Charles de Gaulle in 1941, but snuck back into occupied France on a spying mission in 1944, where he was arrested by the Gestapo and shipped off to the Nazis' Buchenwald concentration camp.

NPR: Hessel, France's Surprise Elder Icon, Dies At 95

Way back in November of 1985, on just its second mission, Atlantis experienced a blow-back of hot gases past the primary O-rings in one of its solid rocket boosters, resulting in serious erosion of said O-ring.

ENGADGET: Space Shuttle Atlantis ends its run of predicting disaster for other NASA shuttles

At the turn of the last century, the Democrats' favorite Republican, Teddy Roosevelt, went on a mission to put business back in its place.

FORBES: Commentary

It appears that investors have been on a mission to get money put back into the stock market.

FORBES: Five Reasons the Markets Could Continue to Fall

Darley was dispatched on a fact-finding mission to Cleveland, and reported back that the exhibit had real promise.

FORBES: On the Streets of Philadelphia: Constitution Center Hosts Bruce Springsteen Exhibit

Ikaros was launched as a piggy-back mission to Japan's Akatsuki Venus orbiter on 20 May (GMT).

BBC: Mini-camera pictures Japan's Ikaros solar sail

Clinton, 63, jumped back onto the world stage last year with an unannounced trip to North Korea on a mission to negotiate the release of two imprisoned American journalists.

CNN: Clinton was on 'frenetic pace' before heart procedure

One, in recent weeks a number of governors have been going visiting India on a mission, what they've been calling bringing jobs back to the U.S. from India with trade relations.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing