Geektastic!!!

[JoitheArtist]

Those of you on Twitter may know that NASA has been reaching out through new media, including Facebook, Twitter, and others. The Twitstream from the Mars Explorer project was written in first person, and became extremely popular, especially as the Explorer entered Martian winter and shut down.

Well, Jet Propulsion Labs, where the NASA tweeters were based, decided to have a Tweetup, and 150 Twitter followers got to go to JPL tonight. I was one of them.

*giant geeky grin*

I got to talk to the team lead for the Mars Rover drivers!! And a woman from the Cassini satellite project!!

Not only that, but they kindly consented to sign my copy of The Martian Chronicles (already signed by Mr. Bradbury himself last year).

Abso-freaking-lutely fanTAStic!!

[SG15Z]

Ok I'm officially jealous! Even though I've taken a tour of mission control. ;)

[JoitheArtist]

The best thing: as Scott Maxwell, the team lead for the Mars Rover drivers (and primary driver) was signing The Martian Chronicles, he told me a story. Mr. Maxwell had met Bradbury at a book signing a few years ago; each person who wanted a signed book was told to write what they wanted for the salutation on a slip of paper to go with the book. Mr. Maxwell wrote "To my best friend in all the world," half jokingly. Bradbury saw it, laughed, and said, "Do I even know you?" When Mr. Maxwell admitted that he didn't, Bradbury said, "Tell you what. I'll write the same thing to you that Marlene Dietrich wrote to me." And Bradbury prompted signed his book, "To my old pal, Scott Maxwell."

I looked in the book, and Mr. Maxwell had written, "To my old pal, Joi." So from Marlene Dietrich, to Ray Bradbury, to Scott Maxwell, to me. I really felt like I'd been given a great gift.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l242/Joitheartist/sigs003-1.jpg

[SG15Z]

OMG That's freakin awesome!!

[Cat]

AWESOME :):):)

[JoitheArtist]

I wrote up my thoughts about going to JPL, and posted them here: http://comeaway.blogspot.com/2009/01/dream-of-mars-in-2008-thousands-of.html Warning, I tend to wax rhapsodic! :lol:

[Akasa]

That is so awesome! Color me jelouse!