While NASA is not currently sending manned space shuttles into orbit, it is launching small, unmanned ships to monitor the galaxy and our little rock in space. NASA is inviting 150 of its Twitter followers to witness the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 541 rocket break the surly bonds of earth — and set off for Mars.

They’re calling them TweetUps and NASA’s been doing them for a while. The idea comes with essentially two purposes. The first is to build up NASA’s social reputation. They’ve had astronauts tweeting from space, even. The second purpose is to build a case for relevance as the agency shrinks, privatizes and outsources more of its operations and faces continued budgetary pressure.

You’ll find more info on attending one of these TweetUps at NASA’s official site.

Story via – Mashable.