From talking to people lately, it's come to my attention that many people haven't heard about the new Space Quarterly magazine that was released in the US/Canada.
But I do have an ulterior motive behind this post – I'm keen to hear what you think should be in a New Zealand space magazine...
A free pilot issue released on September 1, and is available for free download now ... and i'm not sure for how much longer – so get your free copy now! I personally quite enjoyed this first issue, finding the articles quite interesting - and am very likely to subscribe (USD $19/year).
Over the past few weeks we've begun investigations into the viability of creating a space magazine for New Zealand. The idea came out of some brainstorming sessions about how to unify and amplify the efforts of the various astronomical and space-clubs around New Zealand. I won't bore you with details, but we're thinking that the magazine could be distributed free/cheaply through all the existing clubs and societies as an electronic PDF file, and if really successful – could become a proper newsstand publication.
Starting a magazine will take a lot of effort, but for the moment – let's assume that there is enough interest to make it viable:
And let me ask you – what would you want to read about in a local space magazine?
- What is it you really like about any newsletters/magazines you currently get from your local astronomy club/etc?
- What is missing – or what do you wish there was more coverage of? (particular topics/subject areas, types of news, etc?)
- Are there any international magazines you subscribe to, and why? What is worth the cost, or you feel is not being provided locally in the newsmedia?
And of course, if anyone is interested in getting involved with the discussions about creating the magazine, please get in touch with us. It's early days in our planning, but if we get enough support, we'll be needing contributing authors, designers, editors, etc.
Mark Mackay
Executive Director,
KiwiSpace Foundation