[cogitator]

Two funny things here; one, after months and months of uninterrupted function, the spacecraft suffered a safe hold right after flying by Iapetus, due to (according to NASA) a hit from a high-energy galactic cosmic ray. Readers of the 2001 novel or viewers of the movie will remember that when the monolith on Earth's moon was first exposed to sunlight after being excavated, it gave off a high-energy "shriek" that aimed straight at -- Iapetus. (Temporarily disabling the radios and hearing of the observing scientists.)

Two, Arthur says he doesn't remember why he put the monolith on Iapetus -- but I do. It's because Iapetus is about six times brighter on one side of its orbit than the other -- the specific dichotomy that Cassini's observations are still trying to figure out. And one other thing -- the monolith on Iapetus, the speck in the Eye of Iapetus, was a pitch black spot on a bright white surface.

Here's the surface of Iapetus on the bright side near the transition zone to the darker side:

OK, so there's more than one black spot on a white background... but still, the first time I saw this picture, I thought, "Where's the monolith?"

[AntiKev]

Space ping.

And to say, Mr. Clarke is a wonderful and talented author and scientist. I look forward to us living his vision of manned flight into the solar system.