SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- REENTRY VEHICLE TEST ARTICLE
- Notice Date
- 10/5/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 144, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton,VA 23681-0001
- ZIP Code
- 23681-0001
- Solicitation Number
- SS-IRVE-III
- Response Due
- 10/20/2009
- Archive Date
- 10/5/2010
- Point of Contact
- Robert B. Gardner, Contracting Officer, Phone 757-864-2525, Fax 757-864-7898, Email Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov - Rosemary C. Froehlich, Contracting Officer, Phone 757-864-2423, Fax 757-864-8541, Email Rosemary.C.Froehlich@nasa.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Robert B. Gardner
(Robert.B.Gardner@nasa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NASA/LaRC is hereby soliciting information about potential sources for the design,development and build of an inflatable reentry vehicle test article for the InflatableReentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) 3 Project.Recent systems analysis studies are showing that inflatable aeroshells are an enablingtechnology for high mass Mars systems. On August 17, 2009, the IRVE-II project (with a2.96m (116.5in) inflatable aeroshell) was launched on sounding rocket out of WallopsFlight Facility, with a goal of demonstrating the concept of inflatable reentry vehicles.During the IRVE-II flight, the aeroshell inflated as designed and maintained stabilitynot only through hypersonic reentry but also through the supersonic, transonic andsubsonic flight regimes. With this IRVE-II proof-of-concept demonstration, a nextlogical step would be a flight test to increase the heat flux on the inflatable (to getcloser to a more operationally realistic flight environment).NASA LaRC, in conjunction with the Fundamental Aerodynamics Program Hypersonics Project,has initiated IRVE-3 which will build on both IRVE-II and ongoing ground-baseddevelopments, with a primary goal of 5X to 10X higher heat flux than IRVE-II. IRVE-3will be launched on a Black Brant XI with a 22in (0.55m) shroud. The target ballisticnumber of the reentry vehicle is double that of IRVE-II, so the payload being deceleratedby the aeroshell will be roughly 200kg (441lb) more than the mass allocated for theaeroshell. Preliminary estimates of the peak deceleration are on the order of 25g (andthis is the value to be used for preliminary aeroshell/payload interface loading).Sources are being sought for design, analysis, fabrication, integration, and testingsupport of an inflatable reentry vehicle test article for IRVE-3. After integration andsystem testing, the inflatable article will be hard-packed for launch and remain in astowed configuration for several months before launch, inflation, and reentry.Components of the inflatable reentry vehicle will include: Inflatable Structure, ThermalProtection System, Insulator Material, Restraint System, and Instrumentation. Proposalswill be accepted as a system, or individual components. All components of the systemshall be constructed of materials that are radio transparent. If some component isradio opaque, it shall be a small enough portion of the deployed aeroshell system areaso as not to interfere with the vehicle telemetry system (which will use an s-bandfrequency transmitter with an omni-directional wraparound antenna). Note that fornominal conditions, the aeroshell is between the antenna and ground receiving dishnetwork.Responses will be judged based on the following criteria for the components of thearticle:Inflatable structureThe vendor shall provide an inflatable structure with the following attributes:Geometry: 3.00 +/- 0.01m (118.1 +/0.4in) in diameter (inner diameter of 0.381m (15.00in));60 deg half-angle cone (+/- 5 deg). Shoulder radius maximum of 0.051m (2.00in). Notethat based on our on-going in-house studies, we do not desire isotensoid or tension coneconfigurations for hypersonic applications.The inflatable structure shall have sufficient rigidity when inflated to maintainits flight shape in near-zero gravity while performing attitude control maneuvers. The inflatable shall be pressurized with lab-grade clean, dry nitrogen.Maximum expected operating pressure (MEOP):138kPa (20psig).Proof pressure of 1.5X MEOP required.Burst pressure of 2X MEOP required.Higher pressure capability will be judged more favorably.Leak-rate: At 138kPa gage (20psig) internal gauge pressure, 7.1 standard liters per minute(slpm) (0.25 standard cubic ft per minute [scfm]) or less in vacuum and 28.3slpm(1.0scfm) or less at sea level static (SLS) pressure (IRVE-II 116.1slpm (4.1scfm) atSLS).Lower leak rates will be judged more favorably.Maximum atmospheric entry load: Support 8kPa (1.16psi) uniform pressure distribution on forward surface of coneand negligible pressure on aft surface. While under 8 kPa uniform pressure distribution, shall maintain at least 95 percent of drag area of unloaded shape. Maximum expected operating temperature:A 250C (482F) for short duration (~10 sec at peak temperature). To provide a safety factor, the bladder should be capable of surviving peaktemperatures on the order of 300C (572F) for that same duration. Higher temperature capability will be judged more favorably.Mass: Inflatable structure shall have a maximum mass of 22.5 kg (49.6 lb), includingbladder, fill lines, and structural attachments to center body. Lower mass systems will be judged more favorably.Packing:Inflatable structure shall pack for flight as described below in SystemPerformance section.Damage Tolerance:The Bladder shall demonstrate tolerance to damage (e.g., puncture) withoutcompromising structural integrity (i.e., limit or prevent damage propagation)The inflatable structure shall provide inflation lines and pressure sense linesfrom the inflatable volumes in the structure to the centerbody with an interface to bespecified by NASA.Strain sensing instrumentation may be incorporated on the structural bladder(s),if available.Thermal Protection System (TPS)The vendor shall provide a TPS with the following attributes:Flexible TPS shall be constructed of multiple layers. Outer high temperature fabric (current concept: two plies Nextel BF20; alternatematerials under consideration include Refrasil UC100, Nextel AF14, and custom-weavesilicon-carbide cloth).Insulating layer (current concept: two plies Aspen Pyrogel 3350; alternateconcepts include other PAN fiber needled felt composites).Gas barrier (current concept: two plies polyimide film; alternate conceptsinclude single ply of arimid reinforced polyimide film and expanded Teflon Polyimidefilled composite film).The flexible TPS shall be quilted in a pattern (to be prescribed later) toprevent misalignment of the plies relative to each other and relative to the underlyingstructure.The flexible TPS will be anchored to the underlying structure at multiplediscrete points (quantity and locations to be worked after contract award with thestructure and TPS vendor(s) in concert with NASA team).The same layup shall be used on the rigid nose and the deployable cone.The target composite mass for the TPS (nose and deployable) is 25.0kg (55.1lb).Responses with lower mass will be judged more favorably. Responses indicating fabrication experience with these or similar materials willbe judged more favorably.Rigid Nose TPSFlexible TPS shall cover and attach to the vehicle nose cap and shall haveaccommodations for four thermal flux gauges (currently slug calorimeters) measuringsurface heat flux, and have approximately 24 embedded thermocouples to take measurementsbetween each ply. Nose cap geometry is a 60deg sphere cone as shown in Figure 1. Attachment method of TPS to nose cap to be developed by vendor (current conceptual designis a clamped restraint around max diameter).TPS vendor shall be responsible for integration of the TPS to the rigid nose capstructure.TPS vendor shall be responsible for integration of thermocouples between thelayers of the flexible TPS nose cover.Deployable Cone TPS (protecting the inflatable structure):The TPS shall cover the deployable cone from beneath the rigid nose transition tobeyond the deployed maximum diameter (see Figure 2).In the event the TPS and Inflatable Structure are manufactured by differentvendors, the TPS/Inflatable Structure Interface shall be developed after contract awardby the joint NASA/Vendor(s) team. In the event the TPS and Inflatable Structure are manufactured by differentvendors, the TPS vendor shall be responsible for integration of the TPS to the inflatablestructure. TPS vendor shall integrate approximately 48 thermocouples embedded in theassembly at approximately 12 locations with a thermocouple between each ply.Insulator MaterialThe insulator material vendor shall provide an insulator material with the followingattributes:The insulator shall be able to survive at least three hard packs. (A hard pack,which involves bending, creasing, and compressing the material, is a vacuum bag process,where materials are under approximately 101kPa (14.7psi) load.) After each hard pack,the material shall regain original form without degradation to the material (such as anybreakage, cracking, ripping, or deformities resulting in localized thickness variationswhich change the insulative properties of the material). The insulator material shall be thin and flexible, with a maximum thickness of 2mm (0.079 in).Thinner materials will be judged more favorably. The insulator material shall have a conductivity value lower than 0.15 W-m-K(0.0867 Btu/hr-ft-deg F). The insulator material shall be able to survive at temperature greater than 500C(932F) for at least 90 sec. Higher temperature capable materials will be judged morefavorably. When handled, the insulator material shall not particulate significantly suchthat the material performance is degraded. The insulator material shall not be primarily ablative in nature. That is, theprimary mechanism of temperature management