NASA Solicitation: Spaceflight Capable Visible & Infra red Camera Systems Suitable for Long-term Geosynchronous Earth Orbit
Synopsis – Aug 26, 2011
General Information
Solicitation Number: NNG11FA81-RFI
Posted Date: Aug 26, 2011
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Aug 26, 2011
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Nov 01, 2011
Current Response Date: Nov 01, 2011
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541990 – All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 210.S, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Description
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is soliciting information through this Request for Information (RFI) to improve its understanding regarding the current state-of-the-art of commercially available spaceflight camera systems. NASA is seeking broad information concerning previously flown camera systems, systems currently in development for other non-NASA missions, as well as future technologies that are relevant to long duration spacecraft missions designed to operate in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).
In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), the information requested is for planning purposes only and is not intended to bind the Government.
1. Background and Study Plan:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has undertaken a study regarding the feasibility, practicality, and cost of operating a fleet of spacecraft for long duration mission lifetimes in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). One particular area of this study that is of keen interest to GSFC is the availability of spaceflight capable visible and infra-red camera systems suitable for long-term usage at GEO. Early results of our study have shown that this spacecraft will require a wide array of camera systems to ensure mission success. This RFI is the first step in identifying relevant and interested industry partners to join GSFC in the development of these various camera systems. The main intent of this RFI is to solicit responses from industry on the current state-of-the-art in regards to spaceflight cameras. In this RFI, GSFC will describe the various types of camera systems it is currently investigating as well as some basic technical specifications. Elements described in this RFI will serve as a starting point for technical requirements that have yet to be defined. Responses will be assessed and considered based upon numerous criteria including, but not limited to, cost, Technology Readiness Level (TRL), spaceflight heritage, developmental lead time, delivery schedule, and applicability to the mission.
2. Camera System Descriptions:
There are several different types of cameras that may be utilized for our long duration GEO spacecraft:
* High Fidelity Machine Vision Cameras: These are visible wavelength cameras that will be used for imaging purposes over a wide range of distances. These cameras should be capable of accepting a large set of commanding options, such as gain, gamma correction, frame rate, and integration time. Theses cameras must also provide telemetry for all camera parameters and internal sensors. The machine vision cameras will have fixed pointing positions.
* Mid-Fidelity Visual Inspection Cameras: These visible wavelength cameras are meant to serve a similar function as the high fidelity machine vision cameras, but to a lesser extent. Ideally these cameras would allow for real-time commanding of camera optical settings (aperture, focus, etc.) and have pan/tilt mounts and zoom capabilities to aid in visual inspection of the spacecraft itself. The need for real time telemetry of camera parameters is not as crucial for these cameras.
*Low Fidelity Visual Inspection Cameras: These visible wavelength cameras are meant to be small and numerous in quantity. Placed at various strategic locations on the spacecraft they will be used mainly by ground controllers to provide an indication of the spacecraft’s immediate surroundings. They will be used for specific spacecraft tasks such as verification of solar array deployment and other deployment related activities. These cameras should have little to no commanding or telemetry options. In order to decrease the number of required cameras a pan/tilt mount could be used to maximize viewing angle and minimize operational constraints.
* Infra-Red (IR) Camera: At geosynchronous orbit, spacecrafts are not plagued by the approximate 90 minute sunrise/sunset cycle experienced at Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Nevertheless, there are times when lighting conditions can be poor at GEO. In these scenarios, lighting-independent IR cameras will be extremely useful. The IR camera shall be used as a means to gather imagery when lighting conditions are not ideal for the visible-light cameras.
* Miniaturized Cameras: NASA GSFC is especially interested in unique solutions to the miniaturization of optical cameras that will be able to withstand long duration usage at GEO. These miniaturized cameras will be required to provide high quality video at very short focus distances. Ideally these cameras would allow for real-time commanding of camera optical settings (aperture, focus, etc.) and potentially have zoom capabilities to aid in spacecraft operations. Novel concepts for miniaturized cameras that provide articulating views of the spacecraft (pan/tilt mounts, fiberscope, videoscope, borescope, etc.) are of particular interest.
