NASA has hosted many events for its social media enthusiasts called NASA Socials [1] (formerly NASA Tweetups) beginning in 2009. These events are targeted at the social media followers of NASA through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, YouTube and more. They provide guests with VIP access to NASA facilities and speakers with the goal of leveraging participants' social networks to further the outreach requirements of NASA as laid out in the National Aeronautics and Space Act. [2] NASA re-branded these events as "Socials" in March 2012 as it expanded participation to services beyond just Twitter. [3] [4] [5]
As of 2015, all NASA field centers and NASA Headquarters have hosted NASA Tweetup/Social events. There were 5 NASA Tweetups in 2009, 10 in 2010, 16 in 2011, 21 in 2012, 22 in 2013, and 23 in 2014. [6] In August 2011, over 2,000 participants had been part of official NASA Tweetups. [7] By July 2014, that number had swelled to over 6,000 total participants in over 5 years of NASA Social programs. [8]
Many NASA Social events are at least partially broadcast on NASA TV and UStream. NASA Socials are held at NASA centers, NASA Headquarters, observatories, engine test sites, museums such as the Newseum and National Air and Space Museum, and during larger events such as SXSW and World Space Week. The length of socials range from a few hours to a couple days to much longer in the case of some events, such as the STS-133 launch tweetup.
The first NASA Tweetup was held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in January 2009. During this event, guests were given exclusive tours and access to JPL scientists and engineers. [9] |
In an attempt to measure the impact of tweetups, NASA tracked 10,665 tweets originating from 150 participants in the August 2011 Juno Tweetup as well as the subsequent retweets and found 29.9 million potential impressions. [10] [11]
Speakers at NASA tweetup/social events have included NASA engineers, scientists, executives and well over 80 NASA astronauts. Notable speakers include NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, Senator and astronaut John Glenn, Bill Nye, and final Space Shuttle crew members Sandy Magnus and Chris Ferguson. [12] [ citation needed ]
While the majority of participants in NASA tweetups/socials have been space enthusiasts, there have also been many "celebrity" participants, including Neil deGrasse Tyson, LeVar Burton, Trey Ratcliff, Robert Scoble, Bill Prady, Kevin Clash, Miles O'Brien, Seth Green, will.i.am, and many others.[ citation needed ]
# | Date | Event | Location | Official speakers | Notes | Attendees |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
120 | February 1, 2017 | JSC #SpaceBowl #SB51 Behind the Scenes at JSC Social [13] | Johnson Space Center | Astronaut, NASA experts are scheduled | 50 | |
117 | April 29, 2016 | OSIRIS-REx Preview Social [14] | Lockheed Martin Space Systems | To Be Added | 25 | |
116 | April 7–8, 2016 | SpaceX CRS-8 [15] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
115 | March 21–22, 2016 | Cygnus CRS Orb-6 Launch Social [16] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
114 | February 9, 2016 | State of NASA Multi-Center Social [17] | 10 NASA Field Centers | To Be Added | 12-40 each | |
113 | January 25, 2016 | James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Installation Social [18] | GSFC | To Be Added | Unk | |
112 | December 2–3, 2015 | Cygnus CRS Orb-4 Launch Social [19] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
111 | November 11, 2015 | NASA DC-8 & OLYMPEX #EarthRightNow Social [20] | University of Washington in Seattle | To be Added | 40 | |
110 | August 13, 2015 | #SLSfiredup RS-25 Engine Hot Fire Test Social [21] | Stennis (SSC) | To Be Added | 40 | |
??? | Launch Postponed [22] | Jason-3 Launch Social [23] | Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) | To Be Added | 70 | |
109 | June 28, 2015 | SpaceX CRS-7 Launch Social [24] [25] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
108 | June 15–16, 2015 | #AbSciCon 2015 Astrobiology Science Conference Social [26] [27] | Hilton Chicago, Chicago, Illinois | To Be Added | 20 | |
107 | June 6, 2015 | New Horizons #PlutoFlyby Multi-Site Social | Two locations: Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Laurel Maryland & Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona [28] | James L. Green, Alan Stern | Unk | |
106 | May 12, 2015 | Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology (LEAPTech) #FlyNASA Social [29] | Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) | To Be Added | 50 | |
105 | April 23, 2015 | #Hubble25 Social - Celebrating 25 Years of the Hubble Space Telescope [30] | Newseum in DC & Goddard (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD | To Be Added | 50 | |
104 | April 14, 2015 | SpaceX CRS-6 Launch Social [31] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
103 | March 13, 2015 | Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Launch Social [32] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
102 | March 10–11, 2015 | #SLSfiredup SLS Booster Hot Fire Test Social [33] | Orbital ATK's test facilities in Promontory, Utah | To Be Added | 45 | |
101 | February 2, 2015 | State of NASA Multi-Center Social [34] | Ames (Ames), Armstrong Flight Research Center, Glenn (GRC), Goddard (GSFC), JPL, JSC, KSC, LaRC, MSFC, & Stennis (SSC) | To Be Added | 10 (Ames), AFRS (40), 25 (GRC), 25 (GSFC), JPL (10), JSC (20), KSC (40), 25 (LaRC), 15 (MSFC), & 25 (SSC) | |
100 | January 28–31, 2015 | Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Launch Social [35] [36] | Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) | To Be Added | 70 | |
99 | January 15, 2015 | #ISS1Year Social [37] Social with Astronaut Scott Kelly | JSC | Astronaut Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly), Michael Suffredini (ISS Program Manager) - crew news conference | 20 | |
98 | January 10, 2015 | SpaceX CRS-5 Launch Social [38] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
97 | December 3–4, 2014 | Orion Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1) Social [39] | KSC | To Be Added | 150 | |
96 | December 3, 2014 | Multi-Center Social to Preview Orion EFT-1 [40] | Ames (Ames), Glenn (GRC), Goddard (GSFC), JPL, JSC, LaRC, MSFC, & Stennis (SSC) | To Be Added | 25 (ARC), 50 (GRC), 25 (GSFC), 40 (JPL), 30 (JSC), 30 (LaRC), 30 (MSFC), & 25 (SSC) | |
95 | November 18–19, 2014 | #FlyNASA Social [41] | Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California | To Be Added | 30 | |
94 | October 19–20, 2014 | Cygnus CRS Orb-3 Launch Social [42] | Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops | To Be Added | 50 | |
93 | October 17, 2014 | Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Preview Social [43] | Goddard (GSFC) | Craig Pollock, Thomas Moore, Jeffrey Newmark, C. Alex Young, Michael Hesse, Yari Collado-Vega, Carmine Mattiello | 25 | |
92 | October 13, 2014 | #MarsComet Social [44] [45] | JPL | To Be Added | 50 | |
91 | September 21, 2014 | Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Social [46] | Lockheed Martin in Denver, Colorado | Speakers from NASA, Lockheed Martin and the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) - To Be Added | 25 | |
90 | September 18–19, 2014 | SpaceX CRS-4 Launch Social [47] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
89 | September 12, 2014 | Space Launch System (SLS) & (#WeldingWonder) Social [48] | Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) & Stennis Space Center | To Be Added | First Michoud Social | 25 |
88 | July 21, 2014 | 45th Anniversary of Apollo 11 (#Apollo45) Social - KSC [49] | KSC | KSC Director Bob Cabana, Astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell | 25 | |
87 | July 19, 2014 | 45th Anniversary of Apollo 11 (#Apollo45) Social - Virginia [49] | Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Virginia | Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, National Symphony Orchestra & Emil de Cou, Bob Jacobs (NASA HQ) | Only Social with a live symphony performance | 25 |
