Contests and giveaways on Twitter are not new and nor are they unique, however, a ‘follow-us-and-win’ contest launched by NASA is making big news, and, the prize? 150 Twitter followers will be invited to watch the Curiosity Mars Rover launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Tweetup will take place just prior to the launch window, which begins at 10:21am EST on November 25. The Tweetup will culminate in the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover aboard an Atlas V 541 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This of course, is a day after Thanksgiving, which is a holiday for NASA. Hence, activities commence on the 23rd and if the launch is delayed by bad weather, you can stick around for an extra 24 hours.
The event will provide NASA’s social media followers with an opportunity to tour Kennedy Space Center; speak with scientists and engineers; and, if all goes as scheduled, view the spacecraft launch. The event will also provide participants the opportunity to meet fellow tweeps and members of NASA’s social media team.
It is anticipated that Curiosity will arrive at the Red Planet, sometime in August 2012, at the 96 mile-long Gale Crater. During its 2-year mission, the rover will investigate whether the selected area of Mars offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life and for preserving evidence about life, if it existed.
2011 has been the busiest ever in planetary exploration. Mars Science Laboratory is the fourth space mission launching this year managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. On June 10, Aquarius was launched to study ocean salinity, August 5 saw the launch of Juno to study the origins and interior of Jupiter and the twin GRAIL orbiters departed for the moon on Sept. 10.
A thing to be noted is that the trip is not paid for. If you turn out to be one of the lucky 150, you will have to arrange for your flight and accommodation.
Tweetup registration opens at noon on Wednesday, October 5, and closes at noon on Friday, October 7 and you need to have a Twitter account to participate. NASA will randomly select 150 participants from online registrations.
NASA is active on all the popular social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. On March 28, NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock was honored with a Shorty Award for an image of the moon he took and posted to his Twitter account, @Astro_Wheels, while living aboard the International Space Station last year.
Wheelock’s “Moon from Space” image was selected as the best Real-Time Photo of the Year. The Shorty Awards honor people and organizations producing short-form, real-time social media content. Winners are determined by a combination of popular vote and members of the Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences.
For more information and rules about the Tweetup and registration, visit:
For information about connecting and collaborating with NASA, visit:
For information about the mission, visit:
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