20 Twenties Winner Becomes NASA Flight Director—One Of Only 108 In History

Ronak Dave, a 2014 20 Twenties honoree, is a NASA flight director at Johnson Space Center—a position held by just 108 individuals in the agency's history. 

He leads SpaceX crew rotation missions to the International Space Station and supports Artemis lunar mission planning. Most recently, he directed the first unscheduled early departure of a SpaceX Dragon capsule from the ISS in response to an inflight medical event.

Can you share more about your current role? What are your key responsibilities and focus areas?

I’m currently a flight director at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Flight directors are responsible for overall mission execution of our human space flight missions. This includes planning, training for, and execution of missions to the International Space Station and Artemis missions preparing to land on the Moon to stay. My most recent assignments were to lead NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the space station, and leading a spacewalk on station to help prepare for a new roll out solar array.

When you received the 20 Twenties award, what were your career aspirations? How have those goals evolved over time? 

When I received the 20 Twenties award, I had just graduated college and started full-time at Johnson and was training to become a flight controller. Becoming a flight director is something I had always aspired to do. I first became interested in human spaceflight operations by reading the autobiography of Dr. Chris Kraft, flight director No. 1. I also recognized it was a position that now has only been held by 108 individuals, so I knew it was a possibility that I could never get it. Over the years my goals remained steady, to help make an impact on human spaceflight.

Since receiving the award, is there a particular project, achievement, or milestone that you’re especially proud of?

One of the things I’ve been most proud of since receiving this award happened recently. I helped lead my Crew-11 flight control team, in light of an emergency medical situation aboard the space station, to plan and execute the first early end of mission departure of a Dragon from the station. It was amazing to see all the teams both at NASA and SpaceX turn around all the work required to execute a nominal departure from the space station in a fraction of the time.

Many 20 Twenties winners are passionate about paying it forward. Have you had opportunities to mentor others or contribute to your community? What has that meant to you?

I’ve been fortunate enough to mentor and work with students, both directly in organizations I’ve worked for or with NASA student challenges like the Micro-g NExT Program. It’s amazing to see the creativity and fresh thoughts students and new employees can bring to a problem. Human spaceflight is built on the shoulders of giants, and much of that is being able to pass lessons on to those who come behind us. Space and human spaceflight are unforgiving, and we seek to not make the same mistake twice.

What advice would you give to students or young professionals aspiring to break into aerospace today? Is there something you wish someone had told you?

This is an exciting time in the aerospace industry. There are a ton of problems to solve to help take the next giant leap. Just be ready to roll up your sleeves and do some hard work.

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