First NASA Astronaut To "Check In" From Space Hosts DC Tweetup
WASHINGTON -- NASA invites its Twitter followers to a special Tweetup with astronaut Doug Wheelock at 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 16. The event will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, Washington.Wheelock posted images he took of Earth from the International Space Station to his Twitter account, and he was the first person to "check in" from space. He used social networking application Foursquare's mobile site to register his location aboard the orbiting laboratory, 220 miles above Earth. The Oct. 22, 2010, check in launched a partnership between the agency and Foursquare and unlocked the NASA
Explorer badge.
A Tweetup is an informal meeting of people who use the social
messaging medium Twitter. This NASA Tweetup is an opportunity to meet
and speak with Wheelock, the people behind NASA's Twitter account and
other space-exploration-minded participants.
Registration for the event is open from 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28,
until 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 3. NASA will randomly select 100
participants from Web registrants. Additional applicants will be
placed on a waiting list. For more NASA Tweetup information and to
sign up, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/tweetup
Wheelock launched to the station on June 15, 2010, beginning a six
month mission. On Sept. 22, he assumed command of the station and
Expedition 25 crew. During the mission, the Expedition 24 and 25 crew
members worked on more than 120 microgravity experiments in human
research; biology and biotechnology; physical and materials sciences;
technology development; Earth and space sciences.
Wheelock returned to Earth on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2010.
Wheelock's Twitter account is:
http://www.twitter.com/Astro_
For Wheelock's biography, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
For more information about NASA's partnership with Foursquare, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect/
To connect with NASA on Twitter, Foursquare and more, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect
Source: NASA
