NASA, Johnson Space Center, BE13, Houston, TX 77058

16 -- FLEXIBLE INSULATION BLANKETS FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL CREW RETURN VEHICLE THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM SOL 9-BE13-18-7-07P DUE 102896 POC Contract Specialist: Yolande Harden, (713) 483-9953 Contract Officer: Yolande Harden, (713) 483-9953 This is a survey only! NASA/JSC plans to manufacture two re-entry vehicles for emergency crew return from the International Space Station (ISS). The purpose of this sources sought synopsis is to identify vendors capable of providing the hardware described below. A formal Request for Offer will be issued at a later date for the production of the flexible insulation blankets for the vehicle's thermal protection system (TPS). The TPS is comprised of flexible insulation blankets as well as rigid ceramic reusable surface insulation (RSI). NASA/JSC intends to award a contract for one flight ship set of blankets, with an option to purchase an additional ship set. Separate contracts will be awarded for the production of the blankets and the RSI. All candidate materials must have demonstrated capability and reliability in aircraft/spacecraft application. The flexible insulation blankets required are advancements of the current Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) blanket used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter. The blankets will be used in an environment producing surface temperatures of up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit and a leeward aerodynamic environment, and are required to demonstrate adequate strength and survivability at these conditions for a single mission (1200 seconds). This necessitates the use of a higher temperature outer fabric material than the orbiter-baselined AFRSI. Weight and thermal considerations dictate the use of the same, or similar, Q-felt batting used in the AFRSI blankets. For additional durability and erosion resistance, the blanket shall be coatable after installation with an advanced C-9 type high emittance ceramic coating. NASA/JSC will design the tiles using the ProEngineer computer-aided-design (CAD) package. CAD data will be provided to the manufacturer for manufacturing the blankets. Some blankets will have complex geometry to accommodate TPS penetrations. Interested vendors are requested to respond with pertinent engineering information to Bob Maraia (713-483-8862) Mail Code ES3, NASA/JSC, Houston, Tx. 77058 by 11/29/96. Such information might include: system description, including material formulations and processing methods; material characteristics, including strength, density, and thermal conductivity (with supporting test reports); machining capability, including compatibility with the Pro-Engineer CAD package; and previous applications of the material/system. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT A FORMAL REQUEST FOR OFFER. The RFO is expected to be released on or about December 20, 1996. (0304)

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