Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Alan Hale, Dr. David Livingston: Topics: Comets approaching Earth, the sun, and Mars. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We do not permit the commercial use of any Space Show program or part thereof, nor do we permit Space Show programs to be edited, placed on YouTube, or other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted in news articles, papers, academic & research work but must be cited or referenced in the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies which we do enforce. This program is archived on The Space Show website, podcasting, and blog sites with permission from John Batchelor. Please visit the John Batchelor Show website for more information about this fine program, www.johnbatchelorshow.com. During our 11 minute plus discussion with Dr. Alan Hale, we talked about comets passing by Earth at this time, approaching Earth, the Sun and even Mars. We talked about what made Hale-Bopp such a special comet, the ORT Cloud, the possibility of Comet 2013 A1 actually hitting Mars in October of 2014 and what that might mean for our Mars exploration program with the rovers and orbiting satellites. We also discussed PANSTARRS which is now leaving its Earth flyby, the approaching comet ISON, and much more. Comet culture, lore, and mythology was also discussed. Please post any comments/questions you might have on The Space Show blog. You can contact any of us through drspace@thespaceshow.com.