Columbia astronaut William McCool’s family representatives Jane Tani and Dan Tani, visit the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial after a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, former NASA astronaut Dan Tani, who now is senior director of Missions and Cargo Operations for Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, participates in a press interview. In the background is the Cygnus spacecraft scheduled to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station on the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, former NASA astronaut Dan Tani, who now is senior director of Missions and Cargo Operations for Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, participates in a press interview. In the background is the Cygnus spacecraft scheduled to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station on the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission.

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, former NASA astronaut Dan Tani, who now is senior director of Missions and Cargo Operations for Orbital ATK in Dulles, Virginia, participates in a press interview. In the background is the Cygnus spacecraft scheduled to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station on the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission.

NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, left, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, along with McCool Family Representatives Jane Tani, Dan Tani, visit the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial during a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, along with Columbia astronaut William McCool’s family representatives Dan Tani, left, Jane Tani second from left, as well as family of Challenger astronaut Judy Resnik, Chuck Resnik, second from right, and Amy Resnik, right, pause for a moment of silence at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial during a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

From left to right, Amy Resnik, Jane Tani, Dan Tani, representatives from the Embassy of Israel, Counselor for Public Diplomacy, Efrat Hochstetler, Minister for Public Diplomacy, Sawsan Hasson, and Director of National Initiatives, Vanina Waingortin, are seen at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial after a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Columbia astronaut William McCool’s family representatives Jane Tani and Dan Tani, right, as well as family of Challenger astronaut Judy Resnik, Chuck Resnik, left, and Amy Resnik, center, help place a lei at the Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial during a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

McCool Family Representatives Jane Tani, Dan Tani, left, NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, right, give remarks at the Space Shuttle Columbia and Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial’s during a wreath laying ceremony that was part of NASA's Day of Remembrance, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Wreaths were laid in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, right, along with family and friends of Challenger and Columbia astronauts, from left to right, Dan Tani, Jane Tani, Amy Resnik, Chuck Resnik, and Kristy Carroll, stop at the gravesite of former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn to pay their respects, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Nelson, along with family and friends of Challenger and Columbia astronauts, had earlier laid wreaths in memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the quest for space exploration as part of NASA's Day of Remembrance. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Expedition 11 Flight Engineer John Phillips, left, and backup American Dan Tani stay limber during an exercise session, Monday, April 11, 2005, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan as Philips prepares for the April 15 launch to the International Space Station with Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when arrive at the station, while Vittori spends eight days on the station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JSC2007-E-41533 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronauts Stephanie Wilson (left), STS-120 mission specialist; Sandra Magnus, Expedition 17 flight engineer; and Dan Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, use the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2007-E-41541 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronauts Stephanie Wilson, STS-120 mission specialist, and Dan Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, use the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2007-E-41538 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronauts Stephanie Wilson, STS-120 mission specialist; Sandra Magnus, Expedition 17 flight engineer; and Dan Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, use the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements. A computer display is visible in the foreground.

NASA's Chief Astronaut Kent Rommenger and Expedition 11 backup Dan Tani, left, talk with Expedition 11 Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips, seated, prior to launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Friday, April 15, 2005, for a two-day trip to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, left, and Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips, seated right, along with NASA astronaut Dan Tani, standing, are seen, Friday, April 15, 2005, during preparations for launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a two-day trip to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 11 Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips, right, talks with his backup Dan Tani during suit up at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, April 15, 2005, prior to launch aboard a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft for a two-day trip to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS -- (596-16634) --Official portrait of Astronaut Candidate Dan Tani

JSC2001-02581 (17 Sept. 2001) --- Astronaut Daniel M. Tani, mission specialist.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, left, European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, Flight Engineer John Phillips, third from left, along with their backups, Russian Commander Mikhail Tyurin, American Dan Tani and Robert Thirsk, of Canada, far right, participate in the traditional raising of their countries’ flags outside their crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on Monday, April 11, 2005, during preparations for the April 15 launch on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the station, while Vittori spends eight days on the station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, left, European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, Flight Engineer John Phillips, third from left, along with their backups, Russian Commander Mikhail Tyurin, American Dan Tani and Robert Thirsk, of Canada, far right, participate in the traditional raising of their countries’ flags outside their crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on Monday, April 11, 2005, during preparations for the April 15 launch on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the station, while Vittori spends eight days on the station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 11 backup crew Robert Thirsk of Canada, left, American Dan Tani, Russian Commander Mikhail Tyurin and prime Expedition 11 crew Commander Sergei Krikalev, fourth from left, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy, right, talk to the press, Thursday, April 14, 2005, prior to the April 15 launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months on the Station, replacing Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, while Vittori will spend eight days on the Station under a commerical contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency, returning to Earth with Chiao and Sharipov on April 25. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, left, European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, Flight Engineer John Phillips, third from left, along with their backups, Russian Commander Mikhail Tyurin, American Dan Tani and Robert Thirsk, of Canada, far right, participate in the traditional raising of their countries’ flags outside their crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on Monday, April 11, 2005, during preparations for the April 15 launch on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the station, while Vittori spends eight days on the station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After returning from a nearly four-month stay on the International Space Station, astronaut Dan Tani rests in the crew quarters at the Operations and Checkout Building. Tani returned with the STS-122 crew on space shuttle Atlantiswith a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After returning from a nearly four-month stay on the International Space Station, astronaut Dan Tani rests in the crew quarters at the Operations and Checkout Building. Tani returned with the STS-122 crew on space shuttle Atlantis with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2007-E-15362 (March 2007) --- Attired in a Russian Sokol launch and entry suit, astronaut Dan Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, takes a break from training in Star City, Russia to pose for a portrait. Photo credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts get a look at the S6 integrated truss and solar arrays, scheduled to fly on STS-119 in 2008. In the center are Peggy Whitson and Dan Tani. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2007-E-15370 (March 2007) --- Attired in Russian Sokol launch and entry suits, cosmonauts Fyodor N. Yurchikhin (center), Expedition 15 commander; and Oleg V. Kotov (right), flight engineer, both representing Russia's Federal Space Agency; and astronaut Dan Tani, flight engineer, take a break from training in Star City, Russia to pose for a portrait. Photo credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

JSC2011-E-047737 (23 May 2011) --- Flight directors Dana Weigel (foreground) and Dina Contella, along with astronauts Dan Tani and Michael Foale, both STS-134/ULF-6 spacecraft communicators (CAPCOM), monitor data at their consoles in the space station flight control room in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center during flight day eight activities. Photo credit: NASA

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronaut Dan Tani learns from a technician about the hardware on the table. The hardware will be flown on an upcoming shuttle flight. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- From the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts get a look at the S6 integrated truss and solar arrays, scheduled to fly on STS-119 in 2008. On the left are Koichi Wakata, Dan Tani and Peggy Whitson. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, (left to right) astronauts Dan Tani, Leopold Eyharts, Koichi Wakata and Peggy Whitson study hardware for an upcoming shuttle flight. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts get data on the space station module they are in. At left is Leopold Eyharts; at right is Dan Tani and Peggy Whitson. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- On the floor of the Space Station Processing Facility, astronauts Dan Tani (left) and Peggy Whitson practice working with a cover, something they may handle during an upcoming shuttle flight. With construction of the Space Station the primary focus of future shuttle missions, astronaut crews will be working with one or more of the elements and hardware already being processed in the SSPF. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

JSC2007-E-46533 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronaut Daniel M. Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli (left), STS-120 mission specialist, assisted Tani who is scheduled to join Expedition 16 after launching to the International Space Station on mission STS-120.

JSC2007-E-46556 (18 Sept. 2007) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli (with communication headset), STS-120 mission specialist, participates in a training session at a console in the simulation control area in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF) near Johnson Space Center. Dina E. Contella (left) and Sarah Kazukiewicz Korona (center) assisted Nespoli.

JSC2007-E-46545 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronaut Scott E. Parazynski, STS-120 mission specialist, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock, mission specialist, assisted Parazynski.

JSC2007-E-46535 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronaut Daniel M. Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli, STS-120 mission specialist, assisted Tani who is scheduled to join Expedition 16 after launching to the International Space Station on mission STS-120.

JSC2007-E-46540 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronaut Daniel M. Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli, STS-120 mission specialist, assisted Tani who is scheduled to join Expedition 16 after launching to the International Space Station on mission STS-120.

JSC2007-E-46530 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronaut Daniel M. Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli, STS-120 mission specialist, assisted Tani who is scheduled to join Expedition 16 after launching to the International Space Station on mission STS-120.

JSC2007-E-46551 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronauts Daniel M. Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer; and Scott E. Parazynski (partially obscured), STS-120 mission specialist, are about to be submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center. Tani and Parazynski are attired in training versions of their Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. SCUBA-equipped divers (out of frame) are in the water to assist the crewmembers in their rehearsal, intended to help prepare them for work on the exterior of the International Space Station. Tani is scheduled to join Expedition 16 after launching to the station on mission STS-120.

JSC2007-E-46557 (18 Sept. 2007) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli, STS-120 mission specialist, participates in a training session in the simulation control area in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF) near Johnson Space Center.

JSC2007-E-46531 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronaut Scott E. Parazynski, STS-120 mission specialist, dons a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit prior to being submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near the Johnson Space Center. Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock, mission specialist, assisted Parazynski.

JSC2007-E-46555 (18 Sept. 2007) --- European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Paolo Nespoli, STS-120 mission specialist, participates in a training session at a console in the simulation control area in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Sonny Carter Training Facility (SCTF) near Johnson Space Center.

JSC2007-E-46552 (18 Sept. 2007) --- Astronauts Daniel M. Tani, Expedition 16 flight engineer; and Scott E. Parazynski (partially obscured), STS-120 mission specialist, are about to be submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center. Tani and Parazynski are attired in training versions of their Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. SCUBA-equipped divers (out of frame) are in the water to assist the crewmembers in their rehearsal, intended to help prepare them for work on the exterior of the International Space Station. Tani is scheduled to join Expedition 16 after launching to the station on mission STS-120.

ISS016-S-002C (June 2007) --- This crew portrait shows astronaut Peggy Whitson, expedition 16 commander, with Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (right), flight engineer and Soyuz commander; and astronaut Dan Tani, flight engineer, who will arrive on the station in October to replace Clay Anderson. Anderson will have been aboard since June. Whitson and Malenchenko, two veterans of previous International Space Station flights, are scheduled to launch to the complex in the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in October for a six-month mission.

ISS016-S-002D (June 2007) --- This crew portrait shows astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander; with Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (right), flight engineer and Soyuz commander, and the European Space Agency's Leopold Eyharts, flight engineer. Eyharts will arrive on the station in December to replace Dan Tani of NASA, who arrives in October. Whitson and Malenchenko, two veterans of previous International Space Station flights, are scheduled to launch to the complex in the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in October for a six-month mission.

ISS016-S-002B (June 2007) --- This crew portrait shows astronaut Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, with Russia Federal Space Agency's cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (right), flight engineer and Soyuz commander; and astronaut Clay Anderson, flight engineer, who arrived on the station in June. Whitson and Malenchenko, two veterans of previous International Space Station flights, are scheduled to launch to the complex in the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in October for a six-month mission. Anderson will be replaced in October by astronaut Dan Tani of NASA.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the Orbiter Processing Facility bay 3, STS-120 crew members get a look at the main bus switching unit that is part of the payload on their mission. From left are Pilot George Zamka, Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Stephanie Wilson, astronaut Dan Tani, who will join the International Space Station crew, and Mission Specialists Paolo Nespoli, Doug Wheelock and Commander Pam Melroy. Nespoli represents the European Space Agency. A main bus switching unit is used for power distribution, circuit protection and fault isolation on the space station's power system. The units route power to proper locations in the space station, such as from solar arrays through umbilicals into the U.S. Lab. The unit will be installed on the external stowage platform 2 attached to the Quest airlock for temporary storage. Discovery is targeted to launch mission STS-120 no earlier than Oct. 20. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

ISS016-S-002F (June 2007) --- This crew portrait shows the variety of crewmembers who will occupy the International Space Station during Expedition 16. Astronaut Peggy Whitson (front row, right), station commander; and Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (front row, left), flight engineer and Soyuz commander, will join NASA astronaut Clay Anderson (back row, left), flight engineer, in October after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft. Anderson will be replaced in October by astronaut Dan Tani (back row, second from left), flight engineer, who will yield his place in December to Leopold Eyharts of the European Space Agency (back row, third from left). Eyharts will be replaced in February 2008 by astronaut Garrett Reisman (back row, far right), flight engineer.

