, he said, will travel to other planets.
“Someday, you may be able to do that, because it’s children your age who will go to Mars for the United States,” he said. The children seemed awestruck with dreams of space travel to the red planet.
Culbertson’s presentation is part of a continuing guest speaker series at Silver Gate Elementary, said Principal Sandy McClure.
Throughout the school year, administrators play host to speakers who bring important messages or themes to the children. Culbertson joins the ranks of geologists, judges and gymnasts who have given such presentations to the children during a most influential time in their lives, McClure said.
“We want the children to have not only enjoyment of school but purpose for school and that school gives them access to several different choices for their lives,” McClure said, “Whether it be an astronaut or a teacher or a doctor. [Culbertson] reiterated that several times.”
Silver Gate Elementary belongs to the Point Loma cluster of schools. The K-4 school has about 430 students in 22 classrooms. For more information, visit www.silvergateschool.com.