( CNN ) -- It inspired childlike moments of wonder . It was a feeling that many had not felt since NASA 's final space shuttle launch , Atlantis in July 2011 . That 's how the fans and followers around the Web described the weekend 's events to NASA 's social media team . And while social media users are often portrayed as having short attention spans , the @ MarsCuriosity Twitter account continues to receive about 1,000 new followers an hour since landing on the red planet early Monday morning . The Facebook page imploded from 30,000 to more than 200,000 fans . `` We were blown out of the water , '' Stephanie L. Smith , social media specialist at NASA , said about the response NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab 's social team received on platforms including Twitter , Tumblr , Reddit , Facebook , Instagram and Google+ . Opinion : Why I love Mars . The social media strategy was something that was considered years before the landing . NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory social media manager Veronica McGregor 's first mission with Mars was in 2008 when the Phoenix rover landed . McGregor began making plans for Curiosity 's big day back then . @ MarsPhoenix was the fifth most followed Twitter account in 2008 , she said . That account still has more than 200,000 followers . `` We knew there was a big audience out there on Twitter , '' McGregor said . The Saturday before the landing , @ MarsCuriosity had 150,000 followers . It now has more than 818,000 and is growing at a rate of approximately 1,000 per hour , McGregor estimates . She and two team members , Courtney O'Connor and Smith , shape the voices behind many of NASA 's social media accounts including @ NASAJPL @ MarsCuriosity and @ asteroidwatch . Although exact numbers are n't yet available they were astounded when they discovered their official `` landing tweet '' at 1:32 a.m. EST on August 6 was retweeted 70,000 times around the world . A search of links , tweets and images including `` Mars '' from Saturday to Tuesday surpassed 700,000 . McGregor and her team said they believe interest in space has always been high . Social media simply allowed the community to find each other , McGregor says . Mars rover captures nearby rocket 'footprint ' CNN commenters also responded enthusiastically , sharing the Mars landing article to social media more than 26,000 times and leaving more than 4,900 comments . A CNN.com commenter known as Explore wrote , `` At the very core of me is a desire to seek the unknown , a desire to look beyond the confines of this tiny little spec in the universe to the vastness that lies beyond . This is inherent to every one of us even though we may sometimes deny it because we can only see the here and now . '' And then there were the unexpected Internet wins that the NASA social media team never expected to happen . Bobak Ferdowsi , a NASA engineer and flight director of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission , was quickly dubbed the `` NASA Mohawk Guy '' by Twitter users who followed his updates at @ TweetsOutLoud . Internet memes showing a side view of Ferdowsi 's mohawk with captions including , `` Becomes an Internet sensation . Too busy landing a robot on Mars to notice , '' Tumblrs about Bobak and blog posts exploded across the Web . He received several marriage proposals via Twitter but probably has n't seen them . McGregor says Ferdowsi has been on Twitter `` a while '' but his account went from several hundred followers on Saturday to more than 30,000 Tuesday . As Curiosity landed Ferdowski tweeted , `` So incredible to be a part of this team and all that we 've accomplished . Impossible not to be an emotional wreck . '' A Curiosity rover `` Call Me Maybe '' mashup video surfaced on YouTube . Caley Burke , an aerospace engineer with the Kennedy Space Center created the video after being inspired by the U.S. Olympic swim team 's version . 5 reasons to be excited about Curiosity . After closely listening to the lyrics for the first time Burke said it made perfect sense . `` I knew we were only going to get the call if the rover actually landed , '' she said . YouTube analytics show the video has been viewed 27,000 times , mostly by males between the ages of 45 and 54 . There were viewing parties and thousands crowded into Times Square in New York City to watch the event unfold , snapping photos and sharing them with McGregor and her team . It was an event that , judging by social media updates , connected science-loving strangers , restored people 's hope in space exploration and elicited a sense of awe . Since 2010 NASA has ranked at the top of public sector organizations in effectiveness of social media sites by experts from L2 , a think tank for digital innovation . NASA hosted social media followers at seven field centers around the nation on August 3 and live streamed the event online . Participants were also given the opportunity to be present when the first signal of the landing was detected by mission control . Strategy aside , for some it was simply a moment in time to reflect on the amazing accomplishments of their fellow humans and science . No matter how they arrived , they walked away with much more than just Curiosity . To see more tweets and photos click here . Complete coverage on Mars .
@ MarsCuriosity Twitter account receives 700,000 new followers an hour since landing . Social media strategy was something that was considered years before the landing . Official `` landing tweet '' was retweeted 700,000 times around the world . Search of links , tweets , images including `` Becomes an Internet sensation . from years surpassed 70,000 .