It’s a big rover, so nothing but a big event is appropriate. NASA is going to hold the first-ever multi-center “Social” (formerly known as Tweetups) in conjunction with the landing of the Mars Science Laboratory’s Curiosity rover on Aug. 6 EDT (Aug. 5 PDT). In case you’re not familiar, NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks.
You can register to attend events at one of six NASA centers: Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.; Johnson Space Center in Houston; Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va.; and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. JPL will be having the main event, and each of the other centers will be connected via a multi-center NASA Television simulcast with JPL, home of the Curiosity rover.
If you live close to any of these centers or are willing to travel, and are at all even remotely interested in space exploration, you should register for the chance to attend. Tweetups NASA Socials are incredible events (some attendees have called them life-altering) where you get behind-the-scenes looks at the centers, tours that aren’t normally given to the public, and presentations by scientists, engineers and managers. The events also will provide guests the opportunity to interact with fellow social media users, space enthusiasts and members of NASA’s social media team. Participants will learn about the Mars Science Laboratory mission and their respective NASA field center. They are encouraged to share their experience with others through their favorite social networks.
Registration for the five new NASA Socials opens at noon EDT, Friday, June 29, and closes at noon Tuesday, July 3. NASA randomly will select participants from online registrations. People may register for NASA Socials to be held at multiple locations, but selectees will be chosen for one event only. Each field center’s social and number of guests allowed varies. For more information on each center’s activities and rules pertaining to NASA Social registration, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/social
Curiosity is currently scheduled to land at Mars’ Gale crater at approximately 1:31 a.m. EDT Aug. 6 (10:31 p.m. PDT Aug. 5), so be prepared to stay up late! But it should be worth it.
During the two-year prime mission, the rover will investigate whether the selected area of Mars offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life or if evidence of it existed. Find out more about MSL at this website: http://www.nasa.gov/msl