CONTACT:  Patricia Viets, NOAA               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
          David Steitz, NASA                 6/22/98

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have signed an agreement which enables the agencies to continue collaborating on environmental programs, including environmental satellite programs.

The agreement continues a history of interagency cooperation and reaffirms the need for the specialized technical, scientific and operational expertise of both agencies to enhance this country's capabilities to forecast environmental conditions and better understand our global environment. It is the third basic agreement that NOAA and NASA have signed since 1964.

NOAA's mission is to describe and predict changes in the Earth's environment, and conserve and manage wisely the nation's coastal and marine resources to ensure sustainable economic opportunities. NOAA operates the environmental satellites known as GOES and POES, which are critical for weather forecasting, climate prediction, and other environmental uses.

NASA conducts aeronautical and space research activities, develops new technologies to support NASA's research programs, and facilitates the transition of those technologies to NOAA when appropriate. NASA develops and procures the GOES and POES satellites on behalf of NOAA.

The agreement recognizes each agency's mission and provides a framework for collaboration. Projects to be pursued together are those that are of mutual benefit to NOAA and NASA, result in cost-savings to the U.S. government, or better enable the agencies to accomplish program objectives.

The goals of joint projects include improving the knowledge of environmental processes, improving the capabilities of satellite systems, and reducing costs for new satellite systems.

The agreement was signed on June 17 by NOAA Administrator D. James Baker and NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin.