Jupiter Bombardment: When comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 smashed into Jupiter in July 1994, most astronomers believed that it was not the first time such a collision had taken place, but had no evidence from past observations to show how frequent such events might be. However, a Japanese astronomer has unearthed observations made in 1690 by Cassini -- the French astronomer, not the spacecraft -- which show the evolution of a dark spot on the planet over many days. According to one expert, the Cassini observations are the best evidence to date that Jupiter has been pummeled by comets in the past.

Apollo 1 Memorial: Private citizens are planning a memorial service at Cape Canaveral on January 27 to mark the 30th anniversary of the pad fire which killed the three astronauts of the Apollo 1 crew. The 45-minute ceremony at the Air Force Space and Missile Museum is being organized by Mark Pinchal and Bob Castro, neither of whom are connected to the space program or Air Force. "We are aware that a tragedy like the Apollo fire can be a difficult thing to be reminded of," Pinchal said, "but... Americans should pause on January 27th to remember Gus Grissom, Ed White II, and Roger Chaffee." The memorial service is free and open to the public, although invitations are required: contact Bob Castro at 770-368-9270 or bcastro@mindspring.com by January 23 for more information and invitations.

To Be, Or Not To Be (About Astronomy): "Hamlet", one of William Shakespeare's best-known plays, is actually an allegorical account of Renaissance-era models of the universe, according to one researcher. Peter Usher of Penn State claims Hamlet personifies the new heliocentric (Sun-centered) theories of the universe which threaten the old geocentric models of the universe, just as Hamlet threatened the king of Denmark. Other characters in the play represent astronomers from Claudius Ptolemy (Claudius in "Hamlet") to Tycho Brahe (Rosencrantz and Gildenstern). Another researcher and playwright, Phillip Schewe, countered that Shakespeare was not known for writing allegorical plays. Usher presented his analysis at this week's meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Toronto.

In Brief: Astronaut Rich Clifford left NASA on January 6 to become the Flight Operations Manager for the International Space Station project at Boeing. Clifford flew on three shuttle missions in 1992, 1994, and 1996... Former astronaut and NSS president Charlie Walker is appearing on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Profiles." Two half-hour shows were recorded; the first will air the week of January 13 or 20, and the second a week later. Check your local listings... X-Prize candidates take note: there's at least one person out there willing to fly into space and has the money to pay for it. After his attempt to fly around the world in a balloon failed shortly after it started, Richard Branson, whose Virgin companies run everything from airlines to record labels, said he plans only one more attempt at a balloon flight before giving up on adventures for good. Unless, he added, he had the opportunity to fly in space...