ASTRONAUTS ASSEMBLE! In many ways they are some one of the closest things we have to superheroes in real life – always fighting for the advancement of mankind. How do they do that you ask? Well, they do it in a lot of ways – some you can instantly see results from in experiments and discoveries that come from observation of the moon, zero gravity experiments on ISS and other things we can’t really do on earth (such as see the earth lol) and others come about over time in sort of a realization of a cognitive shift in human consciousness in terms of perspective, awareness and an increased understanding of our universe. A perfect example of the latter would be the “Overview Effect” which is beautifully explained in a short film by the Planetary Collective entitled “Overview” (for those curious, I’ve included it below, definitely check that out if you haven’t already seen it – some of the astronauts mentioned below make appearances in it!).
OVERVIEW from Planetary Collective on Vimeo.
Powerful. If only everyone on this planet could share the same perspective. But that is what its all about – learning and sharing knowledge so that everyone can get as excited about the universe as every single astronaut! One day, everyone might be on the same page thanks to their sacrifices and hard work. The astronauts we are talking about today are making great strides when it comes to sharing awesome information about our universe to not only make people think, but to also make them dream about our universe again.
The Tweets from Outer Space!
The recent onslaught of social media and advancing technology makes it so that you can’t even hide from it in space! Many of the astronauts we mention today were social media trailblazers – being the first to tweet in space and embrace social media and video outside of our planet earth! Not only that, but many of them contributed significantly to their field (and to our world) with their fantastic work. Today we have rounded up some of the best Astronauts to follow on twitter (that are active at the moment). Some you may know, and some you may not have heard of, but they are all incredible human beings! There are also a few surprises along the way – so I hope you will strap yourself in and prepare for take off as we go through this epic list of astronauts on twitter! Enjoy!
Chris Hadfield: @Cmdr_Hadfield
This guy is a BAMF. Chris Hadfield is a Canadian Astronaut, currently living in space (where he will live and work for the next few months) aboard ISS as Flight Engineer on Expedition 34, to be Commander of Expedition 35. So, why is he such a badass? Well, Not only has he tweeted with William Shatner from space, and recorded the 1st Original Song on a Space Station, but he has been tweeting incredible photos of earth from space while aboard the ISS.
here are a few amazing pics has posted to his feed – which were taken as he orbits our little blue orb in space:
Tonight’s Finale: Scandinavia on the horizon, far to the north of the Space Station’s orbit. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 6, 2013
Oslo, Norway, lovely northern city, rarely seen from the International Space Station. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 6, 2013
Tonight’s Finale: At long last – Manila, capital of the Philippines, delicately shining in the night. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 5, 2013
Tonight’s Finale: The Moon, newly risen, perfect over a flowing blanket of cloud. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 4, 2013
Tonight’s Finale: A Dragon, snared and tamed by Canadarm2. Saint George ringing in a new era in the silence of space. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 3, 2013
A Dragon approaches over sub-Saharan Africa – surreal juxtaposition. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 3, 2013
Rock and water churning it up in Newfoundland – Proving it doesn’t take much colour to paint a beautiful scene. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 2, 2013
The ancients in Peru made lines & patterns on the Nazca plain. Imagine if they knew people would see them from here! twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 1, 2013
He even tweets videos from the space station that are super interesting and informative, like this one on how they take care of spills on the ISS.
Spilling something in space can be a real mess. Here’s how to clean up spills and avoid serious problems: youtube.com/watch?v=8Hj3Gn…
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 6, 2013
So yeah, you definitely need to follow this modern space gentleman right now.
Buzz Aldrin: @TheRealBuzz
This guy is LEGENDARY. At 83 years old, not only was he the second person to walk on the Moon, but he was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history. On July 20, 1969, he set foot on the Moon, following mission commander Neil Armstrong (May he rest in peace). He is also a retired United States Air Force pilot (A Korean War veteran and a fighter pilot of 66 missions!)! Heck, he even inspired a Pixar character’s name (Buzz Lightyear)! These days though he can be found writing books, appearing in films, and traveling around the country speaking about human space exploration and appearing on popular TV and Web shows. Although he is no longer IN space, he is definitely able to remain a very relevant and interesting Astronaut!
I just had a blast taping The @nerdist w/Chris Hardwick, @mattmira, Jonah Ray & Boback Ferdowsi. It’s a new show com… say.ly/UHE5bZt
— Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) February 17, 2013
Had a lot of fun in NYC recording StarTalk radio show tonight w@neiltyson @iamjohnoliver et al talking about Space &… say.ly/fIk5gyR
— Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) February 28, 2013
Yup. Last night during a live recording of StarTalk, I did moonwalk in front of @therealbuzz Aldrin bit.ly/WpzYHW
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 1, 2013
Douglas H. Wheelock: @Astro_Wheels
Wheelock is a Test Pilot, NASA Astronaut, and a Space Station Commander that has flown in space twice, logging 178 days on the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Russian Soyuz. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced that he would be returning to duty with the active United States Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was the first U.S. Army officer to command the ISS. Wheelock and his crew continued science and maintenance of the space station. Wheelock shared pictures of the Earth, station and views of space via Twitter, as Soichi Noguchi did before him. He became the first person to “check in” from space on October 22, 2010 using the mobile social networking application Foursquare. Wheelock’s check-in to the International Space Station launched a partnership between NASA and Foursquare to connect its users to the space agency, enabling them to explore the universe and discover Earth!
