The person she told that to, Homer Hickam, had no say in the firing, expressed disappointment after, and helped her get another job after (though I do not recall if it was successful). In an era where companies are increasingly sensitive about what employees post online, she had it much much better than just about anyone else in the world fired for the same thing at least.
And really… perhaps I’m old fashioned, but posting stuff like that in the same tweet as your NASA offer was pretty poorly thought out. NASA doesn’t feel like the type of organization that wants its employees associated with messaging like that.
While I'm usually all for that sort of consequence to happen to someone who is legitimately being gross or creepy; I don't think they should've actually fired her. Legitimately it should've been a stern warning and a request to apologize for the statement at worst.
Do I think it was a good idea to tweet it? Of course not. Was it unprofessional? Probably. I guess it depends on if the tweet or statement was made IRL or on Twitter via an alternate account.
They obviously knew her twitter prior to offering the job and were actively monitoring it.
The NASA guy doesnt just go around telling people to watch their language in tweets. They were keeping an eye on them, and they fucked up.