NEW FRONTIERS PROGRAM

Country:

United States

Notice/Contract Number:

fbo:nasa-snote-080513-003

Publication Date:

Sept 17, 2008

Funding Agency:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Buyer:

Headquarters

Original Language:

English

Address:

United States

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science MissionDirectorate (SMD) plans to release for community comment a draft Announcement ofOpportunity (AO) for the third New Frontiers mission (NF-3) in September 2008.Approximately two weeks after the draft is released, SMD will hold a community workshopin the Washington, D.C., area. The final AO will be released in December 2008 withproposals due approximately 90 days later. In August 2009, up to three missions will beselected for a 9 to 11 month Phase A that will be funded up to $2.5M each. Downselectionto a single mission for flight will occur in fall (September to November) 2010. Launch isto occur no earlier than 2015 and no later than 2018. This NF-3 AO will solicit onlymissions that do not require nuclear sources for power generation or propulsion, althoughRadioisotope Heating Units (RHUs) and calibration sources will be allowed. The PrincipalInvestigator (PI) Mission Cost for all phases of the mission will not include the launchvehicle and will be capped at $650M in FY09 dollars.An Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) in the Intermediate Class with any of thefairing sizes available will be provided by NASA as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)at no charge against the capped PI Mission Cost. The Intermediate Class EELV that NASAwill provide can deliver up to 5,300 kg to an orbit with a launch energy of C3=10km2/sec2. Standard launch services will also be provided as GFE. Special or missionunique launch services above those included in the standard launch services must beincluded within the PI Mission Cost.No minimum experience qualifications will be required of the PI, but the experience andexpertise of the proposing team will be an evaluation factor for the evaluation ofsubmitted NF proposals. With the cancellation of minimum PI experience requirements, NASAhas terminated prescreening for compliance with the cancelled requirements. NASA will follow recommendations 1 and 2 of the National Research Council's (NRC's) NewOpportunities for Solar System Exploration (NOSSE) committee report available at:http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12175 .Recommendation 1: In drafting the rules for the NF-3 AO, NASA should emphasize thescience objectives and questions to be addressed, not specify measurements or techniquesfor the implementation. Recommendation 2: NASA should expand the list of potential missions in the NF-3 AO toinclude the three remaining candidate missions: South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return,Venus In Situ Explorer, and the Comet Surface Sample Return, and also the five additionalmedium-sized missions mentioned in the decadal survey: Network Science; Trojan/CentaurReconnaissance; Asteroid Rover/Sample Return; Io Observer; and Ganymede Observer. Thereis no recommended priority for these missions. NASA should select from this set ofmissions based both on science priority and overall mission viability. This NF-3 AO will not provide a funding profile. Proposals are to propose the optimumfunding profile for the mission consistent with the cap on PI Mission Cost and are tospecify the duration and budget requirements for Phases B through F (Closeout).The cost of using the Deep Space Network (DSN) must be included within the PI MissionCost. Except for emergencies and critical events (e.g., Entry, Descent, and Landing) whencontinuous coverage is required, DSN use will be limited to a single 34 m DSN antenna ata time. Missions are encouraged to consider the use of Ka band as appropriate.Proposers will be given the option of selecting none or one of two specific technologiesfor insertion into their mission. The two technologies are the NASA Evolutionary XenonThruster (NEXT) and the Advanced Materials Bipropellant Rocket (AMBR) engine. Formissions that insert NEXT, the cap on the PI Mission Cost will be raised up to $15M. Formissions that insert AMBR, the cap on the PI Mission Cost will be raised up to $5M. Theappropriate use of these technologies will be evaluated and could affect the risk ratingof the proposals. However, the inherent risk of these technologies has been accepted byNASA and will not affect the evaluated risk rating of the proposals; all proposers willreceive feedback on the use of the new technology. Once that feedback has beenincorporated into the Concept Study Reports (CSRs) of the missions selected for Phase A,both the appropriate use and the inherent risk of these technologies will be evaluatedand could affect the risk rating of the CSRs. Any PI considering the use of either ofthese technologies should contact David J. Anderson of NASA Glenn Research Center atdavid.j.anderson@nasa.gov.The cost of complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for RHUs andcalibration sources must be included within the PI Mission Cost.Proposals must not designate an Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) lead or describe anE/PO plan. Designation of an E/PO lead and development of an E/PO plan is to be doneduring Phase A. Proposals must allocate a budget for E/PO that does not exceed 1% of thePI Mission Cost and proposals must contain a commitment by the PI to provide an E/PO planif selected.Questions may be addressed to Dr. Adriana C. Ocampo, New Frontiers Program Executive,Science Mission Directorate, NASA, Washington, DC 20546; Tel.: (202) 358-2152; Email:aco@nasa.gov.
Set-aside code: N/A
Contact: Dr. Adriana C. Ocampo, NF Program Executive, Phone 202-358-2152, Fax 202-358-3097, Email aco@nasa.gov

Link To Document

Email: Dr. Adriana C. Ocampo (aco@nasa.gov)

Updated on 2008/05/13

NEW FRONTIERS PROGRAM

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