I really miss having 16 sunrises every day on the Space Station…it’s crazy how often my dreams take me back to t twitpic.com/c1e0hd
— Douglas H. Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels) February 6, 2013
Time to light ‘em up!Love being back in the cockpit…I feel at home there.When the afterburners are lit and the twitpic.com/c3fdwm
— Douglas H. Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels) February 13, 2013
Love the new office ‘digs’…so much fun on Capcom console!What a great view…’Here Be Dragons’…:-) twitter.com/Astro_Wheels/s…
— Douglas H. Wheelock (@Astro_Wheels) March 6, 2013
Aki Hoshide: @Aki_Hoshide
Akihiko Hoshide is a Japanese engineer and a JAXA astronaut. On August 30, 2012, Hoshide became the third Japanese astronaut to walk in space! In June 2008, he participated in the mission STS-124/1J aboard space shuttle Discovery, involved in the assembly of the International Space Station Japanese Experiment Building “hope” (ISS). He once again journeyed to the International Space Station on July 15, 2012 aboard Soyuz TMA-05M. During his stay, he successfully recorded the first voice acting performance in space for a cameo appearance in the 31st episode of the anime television series, Space Brothers, which aired on November 4, 2012.
We’ll be leaving ISS in a few hours to return to our beautiful planet Earth. Thanks to ALL of you for your support. twitter.com/Aki_Hoshide/st…
— 星出 彰彦 (JAXA宇宙飛行士) (@Aki_Hoshide) November 18, 2012
`ソユーズの窓から見える景色。4ヶ月前にISSに戻ってきたときに見たまま。同じ景色を見ながら、明日、出発する。 twitter.com/Aki_Hoshide/st…
— 星出 彰彦 (JAXA宇宙飛行士) (@Aki_Hoshide) November 17, 2012
みんなのきぼう。3回目の船外活動中に撮影。Our HOPE. Taken during our 3rd EVA. twitter.com/Aki_Hoshide/st…
— 星出 彰彦 (JAXA宇宙飛行士) (@Aki_Hoshide) November 18, 2012
Sunita Williams: @Astro_Suni
Sunita Williams Is an American astronaut and a United States Navy officer who holds the record for longest space flight by a woman (You go girl!). She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and Expedition 15. In 2012, she served as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and then commander of Expedition 33. In addition to holding the record for the longest space flight time among female space travelers she holds the record for number of spacewalks for a female, and most spacewalk time for a female. Williams first broke the two spacewalk records for women space travellers (most number of spacewalks, and most spacewalk time) during Expedition 14/15 in 2007, but both records were surpassed by Peggy Whitson during Expedition 16. Williams regained both records during her sixth spacewalk, on September 5, 2012, and currently has 50 hours and 40 minutes of spacewalk time (seven walks).
Amazing how much can change in 50 years. Look at us now: launching satellites from #ISS. Pretty cool! twitpic.com/b2mv0z
— Sunita Williams (@Astro_Suni) October 9, 2012
While Aki launched the satellites, I shot this pic from the cupola as they zinged past #ISS solar arrays. twitpic.com/b2nsx7
— Sunita Williams (@Astro_Suni) October 9, 2012
Don Pettit: @astro_Pettit
Donald Roy Pettit is an American chemical engineer and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of two long-duration stays aboard the International Space Station, one space shuttle mission and a six-week expedition to find meteorites in Antarctica. During Expedition 6 in 2002/2003, Pettit used spare parts found throughout the Station to construct a barn door tracker; the device compensates for the movement of the ISS relative to the Earth’s surface, permitting sharper high resolution images of city lights at night from the orbiting space station (Thanks Don!!). In November 2008, Pettit invented a zero-g coffee cup, which used the wetting angle to carry the coffee along a crease to permit drinking and avoid the necessity of a straw. This zero-g cup was featured in the May 2009 National Geographic Magazine issue, along with his notes on the relation of the internal cup angle to the contact wetting angle for various construction materials.
Now this is really awesome if you are a gamer (and are addicted to angry birds) – During Expedition 30, on behalf of NASA in cooperation with Finland-based Rovio Entertainment (creator of the Angry Birds franchise) Pettit made a video using an Angry Birds character (red bird! and a crudely drawn balloon pig, and some eggs. lol. the video can be found below!) to explain how physics works in space, including demonstrating trajectories in microgravity by catapulting a Red Bird through the space station. How freaking awesome is that!? Oh, and he is also on Google+, so go follow this legend!
