NASA Announces Research Opportunities for Space Flight Experiments: Bion-M1Project

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Announcement (NRA) solicits research proposals to conduct studies utilizing rodents flown onboard the Russian Bion-M1 spacecraft. The Bion-M1 mission will launch an unmanned automated spacecraft carrying a biological payload into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Launch will occur at Baikonur, Kazahkstan in September 2010. The rodents on the Bion-M1 spacecraft will be exposed to spaceflight conditions for approximately one month, approximately 50% longer than any previous flight with rodents.

This NRA is soliciting two types of proposals: proposals in the primary area of interest addressing integrated immune function hypotheses and proposals in secondary areas of interest, e.g., muscle, bone, nervous system, cardiovascular system, etc. While teaming between investigators studying different areas of interest is encouraged, proposals in the primary area and secondary areas of interest will be independently reviewed. Scientifically meritorious proposals addressing hypotheses in secondary areas of interest will be considered for participation in a Biospecimen Sharing Plan and will be additionally selected if they do not interfere with the procedures and objectives of the primary investigation(s).

Proposals submitted in response to this NRA must address the research emphases defined in the solicitation and are expected to provide evidence of a firm justification for spaceflight implementation derived from previous ground-based and/or flight research results. Ground-based research may be proposed as one component of a flight experiment proposal in immune function (primary area of interest). However, that research must be limited to activities that are essential to the final development of an experiment for flight and for the completion and publication of the scientific results of the flight experiment. Proposals for research in areas not related to immune function (secondary area of interest) are encouraged and should offer the test of mature research hypotheses (i.e. experiments that are ready for flight) that typically require tissues or specimens from rodents that do not interfere with the immune function experiment(s).

The full text of the solicitation is available on the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com under menu listing “Open Solicitations.” Potential applicants are urged to access this site well in advance of the proposal due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and to register in the system. Proposals solicited through this NRA will use a two-step proposal process.

Step-1 proposals are due January 18, 2008.

This email is being sent on behalf of and is intended as an information announcement to researchers associated with the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) Human Research Program (HRP).

Thank you for your continued interest in NASA. Replies to this email will go unanswered, please reference the above solicitation for contact information.