[2][3] Culbertson retired as President of the Space Systems Group at Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems,[4] where he was responsible for the execution, business development, and financial performance of the company's human spaceflight, science, commercial communications, and national security satellite activities, as well as technical services to various government customers.

[6] He graduated from Holly Hill High School in 1967, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1971.

Naval Academy in 1971, Culbertson served aboard USS Fox in the Gulf of Tonkin prior to reporting to flight training in Pensacola, Florida.

After designation as a Naval Aviator at Beeville, Texas, in May 1973, he flew F-4 Phantom aircraft with VF-121 at NAS Miramar, California; with VF-151 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway, permanently homeported in Yokosuka, Japan; and with the U.S. Air Force in the 426th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where he served as Weapons and Tactics Instructor.

Culbertson then served as the Catapult and Arresting Gear Officer for USS John F. Kennedy until May 1981 when he was selected to attend the U.S.

He was engaged in fleet replacement training in the F-14 Tomcat at VF-101, NAS Oceana, Virginia, from January 1984 until his selection for the astronaut candidate program.

Technical assignments since then included: member of the team that redesigned and tested the Space Shuttle nosewheel steering, tires, and brakes; member of the launch support team at Kennedy Space Center for Shuttle flights STS-61-A, STS-61-B, STS-61-C, and STS-51-L; in 1986 he worked at the NASA Headquarters Action Center in Washington, D.C., assisting with the Challenger accident investigations conducted by NASA, the Presidential Commission, and U.S. Congress.

He was also a member of the team evaluating the hardware and procedures for the proposed mission to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir.

[7] As the ISS passed over the New York City area after the attacks, Culbertson took photographs of the smoke emanating from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.

[8][9] He later learned that the plane that struck the Pentagon had been piloted (at takeoff) by his Naval Academy classmate Charles Burlingame.