Partnering Opportunites for Research of Micrometer-Scaled Particles
This partnering synopsis solicits potential partners to participate in a proposal development activity that addresses the technical objectives and development of a hardware-based technology demonstration in response b to an Early Career Initiative (ECI) sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate and released on April 25, 2019. The deadline for proposals is June 24, 2019.
The Early Career Initiative is an internal NASA call for space technology development and demonstration proposals that foster the next step in the professional development of early career NASA technologists by providing cutting-edge hands-on space technology hardware development opportunities. This initiative promotes creative joint partnering within highly collaborative work environments between the best and brightest NASA early career innovators and while teaming with world-class industry, academia, and other government organizations.
Proposing teams will include a core team consisting of a no more than eight members total, including NASA and external partner members at least half of which must consist of NASA early career employees. A NASA early career employee must lead the project (Project Lead) and shall engage an experienced NASA mentor, and a STMD mentor who will be identified after selection of the project. Other roles (e.g., Project Manager, Project Scientist) can be filled by team members from NASA or partner. The general approach will be to employ agile systems engineering methods emphasizing working products, collaboration, iterative, hands-on testing, and responsiveness to change rather than formal process and documentation with milestone-based assessments including a continuation review at the development site and a final presentation to NASA Headquarters. If a project wishes to involve a foreign organization, prior confirmation is needed.
Teams must propose innovative space hardware-focused projects lasting no more than 2 years and costing up to $1.25M in procurement and labor per year.
NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is seeking partners to participate in developing proposals for and collaborating on potential ECI projects. LaRC is pursuing several topic areas that align with NASA's space technology priorities and involve a variety of technical areas that could benefit from partnering. The partner can propose to the technical challenge provided below:
Particle Separation
A partner is desired that is capable of conducting world class fundamental materials research on micrometer-scaled particle assembly, orientation, separation, and stabilization techniques. This may include use of external stimulus from electric or magnetic fields, acoustics, low or high frequency mechanical agitation, air-flow, particle motion, or other method. The research would be required to demonstrate separation of similar rigid particle types from a binary mixture into individual components at purity levels approaching 90%. Although use of a condensed phase separation medium is permissible, application of the research toward a dry separation technique either initially or at later stages is preferred. The research should be focused on ambient to elevated temperatures, not exceeding 200 °C. The research should be demonstrated to be scalable from single gram to the tens-of-grams scale and should be plausible to larger quantities. The investigated separation techniques should be evaluated for feasibility in low gravity environments.
Particle Characterization
A partner is desired that is capable of conducting world class fundamental interaction research on micrometer-scaled particles. This would include the determination of the interaction strength between model flat surfaces, between a particle and a flat surface, and potentially between multiple particles. This partner must be capable of advanced atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques and have access to all the necessary components to functionalize AFM cantilevers and model flat surfaces. Additional support using finite elemental analysis will be required to model surface interactions and enable prediction of interaction strengths as they relate to interaction geometry and composition.
Reconfigurable Mold Development
Our desired partner needs to be capable of developing technologies for space exploration applications. Specifically, our desired partner needs to have experience with prototype development for technologies to be demonstrated in low to zero gravity environments. The partner needs to be capable of developing and fabricating an automated three dimensional reconfigurable mold of approximately 12 cubic inches and shape resolution of approximately 0.1 inches. The mold should be capable of temperature control from ambient to no greater than 200 °C. This mold will need to support a demonstration article to be flown, and developed through collaboration with the partner, on a parabolic flight test experiment that will simulate a low gravity environment. Additionally the partner will need to be callable of developing a conceptual design for a reconfigurable mold for use in low to zero gravity environments on long endurance exploration missions and to determine the mass, volume, and power needs for such a device. The partner will also need to be able to integrate other technologies that will be developed in parallel efforts including recyclable material components and particle separation technology into the demonstration article.
This partnering opportunity does not guarantee selection for award of any contracts or other agreements, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited. It is expected that the partner(s) selected would provide (at no cost to NASA) technical requirements, conceptual designs, technical data, proposal input, project schedules, and cost estimates. If the proposal is subsequently selected, NASA LaRC anticipates issuing contracts or other agreements to the selected partner(s) for the performance of the proposed tasks.
Partner selections will be made by LaRC based on the listed criteria:
(1) Technology Approach:
This criterion evaluates the technical expertise/capabilities and innovativeness of the external partner in leading and/or executing activities related to the topics above and indicate the resources (skills and time) that would be allocated to the potential proposal development phase. The proposal will also be evaluated on the degree to which the work plan is likely to advance technology and lead to its eventual utilization.
(2) Management Approach:
This criterion evaluates the overall management approach for the execution of the technical effort. The proposal will be evaluated on the degree to which the management approach is different from standard NASA practices and represents a successful approach from another industry or organization. It will also evaluate how the management approach increases the probability of successfully executing the work plan.
(3) Teaming and Workforce Approach:
This criterion evaluates the integration of capabilities across the core team members relative to the work plan.
(4) Agile Approaches Used in the Past:
This criterion evaluates the external partner's past experience in developing and utilizing agile development principles: using development methods that emphasize working products, collaboration, iterative, hands-on testing, and responsiveness to change rather than formal processes and documentation.
Participation in this partnering synopsis is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as NASA Centers and other U.S. Government Agencies. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Other Minority Universities (OMUs), small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, and women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations is welcome but subject to NASA's policy of no exchange of funds, in which each government supports its own national participants and associated costs.
RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS: Responses to this partnering synopsis shall be limited to 5 pages in not less than 12-point font for each technical area of interest (i.e. offerors responding to one or more of the mission elements may submit up to 5 pages per each element). Responses shall address each of the evaluation criteria listed below. Resumes of key personnel and a cover page that clearly identifies the topic area addressed by the response do not count against the total allocated page count.
All responses shall be submitted to LaRC electronically via e-mail by 4:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time June 24, 2019, to Octavia Hicks at octavia.l.hicks@nasa.gov and to Bryce Horvath at bryce.l.horvath@nasa.gov. All procurement questions should be directed to Octavia Hicks.
Octavia L Hicks, Contracting Officer, Phone 7578648510, Email octavia.l.hicks@nasa.gov