should not be based on estimating ablativecoatings thicknesses. The fabric substructure should be able to manage and survivewithout ablative coatings.If different vendors supply the TPS and insulator materials, the two vendors shallcollaborate to integrate the insulator material into the overall TPS component. Restraint SystemThe vendor shall provide a restraint system with the following attributes:The restraint system shall secure the inflatable in the stowed configurationduring ground handling, testing, and launch. Launch loads as specified in the SoundingRocket Payload Handbook for a Black Brant XI launch vehicle.The restraint system shall release the inflatable article in flight (initiated bypyrotechnic device provided by the NASA team).The restraint system shall have provisions for applying balance weights tocorrect any imbalance the stowed aeroshell system. Discrete balance weights of up to 2kg(4.4lb) may required in multiple locations.The target mass for the restraint system without balance masses is 3kg (6.6lb). Responses with lower mass will be judged more favorably. Instrumentation systemsThe vendor shall provide a sensing system compatible with the flexible inflatablestructure and/or TPS. Desired measurements include but are not limited to:Thermal FluxTemperatureSurface PressureStrainShapeCombined System RequirementsThe components shall work together as a system to achieve:Packing density of at least 400kg/m3 (25 lb/ft3) in conical shape defined inFigure 3. Higher packing density capability will be judged more favorably.Minimum system mass.General expectations of the contractor will include:Performing structural analyses on delivered hardware (load set to be developedwith NASA). Performing coupon load testing to verify design performance in relevantenvironment as predicted by NASA analyses.Participating via telecon in weekly team meetings.Presenting design analysis and testing results at the formal project designreviews notionally scheduled below.Supporting system integration of both the EDU and the flight unit (TPS toInflatable, Inflatable to Centerbody Structure, hard packing and installation ofRestraint System). Multiple hard packs may be required. Supporting system testing (full system deployment in vacuum chamber and at SeaLevel Static and deployed shape verification).Delivering design packages to include: drawings, test reports, and assemblyprocedures at each major design review.Notional Project and Delivery schedule:Preliminary Design Review (PDR) June 2010Engineering Development Unit 2 months prior to Critical Design Review (CDR)(April 2010)CDR June 2011Flight unit delivery to NASA for integration to vehicle 3 months post-CDR (Sept2011)End to end system test in vacuum chamber October 2011Ship Integrated Vehicle to Launch Site January 2012Launch March 2012No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If asolicitation is released it will be synopsized in FedBizOpps and on the NASA AcquisitionInternet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these sitesfor the release of any solicitation or synopsis.Interested offerors/vendors having the required specialized capabilities to meet theabove requirement should submit a capability statement of 10 pages or less indicating theability to perform all aspects of the effort (whether the submittal is at thecomponent(s) level or at the integrated system level) described herein. Interestedofferors/vendors should include a rough order of magnitude estimate to perform the workthat is included in the capability statement.Responses should include the following: name and address of firm, size of business;average annual revenue for past 3 years and number of employees; ownership; whether theyare large, small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), HUBZone, and/or woman-owned; number of yearsin business; affiliate information: parent company, joint venture partners, potentialteaming partners, prime contractor (if potential sub) or subcontractors (if potentialprime); list of customers covering the past five years (highlight relevant workperformed, contract numbers, contract type, dollar value of each procurement; and pointof contact - address and phone number). Technical questions should be directed to: Monica Hughes (monica.f.hughes@nasa.gov). Procurement related questions should bedirected to: Brad Gardner (robert.b.gardner@nasa.gov).This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as acommitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemedfully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business or 8(a) set-aside based onresponses hereto. All responses shall be submitted via email to Monica Hughes(monica.f.hughes@nasa.gov) and Brad Gardner (robert.b.gardner@nasa.gov) no later thanOctober 20, 2009. Please reference SS-IRVE-III in any response. Any referenced notesmay be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
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