Space.com
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Space.com in October 2006
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| Web address | Space.com |
|---|---|
| Commercial? | no[citation needed] |
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Type of site
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News, astronomy |
| Registration | Not required |
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Purch |
| Created by | Lou Dobbs |
| Launched | July 1999 |
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Alexa rank
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 5,438 (April 2014[update])[1] |
| Current status | Active |
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 former 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.[2] The move came as a surprise to many and was the source of intense media speculation.[citation needed]
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.[3] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
In May 2004, Space.com's parent company changed its name from Space.com to Imaginova[citation needed] and in 2009 sold Space.com and other properties to Purch, an online publishing company.[4]
See also
References
- Space.com Is Back In Orbit - Forbes Magazine 18 January 2006 (accessed 5 June 2006)
- Lou Dobbs Journeys From Wall Street To Space - Forbes Magazine 5 July 2000 (accessed 28 February 2006)
- As dot.coms tumble, whither Dobbs' Space.com? Media Life Magazine 2 January 2001 (accessed 28 February 2006)
- Imaginova.com About Us (accessed 28 February 2006)