86 | June 30-July 1, 2014 | OCO-2 Launch Social [50] [51] | Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) | To Be Added | 70 | |
85 | June 17–19, 2014 [52] [53] | #ISSRDC Social Media Accreditation for 2014 ISS Research & Development Conference [54] | Denver, Colorado | NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations William Gerstenmaier, NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati, International Space Station Program Manager Michael Suffredini, Astronaut Ron Garan (@Astro_Ron) | 6 (in social) | |
84 | June 10, 2014 | Photography Social for Cygnus CRS Orb-2 Launch [55] | Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops | To Be Added | 50 | |
83 | May 20, 2014 | Alternative Fuels & Aeronautics Social [56] [57] | Armstrong (formerly Dryden/DFRC) | To Be Added | First Social since the name change from Dryden Flight Research Center | 50 |
82 | April 1–2, 2014 | 50 Years of Deep Space Network Social [58] [59] | JPL | To Be Added | 50 | |
81 | March 24, 2014 | @AstroKarenN Kid-Friendly Social [60] [61] | NASA HQ | Astronaut Karen Nyberg (@AstroKarenN) | First Social billed as "kid-friendly" Social | 100 |
80 | March 15–16, 2014 | SpaceX CRS-3 Launch Social [62] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
79 | March 4, 2014 | FY2015 NASA Budget Social [63] | Goddard (GSFC) | Charles Bolden (NASA Administrator), John Grunsfeld (NASA HQ) | Social canceled due to weather converting the briefing to a teleconference [64] | 20 |
78 | February 27, 2014 | GPM Photo Social [65] | Goddard (GSFC) | To Be Added | 15 | |
77 | January 23, 2014 | TDRS-L Launch Social [66] [67] | CCAFS / KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
76 | January 22, 2014 | James Webb Space Telescope Social [68] | Goddard (GSFC) | To Be Added | 40 | |
75 | January 8, 2014 [69] [70] | Orbital-1 Antares Launch Social [71] | Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops | To Be Added | 50 | |
74 | December 10, 2013 | 2013 AGU Social [72] [73] | Moscone Center | NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan, NASA's Associate Administrator for Science and veteran astronaut John Grunsfeld and more. | 20 | |
73 | November 16 & 18, 2013 | MAVEN Launch Social [74] [75] | CCAFS / KSC | NASA's Planetary Science Chief Jim Green, program executive Lisa May, program scientist Kelley Fast, deputy project manager Sandra Cauffman, system design lead with Lockheed Martin Chris Waters, NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan, NASA's Associate Administrator for Science and veteran astronaut John Grunsfeld, astronaut Wendy Lawrence, Bill Nye, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana. | 150 | |
72 | November 4–5, 2013 | JPL Earth Science Social [76] [77] | JPL | To Be Added | 100 | |
71 | September 17, 2013 | Antares Launch Social [78] | Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops | To Be Added | 50 | |
70 | September 5–6, 2013 | LADEE Launch to Moon Social [79] [80] | Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops | John Grunsfeld(NASA HQ), Charles Bolden(NASA Administrator), Bob Barber(NASA Ames), Tony Colaprete(NASA Ames) ... More To Be Added | 50 | |
69 | August 21, 2013 | Major Airborne Field Campaign Social [81] | EFD | To Be Added | 15 | |
68 | August 14–15, 2013 | Orion Stationary Recovery Test Social [82] [83] | LaRC | Personnel from Naval Station Norfolk, among others | 30 | |
67 | July 17, 2013 | Astronaut Health, Fitness & Rehabilitation Social [84] | JSC | To Be Added | 30 | |
66 | June 7–8, 2013 | Centennial Challenge Sample Return Robot Social [85] | WPI | To Be Added | First Social at WPI | 20 |
65 | May 30, 2013 | Going Operational - Landsat 8 Social [86] | USGS EROS Center | To Be Added | First Social with the USGS | 30 |
64 | May 22, 2013 | ISS Research Social at JSC [87] | JSC | To Be Added | 30 | |
63 | April 25–27, 2013 | Great Moonbuggy Race NASA Social [88] | USSRC & MSFC | To Be Added | First Social at MSFC | 50 |
62 | April 15–17, 2013 | Antares Launch Social [89] | Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops | To Be Added | 25 | |
