#NASATweetUp

In less than a week, I leave for Florida and get to hang with 149 other Tweeps and watch the Space Shuttle Endeavour make it's last voyage into space. There are people from 43 states, DC and 6 countries. Quite the diverse gang.

Earlier this week, we got the agenda for the two days. It is quite jam packed.

Thursday, April 28/L-1: Tweetup Day 1*

7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – Registration at the Kennedy Space Center Press Accreditation Badging Building; travel to the press site, set up, meet fellow participants

10:00 a.m. – Welcome by @NASA team members Stephanie Schierholz and John Yembrick

10:07 a.m. – Meet the tweeps

10:45 a.m. – Demo of Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) and Mark III spacesuits

11:00 a.m. – Lunch break

12:00 p.m.-1:40 p.m. -- NASA TV starts for the formal #NASATweetup program, featuring:

· Dana M. Hutcherson, space shuttle Endeavour’s flow director, , Kennedy Space Center

· Tara Ruttley, International Space Station associate program scientist, NASA's Johnson Space Center, @ISS_research

· Astronaut Clay Anderson, @Astro_Clay, Expedition 15 flight engineer, STS-131 mission specialist, shuttle Discovery (April 5-20, 2010)

1:45 p.m. – Board tour buses

2:00 p.m. – Tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, including visits to the Apollo Saturn V Center, a drive by the Shuttle Landing Facility, Mate-Demate Device, Orbiter Processing Facility, Vehicle Assembly Building and Mobile Launcher Platforms, and viewing of the retraction of the Rotating Service Structure, scheduled for 7 p.m.

8:15 p.m. – Return to the press site

Friday, April 29/ Launch: Tweetup Day 2

8:00 a.m. – Badges will get you in Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 press site

9:00 a.m. – Group picture beside the countdown clock

9:05 a.m. – Astronaut Ricky Arnold, STS-119 Discovery (March 15-28, 2009)

9:30 a.m. – Astronaut Leland Melvin, associate administrator for Education, NASA Headquarters, @Astro_Flow

10:00 a.m. – Daire McCabe, designer at LEGO

10:30 a.m. – Lt. Col. Patrick Barrett, 45th Weather Squadron, U.S. Air Force

~11:57 a.m. – Astronauts depart their crew quarters for Launch Pad 39A

~12:10 p.m. – Tweetup participants (assembled along the road across from the Launch Control Center) wave to the crew as they drive by in the astrovan on their way to the launch pad

~2:15 p.m. – STS-134 Closeout Crew member (Endeavour's hatch is closed and latched for launch at ~1:42 p.m. EDT)

3:47 p.m. – Launch of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-134 mission

~5:00 p.m. – Post-launch news conference on NASA TV

7:30 p.m. - #NASABrewUp commences. Everyone is bringing a beer from their home state/country for a sampling event. I am bringing several bottles of New Glarus products.

One of my favorite disclaimers is this "NASA's Kennedy Space Center is part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. While on Kennedy Space Center you may encounter a variety of wildlife, including alligators and poisonous snakes. If you see such an animal, do not approach it or attempt to feed it. Please notify a public affairs officer or other NASA personnel."

It seems like it has been so long since I first found out about the Tweetup. Now it is almost here. I am now beginning to get more excited about going. I know that may sound geeky to some people, but I think that launching human beings into space it still pretty fucking cool.

Follow me on Twitter (HeyJo1) to see my thoughts and impressions of my journey.