Astronaut Doug Wheelock went where no Foursquare check-in has gone before over the weekend. Wheelock, the current commander on board the International Space Station, checked in from the space station. In doing so, he unlocked the new NASA Explorer Badge.
The popular on-line game went into the final frontier as part of a new partnership between NASA and Foursquare. By working together, they hope to encourage all kinds of terrestrial space-knowledge exploration.
The check-in was the launch of the new program.
Various NASA badges will be available to those who check in to space-related locations here on Earth. If you visit the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, U.S. Space Camp, or a host of other space-related places, users will be able to compete for badges including the NASA Explorer badge.
These badges are just another way to encourage more learning about space, and go along with the space program’s recent push towards social networking.
Y’know, I don’t really get the whole FourSquare thing, but that’s just plain cool.