Astronaut to 'check in' from space via Tweetup

NASA invites its Twitter followers to a special Tweetup with astronaut Doug Wheelock at 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 16. The event will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, Washington.

Wheelock posted images he took of Earth from the International Space Station to his Twitter account, and he was the first person to "check in" from space. He used social networking application Foursquare's mobile site to register his location aboard the orbiting laboratory, 220 miles above Earth. The Oct. 22, 2010, check in launched a partnership between the agency and Foursquare and unlocked the NASA Explorer badge.

A Tweetup is an informal meeting of people who use the social messaging medium Twitter. This NASA Tweetup is an opportunity to meet and speak with Wheelock, the people behind NASA's Twitter account and other space-exploration-minded participants.

Registration for the event is open from 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28, until 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 3. NASA will randomly select 100 participants from Web registrants. Additional applicants will be placed on a waiting list. For more NASA Tweetup information and to sign up, visit: www.nasa.gov/tweetup

Wheelock launched to the station on June 15, 2010, beginning a six month mission. On Sept. 22, he assumed command of the station and Expedition 25 crew. During the mission, the Expedition 24 and 25 crew members worked on more than 120 microgravity experiments in human research; biology and biotechnology; physical and materials sciences; technology development; Earth and space sciences.

Wheelock returned to Earth on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 2010.