[meteorite-list] NASA to Share the Universe with Instagram Users through Its Images

[Ron Baalke]

September 6, 2013

John Yembrick/Jason Townsend
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1584 / 202-358-0359
john.yembrick at nasa.gov  / jason.c.townsend at nasa.gov 
     
RELEASE 13-277
     
NASA to Share the Universe with Instagram Users through Its Images

NASA is launching an official Instagram profile that will take its fans on an  
out-of-this-world journey through images of Earth and beyond.

"We're constantly looking to expand our social media portfolio to include  
tools that will best tell NASA's story of exploration and discovery," said  
NASA Press Secretary Lauren Worley. "Instagram has a passionate following of  
users who are hungry for new and exciting photos. We believe we have some of  
the most engaging images on and off the planet -- and we can't wait to  
engage with Instagrammers."

Aeronautics, astrophysics, Earth science, human spaceflight and more, the  
NASA account will provide a comprehensive view of the agency by sharing new  
and historic images and videos.

The first NASA posts will highlight the scheduled launch of the agency's  
Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) at 11:27 p.m. EDT  
Friday, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.

LADEE is a robotic research mission that will orbit the moon to gather  
detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar  
atmosphere and determine whether dust is being lofted into the lunar sky.  
Using Instagram, NASA will post historic moon images and real-time photos  
from the launch complex before and during Friday's scheduled liftoff.

To follow NASA's new Instagram account, visit:

http://instagram.com/nasa 

Instagram complements NASA's strong social media presence on Twitter,  
Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare, Reddit and other sites. All  
are aimed at engaging and inspiring the public with NASA's unique content.  
The agency's primary Twitter account, @NASA, has almost 5 million followers  
-- more than any other federal agency. NASA's innovative use of social media  
is recognized as one of the best in federal government.

Along with the new official NASA account, the agency's Goddard Spaceflight  
Center and Ames Research Center also have profiles on Instagram. To follow,  
visit:

http://instagram.com/nasagoddard 

and

http://instagram.com/nasaames 

For a comprehensive list of NASA social media websites, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect 

To learn more about NASA's LADEE mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ladee 

-end-