Joseph M. Acaba is one of three educator mission specialists. He was the focus of a NASA Social, a behind the scenes opportunity to meet and speak with Acaba and other space-exploration-minded participants.

Like the two other NASA Socials - then called NASA Tweetups - I attended, this took place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street, SW, Washington, DC.

Attendees of NASA Socials use social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Participants at this event are provided a unique in-person experience at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., which they are encouraged to share with others through their favorite social network.

Acaba launched to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft May 15, 2012, spending 123 days aboard as a flight engineer of the Expedition 31 and 32 crews. He recently returned to Earth on Sept. 17 after four months off the planet. Acaba had previously spent 13 days in space as mission specialist during space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission to the station in 2009, where he conducted two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 57 minutes.

While in space, Acaba frequently tweeted on his Twitter account, @AstroAcaba, and participated in an #askStation TweetChat. 4 December 2012