KSC-2011-7953

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Former astronaut Leland Melvin, NASA associate administrator for Education, takes part in a Tweetup in a tent set up at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Press Site in Florida during prelaunch activities for the agency’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) launch. Melvin flew on the space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission in 2008 and STS-129 mission in 2009. Participants in the Tweetup are given the opportunity to listen to agency briefings, tour locations on the center normally off limits to visitors, and get a close-up view of Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The tweeters will share their experiences with followers through the social networking site Twitter. The MSL mission will pioneer precision landing technology and a sky-crane touchdown to place a car-sized rover, Curiosity, near the foot of a mountain inside Gale Crater on Aug. 6, 2012. During a nearly two-year prime mission after landing, the rover will investigate whether the region has ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life. Liftoff of MSL aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from pad 41 is planned during a launch window which extends from 10:02 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. EST on Nov. 26. For more information, visit http://www.nasa.gov/msl. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin