About
Name: Glen James Nagle
Online: Better known as Astro0
(astro-naught [zero], as in astronaut)
DoB: 1st November 1961
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
Status: Married May 3, 2003 (Cathryn Ann; DoB: 17th December 1966)
You might think by looking at my weblog that I am pretty much interested in Space stuff. Well, that’s true, but there’s a lot more to me than that.
While much of what I do relates to education or promotion of space science, my “real-life” has given me a whole universe of experience to draw on.
Life had thrown quite a few challenges at me growing up. Health issues were significant, spending various times in hospital. Socially I think I was very isolated and at times my mental health certainly suffered.
I have had a number of jobs in my working life. I’ve done everything from being a theatre projectionist to a bookshop manager, a fast food outlet manager to a museum curator, run my own website business and working in the magazine publishing business.
I’ve also done quite a few volunteer and grass-roots type activities. Mostly these involved some kind of space-related organsation like the National Space Society or the Australian Space Industry Chamber of Commerce.
My main passion though was always with public outreach and education. I have been doing my own stuff in that arena now for over 25 years. I think I have a good reputation in this area and along with a lot of other skills I have picked up over the years, this has all lead me to where I am now in life.
When I turned 40 in 2001, I couldn’t have imagined that life was going to bring so many changes. I moved to Canberra (our nation’s capital) and took up my new job at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex. This was a big step and made only bigger by the fact that I had only gotten engaged a month earlier.
However, it was also made all that much easier by the fact that a very special person had entered my universe – the beautiful love of my life, Cathryn (Buchanan).
I can tell you, nothing, not even space exploration can make me happier than I am being with her. She’s perfect and understanding, loving and caring, funny and serious – and for some reason loves me?!
I am presently working at the NASA tracking station in Canberra (our nation’s capital).
The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex is a part of NASA’s Deep Space Network and is managed by the CSIRO and Raytheon Australia. At the Complex, I am the Education and Public Outreach Officer. My primary responsibility is to manage our Visitor Centre which sees about 70,000 members of the public – including over 10,000 students – coming to learn more about space exploration.
For me, this is my dream job, working for a NASA centre. There, I get to tell people about all those things that have fascinated me for so many years, and hopefully encourage a new generation of explorers, scientists, and maybe the odd astronaut.
About three years ago something bizarre happened that really took my outreach role to another level. A TV producer approached me about hosting a weekly program about space and astronomy that would be broadcast on a new digital station run by our national broadcaster, the ABC.
I had done quite a bit of television in the past, giving interviews for TV news and kids programs, but this was going to be very different. Not only did they want me to host, they wanted me to write it as well and I had full control over what was going to be presented – any outreach persons dream!
For three years I was the researcher, writer and presenter on a program called Skywatch – a 5-minute, weekly update on space. The program was pre-recorded and screened twice weekly on TV and also made available online. We did 100 episodes before the program that we were a part of was cancelled.
It was a great experience. Learning how to write and present for television was invaluable. I hope that one day I might get another chance to present a regular space program. In the meantime, I am a regular head-to-camera for several other news-style programs whenever they need someone to talk about space and astronomy matters.
When I get time (not often), I like to relax and watch a movie, read, write, do some art through Photoshop, create movies, build or paint something or talk about matters other than ’space, work and computers’. Mind you there’s not too much time spare to relax these days – so many missions, so little time.
I can’t complain though, it’s not a bad life at all.
Glen 
