NASA's Social Media Team Receives Space Foundation Award

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Apr 17, 2012, 04:40 ET

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA's social media team has received the Space Foundation's Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award, which is presented annually to an individual, team or organization that has made significant contributions to public awareness and understanding of space programs. The award was presented on Monday, April 16, during the opening ceremony of the 28th National Space Symposium at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colo.

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The NASA social media team was selected for creative and pioneering use of social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter, actively engaging millions of people around the world and inspiring followers while in orbit.

"NASA's social media team works to tell our story using innovative platforms to let as many people as possible learn about the work we're doing in space exploration and aeronautics research," said David Weaver, associate administrator for Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "The Space Foundation's recognition is another testament to the team's success."

Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins received the award in 2007, the STS-95 space shuttle crew was honored in 1998 and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., was recognized in 1997.

NASA uses a host of social media sites to communicate its mission to followers around the world. NASA Socials, formerly known as NASA Tweetups, allow social media followers to attend functions and interact with NASA engineers and scientists. The @NASA Twitter account has surpassed 2 million followers, and NASA maintains a presence on Facebook, Google+, Flickr and other popular platforms.

To view all of NASA's social media sites, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For more about the Space Foundation and the National Space Symposium, visit:

http://www.spacefoundation.org

SOURCE NASA