“As a solar physics doctor, science writer, blogger and space exploration advocate, Ian discusses the week’s space news with detailed views and opinion. With a critical eye, yet open mind, he also exposes science myths and misinformation, getting to the root of the issue in hand. As a regular guest on Paranormal Radio with Captain Jack, Ian has often taken on the role as “resident mythbuster,” a role he will continue on Astroengine Live and as a guest on Paranormal Radio.
Episode #16 - 04/15/09 - No, no, no, don’t panic! The ‘evil’ Planet X is still a figment of some doomsayer’s crazed imagination. I’m talking about the search for other large planets we have yet to discover in our Solar System. Although the hunt for Planet X probably ended in 1930 with the discovery of Pluto, it’s still fun to see what else is out there in the inky blackness of space. As a recent Astroengine article went crazy on Digg.com yesterday, I thought I’d showcase that little story on today’s Astroengine Live!
Episode #15 - 04/01/09 - Show 15 of Astroengine Live is going to be a first. A first for me and a first for the Carnival of Space. I’m going to do it live. I was actually contemplating doing it 99% live, just having the entries for the 96th Carnival embedded in some show notes, but no, that wouldn’t be fair, I’d have to do two versions, one online and another on the air. I suppose the best thing about preparing the jumbo 96th Carnival before Astroengine Live is that at least I’ve read all the entries, in depth and thoroughly… erm… yeah, I did that, right? Well, I did, but having glanced through the entries, I’ve forgotten the details of many of them. So I’m going to run into Wednesday’s show and hope for the best, discussing the Carnival and whatever else comes to mind.
Episode #14 - 03/25/09 - Today’s Astroengine Live will be LIVE from Woodland Hills, California, to bring you the goings on behind the scenes of some of the most important developments in space. Of course I am referring to the tragic demise of one free-tailed bat and the announcement by Astroengine and the World of Weird Things that we have teamed up and decided to do something audacious and write a book. I think some other stuff has been going on and I’m sure I’ll report on that too, but hey, this is my show and I can be as biased as I like! So, tune in at 7pm EST (4pm PST) to listen to another action/music/information packed Astroengine Live.
Episode #13 - 03/11/09 - In Astroengine Live #13, Ian discusses some of the most interesting space news topics from the previous two weeks. Included in the March 11th show:
Searching for exoplanets with the recently launched Kepler space telescope. Religious dogma vs. 2012 doomsday theories. When does virtual reality become physical reality? Does it even matter? General news from Astroengine.com The Carnival of Space and 365 Days of Astronomy (featuring the March 3rd podcast by Dave Mosher) And a whole new playlist of music for your listening pleasure.
There's a lot more besides, as the previous week's Astroengine Live didn't happen, so the "lucky" 13th show went ahead with double the dose of space news.
Episode #12 - 02/25/09 - In today’s Astroengine Live (WPRT Radio at 7pm EST), I’ll be discussing some of the exciting stuff that has been going on in space (and in the space blogosphere) over the past seven days. Also, I am very excited that today will air Astroengine Live’s first interview that was recorded last Friday. In the short discussion with Dr Greenberg (author of “Unmasking Europa”), I gained an insight to his excitement about Jupiter’s fourth largest Moon, Europa, and what implications this icy world holds for the search for extraterrestrial life.
Episode #11
Episode #10 - 02/04/09 - Show 10 looks at the week's news in the world of exoplanet discoveries, why we may have an alien civilization living on our doorstep and a peek at some of the more interesting space news items to surface from the space science blogosphere...
Episode #9 - 01/28/09 - For today’s Astroengine Live, I’ll be talking about anything and everything. There will be the obligatory stop-over at the Carnival of Space and a peek at one (or possibly two) podcasts from the 365 Days of Astronomy and then… who knows?
Episode #8 - 01/21/09 - It’s been a big week this week. It looks like a replacement for Michael Griffin has been decided, Barack Obama is now President of the United States, NASA has shown all its cards by hinting (shouting) that life on Mars might be generating all that methane and we could be living in one giant holodeck. Just another week in the Universe I guess… As there was no Carnival of Space this week, I’ll probably grab a few interesting blog posts from my fellow space bloggers for good measure to throw into the mix for this week’s Astroengine Live!
Episode #7 - 01/14/09 - After a week break, Ian O'Neill discusses some of the more exotic science to come out of the previous week's AAS conference and International Year of Astronomy 2009 grand US opening in Long Beach, CA. Attending the conference were all the core members of Space New Media, covering all the proceedings via blogs, news websites and podcasts. Naturally, there was a party too. Plus there was lots of beer (free "Galileo Beer"). So if you are interested in how Space Beer (the the free stuff, or the stuff produced from space-grown barley) influences mankind's efforts in space exploration, this is the show for you. There's also a healthy dose of magnetars, neutron stars and exoplanets thrown in for good measure!
Episode #6 - 12/31/08 - In the last show of 2008, Ian O'Neill discusses some interesting topics that have grabbed his attention in the last 14 days of the year. So, listen in to Show 6 for a look into the Carnival of Space, NASA trials and tribulations (with some comments about a recent controversial article on the "Space Exploration Crisis"), some more information about the 2012 comet impact doomsday scenario (and why it is a work of complete fiction), plus how gravitational waves cannot be used for evil. Happy New Year! 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, so expect more exciting news in the world of space science, astronomy and space exploration over the coming months...
Episode #5 - 12/17/08 - This show was going to focus on the recent NASA funding crisis President-elect Barack Obama is facing in January. Unfortunately, due to heavy rain in California, we had a few technical hitches including a loss in transmission. Fortunately the whole show is here (including the bits that were lost on live radio), but due to the behind-the-scenes turmoil (i.e. Captain Jack and I frantically calling each other to find a solution), I had to fall back on my backup subject: Top 5 Space Exploration Mishaps. There's everything from frostbite to killer bunnies in this episode (with a bit of astronomy thrown in for good measure), so be sure to check it out...
Episode #4 - 12/10/08 - It’s been a fun few days for writing, and I’ll be sharing the best bits of space news with you in today’s Astroengine Live! This week we’ll hopefully have a few more listeners coming over from Facebook (the Astroengine Live group has swelled to a membership of 60, which is very cool). There will be a whole host of subjects, including your weekly Carnival of Space update (coming at you this week from Dave Mosher at Space Disco), so make sure you listen in. There will also be a special report about the results from a recent study into the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy… so I’ll hand over to Muse for one of my all time favourite tunes: Supermassive Black Hole!
Episode #3 - 12/03/08 - Today’s Astroengine Live was going to be devoted to a discussion about the search for extraterrestrial life in the Universe, but the alien amoeba will have to make room for some news from the entire space blogosphere in this week’s Carnival of Space, plus a bonus look into the world of space tourism. Yesterday (Tuesday), I had the superb opportunity to attend XCOR’s press conference in Beverly Hills where a new partner was announced, my colleague Angela and I had a chat to a Shuttle astronaut and we found out a little more about the future of “cheap” (if you have $95,000 in your piggy bank that is) access to space.
Episode #2 - 11/26/08 - What would you use the space station for?
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“As a solar physics doctor, science writer, blogger and space exploration advocate, Ian discusses the week’s space news with detailed views and opinion. With a critical eye, yet open mind, he also exposes science myths and misinformation, getting to the root of the issue in hand. As a regular guest on 