Richard Zurek Quotations

What we're really looking for is that sweet spot where we can go down with other instruments and look for evidence of life.

We'll begin to image the surface and look at its composition with detail that we've just not been able to do before.

If we find evidence that (those) minerals are there, there must have been a time in Mars' early history when there was standing water on Mars' surface.

For the science teams right now, this is a period of waiting.

We'll be looking at things with a level of detail we've not seen before.

We're bringing more capability to the planet. What we're really doing now is establishing the background environment that we have to deal with when we plan future missions.

With the subsurface of Mars, we've literally just scratched the surface and we're trying to probe, now, more than a couple of feet into it.

We're especially interested in water, whether it's ice, liquid or vapor. Learning more about where the water is today and where it was in the past will also guide future studies about whether Mars ever supported life.

We don't want to be hauling cement to Mars. That's very expensive. Better to know what we can make on the surface of the planet.

We got the capabilities that will knock your socks off.

Every time we look with increased resolution, Mars has said, 'Here's something you didn't expect. You don't understand me yet.' We're sure to find surprises.

Every time we look closer, we see surprising new things.

Every time we have increased our ability to resolve detail on the planet, we see new things, and we expect new surprises.

These are some of the highest regions of the planet because they sit on top of southern hemisphere terrain, which is higher than corresponding terrain in the north.

Your team practices and you prepare, but you never know what will happen on game day.

It's just going to knock your socks off when we get these instruments opened up at Mars.

It's a weather satellite, it's a geological surveyor, it's a pathfinder for future missions.

The instruments that are arriving (in 2003) have influenced our selections. We're trying to complement, not duplicate them.

I'm sure the U.S. would like to have a presence there.

The desire to explore has really always been a part of the American spirit and Mars is a new frontier. Its a place where you could someday send astronauts to do that kind of exploration.