Category: Astroengine news

Astroengine Data Gathering

Astroengine needs your input
Astroengine needs your input

Astroengine.com has been in operation for a few years now, but since I began doing some serious space writing in late 2007 the site underwent a major facelift and became what you see today: A space science news blog. As time goes on I will be increasing the frequency at which I update Astroengine – it might be a lot of writing but it will be worth it. During my time researching space articles for Astroengine and my science writing for the Universe Today, I try to find as much original stuff as possible, but often settle of interesting news that is already out there. This is where you can help. If you have anything you would like me to write about, feel free to drop me a line. I recently did this for a regular Astroengine reader who wanted something written about the Higgs boson, a topic I hadn’t thought about addressing. The article was then Dugg like crazy, killing the server more than once! So if you have an idea and want to have a chance at overwhelming Astroengine with traffic, contact me with your idea and I’ll see what can be done.

So, after eight months of space news, I’d like to get your feedback about how Astroengine is shaping up and how you think it could be improved. After all, Astroengine is driven by you, so your views are very important…
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Want to Keep Up with Astroengine Articles? Why not Sign Up for Regular Email Updates…

As Astroengine.com grows, I’ve noticed a lot of returning visitors. I update the site daily with new research from various institutions, popular space science news and stories that wouldn’t normally see the light of day on the Internet. With the help of Feedburner.com, Astroengine.com sends out daily emails (one per day) so you can have any updates delivered directly to your inbox. If you want to sign up (at no cost and free of spam), click on the following link and follow the instructions.

I’ll look forward to seeing you soon!

Sign me up for the daily email from Astroengine.com

Alternatively, subscribe to Astroengine.com’s RSS feed

Thank you for stopping by!

Ian (Astroengine editor)

Astroengine Goes to Hollywood: “Fly Me to the Moon” Premier

Legendary astronaut and second man on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin. A really nice chap (© Ian O'Neill & Astroengine.com)
Legendary astronaut and second man on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin. A really nice chap (© Ian O'Neill & Astroengine.com)

In a very fortunate chain of events, I was asked by Fraser to go to the Directors Guild of America on Sunset Blvd. (LA) for the “Fly Me to the Moon” movie premier. I can’t review the film as yet (we have to wait until the film opens on August 15th for that), but I can give a run-down of who was at the premier and what the new animated feature is all about. Personally, I had a great day, fulfilling my dream of meeting legendary ex-astronaut Buzz Aldrin and legendary British actor Tim Curry…
Continue reading “Astroengine Goes to Hollywood: “Fly Me to the Moon” Premier”

Astroengine.com Upgrade to WordPress 2.6

The newest version of WordPress was released today with loads of new features (including the long overdue wordcounter! I’m easy to please…). Most of the upgrades will make life a bit easier for me when posting new articles on Astroengine, so hopefully that will be reflected in the quality of my writing. If you want to learn more about WordPress and why this upgrade is pretty awesome, check out the online video from the developers of WordPress Version 2.6 (a.k.a. “Tyner,” after jazz pianist McCoy Tyner)…

2012 Doomsday Article Now Available in Portuguese

A Mayan pyramid, but did the Mayans really forecast doomsday?

With a special thanks to Nisia Chaves at Chá de Camomila, my original “No Doomsday in 2012” article published on the Universe Today has been carefully translated into Portuguese. This is great as it extends the readership to countries such as Portugal, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Chinese S.A.R. of Macau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe. Alas, my Portuguese is a bit rusty, so this might be a good chance to learn some important phrases from the 6th most popular language in the world. So lets start with “Nada de Juízo Final em 2012” – No Doomsday in 2012 😉
Continue reading “2012 Doomsday Article Now Available in Portuguese”

Terra Chat Show Hosted by Colin Knight Now Online

If you missed Coln Knight’s Terra Chat (at Blog Talk Radio) show last night with me as his special guest, the hour-long interview is now online ready to be listened to at your leisure. You can navigate to Terra Chat and find out the details there, and then play the archived mp3.

Be sure to check out Colin’s efforts, he has a wide range of subjects open to discussion and you and participate by calling in and posing your own questions.

Thank you Colin for inviting me to Terra Chat, I had a great time discussing the Mayan Prophecy and all the details surrounding the science and the myth.

The mp3 file is available on Astroengine for download.

Upcoming Radio Interviews!

Monkey is very excited about his radio debut

I have two interviews coming up in the next few days. I was approached by Terra Chat on Blog Talk Radio (Canada) to have a chat on Colin Knight’s show on Sunday June 8th. Then on Tuesday June 10th, I’ll be on Paranormal Radio with Captain Jack (USA). These great invites came in response to my articles on the Mayan 2012 Prophecy and the various doomsday ideas that have been seeded from the worry surrounding the end of the Mayan calendar. Although this isn’t my specialist subject, I’m sure it will generate a good discussion! Be sure to check out the links below, hopefully you’ll be able to listen live, or even call in!

Broadcast details:

Thank you to both presenters for inviting me on their shows!

Astroengine is Back and Refreshed After a Week’s Break

The Eden Project, Cornwall, UK - Inside the Mediterranean biome

After a week on the Lizard in Cornwall, I’m back from an inspiring trip. It was great to spend some quality time with Mum and Colette and a great opportunity to take in the stunning sights of this wonderful part of the world. Naturally I spent some time finding any chance to research some stories for astroengine and managed to wander around the Goonhilly Earth Station. There is a great article to be written about this historic location, so I’ll be getting onto that soon. Also, as we’d never been, we spent today at the Eden Project near St. Austall. There are some parallels with my work with the Mars Foundation, so expect an article about this superb project too (with some interesting applications to Mars colonization)…

For now, sleep!

Daily Roundup: From Pancake Stars to Suspended Animation for Astronauts

As I’m going to be away for a week, Astroengine is going to be quiet for seven days. I’m heading down to Cornwall, UK where I hope to go to Goonhilly Earth Station (on the Lizard) to try to get some more information on its shutdown. Last year I was shocked to hear that the station and its operations were being moved to the South East, so the majority of the satellite dishes will be dismantled. This is such a shame; those dishes are synonymous with the Cornish countryside. When they’re gone it will be like a good old English cream tea, but without the scone… but hey, everything changes, but I want some answers, so I intend to get some!

So, to keep you occupied, I’ll give a rundown of my picks of the stories I’ve done for the Universe Today in the past few days…
Continue reading “Daily Roundup: From Pancake Stars to Suspended Animation for Astronauts”