Oct 2, 2009

Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 katherine trinidad@nasa gov

James Hartsfield Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 james a hartsfield@nasa gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-187

FIRST NASA ASTRONAUT ON TWITTER TOPS A MILLION FOLLOWERS

HOUSTON -- The first astronaut to tweet from space has passed another social media milestone NASA's Mike Massimino, known as @Astro_Mike on Twitter, now shares his daily experiences with more than a million followers on the micro-blogging service

Massimino flew in May aboard the final space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope He began a Twitter account about a month before his launch, provided updates throughout his time in orbit and continues to tweet about his post-flight experiences and the life and work of an astronaut

"I am thrilled that so many people have been following and responding with such wonderful comments," Massimino said "I tweet because I feel very lucky to have, what in my opinion, is the best job in the world I've learned that there are so many people around the world who really love the space program and have a heartfelt interest in space travel -- just like me "

Massimino can be followed at:

http://www twitter com/Astro_Mike

Since Massimino's flight, many other astronauts have begun to share insights of their experiences on Twitter They offer varied perspectives of both training on Earth and flying in space Among the NASA astronauts now active on Twitter:

-- Jeff Williams, space station Expedition 21 flight engineer and future station commander who arrived at the station early Friday He will provide updates, including video and still imagery, about his six-month stay in orbit He can be followed at:

http://www twitter com/Astro_Jeff

-- Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott, also aboard the station, is providing insights of her time in space She can be followed at:

http://www twitter com/Astro_Nicole

-- Astronauts and twins Mark and Scott Kelly, slated to command the space shuttle and the International Space Station, respectively, next year, are sharing their unique perspectives with the Twitter community -- and with each other -- as they train at locations around the world

Mark Kelly can be followed at:

http://www twitter com/shuttlecdrkelly

Scott Kelly can be followed at:

http://www twitter com/stationcdrkelly

-- Astronaut Jose Hernandez began NASA's first bilingual Twitter account in July about his preparation for last month's STS-128 shuttle mission He tweets about his post-flight activities in English and Spanish He can be followed at:

http://www twitter com/astro_jose

More astronauts flying in space and training on Earth are expected to begin tweeting about their experiences in the near future All NASA astronauts on Twitter can be followed at:

http://www twitter com/NASA_Astronauts

For a list of NASA missions providing updates on social media Web sites, visit:

http://www nasa gov/collaborate

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