Social Networking Coupled With Space Exploration
NASA and Gowalla, a mobile and web service, have partnered to
bring users one small step closer to the universe. The partnership
populates Gowalla with NASA-related information and four virtual
items -- moon rocks, a NASA patch, a spacesuit and a space shuttle
-- that can be found at agency-related venues.
"NASA's partnership with Gowalla is a creative way for us to
reach out and share information about what the nation's space
agency is doing," said Bob Jacobs, NASA's deputy associate
administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in
Washington.
Gowalla users who virtually "check-in" at NASA-related venues
and places of discovery via their smart phone have a chance to find
the four agency virtual items which can be swapped for other items,
dropped in locations or kept in their vault. Anyone with a Gowalla
account who collects three of the four items will receive a special
pin in their Gowalla Passport. In addition, the first 100 people to
collect three items will win the special edition NASA+Gowalla Map:
Search for the Moon Rocks by JESS3, a creative agency that
specializes in data visualization.
"Gowalla's mission is to inspire discovery by connecting people
with the places around them," said Andy Ellwood, director of
business development for Gowalla. "Space is one of the most
interesting places for human exploration, and this partnership with
NASA encourages our community to visit places in their world to
learn more about our universe."
The partnership enables a NASA account and an account for
astronaut Mike Massimino linked to the agency's primary Twitter
account, @NASA, and Massimino's Twitter account, @Astro_Mike. NASA
and Massimino also will drop virtual items for users to find and
collect throughout the nation.
Gowalla users can find virtual moon rocks by checking in to any
location where a real one is on display. The United States
successfully brought lunar samples back to Earth during the Apollo
11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 missions. NASA provides a number of
lunar samples for display at museums, planetariums and scientific
expositions around the world. Most lunar displays are open to the
public.
Gowalla users can find the virtual NASA patch, spacesuit and
space shuttles by checking in to NASA visitor centers,
agency-related locations, or one of the more than 400 museums,
science centers, planetariums, observatories, parks, nature
centers, zoos and aquariums that are part of NASA's Museum
Alliance.