Two new packs of maps at Aleph One this week: Azure Dreams and Oblivion Pack 2.0. Enjoy!

Russian news site Novosti says that the Russian government is planning on launching an unmanned mission to the Mars moon of Phobos in 2009. The vehicle is expected to arrive on the moon in 2010, and depart for Earth in 2011 carrying soil samples.

The story doesn't say whether or not the Russians expect to find any leather goddesses on the small moon, but you can bet this is a prelude to landing on Mars' other moon and beginning secret work to turn it into a colony ship.

Version 0.5 of PhysicsEditorOne for Windows by HogePiyo is out, in English and Japanese. The program edits Marathon physics models, allowing mapmakers to change player physics, monster sequences, sounds and weapons.

Thanks for the heads-up to Marathon Open Source.

A new Marathon film (in Marathon recording and .mp4 formats) called Spectral Falls and a new map pack called Fabrecation are available at Marathon: Aleph One. Check them out!

... and to Windows and Linux as well. Appleswitch at Source.bungie.org reports that a Mac OS X conversion of the Marathon sequel scenario Rubicon, appropriately called Marathon: Rubicon X, has been released. It requires the latest version of the cross-platform Aleph One engine. Rubicon was originally released in 2001. The X conversion features new high resolution art as well as new and updated maps.

One of the best total conversions for Marathon, Tempus Irae, has gotten an Aleph One facelift: new high resolution textures, alternate soundtracks, netmaps, even a sequel-- the works. Check it out at source.bungie.org.

• Aleph One, the open-sourced version of Marathon for Windows, Linux and Mac OS, has a new release out.
• The HD QuickTime version of the Halo 3 trailer documentary is back up at Microsoft.
• KP profiles known Cortana-hater Jillybean at Bungie.net.

Another third-party Aleph One map out this week-- Underworld by Jon Irons. Check it out! Thanks, TheBattleCat.

UrsusArctos is using his Rampancy.net blog to wonder about what might be in store for fans in Halo 3, as well as look at the use of artifacts like Arks and the Marathon logo in the Haloverse.

Although they aren't, technically speaking, Halo story canon, the thematic and verbal similarities between the recent Halo 3 trailer and the Cortana Letters from 1999 have resparked interest in the latter; TraxusIV has embarked on an ongoing series of analytical articles that look at those themes and put the Letters into the greater context of the Bungieverse, past and present. The newest article looks at the second letter.

Bungie.net has an interview with Bungie's new programming intern, Jon Cable, who cut his teeth by replacing the Pfhor in Marathon with images of Barney. We love you, Jon. Do you love us?