SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- FACILITATED ACCESS TO THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT FOR TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ANDTRAINING
- Notice Date
- 1/23/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771
- ZIP Code
- 20771
- Solicitation Number
- NNH09FAST01
- Response Due
- 3/20/2009
- Archive Date
- 1/23/2010
- Point of Contact
- Amy B Hiltabidel, FAST Program Coordinator, Phone 216-433-8063, Fax 000-000-0000, />
- E-Mail Address
-
amy.j.ballentine@nasa.gov<br
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- BACKGROUNDThe Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office provides leveraged technology forMission Directorates, Programs and Projects through investments and technologypartnerships with industry, academia, government agencies and national laboratories. Asone of NASAs Mission Support Offices, IPP supports all four Mission Directorates and hasprogram offices at each of the ten NASA Centers. IPP partnership goals include providingfor an increased range of technology solutions, a broadened technology portfolio,improved cost avoidance, accelerated development and maturation of technologies and alarger pool of qualified commercial providers. The Facilitated Access to the Space Environment for Technology Development and Training(FAST) program has been established within the Innovation Incubator program element ofIPP to increase technology infusion by creating more opportunities to advance thematurity of key technologies thereby reducing the risk of adopting those technologies. The FAST program will facilitate technology maturation by providing access tospace-environment testing, which is a key step in moving technologies from a lower tohigher level of readiness. The FAST program will focus on providing access tomicro-gravity or reduced-gravity environments on commercially available parabolicaircraft flights initially, and later suborbital and orbital flights. The FAST programalso encourages commercial development and competition by using commercially availablespace-related services when possible such as the Microgravity Flight Services Contractfor parabolic flights and other suborbital and orbital flight services as they emerge.PURPOSE OF NOTICEThis announcement solicits interest from US private industry, individuals, academic orresearch institutions, NASA organizations and other government agencies. The IPP alsoencourages partnerships between any of those entities.For the FAST program activitiesthe IPP plans to enter into Agreements for research collaborations under the authority ofthe National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended ("Space Act"). Agreementswith external organizations will be in the form of a Non-reimbursable Space ActAgreements (SAA) where each party funds their own participation in the research effortand there is no exchange of funds. In the case of internal NASA organizations, aMemorandum of Agreement (MOA) will be established to define the effort. DESCRIPTIONThe FAST program will provide opportunities for emerging technologies to be tested in thespace environment and is targeted toward technologies that: Support NASA's missions but are not yet mature enough for adoption into NASAsprograms with acceptable risk; and Might not otherwise be tested due to lack of funding such as those developed byprivate companies including SBIR/STTR contractors and other small companies, universitiesor research institutions and NASA projects in early development. The current focus is on testing in micro-gravity, reduced-gravity or variable-gravityconditions on parabolic aircraft flights. The FAST program intends to provide futuresuborbital and orbital flight opportunities for technology testing when those commercialservices are offered and if funding is available. Projects selected under this programmay be considered for additional parabolic, suborbital or orbital flight opportunitieswithout further competition. Generally, testing on parabolic flights will be required asa precursor to suborbital and orbital flight tests.Implementation of flight tests for selected proposals under this call is subject toavailability of appropriated funds.NASA will purchase commercial reduced-gravity flight weeks and provide space on theseflights for selected projects.There are typically four flights per flight week witheach flight including 40 to 60 parabolic trajectories.Each parabola providesapproximately 25 seconds of reduced-gravity time. Microgravity and reduced gravityconditions such as lunar gravity (.16 g) or Mars gravity (.38 g) as well as other partialgravity levels can be provided on parabolic aircraft flights. The aircraft willexperience increased gravity levels (~ 2gs) in between parabolas. NASA flight weeks will generally be conducted out of Ellington Field in Houston, Texasbut other locations (such as Cleveland, Ohio) are possible. Proposers should providemargin in their travel budgets to account for an unlikely but possible change in flightlocation or postponement of a flight week. A flight week typically involves a testreadiness review on the first day (Monday) and then one flight per day for four days(Tuesday through Friday). Project teams can request one, two, three or four flight daysfor their project in their proposal. The aircraft volume will allow for relatively largeequipment and could accommodate several test personnel for each project, if required. However, it is recommended that you request the minimum number of flight days, theminimum aircraft volume and the minimum number of on-board participants required to meetyour objectives. The FAST program would like to accommodate as many projects aspossible and so the extent of requested flight time, volume, personnel or other specialneeds may be a factor in the selection process. Technologies selected for reduced-gravity environment testing aboard the parabolicaircraft flights must meet equipment design requirements as determined by the NASAReduced Gravity Office. You should refer to JSC Reduced Gravity Program Users Guideand Experiment Design Requirements and Guidelines which can be found at:http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/Reduced_Gravity/guides.html A new space experiment support system developed by NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) andSpace Florida may be available to support proposed investigations. FASTRACK provides arack structure and standard mid-deck locker accommodations with demonstrated interfacecompatibility aboard the reduced gravity aircraft. Proposers who wish to consider use ofthis capability should contact Alexis Hongamen of the KSC IPP Office at 321-867-3107(email Alexis.Hongamen-1@nasa.gov).It should be noted that all proposals will be treated as proprietary information and allreasonable efforts will be made to protect proprietary information in the course of theflight-testing process. However, the aircraft will be carrying multiple projects at thesame time and various projects and project personnel will occupy the aircraft cabin andpre-flight preparation areas at the same time.Aircraft operations personnel mayparticipate in loading, securing and unloading project hardware. Video recording andphotography of activities may be conducted by NASA, aircraft personnel and other projectteams on-board the aircraft and in preparation areas. These photographs and videorecordings may be posted on public websites and in other publications.Project teamsshould take precautions to avoid the inadvertent disclosure of their own proprietaryinformation. For all selected projects, NASA will publicize the name of the company ororganization involved with a brief description of the subject technology and may usephotographs and video recordings of related flight test activity in public briefings andpublications. DETAILS OF THE OPPORTUNITYEligibilityUnited States private companies, individuals, academic or research institutions, NASAorganizations and other US government agencies or partnerships between any those entitiesmay submit proposals.Type of Projects SoughtThe project must be an effort to accomplish reduced-gravity testing of a technology ofinterest and value to NASAs missions, programs or projects. Criteria for selection areprovided in the next section. A listing of NASA Mission Directorate Technology FocusAreas is provided in Attachment A. Technologies must be within the Technology ReadinessLevel (TRL) range of 4 to 6 and should be ready for reduced-gravity environment testingat the time of the proposal. A definition of Technology Readiness Levels is provided inAttachment B. There must be a reasonable expectation that the reduced-gravity testingwill significantly contribute to advancing the maturity of the technology. This programis not intended to support further laboratory development of technologies. FundingThe FAST program will purchase reduced-gravity flight time and provide this at no cost tothe selected projects.All other project costs are the responsibility of the proposingentity including the preparation of the technology test hardware, compliance with flighttest and aircraft requirements, preparation for and participation in flight readinessreviews, transportation of hardware and travel for project personnel. Any requiredflight physicals and physiological training for testing participants are also theresponsibility of the proposing entity. If flights are cancelled due to weather ormechanical problems, every effort will be made to reschedule those flights. Ifadditional travel or transportation is required for rescheduled flights, those additionalcosts are the responsibility of the project team, not the FAST program.ScheduleJanuary 26, 2009Call for proposals March 20, 2009Proposal deadlineMay 1, 2009Selection Announcement (pending availability of appropriatedfunds)June 1, 2009Space Act Agreements and MOAs completedMay-July 2009Project teams prepare for flight-testing and submit required documentation to the JSC Reduced Gravity OfficeAugust 2009First parabolic aircraft flights occurSelectionThe IPP Office at NASA Headquarters will evaluate proposals in coordination withrepresentatives from the Mission Directorates, based on the selection criteria identifiedwithin this call. The IPP Office at NASA Headquarters anticipates selectingapproximately 20 projects for this flight opportunity.Proposals from private companiesand external organizations will be evaluated together with proposals from within NASA andranked according to the selection criteria. Proposals from partnerships between privateand government entities will also be evaluated and ranked together with all otherproposals.Companies, individuals, external organizations or other partnerships with selectedproposals will have the opportunity to enter into a Non-reimbursable Space Act Agreementwith NASA for conducting technology testing in the reduced-gravity environment. Information regarding Space Act Agreements can be found at: http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/NPD_attachments/NAII_1050_1A.doc.A standard Space