WASHINGTON — NASA invites its social media followers to a special event with astronaut Joe Acaba from 9 -11:30 a.m. EST Tuesday, Dec. 4. The event will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW in Washington.

Acaba launched to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft May 15. He spent 123 days aboard the orbiting laboratory as a flight engineer of the Expedition 31 and 32 crews. He returned to Earth Sept. 17 after four months off the planet.

NASA Socials are in-person meetings with people who engage with the agency through Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks. This NASA Social is an opportunity to meet and speak with Acaba, the people behind NASA’s social media accounts and other space-exploration-minded participants.

Registration for the event is open to NASA social media followers and their guests from noon EDT Tuesday, Oct. 30, until 5 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 5. NASA will select 150 participants by lottery from those who register online. Additional applicants will be placed on a waiting list.

Aboard the space station, Acaba supported the arrival of the first commercial resupply spacecraft, SpaceX’s Dragon; an undocking, re-docking and final undocking demonstration of the Russian ISS Progress 47 cargo spacecraft; the first single-day launch-to-docking demonstration of a Progress; the arrival and departure of the third Japanese cargo ship; and served as intra-vehicular crew member for two U.S.-based spacewalks, helping to restore a critical power unit and exchange a faulty camera on the station’s robotic arm.

Acaba participated in numerous scientific research experiments and performed regular maintenance and operational tasks aboard the orbiting complex. He also frequently tweeted on his Twitter account, @AstroAcaba, and participated in an #askStation TweetChat.

Acaba also flew aboard space shuttle Discovery in March 2009 during a space station assembly mission, during which he spent almost 13 hours performing two spacewalks.

To join and track the conversation online during the NASA Social, follow the hashtag #NASASocial. For more information on NASA Socials and to register, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/social

Acaba’s Twitter account is: https://twitter.com/AstroAcaba

Acaba’s biography is available at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.html

For information about connecting and collaborating with NASA, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect