Space.com

Infobox Website
name = Space.com



caption = Space.com in October 2006
url = http://www.space.com
commercial = no
type = News, astronomy
language = English
registration = Not required
owner = Imaginova
author = Lou Dobbs and Rich Zahradnik
launch date = July 1999
current status = Active
revenue =
slogan =

Space.com is a space and astronomy news website. Its stories are often syndicated to other media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo!, and USA Today.

Space.com was founded by CNN anchor Lou Dobbs and Rich Zahradnik, in July 1999. At that time, Dobbs owned a sizeable share of the company, and, in an unexpected move, left CNN later that year to become Space.com's chief executive officer [cite web|url=http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/061204fa_fact1|title=MAD AS HELL: Lou Dobbs’s populist crusade.|accessdate=2007-01-17|last=Auletta|first=Ken|date=2006-12-04|work=The New Yorker ] . Dobbs stated that he had always been "interest [ed] in space and space exploration", in part motivated by a belief in extraterrestrial intelligence and a desire to seek them outfact|date=March 2007. The move came as a surprise to many and was the source of intense media speculation.

The company struggled to turn a profit in its early days, and when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, many felt that it would collapse. Co-founder Rich Zahradnik had left his position as president less than two months after the start of the company; former astronaut Sally Ride took his place but then stepped down in September 2000. As it expanded, it acquired other web sites such as [starport.com] and [explorezone.com] . It also acquired Sienna Software (the company which produced the Starry Night software) and Space News. Despite some growth, Space.com was never able to achieve what Dobbs had hoped for and in 2001, he returned to CNN [cite news|title=Lou Dobbs to Step Down As CEO At SPACE.Com|date=2001-04-10|accessdate=2007-03-10|publisher=Space.com] . He remains on its board and still owns a minority stake.

Space.com has enjoyed the participation of several key space-related public figures, Neil Armstrong, Alexei Leonov, Eugene A. Cernan, and Thomas Stafford. In 2003, for its coverage of the Space Shuttle "Columbia" disaster, it received the Online Journalism Award for Breaking News by the Online News Association.

In May of 2004, Space.com's parent company changed its name from Space.com to Imaginova. It continued producing Space.com while launching other web sites such as LiveScience.com and acquiring other space- and science-related brands.

Space.com is closely connected to the "Imaginova" community, which has forums with a membership of thousands of members.

References

* [http://www.forbes.com/2006/01/17/space-investing-imaginova_cx_bn_0118space-imaginova.html Space.com Is Back In Orbit] - Forbes Magazine 18 January 2006 (accessed 05 June 2006)
* [http://www.forbes.com/2000/07/05/feat.html Lou Dobbs Journeys From Wall Street To Space] - Forbes Magazine 5 July 2000 (accessed 28 February 2006)
* [http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2001/jan01/jan15/2_tues/news2tuesday.html As dot.coms tumble, whither Dobbs' Space.com?] Media Life Magazine 2 January 2001 (accessed 28 February 2006)
* [http://www.imaginova.com/aboutus/ Imaginova.com About Us] (accessed 28 February 2006)

External links

* [http://www.imaginova.com Imaginova]
** [http://www.space.com Space.com]
** [http://www.livescience.com LiveScience.com]
** [http://www.starrynight.com StarryNight.com]
* [http://www.telescope.com Telescope.com]