NASA Solicitation: Science Mission Partnership Opportunities Request for Information
Synopsis – Sep 05, 2007
General Information
Solicitation Number: NNH07ZDA002R
Posted Date: Sep 05, 2007
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Sep 05, 2007
Original Response Date: Sep 21, 2007
Current Response Date: Sep 21, 2007
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541710 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters Acquisition Branch, Code 210.H, Greenbelt, MD 20771
Description
SCIENCE MISSION PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, QUOTATION, OR INVITATION TO BID NOTICE.
A. Request Summary
The NASA Science Mission Directorate requests information on potential partnering opportunities on space missions sponsored by other organizations and agencies, both U.S. and non-U.S., which might be used to advance NASA’s strategic goals in astrophysics, Earth science, heliophysics, and planetary science including lunar science. NASA is interested in partner Missions of Opportunity that expand flight rates for NASA-provided science instruments and advance Decadal Survey science priorities.
B. Background
The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is responsible for advancing the pace of discoveries in Earth and space science. A comprehensive program for doing so includes expanding partnerships that include the provision of NASA contributions to U.S. and non-U.S. missions sponsored by organizations other than NASA. SMD solicits partner Mission of Opportunity proposals with each of its Announcements of Opportunity (AOs) in order to identify collaborative opportunities and to consider specific partnership proposals. NASA uses competitive peer review of these proposals to inform its decisions on which partnership proposals to accept. NASA will be issuing the Small Explorer (SMEX) AO in late September 2007; the SMEX AO will solicit partnership proposals for collaborative investigations supporting NASA’s astrophysics and heliophysics research programs.
SMD is also considering issuing a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) soliciting Mission of Opportunity proposals that is not tied to a specific AO. If SMD issues this Stand Alone Mission of Opportunity NRA (SALMON), it would be issued no earlier than Spring 2008. It is anticipated that SALMON proposal opportunities will be offered approximately annually, as SMD’s budget allows, taking advantage of partner opportunities that may arise from year to year. SALMON may solicit Mission of Opportunity proposals in any of SMD’s four science areas. However, because of the opportunity to submit Mission of Opportunity proposals in response to the SMEX AO in the science areas of astrophysics and heliophysics, it is likely that astrophysics and heliophysics proposals will not be solicited in the Spring 2008 SALMON solicitation.
SMD requests information on potential partnering opportunities on space missions sponsored by other organizations and agencies, both U.S. and non-U.S., which might be used to advance NASA’s strategic goals in astrophysics, Earth science, heliophysics, and planetary science including lunar science. This information will be used by NASA to facilitate planning for the Spring 2008 release of SALMON as well as planning for the evaluation of partner Mission of Opportunity proposals that may be submitted in response to the SMEX AO.
C. Requested Information
The response to this request for information (RFI) will be in the form of a PDF document that is uploaded through NASA’s NSPIRES system (see instructions below). The response should not exceed three pages in length.
The response must contain the following information:
* Name of submitter and contact information (institutional affiliation, email address);
* SMD Division with which the partnering opportunity is best aligned (astrophysics, Earth science, heliophysics, or planetary/lunar science); and
* Description of partnering opportunity including any information that might be useful to NASA in planning for partnerships with other agencies and SMD solicitations including SALMON.
This information might include a description of the mission including mission objectives, the mission’s sponsor, the status of mission approval, potential deadlines for NASA considering and approving a contribution, potential NASA contributions including science objectives, general scope, cost, etc.
NASA is soliciting information that might be used by NASA to facilitate planning for potential partnering opportunities. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. No proposals will be awarded funding as a result of this RFI.
D. Instructions
All responses submitted in response to this RFI must be submitted in electronic form via NSPIRES, the NASA online announcement data management system, located at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ . For this RFI, a response will take the form of a Notice of Intent (NOI) within the NSPIRES online announcement data management system.
You must be registered with NSPIRES to submit a Request for Information. See registration instructions at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select “Getting an account”). You do not need to affiliate with an institution to respond to an RFI.
In order to submit a response to this RFI, use the NSPIRES procedure for submitting an NOI: 1. Log in to your account at: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ 2. Select “Proposals” from your account page 3. Select “Create NOI” from your proposals page 4. Click “Continue” on next page 5. Select “Request for Information: Science Mission Partnership Opportunities” from bullet list of announcements, click “Continue” 6. Enter RFI title (“NOI title” field will be shown) 7. Select “do not link at this time” for submitting organization page 8. Click “Save” on next page 9. Click on the Element list and fill out as fully as possible (no fields are required) 10. Prepare your RFI offline and save as PDF (note NSPIRES instructions on pdf formats). Please include PI Name, institution, and e-mail address, so the file is self-contained. File name should be “PI Last Name, first name: RFI”. The response should not exceed three pages in length. 11. To upload your PDF white paper: (a) Click “add” under NOI attachments section (b) Select “Proposal Document” from drop down list (c) Browse to attach your PDF file (d) Select “Upload” (e) Click “OK” (f) Your RFI document has been uploaded to NSPIRES 12. Click Submit NOI button
Please note: You may delete and replace form fields and uploaded documents anytime before the submission deadline of September 21, 2007.
E. Summary of Key Information
Page limit for the response: 3 pp
Address for electronic submission: http://nspires.nasaprs.com/
Due date: September 21, 2007, 11:59 pm EDT
RFI identifier: NNH07ZDA002R
NASA Point of Contact concerning this RFI: Dr. Paul Hertz Science Mission Directorate National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC 20546-0001 Telephone: (202) 358-0986 Email: paul.hertz@nasa.gov
Point of Contact
Name: Dr. Paul Hertz
Title: Chief Scientist
Phone: 202-358-0986
Fax: 202-358-3987
Email: paul.hertz@nasa.gov