NASA, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space flight Center, AL 35812

A -- ADVANCED X-RAY ASTROPHYSICAL FACILITY - IMAGING (AXAF-I) MISSION OPERATIONS POC Contact Merlyn Masters, 205-544-0431/Contracting Officer, Mark R. Stiles, 205-544-0381 The NASA Agency policy requires that the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility-Imaging (AXAF-I) Mission Operations (MO) be transitioned from the Marshall Space Flight Center to the Institute responsible for the management of the AXAF Science Center. AXAF-I is scheduled for an August 1998 launch with a mission of five years to observe x-ray phenomenon from a high earth orbit. Mission Operations includes pre and post flight responsibilities. Preflight includes providing an Operations Control Center (OCC) facility by June 1, 1997, ready to support Integrated End-to-End Ground Systems tests with the assembled spacecraft. This will verify MO capability. Postflight includes providing the flight director, operating and maintaining the OCC facility and equipment, software maintenance, safety of the AXAF-I spacecraft, operation of the mission, technical support team functions and the overall management of the scientific mission. It is the intention of MSFC to transfer this work to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and add to their current responsibility of providing the AXAF-I Science Operations at the AXAF-I Science Center located in Cambridge, MA. The current role of the SAO in providing Science Operations is to ensure the scientific vitality of the AXAF-I program by providing a broadly-based and robust observing program, promoting productive scientific research, and ensuring high quality AXAF-I data and data products for the scientific community. SAO's current contract for this work was awarded on a competitive basis. The MO transition to SAO will co-locate science and mission operations and provide efficient overall mission management. SAO's long term multi-contracts background (Science Center, Mission Support, Science Instrument/High Resolution Camera, Telescope Scientist) provides NASA with proven AXAF-I experience. SAO is the only source with the overall experience and knowledge of the AXAF-I Program to assume this work without a major slip in the program launch date. Consequently it is not feasible to compete this procurement. Interested firms have 15 days from the publication dat of this synopsis to submit their qualification/capabilities in the area mentioned above. Such qualification/ capabilities will be used solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement of a competitive basis. Responses received after the 15 days or without the required information will be considered nonresponsive to the synopsis and will not be considered. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract on a full and open basis, based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. See Note 22 (0276)

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