U.S. astronaut mourns mother from orbit

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Daniel M. Tani's 90-year-old mother died in an auto accident this week, but he has no way of getting home until late January. He must grieve from more than 200 miles away - in orbit, aboard the international space station.

It's a heartbreaking situation no other American astronaut has experienced. And it's made all the more tragic by Tani's devotion to his mother, Rose, who raised him and his siblings alone in suburban Chicago after their father died when he was 4.

"He is obviously pretty sad," the astronaut's brother, Richard Tani, said in Thursday's Chicago Sun-Times. "He was pretty close to her. We are all close to her. She was loved by everyone."

Tani's wife and a flight surgeon on the ground broke the news in a video conference call with the 46-year-old astronaut. But phone calls and e-mails from space are as close as Tani can get to the loving embrace of his family.

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[MonkeyFunk]

1. oh, how sad

I can't imagine how hard this must be.

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2. Station Astronaut Draws Support From Earth After Family Loss

Space station astronaut Dan Tani is drawing on the support of physicians and family after the unexpected death of his mother this week.

Tani's 90-year-old mother Rose died Wednesday after her car was struck by a train in his hometown of Lombard, Ill. His wife Jane and a NASA flight surgeon relayed the tragic news to the astronaut in a private conference, the agency said.

"The entire NASA family grieves with Dan on the unexpected loss of his mother yesterday," said Michael Coats, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, in a written statement. "We will work to provide Dan and his family with any assistance that they need during this difficult time."

NASA spokesperson Kylie Clem told SPACE.com that Tani and his Expedition 16 crewmates - like every space station crew - are assigned their own flight surgeon and support team.

Guided by NASA's Flight Surgeon Office at JSC, the team ensures that long-duration astronauts are healthy and rested for their marathon missions. Astronauts can also reach out to flight controllers and families vie an Internet protocol phone, radio and video links, NASA has said.

While Tani has elected to continue with his daily tasks, his schedule is open for adjustment should he feel it necessary, Clem said.

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