Delays Trap Astronaut in Space After Mother’s Death
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CHICAGO — Astronaut Daniel Tani had hoped to spend Christmas with his family, but that was before fuel tank problems scrapped two scheduled December launches of the space shuttle Atlantis, which would have taken him home from the international space station. Now the launch delay — until late January or February, NASA announced on Thursday — has become increasingly frustrating.
Mr. Tani’s mother, Rose, was killed December 19 at a railroad crossing in Lombard, Ill., when, ignoring a warning barrier, she drove around a school bus from Mr. Tani’s high school alma mater and into the path of an oncoming freight train. NASA has said this makes Mr. Tani the first American to lose a close family member while in space. He missed his mother’s funeral, and the delays of the shuttle launch mean more time away from his grieving family. A Russian rescue vehicle lodged at the space station can take astronauts back to Earth, but that is to be used only in the case of extreme technical difficulties or if astronauts’ lives are in danger.
“They recognize when they go on a long-duration flight what their ride home is,” a NASA spokesman, Kyle Herring, said. Mr. Herring said the Atlantis mission, which will launch January 24 at the earliest, and more likely in February, will take 13 days.
Mr. Tani was notified of his mother’s death by a phone call from NASA officials, who ask crew members in advance whether they want to be notified of such occurrences while in space. Mr. Tani videotaped a message played at his mother’s memorial service December 23 in the packed First Church of Lombard United Church of Christ, where he attended services growing up.
Mr. Tani’s siblings said he is frustrated by the delay and is eager to see his family but has turned to his love of space to help deal with grief. He has continued his daily work, which includes routine maintenance, exercise, and preparing for a spacewalk this month. His brother Dick Tani, 65, a retired actuary in the Chicago area, said Daniel was on the phone with family members for hours on the day Rose died.
