[amsat-bb] NASA West Coast Tweetup

[Clint Bradford]

Sept. 2, 2011

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

Aries Keck
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-814-8858
aries.c.keck at nasa.gov
RELEASE: 11-287

NASA HOSTING FIRST WEST COAST LAUNCH TWEETUP FOR EARTH-OBSERVING SATELLITE

WASHINGTON -- NASA will invite 25 of its U.S. Twitter followers to a
Tweetup expected to culminate in the launch of the first of a new
generation of Earth-observing satellites from Vandenberg Air Force
Base (VAFB) in California.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT on Monday, Oct.
24. NASA's NPP satellite is scheduled to launch aboard a United
Launch Alliance Delta II rocket between 2:48 and 2:57 a.m. on
Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System
Preparatory Project (NPP) will observe many facets of our changing
Earth. It will collect critical data on long-term climate change and
short-term weather conditions. With NPP, NASA continues many key data
records initiated by the agency's Earth Observing System satellites,
monitoring changes in the atmosphere, oceans, vegetation, ice and
solid Earth.

During Tweetup activities on Oct. 24, participants will tour
Vandenberg's launch facilities; speak with agency and NPP mission
scientists and managers; and interact with each other and NASA's
social media team. For the early-morning rocket launch, participants
will watch from a special viewing section that will include a
pre-launch concert by "Mobility" from the United States Air Force
Band of the Golden West.

Vandenberg is headquarters for the 30th Space Wing, which manages
space and missile testing for the Department of Defense and places
satellites into polar orbit from the West Coast using expendable
boosters.

Registration opens at noon EDT (9 a.m. PDT) on Tuesday, Sept. 13, and
closes at 5 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. PDT) on Thursday, Sept. 15. NASA will
randomly select 25 participants and create a waiting list. Because
this event takes place on an Air Force base with restricted areas,
registration is limited to U.S. citizens.

Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's
Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

For more information about the Tweetup and to register, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/tweetup


For information about connecting and collaborating with NASA, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/connect


For information about the NPP mission, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov/npp




and




Clint Bradford, K6LCS
909-241-7666