It took the twenty year anniversary (2006) to bring the first loss of U.S. astronauts in flight back into the public’s consciousness. NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-51L) was lost 73 seconds after lift-off on January 28, 1986, the victim of faulty O-ring seals on its Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), and a broken management and safety culture within NASA. NASA grounded the Shuttle fleet until 1988, at which point Shuttle flights resumed with redesigned SRBs, and a newfound appreciation of the risks of human spaceflight. Did the management and safety culture change? Supposedly, yes, yet 17 years later, we lost Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107) and her crew during re-entry — the victim of burn-through caused by wing damage sustained during lift-off. Unfortunately, on the twentieth anniversary of the loss of Challenger, we again found ourselves with a grounded Space Shuttle program, after the much publicized and arguably highly successful “Return to Flight” mission (STS-114) of Space Shuttle Discovery experienced a similar, though smaller, debris shedding and impact during launch. As a result of dual space tragedies, Discovery’s return to flight involved the first in-flight repair of the Space Shuttle’s thermal protection system (TPS), in a daring multi-pronged extra-vehicular activity (EVA) involving two spacewalking astronauts, the Space Shuttle’s robotic arm (CanadArm), and the International Space Station’s robotic arm.

Spaceflight is inherently risky, just as all great expeditions and endeavors are risky. Astronauts and their families know this, and many of them come from military and test-flight backgrounds — equally, if not moreso, dangerous enterprises. But that doesn’t eliminate NASA’s culpability in each disaster, nor America’s. So often, the American culture and media aren’t linked with the Challenger disaster, and yet they helped create the flawed safety and management culture within NASA in the late 1980’s. Americans had already stopped tuning in to most of the live Space Shuttle launches. Many people viewed space travel as nearly routine an enterprise as commercial airline travel, in an era when commercial aviation wasn’t complicated by things like 9/11. The media and citizens, alike, groused about Shuttle launch delays for weather and “minor” computer glitches. Challenger changed all that, for a time. It took Columbia’s tragic loss in 2003, just minutes from a successful landing at Kennedy Space Center (Florida), to educate the newest generation and remind their elders.

I’ve always been touched by the lives of explorers and pioneers, particularly those of the space-faring variety: Chuck Yeager, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Gus Grissom (died in the Apollo 1 fire, along with Roger Chafee, and Ed White), Valentina Tereshkova (first woman in space), Sally Ride (first American woman in space), Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe (died aboard Challenger, STS-51L, along with her six crewmates,) and of course, the Columbia crew — an international crew, including Indian scientist Kalpana Chawla and Israeli Air Force pilot Ilan Ramon.

To borrow the words of John F. Kennedy, when he announced the goal of the U.S. to reach the moon within a decade, “…we choose to do (these) things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Spaceflight is hard; I believe elements of it will always be hard. Mankind has much to learn, yet. We learn and adapt, but with each successive step we take, we set our sights on something more challenging in the distance. That is the nature of humanity, and it is a characteristic I hope we never, ever lose.

Bless the explorers, for they help us see the Earth and space as nothing and no one else can. They put men and women, and their creations (like Spirit & Opportunity, and now Mars Curiosity) in places that our ancestors scarcely dreamed possible, and in so doing, open our minds, imaginations, and lives to new possibilities. Explorers take risks so that others may dream and excel. Let’s keep those dreams alive!

Original mural at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Photo Credit: NASA

What’s NASA done for you lately? Oh, you mean apart from keeping a continuously inhabited orbiting laboratory (International Space Station) in productive operation for over 12 years (since November 2, 2000,) monitoring probes sent to the farthest reaches of our Solar System (Voyager 1 & Voyager 2), and a probe arriving at Jupiter in 2016 (Juno), launching countless scientific missions to study the Earth (Van Allen Probes), Sun (Solar Dynamics Observatory), and Moon (GRAIL), and landing a 2000 lb. robotic rover (Mars Curiosity) on the surface of Mars via a never-before-used SkyCrane…?

Here on Earth, NASA is also busy inspiring and educating, through its award-winning NASA Social events, open houses, and a wealth of free stuff: desktop wallpapers, ebooks, apps, paper spacecraft models, posters, and more!

