[meteorite-list] NASA Hosts First Multi-Center Social Media Event for Mars Landing

[Ron Baalke]

June 25, 2012

John Yembrick / Jason Townsend 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-0359 
john.yembrick at nasa.gov / jason.c.townsend at nasa.gov 

RELEASE: 12-216

NASA HOSTS FIRST MULTI-CENTER SOCIAL MEDIA EVENT FOR MARS LANDING

WASHINGTON -- NASA is inviting its social media followers to the 
first-ever multi-center NASA Social on Aug. 3 to preview the landing 
of the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity rover on Aug. 6 EDT (Aug. 
5 PDT). NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage 
with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social 
networks. 

Events will be held simultaneously at six NASA field centers, 
including Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif.; Glenn 
Research Center in Cleveland; Goddard Space Flight Center in 
Greenbelt, Md.; Johnson Space Center in Houston; and, Langley 
Research Center in Hampton, Va. Each center will be connected via a 
multi-center NASA Television simulcast with NASA's Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., during its NASA Social, which 
was previously announced. JPL, a division of the California Institute 
of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) 
mission for NASA. 

Participants will learn about the Mars Science Laboratory mission and 
their respective NASA field center. They are encouraged to share 
their experience with others through their favorite social networks. 
Along with discussing MSL and Mars, participants will get a unique 
behind-the-scenes look at the center and the diverse work of the 
agency through tours and presentations with scientists, engineers and 
managers. The events also will provide guests the opportunity to 
interact with fellow social media users, space enthusiasts and 
members of NASA's social media team. 

Registration for the five new NASA Socials opens at noon EDT, Friday, 
June 29, and closes at noon Tuesday, July 3. NASA randomly will 
select participants from online registrations. People may register 
for NASA Socials to be held at multiple locations, but selectees will 
be chosen for one event only. Each field center's social and number 
of guests allowed varies. For more information on each center's 
activities and rules pertaining to NASA Social registration, visit: 
http://www.nasa.gov/social 

It is anticipated that Curiosity will land at Mars' Gale crater at 
approximately 1:31 a.m. EDT Aug. 6 (10:31 p.m. PDT Aug. 5). During 
the two-year prime mission, the rover will investigate whether the 
selected area of Mars offered environmental conditions favorable for 
microbial life or if evidence of it existed. For more information on 
the Mars Science Laboratory/Curiosity mission, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/msl 

The public can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at: 

http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity 

http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity 

For information about connecting and collaborating with NASA, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/connect 
	
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