Elvia H. Thompson
Headquarters, Washington May 29, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1696)

Ed Loyd
Department of Agriculture, Washington
(Phone: 202/720-4623)

RELEASE: 03-186

NASA, AGRICULTURE SIGN MEMORANDUM FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Ann M. Veneman will sign a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Friday.

The MOU covers a series of programs to help protect the
environment and enhance American agriculture. The new
collaboration allows for the use of NASA's capabilities in
monitoring, mapping, modeling and systems engineering to
enhance USDA's ability to predict climate, weather and
natural hazards.

The ceremony is at 10 a.m. EDT in the USDA Jamie L. Whitten
Federal Building, Room 107-A, 12th & Jefferson Dr., SW,
Washington. The ceremony is open to credentialed media.

NASA Associate Administrator for Earth Science, Dr. Ghassem
Asar, and Agriculture Undersecretary for Research, Education
and Economics, Joseph Jen, will join Administrator O'Keefe
and Secretary Veneman for the ceremony.

For information about NASA and Earth Science programs on the
Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


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