NASA’s Dan Tani Contributes This I Belive NPR Essay from The International Space Station

February 15, 2008; Washington, D.C. – From a vantage point few have witnessed, NASA astronaut Dan Tani – who is nearing the end of a four-month stay on the International Space Station – shares his belief in optimism in the NPR personal essay series This I Believe. His first-person audio piece will air on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday February 17, when a video of Tani recording it from space will be available on www.NPR.org For stations and broadcast times, visit www.NPR.org/stations

Inspired by Edward R. Murrow’s 1950s radio program of the same name, This I Believe made its premiere in April 2005 and features people from all walks of life expressing their core beliefs and values in short, personal essays. Segments air on NPR on All Things Considered and Weekend Edition Sunday, and are also available at www.NPR.org/thisibelieve

In his essay, Tani attributes his belief in optimism to his experience looking down on the world from the Space Station, where he’s been working as a flight engineer. He is scheduled to return home to his family in Houston this week. “It would be hard to believe there is no hope for earth from up here,” he says. “Of course, I know there are awful things going on down there, that people are in pain, wars are raging, poverty and hunger are taking far too many live. But from here, I can only see the whole.”

More than 38,000 NPR listeners have also submitted essays to This I Believe. Essays chosen for broadcast have ranged from revelations about parents, personal struggles, race and identity to the importance of feeding monkeys. This I Believe essay writing has been incorporated into the activities of schools, community groups, places of worship as well as birthday celebrations. Essays have also been read or played at weddings and funerals. The series is a collaboration between NPR and This I Believe, Inc., produced by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman, with John Gregory and Viki Merrick.

To date, This I Believe essays have consistently ranked among the top e-mailed stories on NPR.org. To listen or to read past essays, visit www.NPR.org/thisibelieve