The GRAIL NASA Tweetup-Part One

I am going to break this up into a few parts I will write over the next week or so. This event was so overwhelming, and I am still digesting everything. I met and conversed with a sampling of the greatest minds on this planet. I met Space Shuttle Endeavour. I sat at a BBQ and talked math and physics equations with my new buddies. I experienced things that most people will only ever get to experience via television or photograph. I played in a space-lovers candy shop paradise for a week and honestly it was one of the most gratifying experiences I will ever have. My mind is stretched by this, it can't be undone. NASA Tweetup, you rocked my WORLD! :) 

The first day of the Tweetup was credential pick up and the pre-event dinner  we all planned at Dixie Crossroads Restaurant. I woke up Tuesday morning really sick. I was nauseous and throwing up, and I honestly thought it was going to ruin the whole week for me. I felt horrible, but I went out to pick up my stuff anyway. When I got to the press building on SR 3, I checked in and was given my awesome Tweetup badge and my swag bag. All sorts of fun NASA and GRAIL logo adorned items, would make any fan super happy. At this point, it got real. It made it quite easy to ignore the fact I felt like falling over. 

The Press Accreditation Building

Next up on the agenda was dinner. Time to meet a ton of people. I had some time to kill, and it was unseasonably cool outside, so I headed over to Spaceview Park and took a little 20 minute snooze on a park bench on the water. When I opened my eyes the Vehicle Assembly Building was the first thing I saw. 

 

My NASA Tweetup Badge

I headed over to Dixie Crossroads, and dinner was fantastic. I met around 60 people in one sitting, and the energy in the room was exhilarating. The conversations you have when surrounded by a mass of people who share the same exact passion as you, are fantastic. On top   of that, you already "know" these people in theory, so it was just a super fun night. Just a note, Dixie Crossroads serves these corn fritter things- either eat one or prepare to ruin your diet. They are addictive! 

The night slowly came to a close, I felt like I had at least introduced myself to everyone there, and it was time to head home and get some sleep. The next morning we had to be at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex by 8:30am for day one of our actual NASA sponsored activities. 

In hindsight, unless you are a veteran of these things, there was absolutely nothing that could have fully made me comprehend the things I was about to see and the people I was about to meet over the days that were to follow.