One needs only to look at the recent international response to flooding in Mozambique to realize that with the added speed, payload and mission duration made possible by tiltrotor technology, vastly larger numbers of victims could have been saved.

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This flight will shortly be followed by another test run to ensure that everything checks out, after which it will begin its first long-duration mission sometime later this month.

ENGADGET: NASA's unmanned Global Hawk completes key test flight

Without giving away the destination of the mission, Iraqi officials might be informed of the number of personnel and vehicles on the mission and its likely duration.

BBC: Iraq arms teams under pressure

And keep coming back to the site for the duration of the Curiosity mission, as it will continue to be updated.

FORBES: Mars Probe Curiosity Is Ready To Land On Monday

The commander of the British troops, Brigadier Barney White-Spunner, said the mission had a clear objective and a finite duration.

BBC: More troops leave for Macedonia

In a speech, Dr Fox said the Strategic Defence and Security Review had allowed for "one long enduring mission like Afghanistan" and one shorter programme "of about six months' duration".

BBC: Liam Fox denies 'six-month Libya 'deadline'

And if the crew assigned to man the deep-space mission travels up separately to the station, it would also mean all the elements for their long-duration flight could be launched without the complications of ultra-safe abort systems that complicate manned rockets.

BBC: Manned flight around Moon considered