This has been a tremendous mission for all of us. With all the data gathered, we are proceeding deliberately to ensure everything is checked and re-checked. NASA and Stanford can be proud of what has been achieved so far.

I wanted to give them time to decompress. They needed that.

Treat them like heroes. They saw things and met people [in conditions] you couldn't imagine.

Think about that. Whether you're rich or poor, that would be all you have left in the world in two bags ? and garbage bags, at that.

President Bush has made some statements suggesting the US would accept whatever democratic outcome comes. Should the US be willing to do that, it suggests a major change in their position. But I think it is a little premature to assume that any real decision has been made. I think what they -- in the US administration -- are hoping for is a more gradual reform process in the Arab world, a more gradual expansion of political participation which Islamist groups do not use as an opportunity to come to power. So while I think there has been a shift in the US Middle East policy we will all have to wait to see how great that shift has been.

anything else that the evidence leads us to.