KSC-08pd0149

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin (left) and Indian Space Research Organization Chairman G. Madhavan Nair show their pleasure after signing a framework agreement establishing the terms for future cooperation between the two agencies in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. According to the framework agreement, the two agencies will identify areas of mutual interest and seek to develop cooperative programs or projects in Earth and space science, exploration, human space flight and other activities. In addition to a long history of cooperation in Earth science, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization also are cooperating on India's first, mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1, which will be launched later this year. NASA is providing two of the 11 instruments on the spacecraft: the moon mineralogy mapper instrument and the miniature synthetic aperture radar instrument. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett