Twitter from space

The crew of the International Space Station already have access to the Internet . Astronaut Timothy Creamer, a NASA flight engineer, sent the first direct message from space to Twitter on Friday. “Hello Twitterverse!” (“Hello Twitter universe!”) Were the first words of Creamer from his account @Astro_TJ, which represent a step forward by extending the use of social networks beyond land borders.

Until now, the station’s astronauts had to send the tweets – short messages from Twitter – via email to the Mission Control Center in Houston (USA). From there, his colleagues updated the microblogging service on his behalf.

Now, thanks to web access based on wireless networks and dubbed “Crew Support LAN” , astronauts aboard the International Space Station can enter the world of “three w” from their on-board laptops, navigate freely and use systems of private communication individually.

According to NASA, this will serve to improve their quality of life and avoid the feeling of isolation during their long missions in space. “We hope it improves morale and productivity,” said Kelly Humphries, a spokesman for the Space Agency.