NASA, George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812

66 -- X-RAY SOURCE SOL 8-W-5-10-81660 POC Contact Glynda H. Meeks, GP24M/Contract Specialist, 205-544-0422, or Jane Maples, GP24L/Contracting Officer NASA/MSFC plans to issue a Request for Offer (RFO) for a High Intensity X-Ray Source System - Qty 1 ea - per the following scope of work -- A high intensity source of soft x-ray radiation is required for use with doubly reflecting Schwarzchild multilayer x-ray microscope system being developed for the Water Window Imaging X-Ray Microscope Program -- The contractor shall provide a high intensity soft x-ray source, complete with auxillary optics, a vacuum chamber to house the source and required targets, x-ray filters and x-ray microscopy biological specimen chambers, and x-ray filters and/or debris shields -- The system shall enable imaging experiments to be carried out with both the prototype multilayer x-ray microscope (which is designed to operate at 135 angstroms) and for studies of biological specimens to be imaged at high resolution and high contrast in the soft x-ray ''water window'' (specifically at wavelengths of 38 angstroms and 43 angstroms) -- The high intensity source of soft x-ray radiation shall provide adequate beam divergence to properly illuminate the specimen and adequately fill the 7.6 cm diameter primary mirror of the 30X Schwarzchild x-ray microscope system -- An x-ray source, based upon a laser generated plasma source, spherical pinch technology, or other technologies capable of providing adequate photon flux levels and the required beam divergence and repetition rate in the required wavelength bands will be considered -- The system shall include the necessary x-ray optics or beam divergers required to properly illuminate the specimen and fill the primary optical element -- Information shall be provided to indicate how their efficiency will affect the light level delivered to the primary mirror of the microscope -- The system shall be capable of delivering a suitable flux of photons in the required wavelength bands on the primary mirror of the microscope, which shall be located approximately 1.0 meter from the x-ray source -- Since the production efficiency of the source may vary significantly from one type to another, the requirements are given in terms of light output of the source, rather than source energy -- A. The x-ray light source shall meet the following minimim requirements: 1. Required wavelengths (waveband bandwidth): 135 angstroms (plus or minus 10 angstroms), 38 angstroms (plus or minus 3 angstroms), 43 angstroms (plus or minus 3 angstroms) -- 2. Minimum x-ray emission in waveband per pulse (2Pi steradian): 10 millijoule/pulse -- 3. Minimum x-ray pulse repetition rate: 1 pulse/minute -- 4. Minimum x-ray half-field beam divergence: 50 mrad -- B. The x-ray source shall include a high vacuum chamber system and ancillary optics as follows: 1. High vacuum chamber (without vacuum pump) complete with vacuum gauges and configured with a 5'' conflat flange compatible with the existing vacuum chamber housing the x-ray microscope -- 2. Ancillary optics required to meet the above requirements -- 3. A target assembly and interchangeable x-ray emitting targets of Aluminum, Lead, Carbon, and Silicon may be required as part of the x-ray source to meet the wavelength requirements -- 4. Filter/filter holder configuration, which will operate as a debris shield and remove unwanted visible/uv radiation from the source -- 5. X-ray water-cell chamber for x-ray microscopy of biological samples -- C. The contractor shall install the x-ray system at the MSFC facility and provide checkout and verification of proper operation -- D. The contractor shall provide operational manuals, software, and documentation of soft x-radiation -- This procurement is being conducted under the NASA/MSFC MidRange Pilot Test Program approved by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy on April 16, 1993 -- Requests for copies of the RFO must be submitted in writing -- Transmission by facsimile to 205-544-9081 or by Internet e-mail to glynda.meeks@msfc.nasa.gov is acceptable -- RFO will be released on or about 15 days after publication in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD) -- Firm date for receipt of offers will be stated in the RFO -- All responsible business sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency -- The solicitation and any related documents to this procurement will be available over the Internet -- These documents will be in ASCII format and reside on a World-Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using client browsers, such as, MOSAIC -- The WWW address, or URL, of the MSFC Procurement home page is ''http://procure.msfc.nasa.gov''. (0234)

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