JPL NEW MILLENNIUM PROGRAM TECHNOLOGY ANNOUNCEMENT

Notice Date

April 4, 2001

Contracting Office

JPL, Attn: Thomas May, Mail Stop 190-205, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099

ZIP Code

91109-8099

E-Mail Address

ST7 Technology Team Members (gerald.t.oconnell@jpl.nasa.gov)

Description

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology (JPL/Caltech), operating under a prime contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), intends to solicit members from U.S. industry, academia, non-profit organizations, federally funded research and development centers and the U.S. government for its New Millennium Program (NMP) Space Technology 7 (ST7) Project formulation teams. The NMP is a NASA technology space flight validation program. The primary goals of the ST7 project opportunity are to identify and validate a suite of breakthrough advanced technologies in a system setting in order to aid NASA in realizing its vision for exciting, affordable space science missions in the 21st Century. Breakthrough technologies selected from the existing technology "pipeline" which consists of the ongoing technology programs of NASA, other government agencies, industry and academia, will be developed in partnership with NMP. The NMP will seek proposals from technology providers with advanced technologies that will enable or enhance a small system-level technology validation flight that will focus on future needs of NASA's Office of Space Science (OSS) science missions established in the Space Science Enterprise Roadmap. The technologies of interest for the four system concept areas that are being considered for the ST7 space flight validation opportunity include: (1) Aero-Entry/Capture/Maneuver encompassing the set of technologies (e.g., maneuver algorithm, attitude control system for aerocapture maneuvering, aeroshell and thermal protection materials, and advanced diagnostic instrumentation) necessary to allow a spacecraft to be captured into orbit through use of forces generated within the atmospheres of planetary bodies; (2) Autonomy and On-board Processing featuring an autonomously operated mission from beginning to end with a fast sense-decide-act loop integrating on-board science processing, activity planning, and subsystem conflict resolution; (3) Disturbance Reduction System with sensor and thrust producing technologies necessary to control a space vehicle's trajectory such that it evolves under only gravitational forces, within 1 X (to the minus 15) g; and (4) Solar Sail System involving the suite of technologies (e.g., sail materials, structures and associated deployment mechanisms, sailcraft attitude control, navigation, and advanced diagnostic instrumentation) necessary for deploying and controlling a solar sail and operating the associated sailcraft within prescribed operational parameters. The technology needs for each of the four ST7 project concept areas will be included in the NMP ST7 Technology Announcement (TA). The target launch opportunity is in the Fiscal Year 2004 to 2005 time period. Following selection, the successful technology providers will be expected to join the ST7 Concept Definition Study Phase activities that will take place from April 2001 to November 2001. Successful proposers are expected to: (1) actively participate in the concept definition and preparation of the concept definition study report; (2) attend at least three formal team meetings; and (3) refine technical and programmatic inputs on the technologies to include technology maturity information, schedules, and cost data. At the completion of the concept definition phase, the four Concept Study Reports will be independently peer-reviewed by NASA. Results of the peer-review will be presented to the OSS, where it is expected that one of the concepts will be selected to proceed into the Formulation Refinement Phase. Technology members of the selected ST7 project concept will become pre-qualified suppliers for their portion of the advanced technology flight article. The ST7 TA will be available on the NMP web site at http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov under "Space Technology 7" on or about May 7, 2001. Alternately, by sending an electronic mail request to david.t.spencer@jpl.nasa.gov, a copy will be provided by return electronic mail. Candidate technology providers will have about four (4) weeks to respond to the ST7 TA. A Preproposal Conference is scheduled for May 15, 2001 at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Pasadena, CA. Details and online registration are located on the NMP web site under the information for the ST7. Proposals will be limited to (8) eight pages. All proposals will be peer-reviewed by NASA-designated peer review panels. JPL's Acquisition point of contact is Gerald T. O'Connell, (818) 354-4885 and the NMP Office Technical point of contact is David T. Spencer, (818) 354-4892. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP).

Web Link

Space Technology 7 (http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010406/SPMSC009.HTM (W-094 SN50I2J5)