David Kania was born in a farming community in Illinois. He spent six years in the US Navy Nuclear Power Program in the submarine service.
After leaving the Navy, David worked with the problems of nuclear and hazardous waste in the areas of treatment, storage, transportation, and disposal. He has always been interested in space exploration and the technology it takes to advance this exploration. David volunteers in the Solar System Ambassadors Program, sponsored by the JET PROPULSION LABORATORY in Pasadena, CA, an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a lead research and development center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).