Daniel M. Tani

Daniel Tani is exactly the sort of person I think deserves more public recognition than he gets. An American engineer and NASA astronaut, MIT-educated, he spent real time on the International Space Station and, alongside Peggy Whitson, conducted the station's 100th spacewalk. That milestone alone gives me pause, because spacewalks are among the most demanding and dangerous tasks anyone can perform. Born in Ridley Park but claiming Lombard, Illinois, as home, he earned a NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2008. I see him as one of those quietly heroic technical minds who make the headline missions actually function.

Daniel Michio Tani (born February 1, 1961) is an American engineer and retired NASA astronaut. He was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, but considers Lombard, Illinois, to be his hometown. With Peggy Whitson, Tani conducted the 100th spacewalk on the International Space Station.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

Daniel M. Tani

Name (Japanese)

ダニエル・M・タニ

Reading

だにえる・M・たに

Born

February 1, 1961 (age 65)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aquarius / Ox

Origin

Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Blood type

Private

Height

Private

Agency

Private

Occupation

astronaut / engineer

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Glenbard East High School

University

Private

Awards & achievements

• Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"
• 2008 NASA Distinguished Service Medal

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BBM%E3%83%BB%E3%82%BF%E3%83%8B

Tags

• Pennsylvania
• astronaut
• engineer

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.