NASA Tweetup Schedule = EPIC

You should thank me. I really wanted to make a really lame reference between our NASA Tweetup schedule and fireworks...but I refrained. You're welcome.

Here's our schedule, in all its glory. I really don't need to say more, it speaks volumes on its own. Be jealous.

Thursday, July 7/L-1: Tweetup Day 1
6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. – Registration at the Kennedy Space Center Press Accreditation Badging Building; travel to the press site, set up, meet fellow participants
9:00 a.m. – Welcome by @NASA team member John Yembrick
9:05 a.m. – Meet the tweeps
10:00 a.m. – Break
10:30 a.m. – Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters (NASA TV starts http://www.ustream.tv/nasatelevision)
10:50 a.m. – Elmo, Sesame Street (@SesameStreet) interacts with STS-109 and STS-125 Astronaut Mike Massimino (@Astro_Mike)
11:10 a.m. – Massimino answers questions from the participants
11:30 a.m. – Tracy Thumm (@ISS_Research) and Justin Kuglerm (@ISS_NatLab), International Space Station Program, NASA's Johnson Space Center
11:50 a.m. – Angie Brewer, space shuttle Atlantis' flow director, Kennedy Space Center
12:10 p.m. – Conclusion
12:15 p.m. – Lunch break (on your own or a visit to the cafeteria)
12:15 p.m. -- Elsie Wiegel and Trent Perrotto escort tweeps to the cafeteria
12:20 p.m. -- Beth Beck and Sarah DeWitt escort tweeps to the cafeteria
12:25 p.m. -- Jason Townsend and Samone Faulkner escort tweeps to the cafeteria
1:15 p.m. – Board buses for Launch Pad 39A to view the retraction of the Rotating Service Structure at 2 p.m.
3:15 p.m. – Tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, including visits to the Apollo Saturn V Center and the Vehicle Assembly Building and a drive by the Launch Control Center, Mobile Launch Platform and Orbiter Processing Facility.
6:00 p.m. – Return to the press site

Friday, July 8/ Launch: Tweetup Day 2
5:00 a.m. – Badges will get you in Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 Press Site; you may enter through gate 2 and gate 3, but we recommend gate 2, an employee gate, to avoid the congestion around the Visitor Complex and gate 3.
6:30 a.m. – Robotic Refueling Mission demonstration
7:00 a.m. – Group picture beside the countdown clock
7:05 a.m. – Astronaut Tony Antonelli, STS-119, STS-132
~7:36 a.m. – STS-135 astronauts depart their crew quarters for Launch Pad 39A
~7:40 a.m. – Tweetup participants (assembled along the road across from the Launch Control Center) wave to the crew as they drive by in the astrovan on their way to the launch pad
8:00 a.m. – Bob Crippen, STS-1, STS-7, STS-41C, STS-41G
8:30 a.m. – Lt. Col. Patrick Barrett, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Air Force
~9:21 a.m. – Atlantis' hatch is closed and latched for launch
11:26 a.m. – Launch of space shuttle Atlantis on the STS-135 mission
~12:30 p.m. – Post-launch news conference on NASA TV

...and there it is. Simply...astonishing. I am so blessed and thankful to be a part of history. Happy Independence Day all, hope you're enjoying it with loved ones!

Local Media Interest / Pre-launch Interview

On Wednesday last week, a local news station, WSB (an ABC affiliate), tweeted that they were looking for people from the Atlanta area heading to the launch. Thanks to a tip from a co-worker's wife (thanks @jillsilco!), I responded to the tweet and sent a quick email saying that I was going to the launch, and on top of that, I was a part of the NASA Tweetup. I ended up going back and forth with one reporter that afternoon, and he said he wanted to talk to me in Florida for sure, and wanted me to bring down some of my memorabilia from the Space Camp Tweetup to share. I (obviously) agreed, and was pretty excited about it. Then Thursday, Jodie Fleischer (another reporter from WSB) called and said she wanted to go ahead and get a pre-launch interview set up. We settled on Friday morning...

Jodie and her cameraman came over to my place at 10:00am yesterday and asked me some questions about when my love of space started (which prompted the baby Alison at Space Camp picture to make an appearance), what I've recently done to further my love of space, and how I felt about the whole tweetup - if I felt any pressure behind it. It was a good question, and there's definitely some lurking pressure there. When you're one of 150 chosen to participate, you'd better step up your game! Good thing I had my iPhone, iPad and wireless battery chargers to support my tweeting ways...

As far as I know right now, my piece will air on Friday, 7/8, during the 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 news! Jodie is also attending the launch with the crew, so right now we're planning on more interviews both Thursday and Friday in the midst of everything. For those of you that know me, I can't make any promises about not embarrassing you all. I apologize in advance! :)

As soon as I get the link to the web piece, I'll share with you all (of course). Until then, I'll try to plan what I'm going to say in my next interview, but we all know that goes out the window as soon as the camera turns on!

Space Crowd Intro Video

Shortly after learning about my acceptance into NASA Tweetup, I started hearing about The Space Crowd. The Space Crowd is working on a documentary about the final launch of Atlantis, and they want NASA Tweetup participants to help them with footage. Since I had just moved, getting my video created and posted proved to be a challenge; but with a little determination and "borrowing" a neighbor's internet, it's up on The Space Crowd's website and I can't wait to help them out while in Florida next week for launch!

Without further delay, my (rather embarrassing and ridiculous) intro video.

Initial Reactions to NASA Tweetup

So, I'm just getting around to actually starting this blog - everything in my life has been on a delay lately, for several reasons. I just moved into a new condo on the 20th, and had a lot of preparing/packing to do before then. I also competed in a pro-am ballroom competition on the 18th - clearly a smart choice with moving 48 hours later! But, I'm finally settling in, and getting this started. Let's move on, and discuss my initial reacitons to learning I got into #NASATweetup...

As I'm sure you all know, notification emails went out on Friday, June 10th. I was one of 5,500 refreshing my email like a crazy person that day. Twitter suddenly started flooding with "OMG I'M GOING TO STS135!!!!!!" tweets, but still nothing in my inbox. After quite a few hours, probably close to four, I saw the email come through: "We regret to inform you that you were not selected for the NASA Tweetup nor the wait list." I was pretty crushed. While I was happy for all of the people that were selevted, I was selfishly disappointed and almost angry. It was the last shuttle launch, the last launch Tweetup, and I wasn't selected. Depression set in.

About 48 hours later, on the 12th, I woke up from a nap to two emails, two subjects: "NASA Tweetup Clarification" and "STS-135 NASA Tweetup CONFIRMATION". I actually read them out of order (go figure) and read the clarification first - it said "it seems we sent you both a "you're selected" and a "not selected" email for the STS-135 NASA Tweetup. Our apologies for any confusion. You have been selected for the Tweetup." Shock doesn't even begin to describe it. I honestly don't think it has really set in just yet.

I am so excited and so thankful for this opportunity - and I promise I'll be a better blogger from here on out!