A Primer to Some of the Free Stuff from NASA …

Desktop Wallpapers:

• One of the many NASA sites that provides a stunning collection of desktop wallpaper images, free for your enjoyment, is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
  • Other free NASA desktop wallpaper sites: Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth, NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day, Spitzer Space Telescope, Global Climate Change: Earth Wallpaper, James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope
  • BONUS: Raytheon’s free desktop wallpapers, featuring images created using their VIIRS sensor aboard the Suomi NPP satellite.

E-Books:

• NASA provides Free E-books on aeronautics, history, science, and other topics, as well as information on how to view them on your favorite e-book reader.

Mobile Apps:

• Make sure you have NASA with you on-the-go by outfitting your mobile device(s) with some of NASA’s iOS and Android apps!
  • There are many more space & science apps, by the way, if you don’t mind paying $0.99 or more – Best Space Science Apps (I’ll be updating this for 2013, including Android apps, soon!)

Spacecraft Paper Models:

• Itching to Build Your Own Spacecraft (Paper Model)? NASA provides directions on how to do that! You can build the following NASA spacecraft:
  • Chandra X-Ray Telescope (Wikipedia)
  • Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (Wikipedia)
  • Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Wikipedia)
  • Gravity Probe B (Wikipedia)
  • Hubble Space Telescope  - 2 versions: easier / more difficult (Wikipedia)
  • James Webb Space Telescope (Wikipedia)
  • Kepler Spacecraft (Wikipedia)
  • Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer/RXTE Spacecraft (Wikipedia)
  • Spitzer Space Telescope (Wikipedia)
  • Swift Spacecraft (Wikipedia)
  • Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer/WISE Spacecraft (Wikipedia)

Audio Files & Streaming Music:

• Treat your ears to a great mix of New Rock/Indie/Alternative music by tuning in to NASA’s own Third Rock Radio – “America’s Space Station”. Occasionally, they have guest DJs on, like Mars Curiosity Flight Director Bobak Ferdowsi (@tweetsoutloud), aka “NASA Mohawk Guy”

• Relive some of NASA’s historic spaceflights, test firings, and recent missions by checking out their collection of free NASA sounds. They even provide information on how to convert the audio files into ringtones!

Posters & Calendars:

• Have access to a high quality printer? You’re in luck! Print your own free NASA posters & calendars:
  • 2013 International Space Station (ISS) Calendar 
  • Commercial Crew Program: “Same Crew, New Ride”
  • Space Shuttle Crew & Mission Posters
  • Space Shuttle Orbiter Tribute Posters
  • Saturn: Jewel of the Solar System
  • Night Lights Poster 

In addition to all the above, if you live anywhere near a NASA center, visit it and you will usually be able to find fact sheets and other cool stuff.

Did I miss incredible online free stuff provided directly by NASA to the public? If so, post your links in the comments. Thanks!

Photo Credit: Rosaura Ochoa

Monthly hashtag roundup for January 2013:

• The American Astronomical Society (AAS) is having their 221st meeting this week (January 6-10) in Long Beach, and some call it the “Super Bowl of Astronomy” — if that doesn’t excite you, I’m not sure why you’re reading this blog! ;) The hashtag to follow for all the rich and varied content coming out of this week-long event is #AAS221.
• For math geeks, the #JMM13 hashtag is going to be delightful — it’s for an annual conference called the Joint Mathematics Meetings, held jointly between the two major mathematics organizations in the United States: The American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). This year, the conference runs from January 9 – 12 in San Diego. Follow @JointMath and check out this blog post about the conference if you’re unfamiliar with it.
• The American Meteorological Association (AMS) is having its 93rd meeting this week (January 6-10) in Austin. Follow the #ams2013 hashtag and the @ametsoc for information from this event.
• Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? To celebrate, there is going to be a #SciMentor chat on Wednesday, January 23 from 12 to 1 pm Pacific, organized by The Coalition for Science After School (@SciAfterSchool). All the info you need to participate in the chat is available on their website.
• At the end of the month, the 7th annual ScienceOnline Conference kicks off in Raleigh, running from January 30-February 2. Follow the hashtag #scio13 for inspiration, insight, and commentary from the conference.
• If you haven’t checked it out yet, be sure to peruse the #overlyhonestmethods hashtag as scientists bare all on how science really gets done. For highlights, check out @beckieport‘s “75 of the best #overlyhonestmethods” Storify. It’s probably best we don’t know which of these tweets are more truthful than others ;)! {Hat Tips to @archeogirl1, for reminding me about this one, and to @Schierholz for the Storify link.} 
  
