http://photos.state.gov/libraries/america/3239/2011_Week_1/08052011_Juno1_300.jpg

8月5日从弗罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角（Cape Canaveral）发射的朱诺号（Juno） 木星探测器将开始期5年的飞行，奔赴木星探索该行星的起源和结构。

美国国务院国际信息局（IIP）《美国参考》By Brittany Bybee从华盛顿报道，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）邀请来自美国28个州和哥伦比亚特区以及加拿大、芬兰、挪威、西班牙和英国的推特粉丝们参加一个于8月4日至5日举行的活动，庆祝在弗罗里达的肯尼迪航天中心进行的飞往木星的朱诺号探测器的发射。

NASA 表示，150名科学及外太空活动爱好者出席了为期两天的推特会（Tweetup）活动，该活动于8月5日以朱诺号的升空划上句号。

除了邀请多国民众庆祝朱诺号的发射，NASA 还与意大利航天局（ASI）合作在朱诺号上共同进行研究，ASI为朱诺号的研究使命提供了一台红外线仪器并参加一部分无线电科学实验。

推特会是把使用社会网络网站“推特”的人们汇聚在一起举行的非正式会议，NASA从1,200多名在线申请者中随机地选择了这次推特会的参加者。推特会为美国航空航天局活动追随者们提供了从幕后了解NASA的设施和运作并与科学家、工程师、宇航员和项目经理们交谈的机会。

NASA举办推特会的目的是使来自世界各地的人们有机会亲身了解火箭升空的情况，并与他们当地社区的人们分享这次活动的经历。

NASA的推特会为时从两小时到两天不等，其中包括一个“会见与问候”的程序，让与会者们和推特追随者伙伴们及NASA使命的幕后英雄们见面。

“朱诺号”推特会参加者们与NASA总部的首席科学家瓦利德·阿卜杜拉蒂（Waleed Abdalati）、行星科学部副主任吉姆·亚当斯（Jim Adams）、朱诺号首席研究员斯科特·博尔顿（Scott Bolton）、朱诺号项目科学家斯蒂夫·莱文（Steve Levin）及“朱诺号科学组”（Juno Science Team）的其他成员交谈，获得对于朱诺号的更多了解。

博尔顿在8月4日的推特会上表示：“‘朱诺号’的特殊之处在于：我们要真正了解最初几个阶段的情况，反映我们太阳系历史的初始阶段。”

朱诺号的主要目的是增进科学家对木星构成和进化的了解，为了解行星系统如何在银河系以及更大的范围内形成和发展提供新的认知。

按计划，朱诺号将于2016年到达木星，研究这个巨大的气体行星的大气层与起源。朱诺号将用大约1年的时间查勘木星，并试图看到其翻飞盘旋的云层以下的部分，探索那云层底下的真面目。

在7月8日发射航天飞机 “亚特兰蒂斯号”（Atlantis）时，NASA曾主持召开过一个类似的推特会，它还将于9月7日至8日，当发射两个目标为月球的GRAIL探测器时举行下一次推特会。

追随 @NASA、@NASATweetup 和其他NASA 推特帐户的推特用户均有资格申请参加推特会活动。

美国国务院国际信息局 http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-mgck/index.html

The Juno spacecraft launches from Cape Canaveral in Florida on August 5. Juno will make a five-year voyage to Jupiter to investigate the planet's origin and composition.

Washington — NASA invited Twitter fans representing 28 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Finland, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom to an August 4–5 event celebrating the launch of the Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

According to NASA, 150 science and space enthusiasts who follow its Twitter account attended the two-day Tweetup event, which concluded with Juno’s liftoff August 5.

In addition to hosting an international audience at the launch, NASA is collaborating with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to conduct research on Jupiter. The ASI contributed an infrared instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment to the Juno mission.

A Tweetup (Twitter meet up) is an informal meeting of people who use the social-networking site Twitter. NASA randomly selected the Tweetup participants from more than 1,200 online applicants. Tweetups provide @NASA followers with the opportunity to go behind the scenes at NASA facilities and events and speak with scientists, engineers, astronauts and managers.

NASA’s goal in holding Tweetups is to provide an opportunity for individuals around the world to experience a rocket launch firsthand and share the event with their local communities.

The agency’s Tweetups range from two hours to two days in length and include a “meet and greet” session to allow participants to gather with fellow Twitter followers and the people behind NASA’s missions.

Juno Tweetup participants spoke with Waleed Abdalati, chief scientist at NASA headquarters; Jim Adams, deputy director of planetary science; Scott Bolton, Juno’s principal investigator; Steve Levin, Juno project scientist; and other members of the Juno Science Team to learn more about Juno.

“The special thing about Juno is we’re really looking at one of the first steps, the earliest time in our solar system’s history,” Bolton said at the Tweetup August 4.

Juno’s primary goal is to improve scientists’ understanding of Jupiter’s formation and evolution and provide new insight into how planetary systems form and develop in our galaxy and beyond.

The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2016 to investigate the gas giant’s atmosphere and aurora. Juno will spend about a year surveying Jupiter and seeks to look beneath its swirling clouds to explore what lies below.

NASA hosted a similar Tweetup for the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis July 8 and will host the next event September 7–8 for the launch of the two lunar-bound GRAIL spacecraft.

Twitter users who follow @NASA, @NASATweetup and other NASA Twitter accounts are eligible to register for Tweetup events.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)