Angry Birds & Pigs Go Weightless!!! Don Pettit of NASA created a video using Angry Birds Space to explain how physics works in space
Astronaut Don Pettit demos drinking coffee in space using his Zero-G Coffee Cup Design
Space Monster – right outside space station.My boys thought he looked like Godzilla. twitter.com/astro_Pettit/s…
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) June 1, 2012
Moonrise time lapse…from airlock to cupola youtube.com/watch?v=YcHUlV…
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) June 1, 2012
Richard Garriott: @RichardGarriott
LORD BRITISH HIMSELF! The creator of the Ultima game series was also a private astronaut! Ok so I may geek out a little bit here. Bear with me. lol. I used to play the ultima games a lot, especially Ultima Online (as many people did back in the day lol), and being a gamer and lover of all geeky things (especially games!) just knowing that someone that made awesome games went into space really melts me down to my warm chewy geek core. Gaming + Space = I don’t understand my emotions. Anyway, here is some info about Richard!
Richard Garriott de Cayeux is a video game developer and entrepreneur. He is also known as his alter egos Lord British in Ultima and General British in Tabula Rasa. A well-known figure in the video game industry, Garriott was originally a game designer and programmer and now engages in various aspects of computer game development and business. On October 12, 2008, Garriott launched aboard Soyuz TMA-13 to the International Space Station as a self-funded tourist, returning 12 days later aboard Soyuz TMA-12. He founded a new video game development and publishing company in 2009, called Portalarium.
Richard was supposed to be the first private citizen to fly into space, but things didn’t work out. He was however able to become the sixth space tourist ever when he flew to the International Space Station in October 2008 also making him the first offspring of an American astronaut to go into space (his dad was an astronaut!) and the second person to wear the British Union flag in space. He left his mark by placing a geocache while aboard the ISS (among other things). So yeah, definitely follow this guy if you are a gamer and a space geek (which I assume most of us are haha) :D.
Felicia Day: Gamer Poetry about Ultima: youtu.be/Y41waT3uWAk via @youtube
— Richard Garriott (@RichardGarriott) February 6, 2013
Ultima Retrospective (playlist): youtube.com/playlist?list=… via @youtube
— Richard Garriott (@RichardGarriott) February 11, 2013
Photo: What waits beyond for Lord British? lordbritishpresents.com #LordBritishPresents tmblr.co/ZLWZtsfHIeny
— Richard Garriott (@RichardGarriott) March 1, 2013
Sam Cristoforetti: @AstroSamantha
Samantha Cristoforetti is the third woman astronaut in the European Space Agency, and the first Italian woman astronaut. She also graduated in Aeronautics Sciences at the Italian Accademia Aeronautica in Pozzuoli, becoming one of the first women to be a lieutenant in the Italian Air Force (So much girl power!). On July 3rd, 2012, the European Space Agency announced that she is scheduled to be a part of Expedition 42/43 aboard the International Space Station. She is set for a long-duration mission taking a Soyuz rocket to the ISS in 2014! So you can expect some awesome photos from the ISS from her! She is on Google+ as well! Her updates about the training she is undergoing is not only educational and informational – but just plain fun to read through lol.
Toilet class today. One fan & two pumps need to work on #ISS for your toilet visit to run smoothly. twitter.com/AstroSamantha/…
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) January 10, 2013
OK, I’m pretty late on this but I finally watched it. @astro_suni‘s video tour of ISS. Awesome! bit.ly/X5N7kT
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) February 3, 2013
Watch @williamshatner, or Captain Kirk 🙂 talk to @cmdr_hadfield in space. Right now! j.mp/14FV4Sq
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) February 7, 2013
Thomas H. Marshburn: @AstroMarshburn
Thomas Henry Marshburn is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. He served as a Mission Specialist on STS-127. In May 2010, Marshburn served as an aquanaut during the NEEMO 14 mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, living and working underwater for fourteen days. Recently he was a member of the Soyuz TMA-07M crew which launched to ISS in December 2012 to join Expedition 34. He has been capturing some of the best moments from the ISS and posting those photos to twitter as well!
Cadiz, Spain – one of Europe’s oldest cities – from a 21st century vantage point! twitter.com/AstroMarshburn…
— Thomas H. Marshburn (@AstroMarshburn) February 26, 2013
#Dragon docked to ISS.Couldn’t wait – opened the hatch a day early! twitter.com/AstroMarshburn…
— Thomas H. Marshburn (@AstroMarshburn) March 4, 2013
Just turned out the lights in Destiny at bedtime – end of another good. twitter.com/AstroMarshburn…
— Thomas H. Marshburn (@AstroMarshburn) March 5, 2013
David Saint-Jacques: @Astro_DavidS
David Saint-Jacques is a Canadian astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). He was selected to join the CSA in the 2009 CSA selection along with Jeremy Hansen. He was selected in May 2009 by the CSA for one of two CSA astronaut positions, after a long process selection attended by 5,351 candidates, and has moved to Houston to be one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. He recently graduated from Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activity (EVA), robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training, Russian language and water and wilderness survival training. Since graduation, he has been assigned to the Robotics Branch of the Astronaut Office. On September 19, 2011, NASA announced that he would serve as an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 15 undersea exploration mission from October 17-30, 2011. Delayed by stormy weather and high seas, the mission began on October 20, 2011. On the afternoon of October 21, Saint-Jacques and his crewmates officially became aquanauts, having spent over 24 hours underwater. NEEMO 15 ended early on October 26 due to the approach of Hurricane Rina.
