@4tuneQkie's #AlexTweetup badge * #BlueDot * #AlexTweetup #BlueDot #GoAlex #Soyuz #TMA13M * Bai von 4tuneQkie

#OnceUponATime In spring 2013 I organized #SpaceBembel, a #SpaceSocial where a group of #SpaceTweeps got together again to share some space fun in Frankfurt. As one of my mottos is &quot;no #SpaceTweetup without a proper badge&quot; I designed one and distributed it to all participants. What I had started back then became kind of a tradition in the meantime: Inspired by several #Space- and #ScienceTweetups I painted logos for every event I attended, got them printed on badges for all, as well as thank-you posters, t-shirts, etc. as memento of our shared adventures. And 2013 has been quite a ride :-) #SpaceBembel * #ASE26 * #BuraMooN 1 &amp; 2 * #SpaceKoelschX * #CERNTweetup * #ItIsStonehengeReunionOClock * #ScienceTweetup And 2014 is also amazing already: I already created designs for #SpaceFestVI and #AlexTweetup taking place in May and @SpaceUpUK in July 2014. I am very much looking forward to sharing these events with so many friends from all over the world. More to come ;-) <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceholix/collections/72157635481982339/">www.flickr.com/photos/spaceholix/collections/721576354819...</a> So #AlexTweetup is about our trip to Baikonur shared by 16 dedicated #SpaceTweeps and two #SpaceMascots named #PinkLittleDragon and @CamillaSpace. All of us will share this unique adventure of witnessing the Soyuz launch of our German astronaut Alexander Gerst ( #FF @Astro_Alex ) to #ISS on 28. May 2014 via Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels. Here is the collection of my brainstorming and the design process as well as many pictures of the past 5 years, from the day at #TdLR09, where we &quot;met&quot; Alexander Gerst and the other #shenanigans for the very first (but not the last) time, shortly after their assignments for a trip to #ISS. Oh yes, there was a time before twitter and other social media ;-) <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/spaceholix/sets/72157644182872632/">www.flickr.com/photos/spaceholix/sets/72157644182872632/</a> My latest design features the #NebraSkydisk - one of the most beautiful and most fascinating archeological and astronomical artefacts ever found - until today. This is the oldest-known illustration of our cosmos so far, with an estimated age of 3600 years (!!!), the earliest known diagram of the heavens, which makes it one or may be THE most important archaeological discovery of the twenty-first century. It was discovered by treasure hunters on July 4th 1999 near the city of Nebra in Germany and since then fascinates not only the experts as its history is really exciting from then till now. <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1a45jq_the-nebra-sky-disc-ancient-european-map-of-the-stars_shortfilms#from=embediframe" rel="nofollow">www.dailymotion.com/video/x1a45jq_the-nebra-sky-disc-anci...</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disk" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disk</a> <a href="http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/arqueologia/nebra_disk.htm" rel="nofollow">www.bibliotecapleyades.net/arqueologia/nebra_disk.htm</a> I fell in love with this beauty as soon as I saw it the very first time several years ago. And I always wanted to paint it one day! So what better match could there be than combining this masterpiece -created by stargazers thousands of years ago, who loved observing (and already started understanding) our night sky- with two fantastic #SpaceEvents in May 2014. #SpaceFestVI in Pasadena ( <a href="http://www.spacefest.info/VI/brochure.html" rel="nofollow">www.spacefest.info/VI/brochure.html</a> ), THE #SpaceEvent of the year, where many astronauts of the dawning of space exploration did reunite and inspire all of us and then -end of May- our #AlexTweetup - where we celebrate the launch of @esa astronaut Alexander Gerst, whose mission name is #TheBlueDot (!!!). Both events bring people together (again), who travel all around the world to share their love of space and our beautiful blue marble … And I am really honored that sharing my badges and designs with so many #SpaceTweeps AND astronauts of the very first era of space exploration until today made so many people smile again. And these smiles seem to be contagious ;-D I cannot really explain it, there simply is this very special close link between us. NOTE: #NebraSkyDisk is under the copyright of the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt - Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte - <a href="http://www.lda-lsa.de/en/nebra_sky_disc/" rel="nofollow">www.lda-lsa.de/en/nebra_sky_disc/</a> As my design project is an artistic realization for two private travel groups, I was kindly given official permission to integrate the #NebraSkydisk in my artworks here. Hence I have to emphasize that my artwork may ONLY be shared as per following license: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 DE <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de/" rel="nofollow">creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de/</a> I herewith explicitly send my thanks to the STATE OFFICE FOR HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND ARCHAEOLOGY - THE STATE MUSEUM OF PREHISTORY IN HALLE / GERMANY - and - as asked for - I will gladly send pictures of my design as well as badges and photos of #SpaceFestVI in Pasadena and #AlexTweetup in Baikonur to the Museum for its collection / exhibition. It is my pleasure to share the #NebraSkydisk far