NASA Tweetup and Last Shuttle Launch Guide

I’ll be using this blog to chronicle my experiences with NASA Tweetup. On this blog you can keep track of what I will being doing in the weeks leading up to the NASA Tweetup as well as when I am at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 7-8, 2011. I'm sure I'll have lots of amazing photos and videos to share here. Make sure to follow me on Twitter at @julieanntuttle for updates too.

Since getting the amazing news from NASA exactly a week ago that I would be seeing the last launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from friends, family, and co-workers about this tweetup event and the shuttle launch. To answer some of those questions, I’ve put together a list of resources you can use to keep up with the last shuttle launch and the NASA Tweetup event.

What is a NASA Tweetup?

A Tweetup is an informal meeting of people who use the social messaging medium Twitter. NASA Tweetups provide @NASA followers with the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at NASA facilities and events and speak with scientists, engineers, astronauts and managers. NASA Tweetups range from two hours to two days in length and include a "meet and greet" session to allow participants to mingle with fellow Tweeps and the people behind NASA's Twitter feeds. Registration for NASA Tweetups will be announced on Twitter @NASA and @NASATweetup. (Taken from NASA website.)

What is STS-135? Each NASA launch and mission has a designation. Atlantis is on mission STS-135 to the International Space Station.

NASA Tweetup STS-135 (aka Atlantis Shuttle Launch Tweetup) -  information about the STS-135 NASA Tweetup registration and event.

Google Map of STS-135 – show locations of Tweetup activities at KSC. Also contains locations of the 150 national and international attendees.

NASA Tweeps Selected to Attend STS-135 Tweetup - attendees of the #NASATweetup at Atlantis' launch, targeted for July 8, 2011. (Look for me @julieanntuttle)

NASA Tweetup Wiki – excellent one stop resource of general information and links to attendee lists, images, blog posts, projects, etc.

Resources to Find Out More about NASA’s Launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis

Official NASA STS-135 Mission Information – Contains astronaut crew profiles along with mission overview.

NASA on Social Network Sites - Lists websites and social media where you can connect and collaborate with NASA.

STS135 References Wiki – Links to lots of resources and information.

CBS News Space: STS-135 Flight Data - Contains extensive list of launch windows, detailed technical specs, and a countdown clock.

Launch Photography – You’ll of course find lots of great pictures here. If you plan on seeing the launch in person, there is also a very helpful page about the best places to view a launch.

Google Map of Best Places to View the Launch – Over a million people are expected to view this historic last launch. If you are planning to go, you better have a plan.

Space Shuttle Atlantis – On this NASA webpage you’ll find lots of information about the Atlantis shuttle.