The spacewalker’s most important piece of gear: the gloves! twitter.com/Astro_DavidS/s…
— David Saint-Jacques (@Astro_DavidS) March 7, 2013
Jeremy R. Hansen: @Astro_Jeremy
Jeremy Roger Hansen is a Canadian astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). He was selected to join the CSA in the 2009 CSA selection along with David Saint-Jacques. Prior to his selection as one of Canada’s newest astronauts, Hansen held the rank of Captain in the Royal Canadian Air Force, piloting the CF-18 fighter plane from deployment at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta. He has since been promoted to the rank of Major!
Neat photo.Left-downlink video of CDR Ford taking pic of Robonaut.Right-video from Robonaut’s view of CDR taking pic! twitter.com/Astro_Jeremy/s…
— Jeremy R. Hansen (@Astro_Jeremy) January 31, 2013
Calm before the storm. Neutral Buoyancy Lab water is smooth. Soon will be busy with our Nitrogen Tank repair trg. twitter.com/Astro_Jeremy/s…
— Jeremy R. Hansen (@Astro_Jeremy) February 11, 2013
Cady Coleman: @Astro_Cady
Catherine Grace “Cady” Coleman is an American chemist, a former United States Air Force officer, and a current NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and departed the International Space Station on May 23, 2011, as a crew member of Expedition 27 after logging 159 days in space. When she isn’t doing awesome science stuff she likes to play the flute! She took several flutes with her to the ISS, including a pennywhistle from Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains, an old Irish flute from Matt Molloy of the Chieftains, and a flute from Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. On February 15, 2011, she played one of the instruments live from orbit on National Public Radio. On April 12, 2011, she played live through video link for the audience of Jethro Tull’s show in Russia in honour of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin‘s flight. She played the duet from orbit while Anderson played on the ground in Russia! So Cool. Who knew astronauts had such passion for music… In space! Anything + Space = AWESOME!
Presented photo of @jethrotull Space Duet Flute to Rock ann Roll Hall of Fame with @astro_box. Rock on @iss and @r twitpic.com/83nhet
— Cady Coleman (@Astro_Cady) January 5, 2012
Driver’s Ed – UNDERWATER!!! I flewROV ARGUS @evnautilus for the first time – I loved it!No crashes… Also good! twitter.com/Astro_Cady/sta…
— Cady Coleman (@Astro_Cady) August 23, 2012
Ron Garan: @Astro_Ron
Ronald John Garan, Jr. is a NASA astronaut. After graduating from State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1982, he joined the Air Force, becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1984. He became an F-16 pilot, and flew combat missions in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Before becoming an astronaut he was the Operations Officer of the 40th Flight Test Squadron (FTS). He first flew in space as a Mission Specialist on the STS-124 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He returned to ISS on 4 April 2011 for a six-month stay as a member of Expedition 27. He is another astronaut that can be found on Google+!
Cool! RT @astroterry A friend sent this from Russia a pilot took pic of the#RussianMeteor from the cockpit. Amazing! twitter.com/AstroTerry/sta…
— Ron Garan (@Astro_Ron) February 17, 2013
8/20/11 Called a friend #FromSpace vacationing w/family in #Sardinia later that day took this of our shared sunset twitpic.com/c4obzm
— Ron Garan (@Astro_Ron) February 17, 2013
Had a great time interacting w/ everyone (both on Earth + in space) today in #NASA ‘s first hangout #FromSpace bit.ly/Xq4cII
— Ron Garan (@Astro_Ron) February 22, 2013
Soichi Noguch: @Astro_Soichi
Soichi Noguchi is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and a JAXA astronaut. His first spaceflight was as a Mission Specialist aboard STS-114 on 26 July 2005 for NASA’s first “return to flight” Space Shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster. He was most recently in space as part of the Soyuz TMA-17 crew and Expedition 22 to the International Space Station, returning to Earth on 2 June 2010. He is the fifth Japanese astronaut to fly in space and the fourth to fly on the space shuttle! While he was in space, he took many photographs of Earth which he then shared via Twitter (like a boss).
Need more lights? #superbowl #blackout #SB47 twitpic.com/c0qs7m
— Soichi Noguchi 野口 聡一 (@Astro_Soichi) February 4, 2013
Huge crater in the great Sahara. twitpic.com/c4999a
— Soichi Noguchi 野口 聡一 (@Astro_Soichi) February 16, 2013
Visit #Arizona if you want to see the REAL meteorite impact #crater! 百聞は一見に如かず。アリゾナにある直径1.5kmのバリンジャー隕石孔。 twitpic.com/c4i202
— Soichi Noguchi 野口 聡一 (@Astro_Soichi) February 17, 2013
Mike Massimino: @Astro_Mike
The first person to use Twitter in space! Michael James “Mike” Massimino is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Massimino is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, both of which serviced the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), including the historic final repair mission (STS-125). The crew of STS-109 successfully upgraded the Hubble Space Telescope leaving it with a new power unit, a new camera (the Advanced Camera for Surveys), and new solar arrays. Yes he was the first person to use twitter in space (THE STUFF OF LEGENDS!) – Rather than using the service directly while on-orbit, however, Massimino composed his messages and shared them with Mission Control which then posted the messages via the Internet to Twitter. So… totally cheated… but still a total BAMF! lol. As if that stuff wasn’t impressive enough though – this guy has even appeared in several episodes of The Big Bang Theory as himself! Geeks, contain your orgasms.
Check out these out-takes and bloopers from “NASA Johnson Style” the most popular youtube video in NASA’s history: youtube.com/watch?v=Ybsq1K…
— Mike Massimino (@Astro_Mike) February 6, 2013
Toured the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, an amazing place, check out my photo twitter.com/Astro_Mike/sta…
— Mike Massimino (@Astro_Mike) February 16, 2013
It’s been 10 years since Space Shuttle Columbia launched into space for the last time, I still miss them deeply twitter.com/Astro_Mike/sta…
— Mike Massimino (@Astro_Mike) January 17, 2013
Luca Parmitano: @astro_luca
Luca Parmitano is an astronaut in the European Astronaut Corps for the European Space Agency (ESA). The astronauts work on missions at the International Space Station. He was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009. He is currently training for ISS expedition 36!
Now that we cut the cake, it’s official: we’re going to space! 😉 twitter.com/astro_luca/sta…
— Luca Parmitano (@astro_luca) March 7, 2013
Ready for an 8g centrifuge ride. My fighter pilot friends’d do it with a crossword in 1 hand & a drink in the other. twitter.com/astro_luca/sta…
— Luca Parmitano (@astro_luca) February 9, 2013
Clayton C. Anderson: @Astro_Clay
Clayton Conrad Anderson is a NASA astronaut. Launched on STS-117, he replaced Sunita Williams on June 10, 2007 as a member of the ISS Expedition 15 crew (where he spent 152 days on board the International Space Station). He is a STEM Ambassador, Social Media Advocate, NASA Supporter and inventor of the Twitpic Pic of the Day! (POTD) Which is not surprising seeing his freaking awesome avatar of a water bubble floating in zero g in front of his face :D. He would often play song clips for the ground control team, or specific individuals, most notably when he played the song “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams for his wife on her birthday. If I were him on the ISS, I probably would have done the same – you could answer almost any question with music clips these days haha!
Two “Spacemen” meet at the Emerald City Comicon! Thx @willw! I am honored! Thx for your NASA support!#eccc twitter.com/Astro_Clay/sta…
— Clayton C. Anderson (@Astro_Clay) March 2, 2013
Clay’s “Pic of the Day!”Hard to compete w/@cdr Hadfield; his are gr8, some at night and he tells where they are! twitpic.com/c53654
— Clayton C. Anderson (@Astro_Clay) February 19, 2013
Mike Fossum: @astro_aggie
Michael Edward Fossum is an American astronaut. He flew into space on board the NASA Space Shuttle missions STS-121 and STS-124 and served as a mission specialist of Expedition 28 and commander of Expedition 29 aboard the International Space Station. He has logged more than 194 days in space, including more than 48 hours of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) in seven spacewalks! SO MUCH SPACE!
Wow – never get tired of that view! Nice work BT! “@astro_ron @bt_photo You might like this video I made: youtu.be/B18UEqn5Yw4“
— Mike Fossum (@astro_aggie) February 6, 2013
Trip to Wash DC is not complete w/o visit to old friends in Nat’l Air & Space Museum!! twitpic.com/c36710
— Mike Fossum (@astro_aggie) February 12, 2013
Terry W. Virts: @AstroTerry
Terry W. Virts, Jr. is a NASA astronaut, and Colonel in the United States Air Force. His technical assignments have included lead astronaut for the NASA T-38 program, Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) test crewmember, and Expedition 9 crew support astronaut. He was the pilot of STS-130 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour and is currently assigned as a CAPCOM, communicating with station crews from mission control in Houston. He will be a part of the Expedition 42 and Expedition 43 crews, launching to the International Space Station in November 2014! So look for some awesome pictures from him next year :D.
