Having worked with missile technology and computers in the U.S. Army, Dick returned to his home in Iowa in 1960 where he received a call to join NASA. Beginning September 19, 1960 when the Space Task Group, Langley, Virginia was making preparations for the first unmanned test flight of the Mercury Capsule, his career with NASA, Johnson Space Center spanned 37 years.
He began working with the Mercury Control Center Simulation Group conducting simulations involving the Flight Control Team and Astronauts under Chris Kraft. He and Harold Miller continued to build on the idea of joint control center team and astronaut simulation exercises through the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. The increase in digital data communications advanced the need for and development of more sophisticated simulations. The simulations were essential and key to the successful flight operations by exercising all the elements of Mission Control, and the Astronauts. This included flight mechanics and trajectory monitoring, flight activity planning, systems monitoring and execution for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo flights. The concept for conducting joint training is still in use by NASA today.
With Apollo 14, Dick served in Mission Control as the flight controller as the Lunar Experiments Officer continuing through the remaining Apollo flights and then in operations and planning for the Skylab-Earth Resources, Spacelab and Space Station programs. Dick retired in 1998 and lives in Colorado.