How do astronauts send tweets from the ISS?
Do astronauts have access to Twitter in space? Find out here.
Asked by Sharon Fields
Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) have their own personal Internet connection. Prior to January 2010 any tweets from ISS astronauts had to be emailed to the ground where support staff would post them to Twitter on behalf of the astronauts, but a software update just over three years ago allows astronauts to bypass this extra stage and post directly to Twitter themselves. The onboard internet access is called the Crew Support LAN and allows the ISS crew to remotely access a computer on the ground and use its internet connection via an onboard laptop. The very first live tweet from an ISS astronaut was by @Astro_TJ on Friday 22nd Jan 2010, who said:
“Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station – the 1st live tweet from Space! 🙂 More soon, send your ?s”
Answered by Megan Whewell from the National Space Centre
Image courtesy of Chris Hadfield/NASA