FEATURED EVENT
Exhibition Opening Talk | CHASING KAGUYA WITH ASTRONAUT DANIEL TANI
Join us as we kick off our new exhibition, Chasing Kaguya: Moon Myths to Missions, with a special opening talk by Japanese American astronaut Daniel Tani.
Drawing on his experiences as a NASA astronaut and spaceflight engineer, Tani will reflect on what it meant to train, work, and live in space from 2001 to 2008—offering a firsthand perspective on daily life aboard the International Space Station, the demands of human spaceflight, and the meaning of exploration beyond Earth.
Tani will also speak about his upbringing and identity as a Japanese-American, the challenges he encountered throughout his career, and how his cultural values intersected with his path to becoming an astronaut. Along the way, he will highlight the critical role of international cooperation in space exploration, emphasizing the shared efforts that unite engineers, scientists, and astronauts across borders.
Part personal reflection, part exploration of global collaboration, this talk connects lived experience with the broader themes of Chasing Kaguya: Moon Myths to Missions, illuminating how cultural imagination, perseverance, and collective endeavor continue to shape humanity’s relationship with the Moon and beyond.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Daniel Tani
Mr. Daniel (Dan) Tani is Chief Development Officer at Iris.Aero
in Falls Church, Virginia, bringing a unique combination of executive leadership, government service, and human spaceflight experience. From 1996 to 2012, he served as a NASA astronaut, flying two space missions as a Space Shuttle Mission Specialist and an International Space Station Flight Engineer, totaling 132 days in orbit, including six spacewalks. Following his time as an astronaut, Dan held senior roles across the government, nonprofit, education, and private sectors, including leadership positions at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the US-Japan Foundation, The American School in Japan, Orbital Sciences Corporation, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems. A graduate of MIT with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Dan is originally from the Chicago area and now lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and three children.
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