NASA astronaut becomes first man to use Twitter from space

London, May 14 (ANI): Mike Massimino, a member of the NASA crew sent to Hubble, has become the first man to have sent a Twitter message from out of space.

Accoridng to a report in the Telegraph, his first tweet proclaimed: "From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, and enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!"

His second, sent via the computers on board the space shuttle Atlantis, said:

"From orbit: Getting more accustomed to living in space today and getting ready for our big rendezvous with hubble."

Twitter, the popular micro-blogging service, has been used by thousands of people in unusual and controversial locations.

NASA confirmed that this Massimino - who goes by the Twitter nickname Astro_Mike - was the first man to have sent a Twitter message from out of space.

"Tweeting happens every day down here on earth, so why not take it to beyond Earth?" said a spokesman at the Kennedy Space Centre.

Massimino started using the blogging service in April and until recently had just a few hundred followers.

He now has in excess of quarter of a million people following his updates on Twitter, thanks to his regular messages in the lead up to launch day on Monday, which gave small details about his preparations and fitness regime.

Twitter, which allows people to post small messages, of no more than 140 characters, has taken off this year, with celebrities, politicians as well as about 15 million of ordinary people using the service. (ANI)