SOURCES SOUGHT
18 -- GAS STRUT SEPERATION SYSTEM FOR ARES I FIRST STAGE
- Notice Date
- 5/8/2007
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541710
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
- Contracting Office
- NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
- ZIP Code
- 35812
- Solicitation Number
- RFI-ARES-I-PS41-0507
- Response Due
- 5/25/2007
- Archive Date
- 5/8/2008
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Background Information The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in the process developing a design for the Ares I Launch Vehicle Upper Stage. The Ares I architecture requires that the Upper Stage provide a method of separation from the First Stage after the First Stage has expended its usable energy and prior to the start of the Upper Stage Engine. The current design solution uses Space Shuttle Booster Separation Motors BSMs (renamed Booster Deceleration Motors (BDMs) to more accurately describe their Ares I application) to separate the Ares I First Stage from the Upper Stage. It has been suggested that a separation system using struts driven by compressed gas might be a preferable alternative with cost, additional payload mass to orbit, reduction in hardware and operations complexity, and safety cited as potential advantages. NASA is now conducting a trade study to provide a systematic approach to defining and developing the gas strut separation process and to objectively compare it to the baseline BDM separation process in order to identify the preferred separation process. The current concept for the gas separation struts would have the struts driven by the adiabatic expansion of a compressed gas within a cylinder surrounding the strut and its associated piston. The strut extension would be of order six feet and the struts would be required to exert a force of approximately 7000 pounds. This effort is part of the NASA Design team responsibilities and, therefore, is not considered to be a duplication of requirements that have been solicited for under the Upper Stage Production Request for Proposal (RFP NNM07181505R). Information provided will be used internal to NASA and will not be included in the evaluation process for the Upper Stage RFP. RFI Requested Response Topics The objective of this RFI is to solicit information related to the commercial availability and/or current design efforts of thrusters or actuators with performance capabilities similar to the gas struts described above. With regard to commercial availability, NASA requests input describing commercially available devices with similar performance capabilities (to include customer references for commercial sales, product description sheets, delivery lead time, and pricing data). With regard to current design efforts for such devices, NASA requests input related to activities currently underway geared towards developing thrusters or actuators similar to the gas struts described above (to include design objective, modeling capability in support of design activities, and expected new product availability date). Response Instructions Any information obtained will be used by NASA for planning purposes. NASA will use the information obtained as a result of this RFI on a non-attribution basis. Providing data or information that is limited or restricted for use by NASA for that purpose would be of little value and such restricted/limited data/information is not solicited. No information or questions received will be posted to any website or public access location. NASA does not plan to respond to the individual responses. This RFI is being used to obtain information for planning purposes only and the Government does not intend to award a contract at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is subject to FAR 52.215-3. All responses shall be provided in MS Word, Powerpoint, or Postscript document format via electronic media. Responses should not exceed 25 pages. Please submit responses no later than May 25, 2007, to NASA/MSFC Procurement Office, Attn: PS41/James D. Young, Contracting Officer, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812. Additional questions should be provided to James Young via e-mail: James.D.Young@nasa.gov. Note that due to the sensitive nature of the black-out period for the Upper Stage RFP, although not directly linked, all comments and questions shall be processed to the above point of contact and no other NASA/MSFC personnel shall be contacted.
- Web Link
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(http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=62#124691)
- Record
- SN01290056-W 20070510/070508221346 (fbodaily.com)
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