Tweeting from the Void - How Social Media has Connected Astronauts to Earth
 |
| harrisonruess.com |
Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station -- the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s
— TJ Creamer (@Astro_TJ) January 22, 2010
The successful test of an internet connection in space was a 2010 tweet sent by astronaut T.J. Creamer (embedded above) from the ISS, elatedly announcing the newly forged connectivity, and since then social media, and Twitter in particular, has provided a vital bridge between astronauts and their grounded friends, family and fans. Video and voice chat platforms have also played a really significant role in maintaining contact, although they have to rely on purpose built programs for that, rather than say, Skype.
From an Earthling point of view, it's made it that much easier to see and interact with updates from space in real time, as an image of Earth taken from the ISS can be accessed practically instantaneously. Getting a deeper insight into what they're actually doing up there is also ceaselessly fascinating. You can get such a ridiculously tightly focused look at the lives of people like Kim Kardashian or any of the rest of her clan now, it's beggar's belief why anyone would care, but with an astronaut, even the most mundane aspects of their routine are legitimately interesting enough to want to hear more about.
In a recent tweet, the ISS team revealed that they were being treated to an early premier screening of Ridley Scott's The Martian. A similar thing happened with Gravity, which strikes me as flagrantly irresponsible, since that film equates space to some kind of tormenting, violent monster that follows you around with a cartoonishly oversized club.
Watched @MartianMovie on @Space_Station last night! Today working towards our #JourneyToMars during my #YearInSpace! pic.twitter.com/rIEBjFxRIr
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) September 20, 2015
A lot of the time though, what the astronauts do with their downtime would be interesting even if they weren't in space. Last year, Chris Hadfield rounded out his 4-and-a-bit month stint on the ISS by recording a cover version of David Bowie's 'Space Oddity'. He had already accrued over 1,000,000 followers during his time on the station, but this video outperformed even that lofty achievement, to date it has pulled in over 26,000,000 views and is still gaining.
From a psychological standpoint, having such a consistent connection to Earth must be massively beneficial. As the technology continues to progress, astronauts are only going to spend increasingly longer stints in outer space and we know precious little about how that will affect them. Beyond that, serious inroads are being made with commercial space travel, and the notion of someone who lacks any kind of formal training being blasted into the stratosphere raises all manner of new questions.
The most significant future development though is actual interplanetary colonisation. It might seem like a distant dream, but yesterday's science fiction is today's science fact. Several different people have developed rudimentary warp drives and despite the continuous cries of 'no way', the Mars One project continues to trundle forward. Social media, and anything else that provides a safe, recognisable link to home turf, is going to be invaluable to the earliest out-world settlers. In some ways, it might end up being the most important role social media has ever played.
Callum Davies
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
Tweeting from the Void - How Social Media has Connected Astronauts to Earth
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Rating:
Unknown
Keeping you up to date on social media, digital marketing, apps, news & reviews. Social media, and digital marketing as a whole, are rapidly and constantly changing, adapting to new developments at an ever increasing rate. Just keeping up to date can be a nightmare. Our team of writers know their field, and keep an ear to the ground. We aim to keep you informed of all recent developments in the online world, and teach you a little something along the way. So whether you just want to stay connected, or gain some knowledge for yourself, the Social Songbird will keep on singing! More articles are posted every day so keep checking back! Join the discussion on Twitter - #SocialSongbird Or contact us directly - @SocialSongbird_
Entrepreneur, international speaker on Social Media Marketing. First one in the UK to write and speak in conferences about Twitter as a marketing tool. Consultant to Corporate Companies, Government Organizations, Marketing Managers and Business Owners.
Aspiring novelist with a passion for fantasy and crime thrillers. He hopes to one day drop that 'aspiring' prefix. He started as a writer and soon after he was made Executive Editor and Manager of the team at Social Songbird. A position he held for 5 years.
Adrienne is a passionate writer with experience in editing, content creation, and social media marketing. She’s a lover of animals, helping others improve their writing, and 2000s pop culture.
Musician, audio technician, professional tutor and a Cambridge university English student. Interested in writing, politics and obsessed with reading.
Recently graduated with a BA in English Literature from the University of Exeter, and he is about to study an MA in Journalism at the University of Sheffield. He is an aspiring journalist and novelist; in his free time he enjoys playing chess, listening to music and taking long walks through nature.
Lucy is an undergraduate BSc Politics and International Relations student at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Anna Coopey is a 4th year UG student in Classics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is a keen writer and researcher on a number of topics, varying from Modern Greek literature to revolutionary theory.
Ellie is a recent BA English Literature graduate and aspiring publisher with a passion for writing. Her favourite pastimes include reading and shopping.