Alumnus Sends First Tweet from Space!

On Friday, the New York Times reported that MIT alumnus Timothy Creamer had sent the very first tweet from space. Creamer SM ‘92 has been aboard the International Space Station since late December.

As the Times put it, “It was one small tweet for man, one giant tweet for mankind.”

Creamer, whose Twitter name is Astro_TJ, wrote: “Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space! 🙂 More soon, send your ?s.”

Since Friday, he has been communicating frequently with his Twitter followers. To one follower he wrote: “1st time seeing the Earth, my thought & feelings were: how inspiringly beautiful & peaceful. All should see…”

Read more about Creamer’s mission on the space station and follow him on Twitter @Astro_TJ.

 

Alumnus Tim Creamer Visits Space for First Time

Alumnus Tim Creamer answers a reporter's question during a press conference held in Kazakhstan two days before the Soyuz launch.

Yesterday alumnus Tim Creamer and two other crew members arrived at the International Space Station to join Expedition 22. The crew launched aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft on December 21st from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is  the first time that Creamer SM ’92 has been to space.

While at the station, Creamer and his colleagues in Expedition 21 and 22 will work on setting up and activating new research facilities. They’ll activate the new Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT); unberth the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle when its supply mission is complete; and welcome a new Russian docking module, two shuttle crews and a Progress resupply ship.

Creamer is expected to remain at the space station for six months. You can read his full bio on the NASA Web site and follow his progress on twitter @Astro_TJ.

He is expected to remain at the station for the next six months.

 

View from Space: Alumnus’ Self Portrait & More

After an initial setback with his suit yesterday—a valve came off his drink bag but was easily re-affixed—alumnus Robert Satcher and one other astronaut set out on the International Space Station for their third and final spacewalk. The astronauts  have been on the space station since November 18th, with the mission of installing an enormous oxygen tank and setting up several experiments. Tomorrow the seven-person crew will wrap up work and depart the station. According to NASA, they are expected to land at Kennedy Space Center on Friday.

Scroll down to see images of Robert Satcher ’86, PhD ’93 as he prepared for and then began carrying out mission STS-129. All images courtesy of NASA.

Mission Specialist Robert L. Satcher Jr. is greeted by Mission Lead Mike Menard at the shuttle landing facility at Kennedy Space Center.

The STS-129 crew (Robert Satcher, far right).

Aboard Atlantis, Mike Foreman, top, and Robert Satcher are dressed in their launch-and-entry suits and strapped to their seats.

Atlantis launched at 2:28 p.m. EST Nov. 16.

A partial view of Atlantis' payload bay, back-dropped by Earth's horizon.

Robert Satcher used a digital still camera to take a self-portrait during the mission’s first spacewalk.

Robert Satcher and Randy Bresnik work outside of the International Space Station during the final spacewalk.

More coverage of alumni astronauts:

Shuttle Mission Twice Postponed for SEAL-Turned-Astronaut

MIT to the Rescue: Institute Astronauts Fix Hubble Troubles—Again

Alums Return to Space for Final Hubble Mission

Guess Which Blog is Read in Space

Obama Calls MIT Alums and Others in Space

Checking In with Our Out-of-This-World Alums

 

Shuttle Mission Twice Postponed for SEAL-Turned-Astronaut

Inside space shuttle Endeavor, mission specialist Chris Cassidy participates in a simulated launch countdown. Photo: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The year after Chris Cassidy earned his ocean engineering masters from MIT, he and a team of fellow Navy SEALS were deployed to Afghanistan to try to take down top al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Eight years later, Cassidy is preparing for a new mission: Space.

The 39-year-old father of three will be the second SEAL in space when he takes off in the shuttle Endeavor for the International Space Station. Mission STS-127, for which Cassidy is serving as mission specialist, will last 16 days. One of the main objectives is to complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory.

The launch, originally scheduled for June 17th, has been delayed twice because of a hydrogen leak. NASA reported on Sunday that a plate that attaches the vent line to the shuttle’s external fuel tank is slightly misaligned, thus causing the tank to leak during fueling.

The new launch date is scheduled for July 11 at 7:39 pm EDT. If you’re interested in keeping up to date about the mission’s progress, check out NASA’s Web site for online updates, or subscribe to the NASA twitter feed.