Held on the Friday before a weekend of events at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., the day-long NASA Goddard event is designed to be a celebration of the many successful and ongoing missions between NASA and JAXA.

*** NASA Social participants and their friends and families may also want to attend the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade the day after the NASA Social on Saturday, April 13, and visit the JAXA booth at the annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival. ***

A highlight of this NASA Social will be discussion of the science and engineering involved in the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM), an international mission to be launched by NASA and JAXA on a H-IIA Japanese-owned rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan in 2014. GPM will provide three-dimensional views of hurricanes and typhoons and set new standards for precipitation measurements worldwide using an international network of satellites united by the GPM Core Observatory, a satellite built by NASA and JAXA. The satellite is currently being tested at Goddard.

NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:

• Speak with JAXA and NASA scientists whose work is at the cutting edge of understanding rain and snow from space.
• Learn more about research on why plants like Washington's famous cherry blossom trees are blossoming earlier.
• Hear how engineers at Goddard and JAXA overcame the challenge of building, shipping, and testing the GPM satellite instruments that were built in two different countries and successfully withstood two natural disasters.
• Discuss the latest science discovered about our sun as studied by the NASA/JAXA Hinode mission and spacecraft, launched in 2006.
• Tour unique facilities, including:
  • The world's largest clean room
  • Goddard's 'Chamber of Horrors' where satellites are tested to withstand the rigors of spaceflight and view the GPM Core satellite as it's being tested.
  • The 'robot arm room' where NASA's Robotic Refueling Mission facility recently constructed and successfully deployed a refueling demonstration on the International Space Station.
  • The construction and integration of a Japanese instrument as part of NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, where four identical spacecraft will orbit Earth making three-dimensional measurements of its magnetosphere.
  • The Astrobiology Laboratory where scientists search for signs of life beyond Earth.
  • Construction of the James Webb Space Telescope – the most powerful space telescope ever built and will provide images of the first galaxies ever formed and explore planets around distant stars.
• Meet fellow space enthusiasts who are active on social media
• Meet members of NASA’s social media team

Registration opens on this page Friday, March 15, 2013 and closes at Noon p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

While there may be some translation services available, this event is in English.

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What is a NASA Social?
A NASA Social is an informal meeting of people who use social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Participants at this event will be provided a unique in-person experience with NASA, which they are encouraged to share with others through their favorite social network.

Guests will have an opportunity to learn more about the science and engineering being doing at NASA Goddard that both pushes the boundaries of space exploration and results in new technologies for medical research, materials science and aerospace.

How do I register?
Registration opens on this page Friday, March 15, 2013 and closes at Noon p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Sixty participants will be selected from online registrations. Registration is for one person only (you) and is non-transferable.

Additional registrants will be placed on a waiting list.

Do I need to have a social media account to register?
Yes. This event is designed for active social media users who follow NASA or JAXA missions on Twitter (@NASA, @JAXA_en, @JAXA_jp, @NASASocial, @NASAGoddard, @NASA_Rain), Facebook (NASA, NASA Goddard, PPM) or Google+ (NASA, NASA Goddard). The goal of a NASA Social is to allow people who regularly interact with each other via social networks to meet in person and discuss space exploration.

Users on all social networks are encouraged to use the hashtag #GPM & #NASASocial. Updates and information about the event will be shared on Twitter via @NASASocial and via posts to Facebook and Google+.

What are the registration requirements?
Registration indicates your intent to travel to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. and attend the one-day event in person. You are responsible for your own expenses for travel, accommodation, food and other amenities.

Some events and participants scheduled to appear at the event are subject to change without notice. NASA is not responsible for loss or damage incurred as a result of attending. NASA, moreover, is not responsible for loss or damage incurred if the event is cancelled with limited or no notice. Please plan accordingly.

The Goddard Space Flight Center is a government facility. Those who are selected will need to complete an additional registration step to receive clearance to enter the secure areas. To be admitted, you will need to show two government-issued identifications (one with a photo) that match the name provided on the registration. Those without proper identification cannot be admitted. All registrants must be at least 18 years old.

Accessibility: While many of the activities during are ADA-compliant, please note that part of this day-long event includes a tour of the NASA Goddard's satellite testing floor, a portion of which may not be wheelchair accessible.

Can I register if I am not a U.S. citizen?
Yes. Non U.S. citizens must provide passport information. If you have a green card, you will be processed as a U.S. citizen. Those who are selected will need to complete an additional registration step to receive clearance to enter the secure areas. To be admitted, you will need to show government-issued photo identification that matches the name provided on the registration. Those without proper identification cannot be admitted. All registrants must be at least 18 years old.

Does my registration include a guest?
Because of space limitations, you may not bring a guest. Each registration provides a place for one person only (you) and is non-transferable. Each individual wishing to attend must register separately.

What if I cannot come to the Goddard Space Flight Center?
If you cannot come to the Goddard Space Flight Center to attend in person, you should not register for the NASA Social. You can follow the conversation using the #NASASocial hashtag on Twitter. NASA may broadcast a portion of the program on April 12. You may be able to watch portions of the NASA Social participation in the press conference on NASA TV.

If you cannot make this NASA Social, don't despair; NASA is planning others in the near future at various locations. Check back on http://www.nasa.gov/social for updates.

When will I know if I am selected?
After registrations have been received and processed, an email with confirmation information and additional instructions will be sent to those selected and those on the waitlist. We expect to send notifications Tuesday, March 26^th.

If you do not make the registration list for this NASA Social, you can still participate in the conversation online.

Does registration for and/or attendance at the NASA Social qualify me for media accreditation?
Your NASA Social registration and/or attendance does not qualify you for news media credentials at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, now or in the future.

Have a question not answered here? Need more information? Help is available by sending an email to hq-social@nasa.gov.

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