re: Spirit's planned path into the hills
When Spirit gets to the top of one of those mountains (they look more like hills to me, or is it just an illusion being on another world and all?), the rover should whip out a big American flag and plant it in the red dirt Iwo Jima style, while proclaiming Mars in the name of All Robots Everywhere!
:^)
Can you imagine if the rovers found oil on Mars? I'm sure we'd be declaring that the Red Planet needs to be "liberated" in no time.