NASA Request for Information for a Mission of Opportunity to Aid in the Detection of Very-Near Earth Asteroids

Synopsis – Aug 17, 2012

General Information

Solicitation Number: NNH12ZCQ001L
Posted Date: Aug 17, 2012
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Aug 17, 2012
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Sep 17, 2012
Current Response Date: Sep 17, 2012
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 336414

Contracting Office Address

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

Description

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): THIS IS *NOT* A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, QUOTATION, OR INVITATION TO BID NOTICE.

RFI Purpose: The NASA Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) and Science Mission Directorate (SMD), through the Joint Robotic Precursor Activity (JRPA) office, are interested in instrument concepts for a mission of opportunity to be hosted on a US Government or commercial spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit that will be capable of detecting and tracking asteroids in orbits very similar to Earth’s, including Earth-trojan asteroids. “Very-Near Earth asteroids” are envisioned as a set of asteroids to be discovered, in an orbit very similar to Earth’s, that offer low delta-V solutions for human exploration missions. This RFI solicits information from potential sources for an instrument that can be delivered for flight as soon as 2016.

As part of the “GEO-Hosting” approach, this instrument might be flown on a US Government or commercially-owned spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. The instrument would point outward from Earth and must be capable of detecting near-Earth asteroids in very Earth-like orbits, and capable of detecting asteroids of as little as 30m in diameter. Additional factors of interest include the ability to quantify spin rate and calculate the size and shape of detected asteroids. The data generated by the instrument would be delivered to the Minor Planet Center in a form suitable for orbit processing in order to confirm detections and determine the orbits of new asteroids. The basic engineering boundary conditions are proposed as:

Spacecraft Payload: Mass: ~75 kg Volume: ~0.5 cubic meters Power: <500 W Field of View: 9 degrees x 9 degrees Observation Requirement: Minimum size, brightness: Able to detect an object as small as 30 meters, or 26 Absolute Magnitude (H) Object Distance from Earth: Capable of detecting objects up to 0.5 AU from Earth Astrometric Precision: <0.5" The instrument development and testing, integration and accommodation, and five years of flight operations and data processing should total no more than $50M (in FY12 dollars) life cycle costs. The Objective of this RFI is to improve NASA’s understanding of what options exist for acquiring an instrument to obtain needed information. This request for information (RFI) is open to all types of respondents including, but not limited to, educational, industrial, and not-for-profit organizations, international organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies. We request responses – within 30 days of the release date of this RFI – in the form of written and illustrated concepts, ideas, and descriptions of capabilities. Responses shall be submitted via email. The subject line of the submission should be “RFI for Very-Near Earth Asteroid Instrument” and attachments should be in Microsoft WORD, POWERPOINT, or PDF format. Files should not be greater than 8MB in size. The email text must give a point-of-contact and provide his/her name, address, telephone number, and email address. The information is requested for planning purposes only, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, entitled “Solicitation for Information for Planning Purposes.” It is not NASA’s intent to publicly disclose vendor proprietary information obtained from this RFI. 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 for planning and information purposes only 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 solicited. In early 2013, NASA will make a decision on whether to proceed with a procurement action, based on the responses received. If NASA decides to proceed with a new procurement, we will synopsize our intent on FedBizOpps. 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. It is the potential offeror’s responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Responses should include the following information: 1. Company name, point of contact name, phone number, e-mail address, and nature of interest. 2. Information regarding existing or planned instruments with respect to the above section 3. Identification of industry partnerships represented in the response (if any). At our discretion, NASA may hold meetings with respondents as needed to clarify responses and obtain further details. All questions shall be directed to Ms. Victoria Friedensen via electronic mail only: Point of Contact Name: Ms. Victoria P. Friedensen
Title: Joint Robotic Precursor Activities Manager
Phone: 202-358-1916
Fax: 202-358-4174
Email: victoria.p.friedensen@nasa.gov