61 | April 12, 2013 | JAXA-NASA Cherry Blossoms Social [90] | Goddard (GSFC) | Ramesh Kakar, NASA Earth Sciences; Gail Skofronick Jackson, NASA GPM; Riko Oki, JAXA GPM; Ardeshir Azarbarzin, NASA GPM; Masahiro Kojima, JAXA GPM; Peter Hildeband, NASA Goddard Earth Sciences; Don Figgins, Ball Aerospace; Compton Tucker, NASA Earth Sciences; Dawn Myers, NASA Goddard Solar Science; Horace Mitchell, NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio; Ben Reed, Robotic Refueling Mission; Jason Dworkin, Astrobiology Analytical Lab and OSIRIS-REx; Ed Packard and Janet Thomas, Satellite Integration and Testing; Craig Pollock, MMS; and Paul Geithner, JWST | 60 | |
60 | March 19, 2013 | ISS Social at JSC [91] | JSC | To Be Added | 30 | |
59 | March 10, 2013 | NASA Social at SXSW Interactive [92] | Austin, Texas | To Be Added | First NASA Social at SXSW | 20 |
58 | February 28 & March 1, 2013 | SpaceX CRS-2 Launch Social [93] | KSC | To Be Added | 50 | |
57 | February 20, 2013 | Science on the ISS Social [94] [95] | NASA HQ & Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | William Gerstenmaier, Tara Ruttley, Tom Marshburn, Kevin Ford, Chris Hatfield, Marshall Poterfield | 150 | |
56 | February 10–11, 2013 | Landsat Data Continuity Mission Launch Social [96] | VAFB | To Be Added | 80 | |
55 | January 29–30, 2013 | TDRS-K Launch Social [97] | CCAFS | To Be Added | 60 | |
54 | January 25, 2013 | NASA Airborne Earth Science Event at Dryden Social [98] | Dryden (DFRC) | To Be Added | 50 | |
53 | January 18, 2013 | NASA Open House Social [99] | NASA HQ | To Be Added | 75 | |
52 | December 4, 2012 | AGU Social [100] | Moscone Center | To Be Added | 20 | |
51 | December 4, 2012 | @AstroAcaba Social [101] | NASA HQ | Astronaut Joe Acaba | 150 | |
50 | November 1–2, 2012 | Atlantis Social [102] | KSCVC | To Be Added | 45 [103] | |
49 | October 15, 2012 | Goldstone DSN Social [104] [105] | Goldstone DSN | To Be Added | First Goldstone Social | 65 |
48 | October 7, 2012 | SpaceX CRS-1 Launch Social [106] | KSC | NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell | First Media Accreditation for Social Media | 50 |
47 | September 19–20, 2012 | Dryden Endeavour Social [107] | Dryden (DFRC) | To Be Added | 40 | |
46 | August 22–23, 2012 | Radiation Belt Storm Probes Launch Social [108] | KSC | David Sibeck, NASA Living with a Star Mission Scientist, Nicky Fox, Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Deputy Project Scientist, Dave "Kouch" Kusnierkiewiczm Space Dept. Chief Engineer JHU/APL, Aly Mendoza-Hill, Mission Manager NASA Launch Services Program. Astronaut Leland Melvin, Associate Administrator for Education NASA HQ, Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator. Kurt Lindstrom, Civil Space Business Area Executive JHU/APL | 50 | |
45 | August 2–3, 2012 | KSC 50th Anniversary Social | KSC | Caley Burke @RocketCaley (NASA LSP), Si Song (ULA) | First Multi-Site Social [109] | 50 |
44 | August 3, 2012 | Ames Mars Curiosity Social | Ames (ARC) | Danny Skarka @dannyskarka | First Multi-Site Social [110] | 20 |
43 | August 3, 2012 | Glenn Mars Curiosity Social | Glenn (GRC) | To Be Added | First Multi-Site Social [110] | 30 |
42 | August 3, 2012 | Goddard Mars Curiosity Social [111] | Goddard (GSFC) | Jason Dworkin, Astrobiology Analytical Lab, OSIRIS-REx; Chris Johnson & Melissa Trainer, SAM Environmental Chamber; Paul Geithner, James Webb Space Telescope; guides: Lora Bleacher, Ellen Gray, Liz Zubritsky, Rob Garner, Erin Ryan, Rupa Nune, and Aries Keck | First Multi-Site Social [110] | 20 |
41 | August 3, 2012 | JSC Mars Curiosity Social | JSC | To Be Added | First Multi-Site Social [110] | 25 |
40 | August 3, 2012 | Langley Mars Curiosity Social | Langley (LaRC) | David Bowles, Associate Site Director; Walt Engelund, Chief Engineer, Neil Cheatwood, MEDLI principal investigator; Steve Gaddis, Game Changing Program Office | First Multi-Site Social [110] | 30 |
39 | August 3–5, 2012 | Mars Curiosity Landing Social [112] | JPL | JPL Mission Manager Arthur Amador; [113] MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada; [114] NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; Project Manager for Curiosity Richard Cook; [115] JPL Director Charles Elachi; Visualization Producer for NASA JPL Doug Ellison; [116] Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver; NASA's Science Mission Directorate John M. Grunsfeld; [117] Curiosity rover driver and engineer at JPL Matt Heverly; [118] Former Director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program Doug McCuistion; NASA Astronaut Leland D. Melvin; NASA JPL Curiosity Lead Engineer Adam Steltzner; JPL Director of the Engineering and Science Directorate Peter Theisinger; JPL Aerospace engineer Steve Sell; [119] JPL Navigation and Control Systems Manager and Strategic Uplink Lead Steven Lee; [120] JPL Aerospace Engineer Anita Sengupta; [121] JPL Astronautics Systems Engineer Randii Wessen. Non-NASA presentations: Actress Nichelle Nichols; Entrepreneur and musician Will.i.am; TV Host Alex Trebek; Big Bang Theory co-producer Bill Prady; Actress June Lockhart; Actor Jay R. Ferguson; and Actor Wil Wheaton. | First Multi-Site Social [110] | 25 |
38 | July 23, 2012 | Landsat Social [122] [123] | Newseum in DC & Goddard (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD | To Be Added | 25 | |
37 | May 4, 2012 | Dryden Social [124] [125] Social | Dryden Flight Research Center | To Be Added | First Dryden Social; sonic boom planned | 75 |
36 | May 18–19, 2012 | Space X COTS 2 Social [126] [127] | KSC | NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver; SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell; NASA Public Affairs Officer Josh Byerly; NASA Flow Director for Space Shuttle Orbiter Transition and Retirement Stephanie Stilson; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; KSC Director Bob Cabana | First SpaceX Social | 50 |
35 | April 19, 2012 | Discovery Welcome Social [128] [129] [130] | Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | Director of National Air and Space Museum (NASM), General Jack Dailey; Secretary of NASM, Wayne Clough; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; Senator John Glenn; France A. Córdova. [131] | First NASA Social; First at Udvar-Hazy Center | 30 |
34 | March 2, 2012 | Glenn Tweetup [132] | Glenn (GRC) | Astronaut Gregory H. Johnson (@Astro_Box) & more. | First tweetup at Glenn | 100 |
33 | February 14, 2012 | @Astro_Ron Tweetup [133] | NASA HQ | Astronaut Ron Garan (@Astro_Ron & @FragileOasis) | 150 | |
32 | February 13, 2012 | NASA Budget Tweetup [134] | NASA HQ | NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and NASA Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Robinson [135] | 20 | |
31 | November 25 & 26, 2011 [136] | Mars Science Laboratory Launch [137] | KSC | Astronauts Doug Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels) and Leland Melvin (@Astro_Flow), NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Deputy Administrator Lori Garver (@Lori_Garver), Bill Nye (@TheScienceGuy), engineers from JPL, musician will.i.am (@iamwill); Also: @MarsCuriosity [138] | Launch of the Mars Science Laboratory mission carrying the Curiosity rover [139] | 151 |
30 | November 8, 2011 | Langley Tweetup [140] | Langley (LaRC) | Charles Harris, Director of Research, NASA Langley; Bruce Fisher, Flight Services; Mike Obland, Airborne Science; astronaut Susan Kilrain; Karen Whitley, Inflatable Lunar Habitat; Mary Beth Wusk, Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator; Amanda Cutright, Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment; Roman Paryz, National Transonic Facility; Martin Annett, Landing Impact Research/Hydro Impact Basin Facility [141] | First tweetup at Langley, Orion capsule splash test | 50 |