• Not all interesting hashtags are “feel good”/fun ones, but they are no less important to read and digest. The #ShoutingBack hashtag, created by the The Everyday Sexism Project (@EverydaySexism) to shine a light on aggressive street harassment and sexual harassment women all over the world experience daily, has turned into a sobering but powerful awareness campaign. See Also: Why Women Are #ShoutingBack and The protests sparked by gang-rape in India aren’t the beginning and they won’t be the end.

If you know of any other conferences, events, chats, or other hashtags folks should tune in to this month, please say so in the comments! See you all on Twitter, and Happy New Year :)!

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 3, 2012 from 15:01:30 to 15:08:17 GMT, on a pass from the Indian Ocean, just west of Australia, to south of Australia, west of Tasmania. The pass begins looking eastward toward southern Australia at the Aurora Australis. The crew captures the aurora just before the sun begins to come up in this short video. A few orbiting satellites pass by throughout the video as well.

Compiled from frames ISS030-E-36035 to ISS030-E-36220. Date posted by NASA: 2012/01/20

For more amazing videos and photos like this one, visit NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography!

#FollowFriday:
If you’re on Twitter, follow the three tweeting crew members of Expedition 30: ISS Commander Dan Burbank (@AstroCoastie), astronaut Don Pettit (@Astro_Pettit), and European Space Agency astronaut André Kuipers (@Astro_Andre).

Images from three of NASA's Great Observatories were combined to create this spectacular, multiwavelength view of the starburst galaxy M82. Photo Credit: NASA

This post was updated November 6, 2011.

Sometimes, the expressions “Thank you!” or “I appreciate all you do,” are wholly inadequate to express gratitude to someone for the contributions they make to one’s personal and professional life. Thankfully, organizations like Women In Aerospace (WIA) encourage people to nominate their heroes and role models for recognition.

I had no idea if Stephanie Schierholz (@Schierholz) would even be eligible for the award this year; I was halfway through my nomination packet before I realized she is currently President-Elect of Women in Aerospace! Nevertheless, I submitted my nomination packet before the August 10 deadline, and decided to share my words here on this blog, as well. In the end, WIA chose someone else for this year’s Aerospace Awareness Award (see notes #2 & #3), but I enjoyed the exercise of pulling together all the facts to nominate Stephanie.

NOTES: ^{1  2 3 4}

Stephanie L. Schierholz – 2011 Aerospace Awareness Award Nomination

Stephanie L. Schierholz is NASA’s social media manager and an agency spokesperson. In addition to her roles in strategic communications and media relations, Ms. Schierholz leads NASA’s innovative social media activities, and oversees more than 250 agency social media accounts across services such as Twitter, Facebook, Gowalla, and Foursquare. Her leadership and dedication have been instrumental to the growth and continuing success of NASA’s public outreach endeavors, including its increasingly frequent NASA Tweetup events.

Since January 2009, NASA has hosted 29 unique and inspiring public outreach events called “tweetups” for members of the social media service Twitter. These events provide guests with VIP access to NASA facilities, speakers, and activities, including spacecraft launches (Space Shuttle, Solar Dynamics Observatory, Juno Mission to Jupiter, GRAIL Mission to the Moon, NASA NPP, and Mars Science Laboratory in late November 2011.) Registration is open to anyone with a Twitter account, and each NASA Tweetup draws significant interest. Just after the final Space Shuttle mission, the agency received more than 1200 registrations for its tweetup to witness the rocket launch for the Jupiter-bound “Juno” spacecraft. The Juno launch tweetup’s 150 attendees, selected via a lottery system, represented 28 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Looking forward, the agency’s 31st tweetup happens to span the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday (November 23 & 25, 2011) yet it still attracted more than 1050 registrations for its 150 attendee spots.

