From Flyer to flight director

University of Dayton students know that when it comes to taking flight, the sky’s the limit. But for Rick Henfling ’06, it was only the beginning.

As entry flight director for NASA’s Artemis II mission, he’s working to send astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, continuing the history of Daytonians — and Flyers — who’ve helped humanity take flight.

Henfling began at UD as a mechanical engineering student.

“I hadn’t yet considered going into the space business,” he said. “That really wasn’t on the radar, especially in Dayton, where things were more aviation- and airplane-focused.”

That changed during his senior year. A representative from United Space Alliance, a NASA contractor for the space shuttle at the time, visited UD to speak with students interested in space exploration. Henfling attended the session, followed up with the speaker and landed an interview in Houston.

“I took him up on that chance and have made the best of it ever since,” he said.

Henfling began his NASA career as a flight controller, responsible for the space shuttle booster systems within mission control. After nearly a decade of building expertise across multiple projects, he became a flight director in 2015, moving from operating a single system to overseeing the full team.

For NASA’s Artemis II mission, Henfling is involved with both ascent and entry operations, including leading the entry team — ensuring the crew leaves Earth safely and returns the same way.

“In the 10-plus years that I’ve been in the flight director office, we’ve been successful in that,” said Henfling. “I hope to continue that for the remainder of my NASA career.”

Artemis II is a 10-day lunar flyby mission testing system for future moon landings and advancing NASA’s plans for a long-term lunar presence and, eventually, crewed missions to Mars.

The most rewarding part of Henfling’s work, he said, has been building the mission’s procedures from the ground up.

“Two years ago, we had nothing,” he said. “We [now] have procedures that are ready for execution by four astronauts who will be returning to Earth at speeds of about 36,000 feet per second. We have a tangible product that we created, and now we’re going to go see it put to work.”

Its launch will send astronauts distances from Earth that haven’t been attempted in almost 50 years.

“My hope is when we fly Artemis II, we can give some positive news that the American public can look [toward] to see what’s possible when people work together and pursue a shared goal that will benefit all humanity.”

Henfling said, “My hope is when we fly Artemis II, we can give some positive news that the American public can look [toward] to see what’s possible when people work together and pursue a shared goal that will benefit all humanity.”

Photographs courtesy Rick Henfling. 

A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 45. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE