NASA Invites 80 Social Media Followers to Next Landsat Launch

WASHINGTON — NASA will invite 80 of the agency’s social media followers to a two-day NASA Social Feb. 10-11, 2013, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, Calif., for the launch of the Landsat Data Continuity Mission.

NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks. The event is expected to culminate in the launch of the Landsat spacecraft no earlier than Feb. 11 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

Registration for the NASA Social opens at noon Wednesday, Dec. 12, and closes at noon Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Eighty participants will be selected from online registrations. Because space is limited, those selected to attend may not bring a guest. Each participant must be age 18 or older.

Participants will have unique behind the scenes experiences, which they are encouraged to share with others through their favorite social networks. Guests will view the launch, tour facilities at Vandenberg, speak with representatives from Landsat science and engineering teams, view the launch pad, and meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media and members of NASA’s social media team.

Landsat satellites have provided the longest continuous global record of Earth’s surface. The first Landsat satellite launched from Vandenberg in 1972, as will this mission, the eighth in the series. This satellite, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission, continues Landsat’s critical role in monitoring, understanding and managing our resources of food, water and forests.

For more information on NASA Socials and to register, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/social

To join and track the conversation online during the NASA Socials, follow the hashtags #NASASocial and #Landsat.

For information about connecting and collaborating with NASA, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For information about NASA’s Landsat Data Continuity Mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/landsat