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

A -- RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SOURCES SOUGHT -- ACTIVELY COOLED CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITES DUE 120998 POC David. G. Morgan, Contracting Officer, Phone (256) 544-0410, Fax (256) 544-8688, Email david.morgan@msfc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/MSFC/date.html#1-8-EH-7-4120. E-MAIL: David. G. Morgan, david.morgan@msfc.nasa.gov. NASA/MSFC is hereby soliciting information for potential sources for a 36-month Enabling Technology Demonstration (ETD) effort to mature innovative Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) actively cooled structural design concepts that offer significant weight, cost, performance, reliability, and inspectibility advantages over baseline Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) aerospike cooled composite nozzle ramps. A 2.0 lb./ft2 areal density goal has been set for these designs. The effort to accomplish this objective consists of tasks to select material architecture/concepts; complete preliminary design concept analysis and selection, and identify critical enabling technologies. A subsequent ETD test series is considered essential to focus initial development activities on resolving those key technologies lacking maturity and are critical to the successful development of the selected concept. These tests will support subsequent design, fabrication, and test of a Manufacturing Technology Demonstrator (MTD) scale-up test article, approximately 10 inches by 36 inches. The overall effort will culminate with a Large-Scale Test Article (LSTA) design for potential incorporation into the baseline RLV nozzle design and development program. Qualified sources possessing technical and program management skills, knowledge and experience in the design, fabrication, and testing of flight weight actively cooled nozzle structures are sought to conceive and mature high pay-off selected concepts. Prospective offerors shall demonstrate expertise in the following essential areas: 1) Fundamental thermal mechanical knowledge in the design of actively cooled heat exchanger structures; 2) Experience in the fabrication of oxide and non-oxide ceramic matrix composites; 3) Familiarity with containment and manifolding of cryogenic hydrogen as a coolant is considered essential, and 4) Design and fabrication of full-scale test articles approaching 60-inch lengths is considered equally desireable. "See Numbered Note 25." No solicitation exists; therefore,do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released it will be synopsized in the CBD and on the NASA Acquisition Internet Service. It is the potential offerors responsibility to monitor these sites for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. Interested offerors/vendors having the required specialized capabilities to meet the above requirement should submit a capability statement of five pages or less indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort described herein. Technical questions should be submitted to Dr. Alan T. Nettles at (256) 544-2677. Procurement-related questions should be directed to David G. Morgan at (256) 544-0410. Please advise if the requirement is considered to be a commercial or commercial-type product. A commercial item is defined in Internet "Note A". This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully 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 on responses hereto. All responses shall be submitted to David G. Morgan, attn: GP22-P, at the address listed above no later than December 9, 1998. In responding, reference 1-8-EH-7-4120. Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html. Posted 11/13/98 (D-SN271217). (0317)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0006 19981117\A-0006.SOL)