Act Agreement template for the FAST program will be posted on the FASTprogram website. NASA organizations with selected proposals will prepare a Memorandum ofAgreement to define the technology testing activity. Reporting RequirementsAll selected project teams shall be required to provide reports as described below to theNASA IPP Office. These reports will provide feedback to the FAST program regarding theeffectiveness of the program and guidance for future planning.These reports are alsointended to maximize the potential for technology infusion through dissemination ofinformation about the status and progress of the subject technology among the relevantNASA programs and projects. NASA will make every reasonable effort to protectproprietary information contained in these reports, if labeled as proprietary.Anyproprietary reports must include a non-proprietary summary that can be made available tothe public. If selected organizations fail to meet the reporting requirements they willnot be eligible for future FAST solicitations.1. Preliminary Report:A brief summary of the test activity prepared immediately afterthe flight. Photographs and video recordings are also desired, if available.Length: One page, not including photographs and video. Due: No more than five business days after the final flight day.2. Final Report: A full description of test activity and results including an assessmentof the technology readiness level before and after reduced-gravity testing, any lessonslearned or other observations and plans for infusion or further development. Length: At least five pages, no more than 20 pages, not including photographs and video. Due: No more than 60 calendar days after the final flight day.3. Follow-up Report: A brief update on further progress with the technology includingany new technical conclusions based on data from the reduced-gravity testing and any newopportunities for further development or infusion of the technology through contracts oragreements with government or commercial partners.Length: One page.Due: One year after the final flight day. SELECTION CRITERIAThe following criteria will be used to evaluate the FAST proposals (in order ofimportance):1.Relevance and Value to NASA Technologys relevance and value to current andfuture NASA missions, programs or projects.2.Technology Readiness for Parabolic Flight Testing Appropriateness of theproject technology for this testing activity, the likelihood that the testing willadvance its maturity and the significance of the advancement. 3.Resources and Schedule Realism of the proposed resources available to theproject team for preparing and conducting the flight-testing in the available timeframe.4.Strength of Project Team Capabilities, related experience and expertise.The Microgravity Flight Services (MFS) and Reduced Gravity Office (RGO) must also approvetechnologies selected for the FAST Program before parabolic aircraft flights can occur.The RGO will determine whether the selected technology meets the equipment designrequirements for parabolic aircraft flight. The RGO, in consultation with the FASTprogram, will have final authority over scheduling, manifesting and accommodatingselected projects on the aircraft.PROPOSAL FORMAT AND SUBMISSIONProspective respondents are encouraged to periodically check the FAST program website: http://ipp.nasa.gov/ii_fast.htm The website will be used to post information, updates or modifications to thisannouncement. The link to submit proposals will be provided at this website prior to thesubmission deadline.Please submit a proposal including each numbered item, in order, from the outline below.Proposals shall be limited to ten (10) pages. Items in the outline below have individualpage limits. Submitted material exceeding the page limits will not be considered. Incomplete proposals will not be considered. Proposal text shall be single-spaced; using12-point Times New Roman font, and all pages shall be numbered. Proposals shall includeLetters of Commitment described below for each organization involved. These letters areexcluded from the page limit and should be placed at the end of the proposal. Submit proposals and signed letters in a single PDF file to the designated website noearlier than March 16, 2009 and no later than the deadline of 11:59 PM, EST, March 20,2009. Proposals must follow this outline:1)Overview (page 1- limited to one page)a)Project Titleb)Name of Organization(s): Name of proposing company or organization. If theproject is a partnership, list all partner companies or organizations and for eachinclude the city, state and nine-digit zip code.c)Project Manager: List one primary point-of-contact for the project and oneadditional point-of-contact for each partner organization. Include complete mailingaddress, telephone number and email address for each point-of-contact.d)Relevant NASA Mission Directorates: This is the proposers indication of whichNASA mission directorate (ARMD, ESMD, SMD or SOMD) would have the highest priorityapplication for the proposed technology. You may identify more than one. Also list anyspecific programs, projects or future applications that the technology might support.e)Relevant NASA Centers: This is the proposers indication of which NASA Center isassociated with the technology or for which the proposed technology would have thegreatest relevance. You may identify more than one.f)Infusion Plan:Provide a brief summary of the potential path to be taken forcontinued development of the technology leading to infusion into a NASA program orproject.2)Description of Technology (page 2 - limited to one page including figures andtables) Describe the background of the technology and its value and relevance to NASAmissions, program or projects including the specific benefits expected. Also describeany commercial applications or other characteristics of the technology that may be ofinterest. 