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

A -- NEXT GENERATION SPACE TELESCOPE (NGST) LIGHTWEIGHT MIRROR SYSTEM DEMONSTRATOR SOL 8-W-7-PP-03011 POC Kathy G. Huskey, Contract Specialist, Phone (205) 961-0222, Fax (205) 544-9080, Email kathy.huskey@msfc.nasa.gov -- Jane E. Maples, Contracting Officer, Phone (205) 544-0344, Fax (205) 544-9080, Email jane.maples@msfc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/MSFC/date.html#8-W-7-PP-03011. E-MAIL: Kathy G. Huskey, kathy.huskey@msfc.nasa.gov. NASA/MSFC plans to issue a Request for Offer (RFO) for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) Lightweight Mirror System Subscale Demonstrator. This procurement is focused on development of lightweight mirror systems for a large aperture space telescope. The NGST shall have a significant increase in primary mirror size to fulfull its science requirements, however, the weight and volume of the NGST is to be less than that of the Hubble Space Telescope(HST). Parametric design studies have shown that the primary mirror tends to be one of the main weight components of any space telescope, and the other masses involved tend to be proportional to the primary mirror. Therefore, new techniques for reflective optics are required which meet the challenge of providing an optical surface: (1) with extremely low wavefront error, (2) capable of withstanding the rigors of launch and a harsh operating environment, (3) with a very low mass, and (4) which can be affordable produced on an aggressive development schedule. It is anticipated that two parallel, firm-fixed price contracts will be awarded, with each contract including a base and an option period. The basic contracts will focus on designing the primary mirror system demonstrator and developing a test plan, while the option period will focus on the fabrication, test, and delivery of the primary mirror system demonstrator. It is anticipated that the awards will be made not to exceed approximately $2M per contract for both the basic and the option periods. The RFO will contain a more detailed description and will be released in approximately 15 days after posting this synopsis on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS) and the CBDnet. This procurement is being conducted under the NASA MidRange Pilot Test Program approved by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. See Numbered Note 26. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. The anticipated release date of the RFO is on or about 03/20/97 with an anticipated offer due date of on or about 04/21/97. An ombudsman has been appointed -- See Note "B". The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet. These documents will be in ASCII or RTF format and will reside on a World-Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The WWW address, or URL, of the NASA/MSFC Business Opportunities home page is http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/MSFC/class.html. Prospective offerors shall notify this office of their intent to submit an offer. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor this site for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Hard copies may be obtained from the identified point of contact; however, the closing date for the hard copy received shall be the same as the solicitation, inclusive of any amendments, released on the Internet. Any referenced numbered notes canbe viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nnotes.htm. (0065)

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