SOURCES SOUGHT
93 -- AVAILABLE CANDIDATE THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM MATERIALS
- Notice Date
- 5/6/2005
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 336419
— Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
- ZIP Code
- 35812
- Solicitation Number
- NNM05ZPS008L
- Response Due
- 6/6/2005
- Archive Date
- 5/6/2006
- Description
- Summary: This Request for Information (RFI), issued by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration?s Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA MSFC), seeks information on available candidate thermal protection system materials for consideration under the ?Lightweight Nonmetallic Thermal Protection Materials Technology (LNTPMT)? Project. This project is being performed for the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) with the primary purpose of advancing the state of thermal protection system (TPS) materials technology. Such technology advancements will enable the development of advanced heatshields and TPS architectures in parallel and follow-on ESMD projects. Additionally, partnerships with industry, academia, and non-NASA government entities are being sought for Phase II of this project --- Phase II is planned to begin in January 2006. RFI Purpose: It is emphasized that this presolicitation synopsis is for information and planning purposes only. Release of this RFI is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for the information solicited. 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. NASA MSFC is seeking advanced thermal protection materials technology in order to best accomplish the goals of the Lightweight Nonmetallic Thermal Protection Materials Technology (LNTPMT) Project. We are therefore requesting information regarding candidate materials technologies for accomplishing this. Information provided will be used to supplement the on-going 2005 project activities, and to facilitate potential establishment of teaming arrangements (such as through Space Act Agreements) with material developers/manufacturers/suppliers in Phase II of the LNTPMT project. Such partnerships or teaming arrangements may involve industry providing materials/specimens and NASA providing testing, data generation/analysis, and reporting. While our intent may be to team with industry partners, we are not bound by this RFI to do so. Please note, also, that the LNTPMT Project intends to host a government/industry TPS Materials Summit meeting at the NASA Ames Research Center on 25-27 October 2005 to both review the Phase I progress and the Phase II plans for this project, and to allow other TPS presentations to be given on technologies applicable to the LNTPMT Project and the overall ESMD Program. Technology Advancement: The thermal protection subsystem elements required for ESMD planetary hypersonic entry probes and/or landers will include various combinations of the following: (1) passive ablative insulators, (2) reusable passive insulators, (3) "hot structure" ceramic matrix composites, (4) adhesive/attachment hardware, (5) supporting aeroshell structure, (6) hot structure thermal isolation insulation blankets/materials, and (7) inflatable/deployable decelerators (ballutes) and their associated attachment and deployment hardware. The traditional thermal protection subsystem elements that current space system architectures embody: are typically heavy (high mass fraction with respect to payload); are labor/cost intensive for procurement, fabrication, assembly, and post-flight refurbishment (if reusable); and have limited thermal performance capability (Shuttle Orbiter reusable tile system and Viking ablator system). The only ablator material ever human-rated, used on the Apollo Program?s Command Module, is not in production, is no longer available, and was labor/cost intensive to use. Present and future NASA missions require thermal protection systems capable of supporting the following: (1) medium-to-large-payload robotic planetary science missions, (2) ESMD Spirals 1-5 (low Earth orbit, lunar return, long duration moon/lunar return, Mars flybys and Mars returns, and manned Mars landings and return missions), (3) direct planetary hypersonic entries, (4) planetary aerocapture orbit insertions, and (5) low-to-medium lift-over-drag-ratio vehicle configurations. The extreme challenges for mass efficiency and thermal performance on these missions makes it essential that the TPS materials and systems utilized place a lower burden on the overall vehicle system resources using current state-of-the-art technology in order that meaningful payloads can be supported. Thus, state-of-the-art materials need to be evaluated, demonstrated, and validated for system designs supporting future NASA full-scale development programs. Therefore, the LNTPMT Project is seeking to identify, evaluate, and mature (where possible, through NASA Technology Readiness Level 5) technologies that would substantially advance heatshield TPS technology for ESMD heatshield architectures in a manner that significantly expands functional capability, adaptability, and reliability while appreciably reducing mass and cost (when compared to current systems). The technologies sought must be of sufficient maturity that they could be readied for utilization in early Exploration Systems and Science Mission Directorates vehicles. This inquiry seeks information on candidate materials for specific focused applications, not generic technologies, which could substantially improve the performance and capability of the potential system to be developed and flown. Additional overview-type information on the ?Lightweight Nonmetallic Thermal Protection Materials Technology? Project can be found in the attached document. Information Desired: The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is interested in soliciting information regarding available candidate thermal protection system materials that industry deems to be viable candidates for use as heatshield materials for NASA Exploration Systems missions. Responses should include details describing: (a) the material(s), (b) programs/projects completed or in progress to mature the material technology, and (c) basic material property and performance information that is pertinent and necessary to evaluate applicability to NASA missions. The overall objectives of this RFI are: (1) to improve NASA's knowledge of industry's capabilities; (2) to improve the overall understanding of what the technology options are for the LNTPMT Project; and (3) to invite industry to submit information that will allow NASA to assess the Phase II partnering opportunities that exist with industry. Responses to this RFI should be received not later than June 06, 2005. Responses should be in the form of written and illustrated concepts. Within 60 days of RFI release, repondents who present materials technology that offers significant benefits to the LNTPMT Project (and ESMD in general), may be offered the opportunity to make presentations to the LNTPMT Project Team. RFI responses can be submitted via e-mail. The subject line of the submission should be "RFI for Lightweight Nonmetallic Thermal Protection Materials Technology Project." Attachments should be provided in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, or Adobe Acrobat formats. The e-mail text must give a point-of-contact and provide his/her name, address, telephone/fax numbers, e-mail address, and business size. Size standard for a small business for NAICS code 336419 is 1,000 employees or less. It is not NASA's intent to publicly disclose vendor proprietary information obtained. 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. Technical questions or comments should be directed to: Peter G. Valentine at (256) 544-2837 or Peter.G.Valentine@nasa.gov, or Timothy W. Lawrence at (256) 544-2660 or Timothy.W.Lawrence@nasa.gov. (Facsimile (256) 544-5877). Procurement-related questions should be directed to: Janice Burrough at (256) 544-0317 or janice.burrough@nasa.gov. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or comercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in FAR 2.101. An ombudsman has been appointed -- See NASA Specific Note "B". Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
- Web Link
-
Click here for the latest information about this notice
(http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=62#115424)
- Record
- SN00802641-W 20050508/050506212343 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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