The prospect of continued spending constraints and soaring funding requirements is pushing the European Space Agency to pursue increased collaboration with other agencies. "The heroic phase of space exploration is over," said Marcel Coradini, who directs ESA's solar system missions. "The new missions are very, very expensive, even for NASA. The name of the game now is cooperation." The new collaborative spirit was the leitmotif at the most recent meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Group in La Jolla, Calif., in September, he said, and is reflected in the $1.2 billion worth of new missions approved by ESA's science program committee on Oct. 12.
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