posted 08-04-2012 01:42 PM               

Astronaut Dani Tani leaving NASA

NASA astronaut Dan Tani on Thursday (Aug. 2) served his last shift in Mission Control as an International Space Station (ISS) CAPCOM, or spacecraft communicator, ahead of his departure from the NASA astronaut corps.

Expedition 32 flight engineer Suni Williams radioed down her and her crewmates' well wishes for Tani before he went off console.

"We just wanted to say thanks, we know this is your last time on shift and you will be leaving the astronaut office in not too long. We appreciate your hard work and good luck to you from all of us up here.

"We know you would like to be with us up here, you flew with Yuri [Malenchenko, and] I went to NEEMO with you. We've all spent a lot of time with you and appreciate your good humor and your friendship.

"So, take care, fair winds and following seas."

Tani, who spent 120 days aboard the space station as an Expedition 16 flight engineer in 2007-2008, replied.

"Thanks Suni. With the crew up there I have 225 miles and 60 feet of altitude experience with you guys.

"I've enjoyed everything and it's a real pleasure to work with you and the team down here. It is a real honor to be the voice of the excellent team down here.

"I've really enjoyed my time, I've really enjoyed working with you guys. It will certainly be one thing I missed. So thank you for those words."

In addition to launching to the space station on space shuttle Discovery's STS-120 mission, Tani earlier flew on shuttle Endeavour as an STS-108 mission specialist.

In total, Tani has logged more than 131 days in space, and 39 hours and 11 minutes during six spacewalks.

NASA has not yet announced Tani's last day with the space agency.

posted 08-13-2012 12:27 PM               

Orbital names Daniel Tani Vice President of Mission and Cargo Operations

Former NASA Astronaut Rejoins Orbital at Company's Dulles, Virginia Headquarters

Orbital Sciences Corporation announced today (Aug. 13) that Mr. Daniel Tani has rejoined the company as Vice President of Mission and Cargo Operations in the Advanced Programs Group, based in Dulles, Virginia.

Mr. Tani will support cargo and mission operations activities for Orbital's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) shared research and development program demonstration mission with NASA, as well as the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program missions that will provide a U.S.-developed capability to supply the International Space Station (ISS) with vital consumables, scientific instruments and other life-sustaining supplies. He will also support independent reviews of selected high-value Orbital programs.

"Orbital was very proud of Dan when he was selected as an astronaut 16 years ago," said Mr. Frank Culbertson, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Manager of Orbital's Advanced Programs Group. "We are equally proud of his return to the company after such a distinguished NASA career. Dan's leadership and engineering capabilities will be a tremendous addition to our team, and his personal experience in human spaceflight will be invaluable in helping us be successful in delivering cargo to the ISS."

Prior to rejoining Orbital, Mr. Tani had a distinguished career as a NASA astronaut. Tani was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate in 1996 and for the next 16 years gained extensive spaceflight experience. He flew as a crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and also served as an ISS crew member in a separate mission, enabling him to log a total of 131 days in space. He served as the flight engineer on STS-108 in 2001, supporting an ISS crew exchange and the delivery of a Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM), which carried over three tons of supplies, logistics and science experiments. Tani also completed a spacewalk on that flight to support maintenance of the ISS electrical power system.

On his second spaceflight, Tani served as Expedition 16 Flight Engineer and spent 120 days living and working aboard the ISS. During his tour of duty aboard the station, he performed numerous robotic operations in support of the installation and checkout of the newly delivered Node 2. During his two flights, Tani logged a total of 34 hours and 59 minutes in five spacewalks.

Commenting on his new position, Mr. Tani stated:

"I'm thrilled to be returning to Orbital. When I first joined the company in 1988, it was the most innovative aerospace company in the industry. In the time I have been with NASA, Orbital has not only further established itself as an industry leader with a vast product line and excellent performance record but has retained its innovative and entrepreneurial cultures. I look forward to bringing my experience as a NASA astronaut back to Orbital as we prepare for the first launch and berthing of the Cygnus cargo vehicle to the ISS."

Prior to joining the NASA astronaut office, Mr. Tami was an engineer at Orbital, serving initially as a senior structures engineer, and then as the mission operations manager for the Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS) in-orbit propulsion system. In that role, he served as the TOS flight operations lead, working with NASA-Johnson Space Center mission control in support of the deployment of the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS)/TOS payload during the STS-51 mission in September 1993.

He then moved to Orbital's Pegasus rocket program as the launch operations manager. In that capacity, Mr. Tani served as the lead for development of procedures and constraints for the unmanned, air-launched Pegasus rocket.

Mr. Tani received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984 and 1988, respectively.

Orbital develops and manufactures small- and medium-class rockets and space systems for commercial, military and civil government customers. The company's primary products are satellites and launch vehicles, including low-Earth orbit, geosynchronous-Earth orbit and planetary exploration spacecraft for communications, remote sensing, scientific and defense missions; human-rated space systems for Earth-orbit, lunar and other missions; ground- and air-launched rockets that deliver satellites into orbit; and missile defense systems that are used as interceptor and target vehicles. Orbital also provides satellite subsystems and space-related technical services to U.S. Government agencies and laboratories.

posted 09-29-2012 10:43 AM               

I asked him how important does he think the ISS is in terms of the future of manned space exploration. He replied saying that it is extremely important and then went on about how it allows us to study the effects of long duration spaceflight on the body.

I then asked him does he think we need to return to the moon so that we can practice things such as landing and rendezvous. He then continued to say that it would not be necessary to return to the moon as practice, because the simulators here on Earth are so good. He said though that it would definitely be the ideal to practice, but due to financial costs and top class simulation, it is not necessary.

posted 08-29-2016 02:35 PM               

Just finished my first day at my new career - high school teacher @asij. Wow - this is going to be a great educational experience — for ME!

...this fall we welcome Dan Tani, a former NASA astronaut, who joins ASIJ as a consultant on units related to earth and space science, technology and engineering. Dan will use his real-world networks with the space, science and engineering industries to help further develop and enrich science and design instruction at ASIJ. He will also help mentor and coach students in AP Research, Independent Inquiry, Synthetic Biology and the high school’s Impact Program. I know he will inspire many students to pursue their passions just as he did in becoming an astronaut.