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NASA has hosted many events for its social media enthusiasts called NASA Socials (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,
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, 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. NASA re-branded these events as "Socials" in March 2012 as it expanded participation to services beyond just Twitter. 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. In August 2011, over 2,000 participants had been part of official NASA Tweetups. By July 2014, that number had swelled to over 6,000 total participants in over 5 years of NASA Social programs. 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
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, and during larger events such as
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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.


History

The first NASA Tweetup was held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...
, in January 2009. During this event, guests were given exclusive tours and access to JPL scientists and engineers., 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.


Speakers and participants

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 Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
President Gwynne Shotwell, Senator and astronaut
John Glenn John Herschel Glenn Jr. (July 18, 1921 – December 8, 2016) was an American Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. He was the third American in space, and the first American to orbit the Earth, circling ...
,
Bill Nye William Sanford Nye (born November 27, 1955), popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter. He is best known as the host of the science television show ''Bill ...
, and final Space Shuttle crew members
Sandy Magnus Sandra Hall Magnus (born October 30, 1964) is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She returned to Earth with the crew of STS-119 Space Shuttle Discovery, ''Discovery'' on March 28, 2009, after having spent 134 days in orbit. She was ...
and
Chris Ferguson Christopher Philip Ferguson (born April 11, 1963) is an American professional poker player. He has won six World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Ferguson is a ...
. 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 William Scott Prady (born June 7, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who has worked on American sitcoms and variety programs, including '' Married... with Children'', '' Dream On'', '' Star Trek: Voyager'', ''Dharma & Greg'', ' ...
, Kevin Clash, Miles O'Brien,
Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting ...
,
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...
, and many others.


List of NASA Socials and Tweetups


Awards

# 2009
Shorty Awards The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work globally in digital and social media by brands, agencies, nonprofits and creators. The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of exce ...
for science for updates on the Mars Phoenix Lander # Space Foundation's 2012
Douglas S. Morrow Douglas Morrow (September 13, 1913 – September 9, 1994) was a Hollywood screenwriter and film producer. He earned an Academy Award for his script for 1949's ''The Stratton Story'', a biography of baseball player Monty Stratton, who was disabl ...
Public Outreach Award # 2012
Shorty Awards The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work globally in digital and social media by brands, agencies, nonprofits and creators. The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of exce ...
for best social media manager to NASA's Stephanie Schierholz # 2012 and 2013
Shorty Awards The Shorty Awards (also known as “The Shortys”) honors the most innovative work globally in digital and social media by brands, agencies, nonprofits and creators. The Shortys’ mission is to celebrate, inspire and push the boundaries of exce ...
for best government use of social media. # Space Flight Awareness Award # NASA Exceptional Service Medal # NASA Group Achievement Award


Cultural references

In the 2015 film '' The Martian'',
Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glove ...
's character Rich Purnell, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory employee, wore a #NASASocial lanyard. 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, tephanie L. Smith, NASA JPL Digital & Social Media Supervisor,slipped the #NASASocial lanyards into their swag bags. :)"


External links

* Official site fo
NASA Socials
* * *
9.88 gigapixel panoramic image of Juno Tweetup


References

{{NASA navbox NASA Social media