A -- GLAST BURST MONITOR DATA PROCESSING UNIT

Notice Date

November 7, 2000

Contracting Office

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

ZIP Code

35812

Response Due

December 7, 2000

Point of Contact

Warren G. Jones Jr., Contracting Officer, Phone (256) 544-0389, Fax (256) 544-5439, Email warren.jones@msfc.nasa.gov -- Beth W. Ewing, Contract Specialist, Phone (256) 544-0351, Fax (256) 961-0059, Email beth.ewing@msfc.nasa.gov

E-Mail Address

Warren G. Jones Jr. (warren.jones@msfc.nasa.gov)

Description

NASA/MSFC is hereby soliciting information for potential sources for GLAST BURST MONITOR DATA PROCESSING UNIT Scope: This document summarizes the Data Processing Unit (DPU) for the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) Burst Monitor (GBM) instrument. It is intended to provide the key DPU specifications to potential vendors so that they may evaluate their interest and return information regarding design and cost. Information concerning cost versus performance trades and potential problem areas in the specifications is particularly sought. GBM Overview: The Gamma Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission is a follow-on to the EGRET (Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope) instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The GLAST spacecraft will operate in a Low Earth Orbit and will contain two scientific instruments. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) will observe persistent and transient gamma-ray sources in the approximate energy range of 20 MeV to 300 GeV, while the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM) will observe transient phenomena in the approximate energy range of 10 keV to 25 MeV. The primary scientific goals of the GBM are to support the LAT in observing gamma-ray bursts by providing low-energy context measurements and rapid burst locations. The GBM will employ 14 uncollimated scintillation detectors to measure gamma-ray energies and arrival times. Two different detector types will be used to obtain spectral information over a wide energy range: 12 sodium iodide (NaI) detectors will measure in the approximate energy range of 10 keV to 1 MeV, and 2 bismuth germanate (BGO) detectors will measure from approximately 150 keV to 25 MeV. The detectors will be distributed around the GLAST spacecraft, with different orientations, so as to provide unobstructed viewing of the sky over a large (>8 steradian) field of view. The GBM investigator team consists of collaborators from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (PI), the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany. System Definition: The GBM instrument hardware consists of a high voltage power supply (HVPS), a low voltage power supply (LVPS), 14 gamma-ray detectors (each including a crystal scintillator and either one or two photomultiplier tubes with pre-amplifiers), several temperature, current and voltage sensors for housekeeping, and the DPU. The DPU, when functioning with flight software, will operate in conjunction with all GBM sensors to provide a centralized system for control, checkout, and monitoring of the GBM instrument, and to acquire, process, and package all GBM sensor data, and transfer them to the GLAST spacecraft for telemetry to the ground. Key specifications for the DPU are provided below for information to potential vendors. Key Functional Specifications: Interfaces: 16 input PMT/pre-amplifier signals, 0-5 V 14 NaI detectors with one PMT/pre-amp per detector 2 BGO detectors with two PMT/pre-amp per detector Count rates: 100,000 counts per second per detector, maximum Housekeeping sensor inputs (temperature, voltage, current) Input low voltage power Detector power supply control interface Spacecraft command, telemetry, and data bus interface: commands and ancillary data Spacecraft science data bus interface Throughput: 10 Mbps, within 100 milliseconds from request Data volume: 1.8 Gbits, maximum, in 36 hours Mechanical & thermal interfaces Analog processing: Signal conditioning: pulse shaping, amplification, and peak-hold Pulse height discrimination: adjustable levels for each detector via software control Digitization: 12 bit, 200:1 dynamic range Linearity: < 1% differential error Deadtime: < 10 microseconds per count per detector Digital processing: Command & control: reprogrammable software via telemetry uploads Acquisition, formatting and transfer of science and housekeeping data Automatic monitoring and control of detector gain/high-voltage Execution of flight science software: burst trigger, control of trigger data acquisition, burst location determination, burst parameter calculation, burst classification CPU: approximately 4-16 MHz Program memory: approximately 1-2 Mbytes Data memory: approximately 1-2 Mbytes Reliability & fault protection: System lifetime: 5 years System reliability: > 89% probability of lifetime operation without catastrophic failure Single fault tolerant Physical Constraints: Mass: < 4 kg Power: < 10 Watts Radiation environment: approximately 100 krad lifetime Temperature: -20 to +50 deg C operational, -30 to +70 deg C storage Deliverable items and schedule: One breadboard DPU [17 months from contract award] One protoflight DPU, including flight housing and interface connectors [28 months] One flight spare for each DPU board [28 months] One non-flight housing with interface connectors [17 months] Low-level flight software that provides access to hardware functions and control of data acquisition [17 months] (Note that high-level software, including automatic gain control and flight science software, will be provided by the GBM investigator team.) Test/calibration interface which allows PC control of DPU for ground testing [17 months] Spacecraft interface simulator [17 months] Test and verification of all deliverable items, including documented test procedures [prior to delivery] Documentation on the design and testing of all deliverable items [with delivery] -eof- No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in the CBD and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these cites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Interested offerors/vendors having the required specialized capabilities to meet the above requirement should submit a capability statement of 15 pages or less indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort described herein. Technical questions should be directed to: Steve Elrod/ (256) 544-0545. Procurement related questions should be directed to: Warren G. Jones/ (256) 544-0389. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in Internet "Note A". [INTERNET ONLY (commercial product definition)] This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-aside based on responses hereto. All responses shall be submitted to Warren G. Jones no later than December 7, 2000. In responding reference GBM11072000. Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html

Web Link

Click here for the latest information about this notice (http://nais.msfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/EPS/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=62#GBM11072000)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20001109/ASOL005.HTM (D-312 SN506254)