29 | October 27, 2011 [142] | NPP satellite (Delta II) Launch [143] | VAFB | @NASANPP; NASA Astronaut Piers Sellers, the deputy director of the Sciences and Exploration Directorate at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; NPP Project Scientist Jim Gleason; NPP Systems Manager Janice Smith; NASA Launch Director Tim Dunn; Scott Asbury, a senior program manager with Ball Aerospace & Technologies, Corp. in Boulder, Colorado. [142] | First tweetup at Vandenberg; [143] First tweetup for a U.S. West coast launch; [142] Launch of Earth-observing NPP satellite [143] | 20-24 [142] [144] |
28 | October 21, 2011 | Wallops Tweetup [145] | Wallops (WFF) | Rebecca Powell, Joyce Winterton, Stephanie Schierholz-intro; Harold Cherrix, Ed Lagman, Rob Marshall, Cliff Murphy-NASA Sounding Rocket; Henry Cathey & Debbie Fairbrother-NASA Balloon Program; Sarah Daugherty-Range Control Center; Les Kovacs & Kate Campbell-Taurus II HIF (Orbital Sciences) Bill Wrobel-Wallops Director | First tweetup at Wallops | 50 |
27 | October 14, 2011 | SOFIA Telescope/Ames Tweetup [146] | Ames (ARC) | David Morse (@drmNASA); Pamela Marcum, SOFIA Project Scientist; Bill Thigpen, NASA Advanced Supercomputing; Steven Beard & Dean Giovannetti, Vertical Motion Simulator; Thomas Roellig, SOFIA Deputy Project Scientist; Roger Hunter, Kepler mission Also: @SOFIATelescope | 50 | |
26 | October 13, 2011 | STS-135 Crew (Magnus & Ferguson) [147] | NASA HQ | Final Space Shuttle crew members Sandy Magnus (@Astro_Sandy) and Chris Ferguson (@Astro_Ferg) | 150 | |
25 | September 7–8, 2011 | GRAIL spacecraft (Delta II) Launch [148] [149] | KSC | Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson), NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Nichelle Nichols (@RealNichelle), Jim Adams (@NASAJim), Sally Ride Science (@SallyRideSci), @VeronicaMcG (@NASAJPL), Maria Zuber, @Doug_Ellison (@NASA_Eyes), @TrentPerotto [150] | Launch of twin lunar-bound spacecraft | 150 |
24 | August 4–5, 2011 | Juno spacecraft (Atlas V Launch) [151] | KSC | Bill Nye (@thescienceguy), @NASAJim, @VeronicaMcG (@NASAJPL), NASA Chief Scientist Waleed Abdalati, @TrentPerotto, @SteveMatousek, @Doug_Ellison (@NASA_Eyes), @CassiniSaturn, @NASA_LSP & Juno Science Team members [152] | Launch of the Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft | 150 |
23 | July 21, 2011 | STS-135 Landing [153] | KSC | Final landing of the Space Shuttle | 50 | |
22 | July 19, 2011 | STS-135 Mission [154] [155] | JSC | @Astro_Clay, @StationCDRKelly, @Carbon_Flight, @saroy, @mgrabois, @gnholt, @Astro_Ron (from space), NASA PAO Josh Byerly | Space Shuttle ascent, rendezvous & landing simulators, as well as the Mission Control Center and the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility | 30 |
21 | July 7–8, 2011 | STS-135 Launch [156] | KSC | Lori Garver (@Lori_Garver), Elmo, @Astro_Mike, @Astro_Wheels, @Phalanx, @ISS_NatlLab, Bill Gerstenmeier, Robert Crippen, @Astro_Ron (from space) | Final launch of the Space Shuttle | 152 |
20 | June 6, 2011 | JPL Tweetup [157] [158] [159] [160] [161] | JPL | Aquarius, GRAIL, Juno, Mars Science Laboratory / @MarsCuriosity, Dawn, @SOFIATelescope, @NASAJPL, @MarsRovers, @AsteroidWatch | A few of the tweetup attendees were also invited to attend the June 8, 2011, SOFIA Telescope Media Day at Dryden Flight Research Center. [162] | 120 |
19 | Apr. 28–29, 2011 May 16, 2011 | STS-134 Launch [163] | KSC | @Astro_Clay @Astro_Flow, Astronaut Ricky Arnold NASA Chief Scientist, Waleed Abdalati | The Shuttle launch was delayed, but participants were invited back for its successful May launch attempt—the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour. | 150 |
18 | Mar. 19, 2011 | Sun-Earth Day 2011 [164] [165] | Goddard (GSFC) NASM | Aleya Littleton, Vicky Portway (NASM) Troy Cline, Michelle Thaller (GSFC) NASA EDGE (live show broadcast) [166] @SunEarthDay @NASA_SDO, @Camilla_SDO, | First tweetup at GSFC (see SDO is GO, #6 below) | 100 [167] |
17 | Mar. 16, 2011 | @Astro_Wheels Tweetup [168] | NASA HQ | Expedition 25 Commander Doug Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels) | "Wheels" was the first person to check-in in space, using Foursquare | 100 |
16 | Feb. 11, 2011 | Ames Planet Hunters | Ames (ARC) | @worden, @NASAKepler, David Morrison, Director of the Carl Sagan Center at SETI, @SOFIAtelescope | First tweetup at ARC | 100 |
