Thoughts on the Tweetup from the Tired
Posted in Uncategorized on November 17th, 2009 by jwadley – Be the first to commentI have the words, but it is difficult to put them together in a way the accurately describes today.
Amazing. Humbling. Inspirational. Exciting. Overwhelming. Emotional.
I didn’t really know what to expect from the NASA Tweetup for STS-129. Having few expectations made it easy for NASA to completely impress me. And they did that. And then some. They treated us with such respect, and gave us a VIP experience I never expected. They answered endless questions, provided dozens of speakers, and seemed sincerely interested in our participation.
I didn’t expect to meet such amazing people. I met almost 100 space fans, scientists and new media gurus. And every person was fascinating, intelligent, entertaining, sincere and kind. I now have dozens of new Twitter friends from all over, and each one makes me smile.
I didn’t expect to learn so much. Although I am a big fan of the space shuttle and of NASA’s programs, I am not a scientist or space blogger. I was nervous that my limited knowledge would be an embarrassing detriment. It wasn’t. And I learned so much about the shuttle and the space program, I now feel like a much more deserving ambassador.
I didn’t expect my emotional response. I knew that I would probably cry when Atlantis went up, but I didn’t realize that many things would bring tears. Watching the big clock count down, and the shuttle go up, was an intimate, personal, experience, and I got to share in the emotion with everyone there, and everyone following us on Twitter.
And, I didn’t expect to be so exhausted after two days. I can barely keep my eyes open, and scenes from the day keep replaying in my head. I’m taking myself to bed to dream big dreams.