3)Planned Test Objectives and Approach (page 3 - limited to one page includingfigures and tables):a)Indicate the current technology readiness level (TRL) with supporting evidence. b)Indicate the TRL expected after testing and explain how the proposed testing willadvance the TRL. 4)Test Process and Hardware to be Used (page 4 - limited to one page includingfigures and tables)5)Test Requirements (page 5 - limited to one page including figures and tables):a)Dimensions of the equipment and operating volume inside aircraft;b)Mass of the equipment;c)Amount and type of power required, if any; d)Required gravity level(s); e)Duration of test and number of flight days needed to adequately validate results;f)Number of test personnel required for flight and a description of the requirementfor each participating individuals presence; and,g)Special testing or accommodation requirements such as venting, cooling, heating,etc., special constraints or support required, including security.6)Preliminary Hazard Analysis (page 6 - limited to one page including figures andtables) Identify hazards and controls, if applicable.7)Project Team Resources (pages 7 and 8 - limited to two pages including figuresand tables):a)Describe the experience, capabilities and facilities available to the projectteam. Brief resumes of key personnel should be included.b)Indicate how the team resources will support the conduct of this project. c)Include any relevant experience in reduced-gravity testing.d)Provide an estimate of the overall cost in dollars of the project preparation andtesting activity including labor, hardware, software, facilities, shipping and travel. If the proposal is a partnership, provide a breakdown of the cost by partner. Thisinformation will be used to establish the level of team commitment and assess the realismof the proposal. Note that the FAST program will not provide funding for any of theseexpenses.8)Government Contracts and Agreements (page 9 - limited to one page): If thistechnology is the subject of any current or previous contracts, grants, cooperativeagreements or other agreements (such as Space Act Agreements) between the proposingentity and the US government, including SBIR or STTR contracts or an IPP Seed Fundproject, provide the contract or agreement numbers, the name of relevant agency, the nameof the COTR (if applicable), and the starting and ending dates of those contracts, grantsor agreements.9)Quad Chart (page 10 - must use template available for download at the FASTprogram website)10)Letters of Commitment (one page per letter per organization; letters ofcommitment are not included in the page count): Provide a letter committing theorganizations resources (as provided in item 7 above) in support of the proposal, signedby an official who is authorized to commit the organizations resources in support of theproposed project. Proposals from partnerships of more than one entity must include aletter of commitment from each partner organization.CONTACTSFor further information contact the FAST Program Coordinator: Amy B. Hiltabidel,NASA Glenn Research Center, Phone: 216-433-8063, Email: amy.j.ballentine@nasa.gov.Points-of-contact for the FAST program in the IPP Offices at each NASA Center are listedbelow.Ames Research Center: Lisa Lockyer, Phone: 650-604-1754, Email: lisa.l.lockyer@nasa.govDryden Flight Research Center: Greg Poteat, Phone: 661-276-3872, Email: gregory.a.poteat@nasa.govGlenn Research Center: Kathy Needham, Phone: 216-433-2802, Email: kathleen.k.needham@nasa.govGoddard Space Flight Center: Nona Cheeks, Phone: 301-286-5810, Email: nona.k.cheeks@nasa.govJet Propulsion Laboratory: Andrew Gray, Phone: 818-354-3821, Email: andrew.a.gray@nasa.govJohnson Space Center: Kathy Packard, Phone: 281-244-5378, Email: kathryn.b.packard@nasa.govKennedy Space Center: Alexis Hongamen, Phone: 321-867-3107, Email: alexis.hongamen-1@nasa.govLangley Research Center: Brian Beaton, Phone: 757-864-2192, Email: brian.f.beaton@nasa.govMarshall Space Flight Center: Gwen Jasper, Phone: 256-544-1666, Email: gwenevere.l.jasper@nasa.govStennis Space Center: Ramona Travis, Phone: 228-688-3832, Email: ramona.e.travis@nasa.govFor other issues contact the FAST Program Executive at NASA Headquarters: Andrew Petro, Phone: 202-358-0310, Email: andrew.j.petro@nasa.gov.REFERENCE WEBSITESNASA Innovative Partnerships Programhttp://ipp.nasa.gov/ IPP FAST Programhttp://ipp.nasa.gov/ii_fast.htm Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate:http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/ Exploration Systems Mission Directorate:http://www.exploration.nasa.gov Science Mission Directorate:http://www.science.hq.nasa.gov Space Operations Mission Directorate:http://spaceoperations.nasa.gov/ Reduced Gravity Program Guideshttp://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/Reduced_Gravity/guides.html Additional references that define specific NASA technology needs can be found at thelocations below.NASA Research Opportunitieshttp://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/ Small Business Innovation Research Programhttp://www.ip.nasa.gov/technology_infusion.htm
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