A -- ANNOUNCEMENT OF INTENT CONCERNING THE NASA OFFICE OF SPACE SCIENCE PLANS FOR THE MAGNETOSPHERIC MULTISCALE (MMS) MISSION

Notice Date

October 2, 2001

Contracting Office

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771

ZIP Code

20771

Response Due

May 1, 2002

Point of Contact

Dr. James Spann, MMS Study Scientist, Phone (202) 358-0888, Fax (202) 358-3987, Email jspann@hq.nasa.gov

E-Mail Address

Dr. James Spann (jspann@hq.nasa.gov)

Description

The Sun-Earth Connection Division of the Office of Space Science (OSS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), issues this Announcement of Intent (AOI) concerning its tentative plans for the solicitation and implementation of the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission, which is a key, strategic mission in the Solar Terrestrial Probe program. Note that this AOI is not a solicitation for the MMS science investigations, spacecraft, or launch vehicle. The current state of planning calls for NASA OSS to release two Announcements of Opportunity (AO's) that will solicit proposals for science investigations to accomplish the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission. This mission intends to investigate and answer the fundamental questions concerning the physics of reconnection, charged particle acceleration, and turbulence as outlined in the MMS Science & Technology Definition Team Report (available at http://stp.gsfc.nasa.gov/missions/mms/mms.htm ). The primary science objective of the MMS mission is to understand magnetic reconnection. Because of the need for the maximum congruence, compatibility, and simultaneity of the required data over a volume of space, the studies that have been conducted to date suggest that this mission must consist at a minimum of four identical spacecraft, each carrying identical science payloads. Therefore, NASA plans that the first MMS AO will solicit a single Payload Science Team (PST) investigation that provides identical science payloads and their spacecraft and that would cover all mission phases (A-E) under the leadership of a single Principal Investigator (PI). Given the availability of multiple proposals of sufficient merit, NASA intends to select several such science proposals to conduct preliminary studies (Phase A), at the conclusion of which one effort will be selected for formulation (Phase B), leading to implementation (Phase C/D) and mission operations/data analysis (Phase E). This PST investigation would also include responsibility for the design and management of all spacecraft, as well as the science payloads. Government services, such as procurement and management of commercial spacecraft from the Rapid Spacecraft Development Office catalog, will be available to the proposers to this PST AO. The second phase of this tentative plan calls for the release immediately after the conclusion of the PST Phase A study of the second MMS AO that will solicit InterDisciplinary Science (IDS) investigations. Pending the submission of a sufficient number of proposals of merit, four to six IDS investigators will be selected who will have equal and open access to all of the MMS science data and who will be expected to work synergistically and cooperatively with the PST PI for the completion of specific science investigations, including any that may have similar objectives even though independently proposed. The successful IDS PI's and the PST investigation PI will together form the MMS Science Working Group that will work synergistically with NASA for implementation of this mission. The estimated schedule of these procurements is as follows: 7 Release of Draft AO of the MMS PST AO: November 2001 7 Release of Final PST AO: February 2002 7 PST Proposals due: May 2002 7 Selection of PST proposal(s) and initiation of Phase A study: October 2002 7 Conclusion of Phase A study and release of MMS IDS AO: Summer 2003 7 Selection of MMS IDS investigations: Winter 2003 7 Launch of MMS spacecraft and initiate mission operations: 2008 Comments or questions regarding this AOI may be directed as follows: By mail: Dr. Jim Spann MMS Study Scientist Code SS NASA Headquarters Washington, DC 20546 By fax: 202-358-3987 (please use a cover sheet addressed to Dr. Spann to help ensure confidentiality) By E-mail: jspann@hq.nasa.gov (please use "MMS AOI" as the Subject)

Web Link

Click here for the latest information about this notice (http://nais.msfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/EPS/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=04#99081)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20011004/ASOL007.HTM (D-275 SN50Z5O9)