Ms. Schierholz serves as a leader and mentor to the small cadre of individuals at each NASA center who are responsible for public outreach and social media. She is also the primary liaison, on-site coordinator, and public point of contact for each NASA Tweetup event held at NASA Headquarters (NASA HQ) in Washington, D.C., and at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Since July 2010, the agency has held 17 NASA Tweetup events across the United States, and Ms. Schierholz’ passionate dedication and expertise have been directly responsible for the success of at least 12 of those events – six high-profile launch tweetups (five at KSC and one at Vandenberg AFB in California) and three tweetups at NASA HQ. She and her team consistently respond with speed and elegance to dynamic circumstances, such as launch delays, to ensure the best experience for tweetup guests.

As a member of the public, and a two-time alumnus of NASA Tweetup events at KSC (first in November 2009 and again in July 2011,) I can personally attest to the level of commitment, professionalism, enthusiasm, and genuine concern Ms. Schierholz brings to bear in all her public outreach activities. She has been instrumental in reaching out and embracing the public through NASA Tweetup events, numerous public speaking engagements (SxSW, L2 Social Graph, Ragan, and more) and other outreach activities. I am honored to know Ms. Schierholz, and I consider her a friend. She is an incredible role model for women of all ages, and I am inspired by her dedication to sharing the wonder of the universe.

So far, over 2000 individuals from across the globe have attended a NASA Tweetup and shared the experience in real-time with their co-workers, friends, family members, and other followers. An entire community of NASA Tweetup alumni has formed around these events, establishing everything from Facebook and LinkedIn groups to a community-owned and managed wiki for documenting and sharing tips, tricks, photos, videos, blog posts, and news media reports about NASA Tweetup activities. The enthusiasm and dedication Ms. Schierholz brings to her communication and outreach activities, coupled with the inspirational nature of NASA Tweetup events, has led many alumni to seek opportunities to be involved in aerospace public outreach, themselves. Alumni routinely hold speaking engagements at local schools, organize or attend aerospace-related conferences and workshops, or become more politically active; a few alumni have even changed careers as a result of their involvement in NASA’s incredible public outreach activities.

 —

Biography of Stephanie L. Schierholz

Stephanie L. Schierholz is NASA’s social media manager and an agency spokesperson. She has 10 years’ experience leading strategic communications, media relations, and public outreach efforts. She provides strategic communications guidance to NASA’s senior management and is an advocate for incorporating emerging communications technologies into the agency’s public outreach activities.

Ms. Schierholz is a public affairs specialist and spokesperson for the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate that leads and implements NASA’s human spaceflight missions on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. She plans, conducts and executes agency news conferences, television events and webcasts to announce billion-dollar contracts, significant scientific discoveries, and the development, testing and launch of spacecraft. ⁵

In her role as social media manager, she leads NASA’s social media activities, including the primary NASA Twitter account, @NASA, and NASA Tweetups in Washington and at spacecraft launches (Kennedy Space Center, Florida.) Ms. Schierholz has presented at a variety of conferences as a subject matter expert on NASA’s public outreach initiatives, social media best practices, and community building.

She initiated and led the development of a NASA Stylebook and was a contributing editor to “NASA: 50 Years of Exploration and Discovery.” Before coming to NASA, Ms. Schierholz was the director of communications for the Space Foundation. When not dreaming of spaceflight, she is the president-elect of Women in Aerospace, an inaugural member of the British Council’s Transatlantic Network 2020, and a member of the Public Relations Society of America. ⁶

Related Links:

• The History of NASA Tweetup (Wikipedia)
• NASATweetup Wiki (Community-owned, community-run wiki)
• Tips for Tweetups & Social Media

Photo Credit: Chris Bray (flickr: arockalypse)

Over the course of NASA’s 30-year Space Shuttle program, many millions of people from around the world witnessed a Shuttle launch live in Florida. Families and friends camped in public parks, people flocked to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and Astronaut Hall of Fame, tourists joined established tours to the NASA Causeway, and native Floridians simply stepped outside or took their boats/other watercraft out on launch day. People even managed to view Shuttle launches from Florida’s marvelous beaches, Disney World in Orlando, cruise ships in Port Canaveral, or even the occasional commercial airline flight! Of course, members of the world’s press corps, dignitaries, and other special guests experienced Shuttle launches from much closer, the closest being Kennedy Space Center’s launch complex 39 press site located just 3.1 miles from the Shuttle launch pad(s).

