Astronaut Mike Massimino, a.k.a. @Astro_Mike, may be credited with the first tweet from space, but technically it was “assisted,” and hence not live. Move over @Astro_Mike, @Astro_TJ just sent the first real-time tweet from space.

New software aboard the International Space State has made it possible to tweet live from space, and Astronaut Timothy Creamer wasted no time in sending the first digital message.

@Astro_TJ, as Creamer is known on Twitter, posted the first live update about eight hours ago while in orbit, saying: “Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space! More soon, send your ?s”

Of course live tweeting from space is pretty darn cool, but we’re even more impressed with the technology that NASA has employed to make the activity possible. The beauty is that the technology will also give astronauts the ability to use the web and connect with loved ones from space in a much more real-time fashion.

Here’s how NASA describes the new technology and what it means:

“This personal Web access, called the Crew Support LAN, takes advantage of existing communication links to and from the station and gives astronauts the ability to browse and use the Web. The system will provide astronauts with direct private communications to enhance their quality of life during long-duration missions by helping to ease the isolation associated with life in a closed environment.

During periods when the station is actively communicating with the ground using high-speed Ku-band communications, the crew will have remote access to the Internet via a ground computer. The crew will view the desktop of the ground computer using an onboard laptop and interact remotely with their keyboard touchpad.

Astronauts will be subject to the same computer use guidelines as government employees on Earth. In addition to this new capability, the crew will continue to have official e-mail, Internet Protocol telephone and limited videoconferencing capabilities.”

Tags: NASA, social media, software, space, twitter

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