Astronaut Ron Garan Tweetup at NASA Headquarters

NASA invites its Twitter followers to a special Tweetup with astronaut Ron Garan at 1:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 14. The event will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, Washington. This NASA Tweetup is an opportunity to meet and speak with Garan, the people behind @NASA account and other space-exploration-minded participants.

Garan spent 164 days in space during the Expedition 27 and Expedition 28 missions to the International Space Station. He and his crewmates launched April 4, 2011, and returned to Earth on Sept. 15, 2011. Aboard the station, the crew worked on a variety of microgravity experiments and hosted two space shuttle missions, including the last shuttle to visit the station. Garan also participated in the last space-shuttle-based spacewalk during the STS-135 mission.

During his time in space, Garan shared his experiences and images he took of Earth from the space station via his Twitter account, @Astro_Ron, and his Fragile Oasis blog.

Registration for the event is open to @NASA followers and their guests from 12 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, until 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24. NASA will select 150 total participants by lottery from those who register online.