Photo Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers

Since mid-November 2009, thanks entirely to NASA’s social media savvy and commitment, over seven hundred members of the public were lucky enough to have this unique, life-changing opportunity to experience a Shuttle launch from the press site via NASATweetup events. I was one of those incredibly fortunate people for two Shuttle flights (STS-129 & STS-135) and they are moments I will cherish forever. I am deeply indebted to NASA’s social media team, including Beth Beck (@BethBeck), Veronica McGregor (@VeronicaMcG), Stephanie Schierholz (@Schierholz), and John Yembrick (@Yembrick), for these experiences; it’s a debt so great I fear it can never be fully repaid, but that doesn’t dissuade me from trying! Since my first experience as a NASATweetup attendee in November 2009, I’ve committed to “pay it forward” by ensuring everyone knows about upcoming and in-progress NASA Social activities, the history of NASA Social & NASATweetup, and how to plan and make the most of the experience when selected to attend (via the NASATweet.com community wiki.) Do you want to know the best part, though? I’m not alone, not by a long shot! There’s a vibrant and helpful NASATweetup Alumni community always at the ready to assist the next “class” of NASA’s social attendees.

As of July 31, 2011, NASA has held 23 unique NASATweetup events, and two more are about to begin: the Juno mission‘s Atlas V rocket launch NASATweetup begins August 4, and the GRAIL mission‘s Delta II rocket launch NASATweetup follows on September 7. NASATweetup events are not limited to spacecraft launches, so be sure to follow @NASASocial on Twitter and watch the official NASA Social page on NASA.gov for announcements of future NASA Social events!

Resources for organizations, small businesses, or other entities wanting to learn from NASA’s success:

• “Using tweet-ups, NASA stokes the public’s interest” by Matt Wilson (Ragan.com)
• “NASA, Tweetups, and Space with Stephanie Schierholz” (Better at Marketing Podcast)
• “How NASA Uses Social Media to Connect” presented by Stephanie Schierholz

Are you heading to a day-long or multi-day event where you anticipate using social media to document and share the experience with friends, family and followers? Perhaps you have been selected to attend a formal tweetup event, such as an upcoming NASA Tweetup, Space Camp Tweetup, NASM Pilot Day Tweetup, or similar? Whatever the situation, you’ll want to arrive prepared, and the best way to do that is to develop a gear list. This is my attempt at providing a definitive tweetup attendee gear list that you can whittle down, as needed, to suit your situation.

NOTE: “Bring half of what you think you need, and twice as much money” is a humorous, but effective, guide to packing, especially if you’re a gadget geek like I am. You only have two hands, so maybe you don’t need to pack your laptop, iPhone, iPad and Amazon Kindle! As for bringing twice as much money as you think you need, in my experience that definitely applies anytime you visit a location with a well-stocked giftshop!

Standard Travel Essentials (Non-Electronics)

• Driver’s license / government photo ID
  • Any other identification required by the location you’re visiting, such as these Kennedy Space Center identification requirements for tweetups utilizing the KSC press site and other facilities.
• Money, in whatever form you prefer it — cash, plastic, traveler’s checks
• Glasses and/or Sunglasses
• Medications
• Personal toiletries
• Seasonally- and venue-appropriate clothing, with the ability to add a layer if you get cold
  • For tweetups at KSC: Long pants and flat, closed-toe shoes are required attire for any operational area, otherwise there will be places you will not be permitted to go!
• Comfortable footwear, particularly if you expect to do a lot of walking or standing
• Sun Protection:
  • Hat, if planning to be outdoors
  • Sunscreen
  • Bandana or pack towel, if planning to be outdoors in hot weather
• Insect repellent if planning to be outdoors
• Chewing gum, if flying
• Backpack, tote or other method of transporting your gear during the tweetup

Electronics / Geek Gear (Not a comprehensive list)