beyond the borders of Germany - especially during events, which only can take place, because some people started documenting their night-sky-observations thousands of years ago. #SpaceholixThenAndNow ;-) Covered below is an overview of all the details embodied in my #AlexTweetup mission logo ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #AlexTweetup - Facebook group for all #SpaceTweeps interested in the trip to the launch of Alexander Gerst on 28. May 2014 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/AlexanderTweetup/" rel="nofollow">www.facebook.com/groups/AlexanderTweetup/</a> Baikonur * May 26th - 30th 2014 - Travel period for #AlexTweetup in Baikonur <a href="http://www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10308/471_read-8313/year-all/#gallery/12414" rel="nofollow">www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10308/471...</a> BLUE DOT - Mission name of Alexander Gerst <a href="http://blogs.esa.int/alexander-gerst/" rel="nofollow">blogs.esa.int/alexander-gerst/</a> XL - Mission no. 40 - in roman numerals THEN + NOW - Connection between space exploration THEN #NebraSkydisk (dated about 3.600 years ago in Germany) and NOW (#BlueDot mission of German astronaut Alexander Gerst) WISEMAN * GERST * SURAJEW - names of the international crew of mission no. 40 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_40" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_40</a> SHAPING THE FUTURE ... Mission theme of Alexander Gerst's mission #BlueDot <a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/Announcing_Blue_Dot_mission_logo" rel="nofollow">www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/A...</a> ... IN LEO <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit</a> - Abbreviation LEO #LowEarthOrbit - the home of #ISS CONSTELLATIONS: LEO <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_</a>(constellation) - reflecting LowEarthOrbit - the orbit of #ISS DRACO <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_</a>(constellation) - representing #DRAGON - the partially reusable spacecraft developed by @SpaceX, which has docked to #ISS already several times and will deliver cargo regularly. We enjoyed seeing the capsule used during the maiden flight in Florida at SpaceX Launch Control Center during an event before the #NASATweetup for #STS135 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_</a>(rocket_engine) - also representing #PinkLittleDragon - the travel buddy of #The2AndAHalfSpaceTweeps @LightspeedLeo @4tuneQkie and @travelholic ( avoving @Spaceholix ) and our #SpaceMascot. This #VIP #VeryInspiringPinkLittleDragon is traveling all around the world with us and he already has attended several great #SpaceTweetup and #ScienceTweetup events organized by @NASA @DLR_de @ESA @CERN @Helmholtz_de as well as #ASE26 #SpaceFestV and #SpaceFestVI and he has already met many of the most inspiring #SpaceExplorers and #Astronauts from the #Mercury and #Apollo era - till today, as well as #scientists @MeteoriteMen #CometHunters ... SWAN <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus" rel="nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus</a> - representing the footprint / autograph of our dear friend and great #SpaceMascot and #VIP #VeryIntelligentPoultry: @CamillaSpace is encouraging not only children of all ages to ask questions about the Sun and space and she was planned to be part of this mission accompanying NASA astronaut @astro_reid on his trip to #ISS. Her footprint is heading from the Swiss flag (home country of Camilla's &quot;executive secretary&quot; Romeo Durscher ( <a href="http://about.me/romeoch" rel="nofollow">about.me/romeoch</a> ) to the US flag via #ISS <a href="http://about.me/camillacorona" rel="nofollow">about.me/camillacorona</a> <a href="http://www.wired.com/2012/11/camilla-nasa-rubber-chicken/" rel="nofollow">www.wired.com/2012/11/camilla-nasa-rubber-chicken/</a> XXVIII V MMXIV - 28. 05. 2014 = launch date of mission 40 in roman numerals stylised in shape of ISS * “ @ “ AND “ # “ - reflecting the tools of the peer-to-peer connection of astronauts @Astro_Alex and @astro_reid and many others with #SpaceTweeps and future space enthusiasts, who will further spread news about the adventures all around the world via social media channels, e.g. @twitter, Facebook, Google+ and others. 16 FLAGS <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/partners.html" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/par...</a> - representing all current international partners and participants cooperating on #ISS – the most ambitious international collaboration ever which -in my eyes- really would be worthy of the nobel peace prize <a href="http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/iss-nobel-peace-prize/" rel="nofollow">www.spacesafetymagazine.com/iss-nobel-peace-prize/</a> Between the flags I left additional room for more countries to join that global project in the near future. Especially in difficult political times like today this cooperation hopefully will enable our world to grow together more closely step by step. Now we are looking forward to this trip and are curious how everything will work out. This definitely is a very adventurous trip and if someone had told me 5 years ago, when we met that guy in blue for the very first time that we would be going to KAZAKHSTAN half a decade later to see HIS launch, I would NEVER EVER have believed it. It seems our lives as #Spaceholix have many surprises in store for us ;-) If YOU want to know more about all this, just follow the hashtag of our group: #AlexTweetup ;-)