Flying around the #ISS 3 years ago above Mt Everest during STS130. Awesome! twitter.com/AstroTerry/sta…
— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) February 21, 2013
Here’s a day view of the T38 cockpit. What a great workplace! pnr.ma/bHuSRL
— Terry W. Virts (@AstroTerry) March 4, 2013
TJ Creamer: @Astro_TJ
He tweeted the first tweet ever from space (for real this time lol. It was legit!)! Timothy “TJ” Creamer is a NASA astronaut and a Colonel in the United States Army. He served a six-month tour of duty on the ISS as a flight engineer and science officer during the Expedition 22/Expedition 23 mission. He launched into space aboard Soyuz TMA-17 on December 20, 2009 and returned to earth on June 2, 2010. After Expeditions 22 and 23, Creamer focused on all things on orbit involving I/T, including networking, crew support platforms and also targeting I/T support for missions farther away than Low Earth Orbit (LEO), including Mars missions. Because science is the prime reason for the ISS, Creamer also certified as a Payload Operations Director in Huntsville, AL, helping to coordinate real-time operations of all ISS-based science events, the first flown astronaut to do so. Awesome stuff – making history!
The famous first ever tweet from space, by @astro_tj #space twitter.com/timmermansr/st…
— Remco Timmermans (@timmermansr) September 23, 2012
Gregory H. Johnson: @Astro_Box
Gregory Harold “Box” Johnson is a NASA astronaut and a retired colonel in the United States Air Force. He is a veteran of two space flights, STS-123 and STS-134. He served as pilot on his first mission, which delivered the Kibo logistics module and the Dextre robot arm to the International Space Station. Johnson was also assigned as the pilot to the STS-134 mission (the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour and the penultimate flight of the Space Shuttle Program), which launched on May 16, 2011 and landed on June 1, 2011. Greg Johnson has also served in numerous roles for NASA including as a Capcom for several missions.
Exactly 10 years ago we lost STS-107. KSC Visitors Center hosted a ceremony with guests and a missing man T-38 flyover twitter.com/Astro_Box/stat…
— Gregory H. Johnson(@Astro_Box) February 1, 2013
At the cape during Dragon cargo load out. Space X team poses at the base of Falcon 9 – in prep for a March 1 launch. twitter.com/Astro_Box/stat…
— Gregory H. Johnson(@Astro_Box) February 13, 2013
Col. Mike Fincke: @AstroIronMike
Edward Michael “Mike”/”Spanky” Fincke is an American Astronaut, and he currently holds the American record for the most time in space (381.6 days – wow, that is a lot of time spent being weightless lol.). He is a United States Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut, and served two tours aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer and commander. He flew on one Space Shuttle mission, STS-134 as a Mission Specialist. He has logged just under 382 days in space, placing him first among American astronauts for the most time in space, and 19th overall (So much space. Need to see it all. Spaccceeee!). He completed nine spacewalks in Russian Orlan spacesuits and American EMUs. His total EVA time is 48 hours and 37 minutes placing him 6th all time on the list of spacewalkers.
Join the STS-134 crew on the top of Europe! The research station at Jungfraujoch.Great science is done here @11300 ‘ twitter.com/AstroIronMike/…
— Col. Mike Fincke (@AstroIronMike) July 26, 2012
In Inglewood and Los Angeles helping Endeavour home. With Kay Hire and @astro_boxWow! twitter.com/AstroIronMike/…
— Col. Mike Fincke (@AstroIronMike) October 13, 2012
Tom Jones: @TomJones_astro
Thomas David Jones is a former United States astronaut. He was selected to the astronaut corps in 1990 and completed four space shuttle flights before retiring in 2001. He flew on STS-59 and STS-68 in 1994, STS-80 in 1996 and STS-98 in 2001. His total mission time was 53 days 48 minutes. Since leaving NASA in 2001, he has worked as a planetary scientist and consultant in space operations. He is also an author and speaker, with four adult, non-fiction works to his credit – including one called “Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir” which was named one of the top five books on the subject of space by the Wall Street Journal! Not too shabby. From 2006-2009 he served on the NASA Advisory Council. He is currently active in planning robotic and astronaut expeditions to near-Earth asteroids.
My advice for aspiring astronauts, in Flight Notes: To Be An Astronaut – 2013 Edition Good luck! #astronaut wp.me/pjywc-av
— Tom Jones (@TomJones_astro) February 6, 2013
Speaking at KSC Wed, toured shuttle Atlantis’ new home, opening in June. Beyond impressive! kennedyspacecenter.com/event.aspx?id=… twitter.com/TomJones_astro…
— Tom Jones (@TomJones_astro) March 7, 2013
Tim Peake: @astro_timpeake
Timothy Nigel Peake is a former British Army Air Corps officer and a current European Space Agency astronaut. He is the first British citizen to be selected as an astronaut by ESA (beating out over 8,000 other applicants for one of the six places on the ESA’s new astronaut training programme). Peake began ESA’s intensive astronaut basic training course in September 2009 and graduated on 22 November 2010. Since then he has served as an aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 16 undersea exploration mission – sounds like a lot of fun!