ISS016-S-002G (June 2007) --- This crew portrait shows the variety of crewmembers who will be part of Expedition 16 aboard the International Space Station. Astronaut Clay Anderson (left), flight engineer, arrived at the ISS in June and will be replaced in October by astronaut Dan Tani (second from left), who will yield his place in December to Leopold Eyharts of the European Space Agency (third from left). Eyharts will be replaced in February 2008 by astronaut Garrett Reisman (far right). Peggy Whitson, Expedition 16 commander, and Russia's Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko (not pictured), flight engineer and Soyuz commander, will launch in the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in October to begin their six-month increment on the complex.

JSC2007-E-41540 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronauts Pamela A. Melroy, STS-120 commander, and European Space Agency's (ESA) Paolo Nespoli, mission specialist, use the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

ISS004-E-5013 (December 2001) --- Astronaut Daniel M. Tani, STS-108 mission specialist, is photographed on the mid deck of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The image was taken with a digital still camera.

JSC2007-E-41535 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock, STS-120 mission specialist, uses virtual reality hardware in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center to rehearse some of his duties on the upcoming mission to the International Space Station. This type of virtual reality training allows the astronauts to wear special gloves and other gear while looking at computer displays simulating actual movements around the various locations on the station hardware with which they will be working.

JSC2007-E-41531 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Pamela A. Melroy, STS-120 commander, uses the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2007-E-41537 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock, STS-120 mission specialist, uses virtual reality hardware in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center to rehearse some of his duties on the upcoming mission to the International Space Station. This type of virtual reality training allows the astronauts to wear special gloves and other gear while looking at computer displays simulating actual movements around the various locations on the station hardware with which they will be working.

JSC2007-E-41528 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronauts Scott E. Parazynski (seated) and European Space Agency's (ESA) Paolo Nespoli, both STS-120 mission specialists, use the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for their duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2007-E-41532 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Stephanie D. Wilson, STS-120 mission specialist, uses the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2007-E-41539 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Pamela A. Melroy, STS-120 commander, uses the virtual reality lab at Johnson Space Center to train for her duties aboard the space shuttle and space station. This type of computer interface, paired with virtual reality training hardware and software, helps to prepare the entire team for dealing with space station elements.

JSC2007-E-41534 (9 Aug. 2007) --- Astronaut Scott E. Parazynski, STS-120 mission specialist, prepares to use virtual reality hardware in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center to rehearse some of his duties on the upcoming mission to the International Space Station. This type of virtual reality training allows the astronauts to wear special gloves and other gear while looking at computer displays simulating actual movements around the various locations on the station hardware with which they will be working. David J. Homan assisted Parazynski.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-120 Commander Pamela Melroy is greeted by Mike Wetmore, director of Launch Vehicle Processing, as she exits the Shuttle Training Aircraft with the crew at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Melroy will be making her third shuttle flight, the second woman to command a shuttle mission. Next to her is Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson. Behind them on the steps are Mission Specialists Doug Wheelock and Dan Tani (at top), who will be remaining behind to join the Expedition 16 crew after the mission is complete. At right is Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach. The crew has returned to Kennedy to prepare for launch aboard space shuttle Discovery at 11:38 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23. The mission will be the 23rd shuttle flight to the International Space Station, delivering the Italian-built U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The 14-day mission includes five spacewalks -- four by shuttle crew members and one by the station’s Expedition 16 crew -- to install Harmony and move the P6 solar arrays to their permanent position and deploy them. Discovery is expected to complete its mission and return home at 4:47 a.m. EST on Nov. 6. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett