US space agency 'NASA' has chosen its Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) to fly as part of the scientific payload for ISRO's Chandraayan-1 mission, slated for launch in 2007. The M3 is designed to create a mineral-resource map of the moon and it will be flown as part of the Chandraayan-1 mission if it is selected by ISRO in an independent competition, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported today. The scientific experiment will provide detailed maps of the moon's surface geology and mineral composition for the first time. "The M3 investigation complements the six experiments recently selected by NASA in response to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Announcement of Opportunity. Together, the M3 and LRO investigations support NASA research and exploration objectives for the moon," NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters Ghassem Asrar said. The final confirmation of the M3 investigation is subject to successful negotiation of an international agreement between NASA and the ISRO.
