International Cooperation over Phoenix's Descent

The United States and Europe will be closely working together next spring as the Phoenix lander makes its descent to Mars. ESA will closely monitor the progress of the rover and will serve as a key communication back-up. According to this article which appears in Mars Today, ESA will "support the Phoenix mission by monitoring the lander during its Entry Descent and Landing." 

This is just another example of ESA and NASA coming together and collaborating over the Mars missions. The two agencies have been working together for the past several years on multiple Mars missions. From an international standpoint this should be seen as incredibly beneficial. The more that institutions around the world work together the more we will learn about the planet Mars. 

This article illustrates the United States continued effort to cooperate with the European community over the pursuit of scientific knowledge.