• Surge-protected power strip, like this one, rather than just a standard unprotected one
• Global Positioning System (GPS) or GPS-enabled electronic device (smartphone)
  • GPS power adapter/car adapter
  • GPS mount (for standard GPS units)
• Laptop or netbook + power brick/charger
  • Any peripherals you need, such as a mouse or USB hub for charging other gear
• Tablet (example: iPad) + charger
• Smartphone + charger and/or spare batteries
  • Make sure you have all of your favorite apps up-to-date. If you’re a space geek, check out the Spacevidcast wiki’s list of space & science apps!
• Digital SLR and/or Point & Shoot camera + power brick/charger and/or spare batteries
  • Memory cards
    • Compatible card reader
  • Interchangeable lenses
  • Tripod
  • Camera bag
  • Lens cleaner / lens pen / microfiber cloth
  • Any desired filters or other accessories like lens hoods, etc.
• A portable power source that can recharge 1 or more of your electronic devices more than once.
  • I use a HyperMac Mini to recharge my iPad & iPhone on the go and an iUpto recharge my iPhone or smaller electronic devices. There are, of course, numerous other options
    • Wall adapter to recharge your portable power source(s)
    • Required charge/power cords for your portable power source(s)
• Lightweight / travel headphones
• A few spare zipper-lock bags in case you need to protect your gear from a spill or weather

Networking & Personal Items

• Business cards – include your Twitter ID
• For autographs:
  • Permanent marker
  • Something to collect signatures on

If You Have Access to Your Car (such as at a Kennedy Space Center NASATweetup)

• Cooler with ice
  • Bottled water and other non-alcoholic beverages
  • Fresh food, snacks
• Rain gear if planning to be outdoors
• Water bottle with lid
• Any gear you realize you didn’t need afterall… ;-)

Formal, organized tweetup events, such as NASA Tweetups held at Kennedy Space Center and other NASA centers, provide attendees with seating, access to powerstrips or recharging stations, and wi-fi. Bear in mind that the wi-fi and cellular network can and does get bogged down during periods of heavy usage, so you may find yourself drafting tweets or posts to send later.

Above all else, enjoy the experience and meet as many people as you can. The most rewarding take-away from a successful tweetup is to have shared time with a diverse collective of talented and passionate people who share some of the same interests as yourself.

If the event you’re heading to has a public wiki and you’d like to port this list to the wiki, go for it! For example, I’ve posted this to the STS-135 NASATweetup wiki.

(View Full Size)[ref"]“Monthly Number of Objects in Earth Orbit by Object Type“. Orbital Debris Quarterly News, Volume 15, Issue 1.[/ref]

(View Animation)[ref]“Space Surveillance and Tracking” ESA, 14 May 2010.[/ref]

[ref]“When Two Satellites Collide, in Google Earth“, Barnabu.co.uk, 12 February 2009.[/ref]

Diagram of the ISS as it existed 6 April 2011. NOTE: Soyuz TMA-21 was not docked to Station until after both of the debris incidents mentioned in this article. Photo Credit: NASA

Less than a week later, on the morning of April 5th, NASA began monitoring a new debris threat. There was not enough time to coordinate another debris avoidance maneuver, so Mission Control advised the crew to be ready to evacuate to their Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft as a safety precaution. ⁷ This debris threat was due to a 2007 anti-satellite missile test conducted by the Chinese space agency. China’s destruction of their weather satellite, Fengyun-1C, resulted in the largest recorded creation of space debris in history, adding at least 2,317 golf ball-sized or larger objects as well as over 35,000 objects measuring more than 1 centimeter. ⁸ Especially worrisome, the test resulted in “the majority of the debris…thrown into long-duration orbits, with lifetimes measured in decades and even centuries.” ⁹

Ultimately, the April 5th debris encounter ended without incident. About 1.5 hours prior to the closest approach of the debris, NASA obtained sufficient data to confirm the object would harmlessly pass the Station, albeit at fairly close range (approximately 3.5 miles). With this knowledge, NASA relayed an “all clear” to the Station crew, allowing the astronauts to resume their normal tasks without having to seek shelter in their Soyuz. ¹⁰ According to Space.com, NASA and its international partners try to maintain a safety perimeter around Station that is fairly wide (15 miles), but shallow (.5 miles above and below) — like a pizza box.

