The Great #NASATweetup Adventure

As some of you may know, I was recently selected by NASA to attend the Tweetup surrounding the launch of STS-133. This launch is to be the final flight of the Shuttle Discovery, and one of the last flights before the shuttle program itself is put into retirement. Needless to say, I was a bit excited. The event was put on at the NASA press site, which is just a hair over three miles from the shuttle. We all gathered there to hear from NASA directors, astronauts, and technicians.

So I set out Saturday on my adventure…

To put the Tweetup in perspective, it was riddled with difficulties from the beginning. Technicians found a leak in some of the plumbing for the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) which almost caused a delay, but the repairs were made in time for a Monday (Nov 1) launch. Everything seemed good for launch, then while techs were pressurizing Discovery’s main propulsion and OMS, two leaks were found in the plumbing of the right-side OMS pod. This repair pushed Discovery back to Tuesday. Subsequently, all of the Tweetup events were pushed back one day as well. This actually worked out rather well, since it gave me an extra day to explore the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

The KSC Visitor Complex was an incredible experience. I highly recommend it for everyone out there. And especially to families in hopes of getting their kids excited about space exploration. There were exhibits that covered the gamut of the space program, from early rockets in the Rocket Garden to an exhibit covering the new Orion crew module. You can even check out the inside of a full size shuttle mock-up. Once I had my seven-hour fill of the complex, I hit up the gift store for a mission patch and some gifts then headed out to dinner with a bunch of my fellow Tweetup attendees.

Monday was the big day. We gathered in the tent and got the opportunity to learn so much about the shuttle program, and specifically Discovery’s last journey. A demo of Robonaut 2 was given to the group, as was a demo of the ACES suit the astronauts wear during launch and re-entry (the orange ones). It was great to see all of these people together in one place, collectively paying attention while burying themselves in their laptops and phones – tweeting the day away.

By Monday, we knew the launch had been delayed again, this time to Wednesday. So after a few logistic issues, we set out for an after-hours tour of the facilities. We headed to pad 39A first – Discovery’s home for the past month while it gets ready to fly. We snapped some photos – most all looking the same, but I felt compelled to keep taking photos. Then we headed to the Saturn V Center. By far my favorite experience of the trip. A full-size actual restored Saturn V rocket is on display in the main center. The sheer scale of this piece of engineering mastery had me in awe. I couldn’t even get a photo of the entire rocket.

Tuesday was a work day, then we headed out to the pad again to see the Rotating Service Structure be retracted (the structure covering the orbiter in my photo above). As we all gathered at the press site, it was announced that the shuttle wouldn’t be taking off on Wednesday either, due to an electrical issue that had been sending back abnormal numbers during tests. We still traveled to the launch pad, but it was bittersweet for me to see it for the last time, knowing that I wouldn’t get to see it fly.

While the launch itself may not have been a success for me, I believe it strengthens the fact that this event was about far, far more than Discovery’s final flight. It was about the ability that Twitter, and other ‘social media’ sites have to bring people together. I stayed in a house with 6 people I only knew through their tweets. Yet it was an absolutely amazing experience because we were there for a common purpose. NASA reached out to their followers and gave 150 people the best 3 days (or a week for those still there) that a space nerd could ask for. Without Twitter, none of us would have been there, and NASA itself would likely not be getting as much coverage for the launch. Twitter has provided 150 users with an unprecedented opportunity to connect with each other and the great space organization we know and love. And in turn, share that experience with the thousands of people that couldn’t be there. I realize that this isn’t the only instance of this happening. How has Twitter or other social media outlets helped you connect with others? Any great stories? I’d love to hear them.

Check back next week for the picture post from the trip!

Oh, and please forgive me next time I tweet about NASA. I’m hoping for another go at a launch.