Status Report

CBD: NASA: Teaming opportunity for the In-Space propulsion technologies program NRA

By SpaceRef Editor

September 3, 2001

Filed under Commerce Business Daily, Langley Research Center, US

[Commerce Business Daily: Posted in CBDNet on August 29, 2001]

[Printed Issue Date: August 31, 2001]

From the Commerce Business Daily Online via GPO Access

[cbdnet.access.gpo.gov]

PART: U.S. GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENTS

SUBPART: SERVICES

CLASSCOD: A–Research and Development–Potential Sources Sought

OFFADD: NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry
Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001

SUBJECT: A–TEAMING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE IN-SPACE PROPULSION TECHNOLOGIES
PROGRAM NRA

SOL SS-326

DUE 091401

POC Richard J. Siebels, Contracting Officer, Phone (757) 864-2418,
Fax (757) 864-6131, Email R.J.SIEBELS@larc.NASA.gov – Mary
Jane Yeager, Contracting Officer, Phone (757) 864-2473, Fax
(757) 864-7709, Email M.J.YEAGER@larc.NASA.gov

DESC: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
intends to release a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) in the
near future for the In-Space Propulsion Technologies Program.
The In-Space Propulsion Technologies Program fosters the development
of innovative space propulsion concepts and the assessment
of those concepts in ground, flight, or engineering model demonstrations.
The NRA will solicit analytical studies, lab demonstrations,
field demonstrations, requirements analysis, design, and engineering
model construction for innovative techniques that have the
highest potential to meet the goals for the In-Space Propulsion
Technologies Program and the requirements of the Office of
Space Science. Successful proposers must present concepts that
have great potential for enabling/enhancing space transportation
and/or reducing cost, size, mass, and resource use.

The In-Space
Propulsion Technologies Program will competitively select,
through a peer review process, proposals to participate in
the program. NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is seeking
partners from the aerospace industry to participate with NASA
LaRC Principal Investigators (PI) in the In-Space Propulsion
Technologies Program to develop proposals and execute development
and performance demonstrations of space propulsion systems,
subsystems, and/or components. It is expected that selection
of the proposal(s) and availability of funds would result in
system, subsystem, and/or component contracts for the selected
partner(s). This partnering opportunity does not guarantee
selection for award of any contracts, nor is it to be construed
as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited.
It is expected that the partner(s) selected would provide (at
no cost to NASA) conceptual designs, technical data, proposal
input, project schedules and cost estimates consistent with
the requirements of the NRA.

Potential partners must demonstrate
the capabilities and experience to provide systems, subsystems,
and components consistent with the efforts synopsized for each
intended LaRC proposal.

Partners must work collaboratively
with NASA and other potential aerospace industry partners to
perform the required tasks. Partner selection(s) will be made
by LaRC based on the following criteria in the following order
of importance: 1) Relevant experience, past performance, technical
capability and availability of key personnel This criteria
evaluates the proposer’s relevant recent experience, past performance
in similar development activities, technical capability to
perform the development and key personnel available to support
the development. Substantive evidence (points of contact and
telephone numbers) of successful participation in similar developments
should be included. 2) Cost and schedule control This criterion
evaluates the proposer’s ability to control both cost and schedule.
The proposer should provide evidence of successfully controlling
cost and schedule for similar development programs and provide
evidence of management processes. 3) Facilities This criterion
evaluates the proposer’s facilities (analyses, development,
and testing) used to conduct the development or demonstration
of the proposed task.

The proposer should discuss facility
availability, access, and the ability to meet the proposed
objectives. Responses should be limited to 3 pages (12 point,
Times Roman font) and address each of the criteria. Even though
it may be duplicative, a separate proposal must be submitted
for each technology area of interest. The responder must indicate
on the cover page of the proposal the applicable technology
area.

All responses should be sent to: NASA Langley Research
Center, Attn: Junilla Applin, Mail Stop: 173A, Building 1221B,
Room 233, Hampton, VA 23681, or via e-mail to j.i.applin@larc.NASA.gov.
The due date for submission is COB September 14, 2001. Procurement
questions should be directed to Richard Siebels, NASA LaRC
Procurement Office, 757-864-2418, r.j.siebels@larc.NASA.gov.
Partners are sought for the following technology areas.

The
technical requirements and NASA LaRC point of contact for technical
questions is provided for each area. Technology Areas Strategy
concepts, technology and system concepts, and mission concepts
(single missions and mission sets) are solicited in the following
areas: 1. Aeroassist/Aerocapture Technologies 2. Solar Sail
Technologies 1. Aeroassist/Aerocapture Technologies Technical
Point of Contact: Michelle Munk, 757-864-2314, m.m.munk@larc.NASA.gov
The next generation of planetary exploration vehicles will
rely on robust aeroassist technologies. For landers, aeromaneuvering
will allow precise landings, resulting in less risk and increased
scientific return. For orbiters, aerocapture will significantly
reduce mission mass and cost, enabling access to destinations
not possible with conventional orbit insertion methods. Significant
technical challenges, such as approach velocities and vehicle
size (scaling) must be addressed when considering aeroassist
technologies for multiple robotic missions. The goal is to
address key technology risks and encourage innovative solutions
in preparation for future exploration missions. Both deep space
and near-Earth environments should be considered. The development
and/or qualification of flight hardware will not be supported.
Proposers should describe the technology application, provide
a clear indication of potential system benefits, demonstrate
an understanding of the environmental issues, and provide information
on planned activities and expected outcomes.

Emphasis will
be on the following high-priority areas for aeroassist/aerocapture
technology development: aeroshell structures and thermal protection
systems; Ballute technology to include tethered & towed concepts,
and deployment & inflation of large towed Ballutes for aerocapture;
sensors and instrumentation technologies for aeroassist including
flowfield and TPS instrument development & integration. 2.
Solar Sail Technologies Technical Point of Contact: W. Keith
Belvin, 757-864-4319, w.k.belvin@larc.NASA.gov The NASA Langley
Research Center’s Ultralightweight and Inflatable Structures
(UIS) team is developing structures and materials for solar
sails. In collaboration with several NASA mission centers,
the UIS team leads the development (test, analysis, and characterization)
of lightweight deployable rigidizable booms that will serve
as the support structure for the sail membrane. These booms
have linear densities of 20-80 grams/meter. A single-boom,
two-quadrant test-bed has been developed to study deployment
loads and system integration of the boom and sail membrane.
Optical methods are in development for characterization of
the sail shape and structural dynamics. Thin film materials
development is also underway whereby carbon Nan tubes are being
added to a space durable polymer to enhance electrical conductivity
while minimizing solar absorptivity. Five-micron thick films
are under evaluation for initial solar sail missions and more
advanced materials processing such as electrospinning are being
studied for future ultralightweight sail membranes. Extensive
analysis efforts are underway to predict the structural performance
of deployed sails. The most difficult challenge of the analysis
activity involves modeling membrane wrinkling and boom deployment
dynamics. The potential NRA objectives include ground testing
of scaled solar sail models for a reference mission such as
GEOSTORM. These square sail models would be approximately 10
meters on a side and statically and dynamically tested in Langley’s
16-meter vacuum chamber. Potential NRA activities include model
design and fabrication, testing and analysis, and extrapolation
of scaling laws to full-scale performance. Both a static (non-deploying)
constant thickness scaled model and a deployable geometrically
scaled model are planned. The latter model will be used to
study boom deployment and membrane packaging and deployment
control. In addition coupled-field problems such as structural
shape effects (e.g. wrinkling) on navigation and control will
be evaluated.