Damage sustained to a Space Shuttle window (STS-7) after impact with orbital debris, a paint flake just 0.2 mm in size. Photo Credit: NASA

At orbital velocity (17,500 miles per hour or more), colliding with even a very small object — like a grain of sand or a flake of paint — can cause significant damage. Unfortunately, there are many millions of pieces of space debris that measure less than 1 centimeter in diameter, and none of these objects are trackable with currently available technology and resources. Any object in orbit is at risk of being impacted by MMOD (NASA’s acronym for MicroMeteoroid/Orbiting Debris). Even Space Shuttles, which aren’t in space for more than 10 to 14 days at a time, have sustained some damage on orbit. The first documented example of damage to a Space Shuttle from an orbital debris impact was on STS-7, when a paint flake impacted one of Space Shuttle Challenger‘s windows. Another example of damage occurred during STS-115, when a small fragment of circuit board material damaged a payload bay door radiator on Space Shuttle Atlantis. ¹¹

(View full-size)

The scale and complexity of the orbital debris issue can make it difficult to grasp. The Waste in Space infographic does a good job of surfacing important details. For example: Two incidents — China’s anti-satellite mission and the 2009 satellite collision — increased the total amount of orbital debris by more than 60%. ¹² If just two collisions can increase space junk that much, all space-faring nations must take heed. Each successive debris-creating event magnifies the risks to orbiting satellites significantly, putting humanity’s efforts in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and beyond at ever-greater risk. ¹³

—

Part Two of this series will explore how orbital debris is tracked and by whom, as well as methods for reducing space waste.

Map created by STS-133 NASA Tweetup attendee, Nate Bergey (@Natronics), showing just how close tweeps get to view launch from -- just 3.1 miles away from pad 39A!

A fresh group of 150 NASA Tweetup participants is about to descend on the Space Coast for the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station. Endeavour is set to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT. With just two Space Shuttle flights remaining, including STS-134, it is more important than ever that space advocates and NASA Tweetup participants share their unique experiences with the world.

To help newly-minted NASA Tweetup participants, as well as those seeking to experience one of the last Space Shuttle launches on their own, here are some useful resources:

1. NASA Tweetup Tips by @robpegoraro (STS-134 alumnus) — brand new insights & information to help STS-135 participants plan.
2. Tips for #nasatweetup Participants by @lonseidman (STS-133 alumnus) — provides useful insight for communicating your NASA Tweetup experience beyond Twitter, to mainstream media and local audiences via public speaking.
3. NASA Tweetup Prep Guide by @brenthaeseker (STS-132 alumnus) – Terrific step-by-step guide for NASA Tweetup attendees coming to Kennedy Space Center for a launch tweetup.
4. NASATweetup for Newbies by @penguintrax (STS-132 alumnus) — provides helpful tips to minimize hassle and discomfort at the press site.
5. Information & resources for people heading to NASA Tweetup by @SpaceKate (STS-133 alumnus) — serves as a news and information site of interest to future and past NASA Tweetup attendees.
6. Almost Rocket Science Episode 7: NASATweetup by @almostrocketsci
7. Blogs, photos & media reports for the first launch NASA Tweetup by @ageekmom (that’s me, STS-129 alumnus) — provides an overview of the sights, sounds, experiences and the impact of attending a launch NASA Tweetup.
8. Space Shuttle Launch Viewing by LaunchPhotography.com — This is the definitive guide to viewing and photographing Space Shuttle launches, useful to NASA Tweetup participants as well as non-tweetup attendees seeking the best launch viewing location.
9. How to View & Photograph a Space Shuttle Launch by @JeffOstroff — Another superb guide to Shuttle launch photography.
10. Shuttle Launch Photography by PhotoTrek.org — More Shuttle launch photography tips, for those of you who will be shooting the launch.
11. Where to Watch the Launch by the Orlando Sentinel – Google map of free Shuttle launch viewing locations. This is useful for  non-tweetup attendees, as well as NASA Tweetup participants whose family members may be traveling with them, since guests are not permitted.
12. Best Space Science Apps by @ageekmom (me again) — Since most NASA Tweetup attendees are equipped with a smartphone, check out our list of  space apps for iOS devices, or check out Spacevidcast.com‘s mobile applications list for other platforms.
13. Definitive Tweetup Attendee Gear List — crowd-sourced list of items you may want to bring to a tweetup event.

Hat Tip: Inspiration for this post comes from the following tweet, posted by STS-134 NASA Tweetup participant @TheLittleKitchn -

70 foot long vacuum tank at Glenn Research Center. Photo Credit: NASA

A 2 minute audio podcast (MP3) about space and science outreach, SpaceUp Houston and what comes next:

What’s the Next Step?

What are you doing to help space outreach & science education?