Okay, guys, I'm all done with my mission! I'm ready to get picked up.

Guys? Guys? Helloooooo.... It's getting really cold out here!

I was at a public lecture on the Mars Rovers a few months after they landed.
Numerous children were in attendance. Among the questions of "What if an alien
eats the rovers" and such, the biggest question by far from them was when and
how were the rovers getting back to Earth? They were very concerned that those
poor little robots were going to be stuck on cold, distant Mars forever.

I blame Star Wars and its anthromorphisization of machines. When I was a kid
we KNEW robots weren't alive and had no feelings! And we had to walk 20 miles
to school in the snow uphill both ways!