About 5 years ago I proposed to Paul Helfenstein (Cassini science team member) that at the end of its useful life Cassini could use its remaining fuel to leave Saturn orbit and drop Sunwards to impact on Mercury; the impact to then be observed by Bepi-Columbo. He was interested but I doubt it'll happen.

To a Rocky Moon is a fantastic book, my signed copy is currently listed on a well known auction site to raise some funds- I'll be sorry to see it go. If someone here could give it a good home that'd be brilliant

Wow, that is really impressive.

I noticed that too, surely that's the Earth-Jupiter ratio.

Or perhaps that's a comparison between Earth & Sol with Earth far closer to the observer

Tonight at about 20.45 I finally got to see little Mercury! So dim and tiny next to Venus.

My vantage point wasn't the best - in the middle of Sheffield UK under sodium streetlights but seeing it has really made my day!

I manged to get a few shots with my standard Samsung digital camera. They don't compare with others above but go to show how even 'tricky to spot' Mercury can be seen in adverse observing conditions.

So here it is...above the bus stop, streetlights and nestling between the telephone wires!

I remember that episode, it was instrumental in rekindling my interest in space exploration at the age of 18

I agree, his presenting style and sheer excitement at the subject matter is really refreshing.

I also learnt today that he played keyboards in UK band D:REAM (of 'things can only get better' fame)

Wow there is a lot of rocky ejecta just a couple of hundred meters from the landing site.

That's fantastic!

Am I right in thinking you have just discovered the smallest artificial impact site seen on the Moon so far?

Here's a couple of links related to this topic:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/home/4353026.html

http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1992/92GL01067.shtml

The impact crater left by the ascent stage of the Apollo 17 LM should be visible up on the (south?) massif near the landing site. That'd be cool to see. Has anyone identified it yet? Such a shame the rover didn't get to see the actual impact.

With the way the MERs are soldiering on, they may someday get to take portraits of each other!

Speaking of recovery...I've always thought that one of the coolest spacecraft to recover would be the Apollo 10 Lunar Module Snoopy which is currently in solar orbit. Its the only flown Lunar Module to still be in existance.

Deadline extended to 31 July!

This must be the last chance!

http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/index.php

Needless full quote removed - James

Thank Emily! That's great!

It's a great way to send something of yourself into space and also gives you a slight feeling of immortality.

I'm trying to compile a list of all the spacecraft onto which the public were able to place their name via some digital format.

Here's what I've got so far (Please let me know if any are incorrect)

Deep Impact
New Horizons
Phoenix
LRO
Kepler
Cassini
MERs
SELENE

Are there any more I've missed?

Lovely panorama.

Those low hills give that horizon such mysery! Such an unexpected sight on such a flat region

Ha ha, perhaps like some bizarre fractal, Mars is constructed entirely of microscopic Mars faces of varying sizes! (But only under certain lighting conditions)

How about 'Leviathan' due to MSL's monsterous stature and menacing profile?

Glad the location from which the spring fell has been identified.

It would've only been a matter of time before Hoaxland declared it as 'evidence'

Nice one!

You can just hear back at Phoenix HQ, 'What do you mean none made it through the screen? Keep digging!'

I'm 30 years old, born one month before the launch of Voyager 2 (Yes, I am as old as Voyager).

I'm a freelance writer and the most likely place you may have encountered my ramblings is on SPACE.com

I've always been interested in space and remember not being able to see Halley's Comet back in '86. Though i only really got hooked in 1994 with the Shoemaker-Levy 9 impacts.

I've been writing for about 10 years now but have really been hammering the work out during the last 5 years and really hope to be able to write full time (My alter-ego is a bank worker).

Stunning animation Doug!

Really shows just where Phoenix is in relation to Heimdall and the surface.

Blown up to huge proportions it would be stunning.

I think the image could pose reproduction problems in print but overall the small size and apparent fragility of the descending spacecraft really compliments the yawning maw of Heimdall.

Its like when you look at the famous Apollo 17 image of Jack Schmitt with the Split Rock on the South Massif, think its amazing and then spy the tiny glint of Lunar Module Challenger sitting lonely out on the valley floor.

Gives an image such perspective.

It is a truley breathtaking image and composition.

Reminds me of Lunar Orbiter frame 162 http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/lunarorbiter/frame/?2162

Another image whose beauty is mostly fortuitous.

Perhaps Phoenix, Backshell and Parachute against Heimdall will be the 'Picture of the century' for our time.