15 | Nov. 10, 2010 | STS-133 Mission [169] [170] | JSC | @Astro_Clay, @AstroRobonaut, Flight Director @Tungsten_Flight & PAO Rob Navias | Although STS-133 was delayed, the tweetup went on as scheduled. | 19 |
14 | Oct. 31-Nov. 5, 2010 Feb. 24, 2011 | STS-133 Launch | KSC | @Astro_Ron, @Astro_Soichi, @Astro_Flow, @Astro_Bones, Shannon Walker & @AstroRobonaut | First extended tweetup Discovery's launch was delayed, but participants were invited back for successful Feb. launch attempt—the final flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. | 146 |
13 | July 29, 2010 | @Astro_TJ Tweetup | NASA HQ | Expedition 22/23 Flight Engineer & Science Officer, @Astro_TJ | TJ was the first astronaut to send a live tweet from space (and set up the Station's live Internet) | 100 [171] |
12 | June 5, 2010 | World Science Festival | NYU's Kimmel Center | @Astro_Flow, @Astro_Sandy, John C. Mather, Brian Greene | 73 | |
11 | May 19, 2010 | STS-132 Mission [172] | JSC | @Astro_Ron (Answered Questions by Tweet), Talat Hussain (Boeing - Presented on TDRS), Ellen Ochoa, Deputy JSC Director and Former Astronaut, @Astro_Jeff | 82 | |
10 | May 13–14, 2010 | STS-132 Launch | KSC | @Bobby_Braun, @Lori_Garver, @Rocky_Sci, astronauts Dave Wolf & Janice Voss | 2nd Tweetup at a Shuttle Atlantis launch | 143 |
9 | May 3, 2010 | SDO First Light | DC - Newseum | Dean Pesnell, SDO project scientist, NASA GSFC Madhulika Guhathakurta, SDO program scientist, NASA HQ [173] [174] | Hosted by Goddard Space Flight Center. | 16 |
8 | April 18, 2010 | Earth Day - 40th [175] | DC - National Mall | James Balog, Rob Simmon, Compton Tucker [176] | 40 | |
7 | Feb 17, 2010 | STS-130 Mission [177] | JSC | @Astro_Bones/@ZeroG_MD | First tweetup at JSC | 100 [178] |
6 | Feb 11, 2010 | "SDO is Go" Launch [179] [180] | KSC | First launch tweetup for uncrewed vehicle Organized by GSFC [181] | 15 [182] 35 (GSFC) | |
5 | Nov 15–16, 2009 | STS-129 Launch [183] [184] [185] [186] | KSC | @Astro_Mike, Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly), Jon Cowart (@Rocky_Sci), @MarsPhoenix's @VeronicaMcG, Miles O'Brien, Wayne Hale | First tweetup at KSC First Shuttle launch tweetup First 2-day event | 101 [187] |
4 | Oct. 21, 2009 | ISS Crew [183] [188] | NASA HQ | @Astro_Nicole & @Astro_Jeff aboard ISS | First tweetup featuring live downlink from ISS Link with ISS was cut short due to a false alarm aboard Station during tweetup. [189] | 24 |
3 | Sept. 24, 2009 | STS-127 Crew [183] [190] | NASA HQ | @Astro_127 & the rest of STS-127 crew | 58 | |
2 | July 21, 2009 | STS-125 Crew [183] [191] | NASA HQ | @Astro_Mike & rest of STS-125 crew | First tweetup at NASA HQ | 120 |
1 | Jan. 21, 2009 | JPL Tweetup [9] [183] [192] [193] [194] | JPL | @MarsPhoenix's @VeronicaMcG | First NASA tweetup First tweetup at JPL | 130 |
In the 2015 film The Martian , Donald Glover's character Rich Purnell, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory employee, wore a #NASASocial lanyard. [200] This lanyard was frequently given out to NASA Social participants and NASA employees who supported the events. Per Veronica McGregor, NASA JPL News/Social Media Manager, "when the producers came to @NASAJPL for film research, [Stephanie L. Smith, NASA JPL Digital & Social Media Supervisor,] slipped the #NASASocial lanyards into their swag bags. :)" [201]
Chris Austin Hadfield is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, musician, and writer. The first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS). Prior to his career as an astronaut, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 25 years as an Air Command fighter pilot.
The Teacher in Space Project (TISP) was a NASA program announced by Ronald Reagan in 1984 designed to inspire students, honor teachers, and spur interest in mathematics, science, and space exploration. The project would carry teachers into space as Payload Specialists, who would return to their classrooms to share the experience with their students.