Additionally, there are scenarios where multiple views of the same area of the spacecraft may be required. Methods to provide multiple views of a particular spacecraft inspection site are also a special area of interest to GSFC (stereo pair, orthogonal views, stitching multiple camera views together, etc.).
For these miniaturized cameras, keeping the package in the smallest possible volume is important for both launch storage configuration and also while fully deployed in an operational state. Packaging and miniaturization solutions that reduce the bulk of the camera itself is another special area of interest to GSFC. For example, a camera head unit may consist of only the detector and lens assembly while the image processor electronics could be located elsewhere on the spacecraft. This would allow the imagining portion of the camera to retain the minimum amount of mass and volume while the bulkier electronics and power supply could be located elsewhere on the spacecraft bus.
Finally, poor lighting conditions are a known problem for these short focal length, miniaturized cameras. Packaging solutions that incorporate lighting sources into the cameras themselves are encouraged for these miniaturized cameras.
3. Technical Specifications:
The following general specifications are to be considered for all of the cameras mentioned above except where noted otherwise.
Availability:
* General: GSFC is interested in flying camera systems that are already in development or have a successful flight heritage. No significant development time is available for this particular application. Accessibility of inexpensive Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) laboratory demonstration units will be seen as a plus.
*Camera Emulator(s): Availability required 6 months After Receipt of Order (ARO).
* Engineering Development Units (EDU): Availability required 12 months ARO.
* Flight Unit(s): Availability required 24 months ARO.
Operational Lifespan:
* 5 to 10 years in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit.
Optics:
* General: GSFC is interested in both fixed focal length and zoom capable cameras for all of the various camera systems listed above. All non-zoom cameras shall incorporate a fixed aperture lens with a fixed focus setting. For Zoom capable cameras, both varifocal and parfocal lens designs will be considered, although a varifocal lens must incorporate a motorized focusing mechanism. Both fixed aperture and motorized aperture will be considered. Cameras with auto-aperture capabilities are another area of interest to GSFC.
* Materials: Lens materials must not be susceptible to significant radiation damage over the operational lifespan. Radiation hardened glass may be necessary or radiation mitigation techniques must be employed.
* Working Range (Depth of Field): The high fidelity machine vision cameras shall have a large depth of field ranging from 100 Km+ (infinite focus) to less than 1 meter. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Multiple cameras can be considered using a variety of fixed focal lengths that yield cameras specialized for imaging at various distances (i.e. a long range vs. short range camera). Additionally, a single camera with a zoom lens can also be utilized.
The low fidelity visual inspection and infrared camera lenses will all be focused at infinity. These cameras shall have a minimum focus distance of at least 2 feet.
The mid-fidelity and miniaturized cameras will be extreme short range cameras. The nominal working distances shall be between 2 and 12 inches for the mid-fidelity cameras and between 4 inches and 2 feet for the miniaturized cameras.
* Field of View (FOV): For the high fidelity machine vision cameras, a wide range FOVs is desired. A wide FOV (> 55) is desired for use at short ranges while a narrow FOV (10 – 15) is desired for long range imaging. This can be accomplished via multiple cameras or a single zoom capable camera.
There are no specifications at this time for the FOV of the other camera systems.
Environmental:
* Radiation: The specific radiation environment for these cameras has yet to be determined since the radiation will be orbit specific. GSFC has yet to choose a specific radiation model, but many models exist in the literature to provide a starting point for the GEO environment. Design considerations must be taken to ensure the survivability of the optics, optical coatings, detectors, and accompanying electronics in this radiation environment for the orbital lifespan. GSFC is interested in radiation mitigation techniques such as retractable camera covers and shielding to protect sensitive optics in the event customized rad-hard lenses are not available.
* Survival Temperatures: Thermal limitations have yet to be determined as they will depend on the final orbit of the spacecraft. Internal camera components are likely to set the survivability temperatures for the cameras themselves. Temperature limits for both survival and operation shall be held by internal cameras heaters if deemed necessary. Thermal blanketing may also be used depending on the final temperature limitations of the hardware. Power used for internal heaters in a cold environment must be included in worst-case maximum power numbers.
