18 -- ADVANCED CONTROL MOMENT GYROS (CMGs) PROGRAM

An industry briefing will be held at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) on April 4, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in Building 226, Auditorium. The purpose is to discuss the general requirements and opportunities of the Advanced CMG Program. The goal of this program is to determine whether a generational leap of smaller and lighter Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) can be made by taking advantages of the ability to operate at higher speeds based on recent advances in (1) hybrid ball bearings, (2) advanced rotor materials, and (3) ironless armature motors. Additionally, to be viable these advanced CMGs should exhibit minimal induced vibration. Therefore, the scope of this program is to develop, build, and test the technologies required to create the next generation of Control Moment Gyros (CMGs) that are mass, volume, and induced vibration optimized. The program hopes to enable the insertion of these new CMG designs into future spacecraft by taking the level of development to the point that it could be deployed by new or existing programs while not subjecting those programs to unnecessary cost, technical and schedule risk. As such, the general requirements for a space qualifiable advanced CMG, along with related contract opportunities and mechanisms will be discussed. A combination of contracting methods will be used to support the innovative systems required for this effort. The NRL Broad Agency Announcement topic number BAA 82-05-01, Spacecraft Technology may be used to submit initial "white papers" to NRL for consideration of advanced CMG designs for this program. Potential advanced CMG sources are encouraged to attend the industry day to facilitate the communication process. The complete description of the topic can be located at the following website: http://heron.nrl.navy.mil/contracts/baa.htm . Offerors who plan to attend must submit a visit request by March 31, 2006: Naval Research Laboratory, Attn: Code 3230 MS, Industry Briefing MS03, 4555 Overlook Avenue S.W, Washington, D.C. 20375. Requests may be faxed to the following fax number, 202-767-6197. The visitor requests should be prepared on company letterhead and must contain the following information for each person attending: Name, citizenship, purpose of visit. Any substitutions/additions to visitor requests must be received 3 business days prior to the briefing. The classification level of the visit is "UNCLASSIFIED". During the briefing questions will be entertained and answered by NRL as well as hybrid ball bearing experts and composite rotor experts. All attendees must abide by the following to attend the industry briefing: (a) One form of identification will be required (ie, drivers license). Due to International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) restrictions no foreign nationals will be allowed to attend the Industry Briefing. (b) No cameras, cellular telephones with cameras, tape recorders, or other reproduction devices will be allowed. (c) The Government reserves the right to inspect all material, briefcases, etc. when entering or leaving the Government facilities. (d) Each visitor will be required to sign in and out. Any questions should be directed to Mary M. Sandy, Contract Specialist, Naval Research Laboratory, (202) 767-2021, mary.sandy@nrl.navy.mil .