NASA astronaut Doug Wheelock, the space station commander, became the first person to use Foursquare, a mobile social networking application, in space today (Oct. 22) after “checking in” from the International Space Station.

Foursquare is an application that allows users to “check in” to venues wherever they go, and earn rewards (in the form of Foursquare badges) along the way for activities and experiences.
The service can also be used to find nearby friends and get helpful tips about places.
If a user checks in somewhere more times than anyone else, he or she becomes the “mayor” of the venue. It can even get competitive, because current mayors can be “ousted” from their positions if someone else makes more visits.
Wheelock's check-in from the space station unlocked the new NASA Explorer badge. The accompanying message read: “You are now 220 miles above Earth traveling at 17,500 mph and unlocked the NASA Explorer Badge! Show this badge and get a free scoop of astronaut ice cream.”
The event helped kick off a new NASA partnership with Foursquare to connect its users to the space agency, enabling them to explore destinations beyond our home planet and throughout the universe.
“Check-ins from around the world have been cool, but this blew my mind!” Dennis Crowley, chief executive officer and co-founder of Foursquare, said in a statement. “We're psyched to partner with NASA to help users explore the space program and the universe.”
Wheelock launched on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the space station on June 15. He assumed command of the orbiting laboratory and its Expedition 25 crew on Sept. 22. During his time in space, he and fellow NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson conducted three spacewalks to replace a faulty cooling pump module on the station's truss.
(Source: Space.com)