* Launch Loads: To be determined by launch vehicle. Standard GSFC General Environmental Verification Specification (GEVS) for a generic expendable launch vehicle shall apply.
4. Disclaimer
It is not NASA’s intent to publicly disclose vendor proprietary information obtained during this solicitation. To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as “Proprietary or Confidential” will be kept confidential. It is emphasized that this RFI is NOT a Request for Proposal, Quotation, or Invitation for Bid. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3 titled “Solicitation for Information or Planning Purposes”, and is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for information submitted in response to this RFI.
No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service (NAIS). It is the potential offeror’s responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-aside based on responses hereto. All non technical questions must be submitted in writing to the primary Contracting Officer under points of contact. As part of its assessment of industry capabilities, the NASA-GSFC may contact respondents to this Request for Information (RFI), if clarifications or further information is needed. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.
An ombudsman has been appointed — See NASA Specific Note “B”.
Questions sent via email are welcomed. For technical related questions please contact Mr. Ross Henry at Ross.M.Henry@nasa.gov. For other non-technical questions please contact the primary Contracting Officer for this action.
The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet. These documents will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/GSFC Business Opportunities home page is http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=51
5. Instructions to Respondents:
Respondents may submit separate responses to any number of these items. Respondents are not required to respond with information for all camera types. NASA appreciates responses from all capable and qualified sources including, but not limited to, NASA Centers, universities, university affiliated research centers, federally funded research and development centers, private or public companies, and government research laboratories.
Respondents are required to include the following technical specifications for their respective camera systems:
* Summary of the camera system and how it could be used in a system/mission context.
* Mass of unit.
* Bounding box dimensions (length, width, height).
* Nominal and peak power draw.
* Power on in-rush current.
* Command, telemetry and video interface.
* Maximum commanding bandwidth (where applicable).
* Maximum telemetry bandwidth (where applicable).
* Maximum video bandwidth.
* Operational & survivability temperature ranges.
* Detector Type, pixel resolution, pixel size, optical format, S/N ratio, maximum full frame rate and Region Of Interest (ROI) capabilities (where applicable).
* Optics description & specifications (lens effective focal length, f/#, focus distance, FOV, DOF, geometric distortion, lens mount type).
Respondents are also required to address the following programmatic items:
* Name of corporate point of contact, telephone number, full mailing address, and e-mail address.
* Corporate competencies and past performance experience with regard to the development and production of similar camera systems. Relevant flight heritage/history is extremely important.
* Responses must have classified and proprietary information properly marked.
* Respondents must specify the ability to conduct functional acceptance testing of camera units prior to delivery. This includes both functional performance testing and environmental qualification tests such as thermal vacuum and vibration testing. Relevant test plans, procedures and the results of theses tests must be provided to GSFC at the time of the flight unit(s) delivery.
* Respondents must specify the ability to provide relevant camera system specification documents including, but not limited to, system drawings, parts lists, electrical, optical, and software Interface Control Documents (ICDs). This documentation is needed for parts analysis as well the development of high fidelity simulations for camera control algorithm development and testing.
* Responses must include a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate for each individual camera system.
* Respondents must specify a target delivery period of the various camera hardware deliverables (emulators, EDUs, flight) from the date of any potential ARO.
6. How to Respond:
* Submit via email in PDF or Word format by 11/01/2011, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) to BOTH points of contact outlined below.
* Less than five (5) page executive summary, 12-point font size, one inch margins. No limit on supporting documentation.
* Format: Microsoft Word (.doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf).
* Mark all responses: RFI, GEO Cameras
Point of Contact
Name: Claudia Canales
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 301-286-5990
Fax: 301-286-0471
Email: Claudia.Canales-1@nasa.gov
Name: Nylsevalis Ortiz-Collazo
Title: Contracting Officer
Phone: 301-286-2387
Fax: 301-286-1670
Email: Nylsevalis.Ortizcollazo-1@nasa.gov
