The Future Is Now: Astronaut Hosts Tweetup

Just when you thought the world couldn't get more frivolously connected, an astronaut is set to host a tweetup in the District.

And not just any astronaut! This is Doug Wheelock, the first astronaut to "check in" from space on Foursquare. (Yes, he did have to create a new location on Foursquare to do so.)

His check-in on Oct. 22, 2010 began a partnership between NASA and Foursquare and unlocked the NASA Explorer badge, the agency reported on its website.

Now he's hosting a Tweetup this Wednesday afternoon at NASA headquarters Although registration was conducted via lottery and is now closed, you can follow along with the follow along with the Tweetup on Twitter via the hashtag #NASATweetup. "The goal is to allow people who regularly interact with each other via Twitter to meet in person and discuss their favorite subjects: space and science," says NASA's website.

That sounds a little too... substantive for Twitter, but who are we to argue with rocket scientists?

If you're still interested, there's another Tweetup next month -- but this one's in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center. The space shuttle Endeavor is set to launch the evening of April 19, and 150 @NASA followers will have the chance to view the launch and meet astronaturs, techs and engineers. Registration for that lottery opens at noon on Monday, March 14 and runs for 24 hours. While the lottery is open, it wlil be viewable here.


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