Most people these days have at least heard of Twitter, even if just in passing. For me, my use of Twitter originated from hearing my brother talk about it often. He runs an online business and uses Twitter as another extension to promote and be out there among the “Tweeps” as they are called – part of the new social media, Web 2.0 movement.
I eventually decided to set up an account, downloaded Tweetdeck and began tweeting every so often. As a guy who has spent the last thirteen months of his life in full time pursuit of the CPA license, I’ve spent a lot of time at my desk, buried in books. It soon became standard operating procedure to run Tweetdeck in the background, watching various topics of interest, mainly just to keep connected with the world while I studied the day away in my 12×12 office.
A few weeks ago, I saw a tweet about the opportunity to register for a Tweetup happening at the Goddard Space Flight Center in MD. Honestly, I thought my chances were slim, but I went ahead and registered anyway. In the end, I got selected to go to the Kennedy Space Center instead and to observe the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Since I only live roughly two hours from the space center, this option was the easiest to accommodate.
I did have to move my latest CPA exam to make this work. In fact, had I not gone to this event, I’d be DONE right now. However, I am very glad that I went and regard the experience as one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever participated in.
I choose the word “unique” very carefully. I’ve done A LOT of cool things in my 28 years of life. I’ve witnessed some of the most breathtaking views you can imagine, many of them from airliner cockpits 37,000 feet above the Earth. I’ve done a good bit of traveling, having been to 47 of the contiguous 48 states – I’m still working on WA, HI, AK. Living in Florida, the launching of space missions has always been sort of a backyard activity. On any given launch day, I can merely walk out on my porch while streaming NASA TV on the laptop and see the launches with my own eyes. However, this opportunity provided something else…..the personal side.
Meeting so many of the people that had worked on this satellite for the last eight years, experiencing delay after delay, it was interesting to listen to their accounts of what it was like getting to this elusive launch day. “I cannot believe this day is finally here”, is a phrase I heard on many occasions. From my viewpoint, at least up until this augmentation of my appreciation for what goes into these missions, its just a rocket launch. However at T-0, I did see some tears on the faces of some of those around me as the Atlas V roared into the sky carrying their blood, sweat, and tears firmly secured in the nose. A similar feeling that I have personally experienced is the maiden flight of my first radio controlled airplane, that I personally built from a pile of sticks. After having invested blood, sweat, and tears and over 200 hours of manual work along with every novice frustration you can imagine, I did feel like a proud father when it lifted off the ground and flew for the first time.
The fact that technology has advanced to a point where a simple tweet can bring together twenty random people, who from the first minute act and feel like they’ve known each other for years is amazing. Its the human element of this experience that I will take away. A rocket launch is pretty cool, but its just a rocket launch – gone in a minute. However, the memories of the folks there, the common bonds that hold us together – love of technology, love of science, love of space, love of good times, and of course, Twitter – is the greatest take away.
When I was an airline pilot, I began my initial training class with thirty strangers, who eventually turned into friends. Those bonds lasted, some merely on an acquaintance level, for the entire duration of my time there. Since the job was based in St. Louis, my eventual return back home led to the inevitable disconnection, save for the occasional facebook comment. As the tides shifted for me and eventually saw me back in school and buried in books again, I’ve honestly had very little social interaction over the last thirteen months. My best friends, lately, have been my wife and dogs. Though life is about to kick up again now that I’m all but through this tunnel, this Tweetup rekindled my appreciation of just how awesome it is to have friends that you care about and common interests to share.
The world can be a lonely place at times, but friends make it worthwhile. I can honestly say that I made some good friends during this event and will admit a feeling of sweet sorrow as I had to drive back to my life three days after it all started.
The upside is that Twitter will continue the connection and the future might bring another opportunity to meet up. However, potential friends are all around us, every day. The fact that twenty random people can start out in a room on day #1 and end up with memories of one of the coolest experiences and with people that are truly friends at the end, is a testament to the potential for relationships out there in the world. The world is full of people and all it takes is the right ingredients at the right time to create something that, by most accounts, is one of the greatest things that this life can offer – friendship.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to participate. I’ll hold the experience in a special place for a long time and look forward to the next opportunity to do a space Tweetup.
I’ll leave you with this. If you don’t get it, you weren’t there. For those who were, this is the the funniest thing EVER!!