It is the first US sample-return mission since the last Moon landing in 1972.
Launch failures claimed nearly half of Russia's probes, including the ambitious Phobos-Grunt sample return mission last year.
Project scientist John Grotzinger pointed out that such a search would require more sophisticated scientific equipment than even the advanced rover carries, if not a full-scale sample return mission.
MSN: Curiosity aims to unlock Mars mysteries - Technology & science - Space - Space.com | NBC News
The George W. Bush-era Constellation project, for instance (later cancelled by Mr Obama), was supposedly going to be a return mission to the moon followed by a trip to Mars.
Suffredini said another Soyuz vehicle at the space station, which is set to fly back the other three crew members, will have its certification for the return mission expire by mid-November.
Lee added that lessons learned from Genesis would be applied to other sample-return missions, including the Stardust mission to return in January 2006.
He implored the nation to stop being "slaves to Brussels" and join his mission to return to the glory days of the guilder, the old Dutch currency.
BBC: Netherlands election analysis: Dutch show faith in Europe
"With Solis at the helm, we're absolutely confident that the Department of Labor will return to its primary mission of looking out for the health and welfare of America's workers, " said Art Pulaski, executive secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation.
Commodore USA's mission is to return the passion and user exploration to computing.
ENGADGET: Commodore USA goes Extreme, stuffs a 2.2GHz quad-core i7 into its C64x
At the moment, however, our airports operate as if their mission is to deter return visits.
That should return Social Security to its original mission of providing a safety net.
Obama proposed cutting the NASA budget and delaying the timetable for our return to the moon and the Mars mission.
CNN: McCain questions Obama's ability to be commander in chief
That still might not be enough for a mission anytime soon, and a return to the moon seems like a more likely destination.
Even if controllers are unable to return it to service, NASA said the mission has produced enough data to keep scientists busy for up to two years.
FINCA, a microlender in Uganda, runs a pilot scheme allowing members free treatment for a range of problems at a mission hospital in Kampala, in return for a small quarterly fee.
Many safety improvements had been made for the return to flight, but the STS-114 mission was as much about restoring credibility to the embattled space agency as it was about testing Discovery's new features.
BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Shuttle soars but doubts remain
The country's mission to the United Nations didn't return a call seeking comment.
But if Friday's press conference is any indication, Glenn's return to space is clearly overshadowing everything else on the mission.
In March 1980, after a personal meeting with President Carter in the Oval Office, the CIA presented Mendez with an award - the Intelligence Star - but as the mission was classified, he was obliged to return it immediately.
The Iranian Mission to the United Nations didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.
To try to patch things up, Holbrooke, who has shuttled throughout Bosnia on the so-far successful diplomatic drive toward opening peace talks, will return to Europe Tuesday and pay first call at the Russian mission in Geneva.
The story follows 11-year-old hero Beanie on his mission to save his parents from Evil Stella and to return the Golden Nit to its rightful place at the heart of the sun, thereby saving the universe.
"We at TopCoder are thrilled to be again working with Harvard and NASA to provide creative and inventive support of NTL's mission to deliver critical solutions while recognizing the need to return high taxpayer value, " said Rob Hughes, President and COO of TopCoder, Inc.
ENGADGET: NASA announces competition to improve Robonaut's sight
The mission will be a straightforward flight to the Red Planet and return without landing.
We see the benefits extending to machine operators responsible for the uptime of mission-critical assets, the finance department responsible for calculating the return-on-investment (ROI) of their purchases and the procurement team using M2M to evaluate the agility of their suppliers.
Plaything for our future robot overlords? (Let's hope it's not the last one.) The success of the mission will depend on a couple things, namely: how the return trip goes (it should make it back to California's Vandenberg Air Force Base via autopilot... sometime) and whether the thing can be re-launched quickly enough.
ENGADGET: Boeing X-37B autonomous space shuttle launched last night, due back 'whenevs'
If there is a chance of earning a decent rate of return on any funds invested in, as opposed to donated toward, such a mission, all the better.
FORBES: Using Crowdfunding To Blow The Whistle On Investment Scams
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- A member of the "Cuban Five" spy group renounced his United States citizenship at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana on Monday, removing the final obstacle to his permanent return to the island.
应用推荐