It's just over 4 months now until IISAC2009 - the 4th instalment of the IceInSpace AstroCamp!

Have you got your annual leave forms in? Have you earned enough brownie points with your partner?

IISAC2009 is taking place on the 15th to the 18th October, 2009, at Lostock in the Hunter Valley of NSW. The IISAC2009 page is now live, and you can get all the information you need to know from there:

IceInSpace AstroCamp: 15th - 18th October 2009

Admittedly, not all information is there yet - such as prices, registration form and some other essentials, but there's enough there to start getting excited about. Keep checking back as the organisation ramps up and I continue to add more information to the page.

A selection of photos from IISAC2008 (and other previous IISAC's) are at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

I hope to see you there!

Over the weekend, IceInSpace reached another exciting milestone - passing 6000 registered members!

It's been less than 12 months since we celebrated the 5000 members (in September 2008), and to be celebrating 6000 members already is a fantastic achievement and a testament to this great community of like-minded people.

In a different thread, someone asked "what's the prize for being the 6000th member?", and the response sums up the attitude and spirit of the IceInSpace Community:

"Their reward is a wealth of knowledge and the opportunity to get to know some extraordinary people."

While the number of members on its own doesn't really mean much in the big scheme of things, it's the fact that it continues to grow (and at an ever-expanding rate) that proves we're doing something right here.

Another 1000 members in less than 12 months shows that IceInSpace is the place to come to learn, to make friends, to get information, to buy and sell telescope equipment, to ask questions, to get feedback, to share images and to grow your interest in all things astronomy.

With our 5th birthday coming up in September, it's going to be a great year for achieving milestones.

Thanks to the IceInSpace community for making this site what it is. For your thoughts and discussion, visit this forum thread.

Thanks for reading.

July 20th, 2009 (July 21 in Australia) marks the 40th Anniversary since the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Almost anyone alive at the time will be able to tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing, the moment that Apollo 11 Commander, Neil Armstrong, first stepped onto the Moon and spoke those now immortal words:

"One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind".

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary, I've written an article which takes us through the Apollo 11 journey with some background, highlights and incredible images.

40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing