Space Man Dan

I daresay that American enthusiasm for the space program has dwindled since the 1960s—except in our household, which was abuzz about a visit from a real! live! astronaut! Or maybe that was just me. ;) No, really, we were *all* super-excited about Dan Tani's visit to Will's school. Ah, if only I had a steadier hand and better lighting (story of my life). I love the goofy/giddy expression on Will's face!
Mr. Tani, who was tremendously nice, shared experiences from his numerous missions, including space walks and four months living on the International Space Station.
A regular guy and dad of three, he kept the kids entertained with photos and videos of life on the ISS, including eating from floating spoons and sleeping in a sleeping bag to prevent sleep-floating.
Afterward, even *I* had the opportunity to meet Dan, a Lombard native, thank him for visiting, and talk with him about the future (or lack thereof) of NASA's space program. He shared that the mood at NASA is understandably discouraged, but as a taxpayer he understands why our future in space needs to be privately funded. Some pitfalls they expect, and some will be surprises... but hopefully our hiatus from space will be a short one.