Ex-NASA Astronaut: Spacewalks Worth the 12-Hour Pain

Imagine being strapped into a bulky, painful suit for 12 hours straight, hurtling through space at 17,500 miles per hour while trying not to make a single mistake.

For former NASA astronaut Daniel Tani, that discomfort was the price of admission to one of humanity's most extraordinary experiences. During his career, Tani spent over 130 days in space and conducted six spacewalks from the International Space Station.

Unlike many kids who grew up watching the Moon landing, Tani never dreamed of becoming an astronaut. He was more interested in building things like clock radios and toothbrushes. But his engineering degree and space sector work eventually led him to NASA.

After several rejections, he finally got the call in April 1996. "They don't ever say the word astronaut," Tani recalled. "All they say is: 'You want to come down and work for us?' And so you hang up and go, 'I wonder what I just accepted.'"

Tani recently shared his memories with Euronews Tech Talks on the day of the Artemis II mission launch. He didn't sugarcoat the spacewalk experience: the suits are heavy, uncomfortable, and astronauts spend hours in them preparing for each mission.

But when that hatch opens, everything changes. "You're floating out and holding on to the space station, you look around, and it's the darkness of space, the beautiful vehicle of the space station," Tani said. "And then 250 miles below your feet there's Baja California, and then I recognise Italy."

Why This Inspires

Tani's time in space coincided with one of humanity's greatest achievements: keeping the ISS operational through decades of political tension. The station brought together the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe in peaceful cooperation, surviving every political bump along the way.

The ISS is expected to retire around 2030, making way for commercial space stations. Tani feels bittersweet about this transition because it means leaders from politically unaligned countries won't meet as regularly about shared goals.

As private companies like SpaceX increase their presence in orbit and more countries gain access to space, the balance between cooperation and competition will define our future among the stars. "Some competition is good, lowers prices and makes things faster," Tani noted. "But it also brings up hard feelings and divisions."

His perspective reminds us that our greatest achievements happen when we work together, even when it's uncomfortable.