Sept 1, 2011

Allard Beutel Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 allard beutel@nasa gov

Stephanie L Schierholz Headquarters, Washington 202-358-4997 stephanie schierholz@nasa gov

Veronica McGregor Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif 818-354-9452 veronica c mcgregor@jpl nasa gov

RELEASE: 11-285

NASA INVITES 150 LUCKY TWITTER FOLLOWERS TO LAUNCH OF LUNAR SPACECRAFT

WASHINGTON -- NASA has invited 150 followers of the agency's Twitter account to a two-day launch Tweetup Sept 7-8 The Tweetup is expected to culminate in the launch of the twin lunar-bound GRAIL spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida

The launch is targeted for 8:37 a m EDT on Sept 8 The two GRAIL spacecraft will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail from crust to core The mission also will answer longstanding questions about the moon and provide scientists with a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed

Tweetup participants were selected from more than 800 people who registered online They will share their Tweetup experiences with their followers through the social networking site Twitter

Participants represent the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Spain and the United Kingdom Attendees from the U S come from 32 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin

Beginning at 3 p m on Wednesday, Sept 7, NASA will broadcast a portion of the Tweetup when attendees talk with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden; Jim Adams, deputy director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters in Washington; Maria Zuber, GRAIL principal investigator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge; Sami Asmar, GRAIL deputy project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif ; and Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Frederick P Rose Director at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York To watch the broadcast, visit:

http://www ustream tv/channel/nasa-tweetup

Participants also will tour NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, including a close-up visit to the launch pad

Reporters interested in interviewing Tweetup attendees should contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-1100 or stephanie schierholz@nasa gov Reporters interested in covering the afternoon program Sept 7 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex must secure access through Andrea Farmer by 5 p m Sept 6 at 321-449-4318 or afarmer@dncinc com

Previously, NASA invited groups to attend the launch of the Juno spacecraft on its way to Jupiter and to five space shuttle launches: Atlantis' STS-129, STS-132 and STS-135 missions, Discovery's STS-133 mission, and Endeavour's STS-134 mission

To follow participants on Twitter as they experience the prelaunch events and GRAIL's liftoff, follow the #NASATweetup hashtag and the list of attendees at:

http://www twitter com/nasatweetup/grail-launch

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif , manages the mission For more information about GRAIL, visit:

http://www nasa gov/grail

To connect with NASA on Twitter and other social networking sites, visit:

http://www nasa gov/connect

-end-

To subscribe to the list, send a message to: ksc-subscribe@newsletters nasa gov To remove your address from the list, send a message to: ksc-unsubscribe@newsletters nasa gov

The following information is a reminder of your current mailing list subscription:

You are subscribed to the following list: [list_name]

using the following email: example@example.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

https://aus-city com/cgi-bin/dada/mail cgi/u/STS_ISS_STATUS/example/example com/

If the above URL is inoperable, make sure that you have copied the entire address Some mail readers will wrap a long URL and thus break this automatic unsubscribe mechanism

You may also change your subscription by visiting this list's main screen:

<[program_url]/list/[list]>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:[list_owner_email]>

The following physical address is associated with this mailing list:

[physical_address]