Michael López-Alegría is an astronaut, test pilot and commercial astronaut with dual nationality, American and Spanish; a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission. He is known for having performed ten spacewalks so far in his career, presently holding the second longest all-time EVA duration record and having the fifth-longest spaceflight of any American at the length of 215 days; this time was spent on board the ISS from September 18, 2006, to April 21, 2007. López-Alegría commanded Axiom-1, the first ever all-private team of commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station, which launched on April 8, 2022, and spent just over 17 days in Earth's orbit.
Jeffrey Nels Williams is a retired United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four space flights and formerly held the American record for most days spent in space, which was surpassed in April 2017 by his colleague Peggy Whitson. He still holds the record of the longest time in space for an American man.
Charles Frank Bolden Jr. is a former Administrator of NASA, a retired United States Marine Corps Major General, and a former astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions.
Michael James Massimino is an American professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and a former NASA astronaut. He is the senior advisor of space programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
Christopher J. "Fergy" Ferguson is a Boeing commercial astronaut and a retired United States Navy captain and NASA astronaut. He was the pilot of Space Shuttle Atlantis on his first mission to space, STS-115, which launched on September 9, 2006, and returned to Earth on September 21, 2006. He then commanded STS-126 aboard Space ShuttleEndeavour. In 2011, he was assigned as commander of STS-135, which was the final mission of the space shuttle program.
Douglas Harry "Wheels" Wheelock is an American engineer and astronaut. He has flown in space twice, logging 178 days on the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Russian Soyuz. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced that he would be returning to active duty with the United States Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is currently working with NASA to test the Orion spacecraft at the Glenn Research Center in Plum Brook, Ohio.
STS-129 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis was launched on November 16, 2009, at 14:28 EST, and landed at 09:44 EST on November 27, 2009, on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. It was also the last Shuttle mission of the 2000s.
Garrett Erin Reisman is an American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He was a backup crew member for Expedition 15 and joined Expedition 16 aboard the International Space Station for a short time before becoming a member of Expedition 17. He returned to Earth on June 14, 2008 on board STS-124 on Space Shuttle Discovery. He was a member of the STS-132 mission that traveled to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis from May 14 to 26, 2010. He is a consultant at SpaceX and a Professor of Astronautics Practice at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering.
Gregory Errol Chamitoff is a Canadian-born American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He has been to space twice, spending 6 months aboard the ISS across Expedition 17 and 18 in 2008, and another 15 days as part of STS-134 in 2011. STS-134 was the last of Space Shuttle Endeavour which delivered the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and completed the US Orbital Segment.
Karen LuJean Nyberg is an American mechanical engineer and retired NASA astronaut. Nyberg became the 50th woman in space on her first mission in 2008. Nyberg holds a Ph.D in mechanical engineering. She started her space career in 1991 and spent a total of 180 days in space in 2008 and 2013 as a mission specialist on STS-124 and a flight engineer on Soyuz TMA-09M.
Nicole Marie Passonno Stott is an American engineer and a retired NASA astronaut. She served as a flight engineer on ISS Expedition 20 and Expedition 21 and was a mission specialist on STS-128 and STS-133. After 27 years of working at NASA, the space agency announced her retirement effective June 1, 2015. She is married to Christopher Stott, a Manx-born American space entrepreneur.
Randolph James "Komrade" Bresnik is a retired officer in the United States Marine Corps and an active NASA astronaut. A Marine Aviator by trade, Bresnik was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 19 in May 2004. He first launched to space on STS-129, then served as flight engineer for Expedition 52, and as ISS commander for Expedition 53.
NASA Astronaut Group 19 was a NASA spaceflight team that saw the training of two pilots, six mission specialists, three educator mission specialists to become NASA astronauts. These 11 astronauts began training in 2004. This was the last group to fly the Space Shuttle.
Astronauts and other spaceflight participants have observed their religions while in space; sometimes publicly, sometimes privately. Religious adherence in outer space poses unique challenges and opportunities for practitioners. Space travelers have reported profound changes in the way they view their faith related to the overview effect, while some secular groups have criticized the use of government spacecraft for religious activities by astronauts.
A space selfie is a selfie that is taken in outer space. This include selfies taken by astronauts, machines and by indirect methods.