Solar Payload Pointing System for the International Space Station

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), located in Huntsville, Alabama, solicits information from the industrial partnering community pertaining to the design, manufacture, integration, and testing of a flight pointing system to support a potential solar/coronal imaging mission that would provide a robust, high-duty cycle observation platform on the International Space Station (ISS). This pointing system will track the Sun through each orbit from the ISS. MSFC seeks this information to identify potential partners for proposals to an upcoming NASA Heliophysics Explorers (MidEX) Mission of Opportunity (MoO) expected to be released in Q2 of Calendar Year 2018 and due sometime in Q4 of Calendar Year 2018. MSFC will use this information to assist in determining if there is an appropriate partner in the industrial community who is able to deliver flight-ready hardware to support a solar/coronal imaging MoO. The flight pointing system will be integrated by MSFC into an instrument system and onto a platform that will operate externally on the ISS. The system shall be able to operate from either an Express Logistics Carrier (ELC) position or the Columbus Module Starboard Overhead Zenith (SOZ) position. The system will be launched in a SpaceX Falcon-9 Dragon vehicle. The flight pointing system shall: - not to exceed 100 kilograms - meet SpaceX Falcon-9 Dragon vehicle launch and ISS operational volume constraints, within waiver allowances - utilize 28 Volts DC power - maneuver a 150 kilogram science instrument that is at least 1 meter in length with a diameter of approximately 0.2 meters - control the science instrument pointing in 3 axes and meet the following requirements: Step Size (Pitch/Yaw): < 10 arcsec; Step Size (Roll): < 2.4 arcmin; Step Rate (Pitch/Yaw): > 300 arcsec/sec; Step Rate (Roll): > 4.8 arcmin/sec; Absolute Pointing: < 3 arcmin - have gimbal actuators with redundant robotic drives - be electrically redundant and position indication redundant, where practical - provide an Ethernet interface for commanding and control and data output - be mounted to an ISS Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) - be compatible with either the Columbus Module SOZ or zenith ELC locations This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued solely for informational and planning purposes-it does not constitute a Request for Proposal. This RFI serves to increase opportunities for interested parties and openly solicits potential partners by requesting specific information that will be used to offer teaming relationships with industrial partners for developing NASA/MSFC proposals in response to anticipated NASA Research Announcements. Any selected industry partner will be responsible for management and engineering services related to their assigned tasks, along with providing direct inputs (e.g., schedules and cost estimate information) for the planned work as part of MSFC's proposal development. Responses to this RFI are solicited from contractors having experience in the areas identified herein (i.e., qualified sources) with an interest in pursuing this type of arrangement. Potential industry partners will be identified from the responders to this request with one or more of these potential partners asked to produce information on their approach to meeting the particular requirements. NASA/MSFC intends to use the responses to this RFI to select one or more industrial partner to participate in MSFC proposal development and, if the MSFC proposal is selected, perform as a direct NASA awardee. The Government is under no obligation to issue any such solicitation in the future as a result of this RFI. The Government will not pay for any costs associated with responding to this RFI. Instructions for responding to this RFI: All responses to this RFI must be in the form of a PDF document submitted electronically via email to Sharrief Webber (s.d.webber@nasa.gov). The body of the email message should identify and provide the name, institutional or organizational affiliation, address, telephone number, and email address of the primary point of contact for the response. Other key institutions, companies and individuals collaborating on the RFI response should also be identified. An estimate of the cost required to design, build, and deliver the completed flight pointing system should be included as part of the response in order to determine if the design is feasible for the anticipated MidEX MoO solicitation. Responses must be received by the due date specified, shall be formatted from an 8.5x11" document with greater than or equal to 1.0" margins on all sides, shall use 12-pt Times New Roman font or larger, and shall not exceed ten (10) single-spaced pages in length (cover page not included in page count). Only material suitable for full and open distribution shall be submitted and submittals shall be considered approved by the providing organization to be suitable for full and open distribution. Responders shall not submit proprietary information, export-controlled information (including EAR and ITAR restricted information), nor confidential information in response to this RFI.