This time it really is true: an astronaut has tweeted while in outer space! According to a news release posted a little while ago by NASA, astronauts aboard the International Space Station received a special software upgrade this week – personal access to the Internet and the World Wide Web via the ultimate wireless connection.

This personal Web access, called the Crew Support LAN, takes advantage of existing communication links to and from the station and gives astronauts the ability to browse and use the Web. The system will provide astronauts with direct private communications to enhance their quality of life during long-duration missions by helping to ease the isolation associated with life in a closed environment.

Previously, the astronauts had to email their tweets back to Earth, which would then be posted to Twitter by someone on the ground. With the advent of the new Crew Support LAN, they can tweet in real-time, just like you and I can!

Think back just a few years ago. Did it seem possible that we would have people sending tweets while they were in space? I don’t know about you, but things like this have always seemed to be some far-off possibility that “might” happen “someday”. How cool is it that someday is here… and we are witness to it?!