NASA’s First Space-Tweeting Astronaut And ‘Big Bang Theory’ Guest Flies To A New Position

The first astronaut who tweeted from space is leaving NASA, the agency announced yesterday. Mike Massimino (best known to his 1.29 million followers as @astro_mike) — and also one of several astronauts to repair the Hubble Space Telescope — will now bring his skills to a full-time position with Columbia University in New York.

“Mike embraced the opportunity to engage with the public in new ways and set the stage for more space explorers to be able to share their mission experience directly with people around the globe,” stated Bob Behnken, NASA’s chief of the astronaut office at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“We wish him well in his new role fostering the dreams and innovations of students just beginning their career paths,” he said.

Massimino found time to embrace Twitter, then a new technology to NASA, during the busy STS-125 mission that was the final repair mission for the Hubble Space Telescope in 2009. Here’s the first tweet from space:

From orbit: We see 16 sunrises and sunsets in 24 hrs, each one spectacular as the sun lights up the atmosphere in a spectrum of colors

— Mike Massimino (@Astro_Mike) May 19, 2009

Following his social media activities in space, which received a great deal of publicity at the time, Massimino appeared several times on the CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory” as a fictionalized version of himself.  He also was prominently featured in the IMAX film Hubble 3D in 2010, which in part featured the spacewalking missions to repair the iconic NASA telescope.

Lately, Massimino’s outreach activities also included hosting the regular “ISS Mailbag” YouTube segment with fellow astronaut Don Pettit (@astro_pettit).

While the astronaut has not yet made a statement on Twitter, NASA paid tribute to him on its own Twitter account, as did others:

Our first space tweeting astronaut, @Astro_Mike, is leaving us. Thanks for paving the way! http://t.co/NfYfFRmOAA pic.twitter.com/hNauoqNFhV

— NASA (@NASA) July 29, 2014

We r so gonna miss this guy! @Astro_Mike did so much for NASA outreach! #ThanksSoMuch! http://t.co/PKYd6uuXTJ pic.twitter.com/KYT9zpbYSp

— Nicole Cloutier (@NicoleAtNASA) July 30, 2014

Thanks to @Astro_Mike for helping #NASA inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and astronauts. pic.twitter.com/j58SPwAzJW

— David Weaver (@DavidWeaver) July 29, 2014

All the best to @AstroMike as he departs NASA for university life! http://t.co/M8kkdei0EA pic.twitter.com/cCteh6Z4ux

— Bob Behnken (@Chief_Astronaut) July 29, 2014

Nice farewell words to the astronaut office from @Astro_Mike yesterday. Great to share an office with him on multiple occasions! Good luck!

— Ricky Arnold (@astro_ricky) July 29, 2014

All the best to you @Astro_Mike on your next adventure! Loved marching the streets of DC with you! pic.twitter.com/Ez5KH4QOAj

— Lauren B Worley (@SpaceLauren) July 29, 2014