View from the bottom of NASA’s NBL…best part of astro training so far. We’re working on getting that flag right! twitter.com/astro_timpeake…
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) December 7, 2012
Scuba diving today in NASAs enormous 12m deep pool…space station mock-up is used for spacewalk training-great fun! twitter.com/astro_timpeake…
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) November 30, 2012
Alexander Gerst: @Astro_Alex
Alexander Gerst is a European Space Agency astronaut having been selected in 2009 to undergo training. He is also a geophysicist, volcanologist, and explorer. He is currently in training for a flight to the International Space Station in May 2014! Can’t wait to see what he has to show us from ISS then!
Congrats to my crew mate @astro_reid for being promoted to a Navy Commander today (duty station Star City 😉 twitter.com/Astro_Alex/sta…
— Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex) October 5, 2012
Nicole Stott: @Astro_Nicole
Nicole Marie Passonno Stott is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. She served as a Flight Engineer on ISS Expedition 20 and Expedition 21 and was a Mission Specialist on STS-128. In 2011, She flew a second time as a Mission Specialist on STS-133. Like some of the other astronauts featured here today she has a first related to twitter of course! On October 21, 2009, Stott and her Expedition 21 crewmate, Jeff Williams, participated in the first NASA Tweetup from the station with members of the public gathered at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. This involved the first live Twitter connection for the astronauts. Previously, astronauts on board the Space Shuttle or ISS had sent the messages they desired to send as tweets down to Mission Control which then posted them via the Internet to Twitter (as we mentioned before). Being able to tweet live is the only way to tweet though 😉 haha.
NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott discusses her path to a spaceflight career, life aboard the International Space Station
Got to drive the rover today! Way cool!! twitter.com/Astro_Nicole/s…
— Nicole Stott (@Astro_Nicole) March 5, 2013
10 years – remembering our friends. #STS107_rick_willy_kalpana_ilan_dave_laurel_mike_Columbia twitpic.com/c06mmy
— Nicole Stott (@Astro_Nicole) February 2, 2013
John Grunsfeld: @SciAstro
John Mace Grunsfeld is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five Space Shuttleflights and has served as NASA Chief Scientist. His academic background includes research in high energy astrophysics, cosmic ray physics and the emerging field of exoplanet studies with specific interest in future astronomical instrumentation. After retiring from NASA in 2009, he served as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. In January 2012, he returned to NASA and is currently serving as associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). He has also appeared on the very awesome show “The Colber Report” as seen below :D. Another fun fact about John is that he is the only astronaut to have climbed all the way to the top of Mount McKinley! Truly living on the edge lol.
The Colbert Report NASA physicist John Grunsfeld maps out Curiosity’s landing course and considers whether or not there’s life on Mars.
At JSC to see the Chamber A for JWST testing.The door is 40 feet tall.To cool literally-operates at T=20K ! twitter.com/SciAstro/statu…
— John Grunsfeld (@SciAstro) October 22, 2012
Mike Hopkins: @AstroIllini
Michael Scott Hopkins is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, and a current NASA astronaut. Hopkins was selected in June 2009 as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 20. He is currently assigned as a Flight Engineer on Soyuz TMA-10M/Expedition 37/Expedition 38 scheduled for launch in September 2013 (coming up soon!). He is scheduled to be the first member of his class to fly in space. The mission is scheduled to end with the Soyuz landing in March 2014.
Full day sim in Russian segment of ISS. Here my crewmate Sergey is working in FGB while I’m in the service module twitter.com/AstroIllini/st…
— Mike Hopkins (@AstroIllini) March 1, 2013
Satoshi Furukawa: @Astro_Satoshi
Satoshi Furukawa is a Japanese surgeon and a JAXA astronaut. He served as an aquanaut during the NEEMO 13 project, an exploration research mission held in Aquarius, the world’s only undersea research laboratory.
国際宇宙ステーションでほぼ毎日運動する際、ベンチプレスを行う際に見上げるとこんな風に見えます。今宇宙ステーションに滞在中のカナダ人飛行士クリスのツイ―トより。twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…ちなみに、バネの力を使うと無重力でもベンチプレスできます。
— 古川聡(JAXA宇宙飛行士) (@Astro_Satoshi) December 29, 2012
月と地球とソユーズ宇宙船。10日程前、国際宇宙ステーションからケヴィン・フォード船長が撮影。クリス・ハドフィールド飛行士のツイ―トより。twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/…
— 古川聡(JAXA宇宙飛行士) (@Astro_Satoshi) December 31, 2012
André Kuipers: @astro_andre
André Kuipers is a Dutch physician and ESA astronaut. He became the second Dutch citizen, third Dutch-born and fifth Dutch-speaking astronaut upon launch of Soyuz TMA-4 on 19 April 2004. Kuipers returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-3 11 days later.
