My Top 10 in 2010

10. I presented at an educator conference for the first time. In February, I traveled to Savannah to present at the GSTA (Georgia Science Teachers Association) annual conference. I talked about Web 2.0 tools in the science classroom. It was fun, and I definitely see more conference presentations in my future. Now if I could just find the money to attend more conferences!

9. We found a place in the mountains. We love traveling to the mountains. In June, we found a steal on a foreclosure just outside of the Cashiers area of NC. It has been fun having a little escape just two hours away that feels like another world.

8. Inspired my kids about space and science. I had lots of space adventures this year. I like to think I got my kids excited and inspired about space and exploration. Plus, they made these awesome pop up books.

7. I had questions about NASA’s education future answered by Leland Melvin thanks to TalkingSpace and @genejm29. This fall, a friend on Twitter, @genejm29 contacted me about an opportunity to ask questions of Leland Melvin, now working with NASA Education. It was such a privilege to send the questions to @genejm29, and absolutely fabulous to hear them asked and answered on this episode of TalkingSpace podcast.

6. I became a “runner”. I did not think I could run. I have a history of bad knees, but I decided to start walking, and then running, and before I knew it, I had completed three 5k’s, 2 10k’s, and 2 half marathons this year. I use a run/walk technique, and I hope to improve in the coming year. However, I was ecstatic to complete my first half marathon in 3 hours, 10 minutes, 10 seconds. Next up is the Publix Georgia Half Marathon in March, and my goal is to complete it in under three hours.

5. I became certified to handle lunar samples. How cool is that?! How many people can say that they are certified to check out lunar samples from NASA? I am still amazed I have this certification. Now to plan a time to secure the lunar samples for the first time!

4. I met loads of spacetweeps in real life. The spacetweep community is such a fantastic group. I am so excited to say I have met many of you in real life. Forming these friendships has really been a highlight. One of the best parts was being able to attend the SpaceTweeps First Anniversary Party.

3. I met astronauts! Thanks to my tweetup experiences, I met astronauts like Bobby Satcher, Janice Voss, and Dave Wolf. Not to mention lots of other amazing folks who work in different capacities at NASA.

Bobby Satcher

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2. I visited Mission Control. In February, I had a chance to be part of the first NASA tweetup at Johnson Space Center in Houston. This was during the STS-130 mission of Endeavour. It was an incredible day that I did not think could be topped until…

Shuttle MCC

1. I saw the launch of Atlantis STS-132 from the press site! What an incredible experience this year. It was a dream come true. A dream I thought might never happen. As part of the STS-132 NASA launch tweetup, I spent two fabulous days at Kennedy Space Center in our beloved twent learning more about the shuttle program than I knew before. It was topped off by the beautiful and spectacular launch of Atlantis. It is an experience I will never forget, that I think about daily, and I share with others nearly as often.

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With such a fabulous 2010, I cannot wait to see what new exciting experiences 2011 has in store!

By Janelle

Space geek, science nerd extraordinaire. That's me! Want to know more, visit the About page.

2 comments

  1. I didn’t see this last year. What an awesome year! That STS-132 tweetup was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, for sure! Plus we had absolutely perfect weather for the launch, which I took for granted at the time. So amazing!

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