NASA Solicitation: Payloads Requiring a Near-zero or Reduced Gravity Environment
PAYLOADS REQUIRING A NEAR-ZERO OR REDUCED GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT: MATURING CROSSCUTTING TECHNOLOGIES THAT ADVANCE MULTIPLE FUTURE SPACE MISSIONS TO FLIGHT READINESS STATUS
Synopsis – Nov 15, 2011
General Information
Solicitation Number: NOCT110
Posted Date: Nov 15, 2011
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Nov 15, 2011
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Original Response Date: Dec 16, 2011
Current Response Date: Dec 16, 2011
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541712 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
Set-Aside Code:
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center, Code A, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA 93523-0273
Description
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a solicitation, entitled “Announcement of Flight Opportunities (AFO) for Payloads Requiring a Near-Zero or Reduced Gravity Environment: Maturing Crosscutting Technologies that Advance Multiple Future Space Mission to Flight Readiness Status.”
Applications are due on or before December 16, 2011 and selections will be announced by February 10, 2012. The solicitation is available by opening the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com , selecting “Solicitations,” then selecting “Open Solicitations,” and, finally, selecting “NOCT110.”
NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) seeks to mature towards flight readiness status crosscutting technologies that perform relevant environment testing and advance multiple future space missions. To facilitate this goal, NASA is providing access to certain flight opportunities available to the Agency, on a no-exchange-of funds basis, to entities that have technology payloads meeting specified criteria. They may be exposed to a near-zero or reduced gravity environment on high-altitude balloons, flying on aircraft that provide parabolic flight trajectories and on suborbital reusable launch vehicles (sRLVs) that are potentially capable of flying to altitudes above 100 km. Refer to https://flightopportunities.nasa.gov/platforms for specific information on vehicle and flight characteristics.
This call is open to all individuals and organizations, U.S. and non-U.S. Such organizations may include educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), other Government agencies, and partnerships between such entities.
Science payloads will not be evaluated under this particular announcement. Prospective responders with science payloads are encouraged to respond to open solicitations for science, such as NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) call. Please refer to Section IV(f) and Appendix A1 section 4.6 of the ROSES2011 solicitation for more information: http://tinyurl.com/4vp3hck
This current call is one in a cycle of Announcement of Flight Opportunities through December 31, 2014. The number of flight opportunities selected via this announcement will be determined through a competitive process based on evaluation of the responses and subsequent ability to negotiate a no-exchange-of-funds Space Act Agreement. Such selections are also subject to the availability of appropriated funds and number of contracted flights available at any given time.
Detailed submission instructions are provided under “Other Documents” on the NSPIRES webpage associated with the NOCT110 solicitation. Potential applicants are urged to access the NSPIRES electronic proposal system well in advance of the proposal due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and to enter the requested information.
Comments and questions may be addressed by e-mail to the Flight Opportunities Program Payload Manager, Dougal Maclise, at peer-review-afo@nasaprs.com. Responses to inquiries will be answered by e-mail and also included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.
NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center
Point of Contact
Name: Dougal Maclise
Title: NASA Flight Opportunities Program, Payload Manager
Phone: 650-604-4084
Fax: 650-604-3594
Email: douglas.c.maclise@nasa.gov