Kuipers is the first Dutch astronaut to return to space. On 5 August 2009, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven, announced Kuipers was selected as an astronaut for International Space Station (ISS) Expeditions 30 and 31. He was launched to space on 21 December 2011 and returned to Earth on 1 July 2012.
Towards the end of the day and the end of the mission flic.kr/p/cjkJwW
— André Kuipers (@astro_andre) June 28, 2012
Last tweet from the ISS: This is how we return tomorrow flic.kr/p/cizjAfPleased so many have enjoyed following along.
— André Kuipers (@astro_andre) June 30, 2012
Dave Williams: @AstroDaveMD
Dr. Dafydd Rhys “Dave” Williams is a Canadian physician and a retired CSA astronaut. He had two spaceflights (Space Shuttle missions), the first one was STS-90 in 1998 and it was a 16-day mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia dedicated to neuroscience research. His second flight was STS-118 in August 2007 where he flew on the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station. During that mission he performed three spacewalks, becoming the third Canadian to perform a spacewalk and setting a Canadian record for total number of spacewalks. These spacewalks combined for a total duration of 17 hours and 47 minutes. In 1998, Williams became the first non-American to hold a senior management position within NASA, when he held the position of Director of the Space and Life Sciences Directorate at the Johnson Space Center.
Pale blue dot and thin blue line – seeing Earth from space reminds us of the importance of planetary stewardship! twitter.com/AstroDaveMD/st…
— Dave Williams (@AstroDaveMD) February 22, 2013
Leroy Chiao: @AstroDude
I always love everyone with the name Leroy instantly, I don’t know why, I just do. This time is no exception! Leroy Chiao is an American engineer, former NASA astronaut, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and engineering consultant. He flew on three shuttle flights, and was the commander of Expedition 10, where he lived on board the International Space Station from October 13, 2004 to April 24, 2005. He is also a co-author and researcher for the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity Project.
Congratulations Space X on Dragon reaching ISS!!
— Leroy Chiao (@AstroDude) March 3, 2013
Need More Sources Of Astro Information?!
NEED MOAR AWESOME ASTRONAUTY SPACE AND SCIENCE TYPE UPDATES!? Ok – then follow these accounts too!
NASA Astronauts: @NASA_Astronauts
Basically if you were too lazy (busy? lol) to follow each astronaut we mentioned individually, then you can just follow this account and it will act as a catch all, as it is linked to nearly all the astronaut accounts (hence the name haha). Plus you get updates on astronaut activities and other NASA stuff here.
Hello and good morning planet Earth! Powered up and moving inside of the Destiny laboratory. A lot roomier than my… fb.me/EqZFnALJ
— Robonaut (@AstroRobonaut) March 7, 2013
SpaceX: @SpaceX
This is the Official Twitter account for SpaceX, the future of space travel! SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft – if you want to be in the loop on all of the latest announcements, events, and launches before you hear about it from an astronaut then you probably want to follow this one.
#Dragon at station, via @nasa twitter.com/SpaceX/status/…
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 6, 2013
Curiosity Rover: @MarsCuriosity
Ok, so not really a human, but still an astronaut! Kinda. lol. NASA’s latest mission to Mars, Curiosity! This little guy arrived at the Red Planet on Aug. 5, 2012 PDT (Aug. 6 UTC) – and he likes to tweet about all the cool stuff he finds. Go figure!
The fresh borehole on Mars (L) is 2.5 inches/6.4 cm deep & .6 inch/1.6 cm wide. The test hole is 2 cm deep. twitpic.com/c2842c
— Curiosity Rover (@MarsCuriosity) February 9, 2013
Abigail Harrison: @AstronautAbby
So when doing the research for this post I stumbled upon this girl who has a big dream and it was inspirational to see someone so young want to achieve such a lofty goal (she is only 15 years old!!) and she is well on her way to achieving it! So what is her dream? She has a dream to be the first astronaut to go to Mars(#MarsorBust2030)! How cool is that? Of course she isn’t an actual astronaut… Yet. I have a feeling that one day she will be. So since she is inspiring other kids and sharing information about space and how to go about becoming an astronaut (as she learns herself!) – heck that would inspire anyone – so I figure the least we can do is show some love and support back! After all, that is what its all about – spreading your love of space and science with the world (because it is just THAT awesome, AMIRITE INTERNET!?) and help everyone to reach for the stars :).
Cool RT @wordnrd: At #SXSW checking out the awesome #nasa set up twitter.com/wordnrd/status…
— Abigail Harrison (@AstronautAbby) March 8, 2013
Well, There you have it! I think we are all social media astronauted out. lol.
Who was your favorite Astronaut? Have a favorite Astronaut that isn’t on twitter, or that we didn’t mention? Maybe even a favorite person on twitter that isn’t an astronaut but constantly shares awesome space or science stuff? Let us know in the comments below or in the forums! Thanks for Reading!
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