Of all the space or NASA related events at SXSW Interactive, the one that promises to be the most interactive is the NASA meet up.

The thing that makes this a must stop isn’t just the fact an astronaut will be there, it’s getting to mingle with everyone up and down the NASA mission pipeline. These are the people who make flights possible: the engineers, scientists, astronauts who fly, and the communications folks who tell the story first.

Jason Townsend is heading up this event. He has been involved in social media as it has grown in the government. At SXSW he is coordinating all the people coming in from the Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, The Johnson Space Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and NASA Headquarters. These illustrious representatives include astronaut Reid Wiseman.

All of these places have one thing in common, they are part of the NASA family. Once you’re in the NASA circle it is a very close group. People help you move in to your new house, cover for you when you’re sick, help run the little league games and other youth groups with everyone’s kids.

“The NASA culture is team oriented and mission driven,” Townsend said. “There are a lot of folks that have to work closely together for long periods of time on difficult issues that are literally out of this world.  That togetherness of working so closely and having to be innovative as a group all the time really bonds people together. This shows through in moments of adversity most of all.”

Going back to the 1970s, during Apollo 13, people from all over the country worked many hours to bring the crew home. In Mission Control Houston people who were not assigned to the mission worked so others could get sleep in the back room, and a rotation of employees and spouses brought in food. The job was not done until splash down.

Controllers responded with the same dedication fashion when crisis hit the International Space Station some years ago due to a coolant leak.

In the everyday there are rocket clubs, soccer, and dancing classes as well as a wholehearted acknowledgment and acceptance of the diversity of the NASA family.

All of this can lead to some strong feelings not just for the work or for the place, but for the people. The thing that binds them is the mission.

“It’s the mission, who else out there is exploring the cosmos, stars, and everything in-between,” Townsend said. “It’s an incredibly engaging and inspiring mission to go and study the unknown.”

Who wouldn’t want to take part and give this their all?

“At NASA we are exploring to reveal the unknown,” Townsend said. “People are extremely passionate about the work they do.”

All of the work to answer big questions is done for the rest of the country, the rest of humanity. This adventure comes back at us and reverberates through society.

“There are so many different ways the space program has impacted people,” Townsend said, “from the medical community, things that are in your house, your city, and your everyday life. It’s absolutely incredible the number of spin-offs.”