SOLICITATION NOTICE
V -- HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT TEST (HAFT) BALLOON LAUNCH SERVICES
- Notice Date
- 10/20/2004
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 481219
— Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation
- Contracting Office
- NASA/Ames Research Center, JA:M/S 241-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000
- ZIP Code
- 94035-1000
- Solicitation Number
- NNA0587763Q
- Response Due
- 11/15/2004
- Archive Date
- 10/20/2005
- Description
- This notice is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation, which is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ); quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This notice is being issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ) for High Altitude Flight Test (HAFT)Balloon Launch Services according to the specifications outlined below. A. BACKGROUND SUMMARY NASA / Ames Research Center (NASA) has recently completed High Altitude Flight Tests 1 and 2 (HAFT1 and 2). For these tests a Mars airplane prototype NASA 731, was used. This prototype was jointly developed by NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Balloon launch services were provided by contracted services. NASA has recently been awarded proposal work to develop the Mars Advanced Technology Airplane for Deployment, Operations, and Recovery (MATADOR) The work requires a minimum of two HAFTs. One additional, OPTIONAL, SEPARATELY PRICED, HAFT may be considered by NASA based on an assessment of funding availability and risk management. All aspects of the MATADOR proposal and model design that may become known to the contractor shall be considered proprietary and shall not be divulged to anyone outside of the designated proposal / test team. An award of this work is subject to the availability of funds and will be no earlier than February 1, 2005. B. SCOPE The work involves lifting the Mars airplane prototype payload into the stratosphere and releasing it. The payload will be the MATADOR aircraft, 733, provided by NASA. Size, mass, configuration, performance and altitude data is provided below. Views of the payload are provided in Figure 1. During at least one flight, the wingtips will be folded prior to launch and unfolded in-flight. In all flights, the airplane will be lifted in a horizontal attitude and released. In the early stages of the flight, an Attitude Control System (ACS) will keep the airplane stable until it achieves flight airspeed of approximately 200 m/s (450 mph). A main rocket will provide the necessary flight speed. After achieving flight speed, the airplane will perform a simulated deep stall landing, at an altitude of approximately 31 km (101,000 ft), using the ACS. The main rocket and thrusters will use Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) as fuel. Fuel system pressures will be less than 600 psi. Handling of the fueled airplane payload shall be only be by personnel designated by NASA. Following the simulated landing the aircraft will use GPS navigation to fly within a safe area. After the aircraft descends to 6000 m (20,000 ft), a transition towards the primary recovery area will be preformed. After the aircraft reaches an altitude of approximately 700 m (2,000 ft.) it will be flown manually by a NASA pilot to a landing. The primary recovery area shall be adjacent to the launch area. The airplane will have primary command, control and telemetry uplink/downlink capability in the 900 Mhz Radio Frequency (RF) band. Primary tracking information will be included in the telemetry stream. Avionics necessary to control the model and data handling systems will be provided by NRL. C. TRACKING , RECORDING AND PUBLIC OUTREACH A secondary tracking downlink shall be provided by the contractor to allow tracking of the airplane from the ground or from a chase aircraft, independently from NASA?s primary tracking system. Video downlink and image acquisition from the airplane payload and the balloon shall also be provided by the contractor. Data from the secondary tracking and video systems, as described in Tasks 6 and 7, shall be used by NASA and the contractor for monitoring the flight and reporting progress to the FAA and cognizant military command reporting purposes. The tracking and video data will also be used by NASA for Public outreach and educational purposes. NASA will use the output from the secondary tracking system in order to publish real-time tracking information on the world wide web (internet) via an RF to Internet ?gateway? (I-GATE) provided by NASA. Video feeds from the airplane and the balloon shall be available for NASA documentation. NASA will use video imagery from the airplane and the balloon on a delayed basis in order to provide information to the public regarding the flight. The contractor?s work also includes flight train integration, range safety, airspace clearances, video image acquisition, weather constraint definition and activities necessary to track the balloon and release the airplane. Should the model deviate from its planned flight path, OPTIONAL, SPEARATELY PRICED, search and recovery services in the form of aircraft and personnel may be required. D. INTENDED USE The data obtained from the HAFTs will be used to provide critical technology development / risk reduction input into future Mars exploration missions that use unmanned airplanes. E. BASIC CONTRACT: BALLOON LAUNCH SERVICE PROVIDER WORK TASKS FOR TWO HAFTS - DESIGNATED HAFT3 AND HAFT4 1. The contractor shall establish and confirm the balloon lifting capability for each flight. The maximum NASA 733 airplane payload mass will be 32.0 kg (70.4 lbs), including the secondary tracking and video systems provided by the contractor (see Tasks 6, 7 and 8). The NASA 733 payload length, will be approximately 1.3 m (4.2 ft.). Main wing span will be approximately 2.7 m (8.7 ft.) unfolded, and approximately 1.3 m (4.2 ft.). folded. The maximum release altitude will be 33.5 km (110,000 ft.). Views of the NASA 733 payload are provided in Figure 1. 2. The contractor shall provide a release mechanism and integrate the mechanism with NASA 733 at the launch site. The release mechanism shall include a feature that provides a release indication to the model?s control system. 3. The contractor shall furnish one (1) helium balloon for each flight and shall integrate the flight train described below. A radiosonde shall be provided on the balloon. 4. The helium balloon shall be outfitted with all of the equipment that is necessary for the contractor to track and control the balloon and command the release of NASA 733. 5. The primary on-board avionics required to track and control the model during the test will be furnished by NASA / NRL. The control ground station shall be provided by NRL. 6. Special contractor Furnished Items: 6A. Secondary Tracking System (STS) The contractor shall furnish a secondary tracking system (STS), capable of sending tracking information to tracking stations on the ground or in the air to be used as described in Section C. The secondary tracking system shall use Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking. 6B. Airplane Payload Video System (APVS) The contractor shall furnish an Airplane Payload Video System (APVS), capable of sending real-time video from two cameras to a tracking station on the ground to be used as described in Section C. Video from the cameras shall be multiplexed into a single video stream The video shall be recorded on the ground using VHS or Digital formats. The equipment for the STS and APVS shall include the necessary GPS receiver, receiving and transmitting antennae, RF transmitters, video multiplexer, terminal node controller, wiring interconnect harnesses, packaging chassis and cameras. All of the equipment except the antennae and cameras shall be integrated in a ?drop-in-unit?. The antennae and cameras shall be integrated into the airplane payload in a manner that does not interfere with test performance. Power for the unit will be supplied by NASA. The RF bands for downlink may be between 125 and 440 Mhz. Integration and interface information shall be developed by NASA, NRL and the contractor. The maximum mass of all of the STS and APVS equipment, including the drop-in unit, cameras and antennae shall be no greater than 1.5 kg (3.5 lbs). The maximum volume of the STS and APVS drop-in unit shall be no greater than 9,800 cm3 (600 in3). Two complete flight-ready sets of STS and APVS equipments, designated for HAFT3 and HAFT4 shall be provided by the contractor. NASA will build a duplicate, non flight-ready, Engineering Development Unit (EDU) to assist off-site payload buildup. 7. The contractor shall furnish one balloon-mounted video camera, and the ground equipment required for reception and VHS recording, to be used as described in Section C. The balloon-mounted camera shall be mounted in a position to allow viewing the entire aircraft, including wing tips, during ascent. Overlaying post-processing to indicate time, altitude and location shall be provided. 8. The contractor shall exchange technical information with NASA and NRL. Exchanged Information shall include, but not be limited to: a. Model dimension updates b. Model weight updates c. Release and test altitude updates d. Rocketry issues, including flight profiles and ground handling e. Model tracking and control f. Launch method g. Balloon tracking h. FAA and military airspace clearances i. Range safety issues j. Range recovery options k. Flight train configuration, including release mechanism, stabilization method, and model attachment l. Weather constraints m. Camera and antennae integrations 9. The contractor shall furnish support personnel and equipment at the test launch site to prepare, launch, track, and the control balloon during the HAFTs. the contractor shall also furnish support personnel and equipment at the recovery area and perform recovery operations, assisted by NASA and NRL. Handling of the fueled airplane payload shall be only be by personnel designated by NASA. 10. The contractor shall be responsible for all range safety and shall obtain all required FAA and cognizant military organization clearances. The contractor shall provide aircraft tracking and reporting, as required by Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) regulations, using the secondary tracking system provided in Task 6. 11. The contractor shall provide weather briefings to NASA to enable selection of launch and recovery sites and to allow ?go / no go? launch decisions. 12. The contractor shall select the launch and recovery site to satisfy weather and flight safety requirements. These sites shall be within 1 k (0.6 miles) of each other. 13. The contractor shall archive electronic versions of tracking and altitude data from the balloon and video tapes from all cameras. 14. The contractor shall prepare a pre-flight report that documents the procedures to be used to plan and conduct the flight tests. F. CONTRACT OPTION 1: BALLOON LAUNCH SERVICE WORK TASKS FOR ONE ADDITIONAL HAFT - DESIGNATED HAFT5 If NASA elects to exercise Option 1 for HAFT5, the flight will be conducted within two weeks of HAFT4. All of the tasks for HAFT3 and HAFT4 shall apply to HAFT5 with the following exception: Tasks 6? refurbish and use one the flight units provided for HAFT3 No additional new flight unit will be required for HAFT5. G. CONTRACT OPTION 2: EXTENDED SEARCH AND RECOVERY SERVICES If the NASA 733 payload is not recovered at the designated landing area, and NASA elects to exercise Option 2 for any HAFT, the contractor shall provide 4 personnel for eights hours to search for the payload. In addition, an airplane search flight of two hours shall be provided with one NASA passenger: The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12 and the Simplified Acquisition Procedures set forth in FAR Part 13. The provisions and clauses in the RFQ are those in effect through FAC 01-24. The NAICS Code is 481219. The offeror shall state in their offer their size status for this procurement. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. The contractor shall deliver the following items to NASA based on the Performance and Delivery Schedule: 1. Pre-flight report 2. Radiosonde and tracking data (electronic copy) 3. Video tapes from balloon and aircraft cameras, covering the entire flight PERFORMANCE AND DELIVERY SCHEDULE: HAFT3 will occur on or about August, 2005. HAFT4 and the optional HAFT5 will occur on or about August 2006. Deliverable 1 ?Pre-flight report June 1, 2005 Deliverable 2 - Radiosonde data within 1 week after each flight Deliverable 3 - Video tapes within 1 week after each flight The DPAS rating for this procurement is DO-C9. All contractual questions and must be in writing to the contract specialist (Maria Eloisa Perez, NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 241-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000) or email to Maria.E.Perez@nasa.gov no later than 4:00PM PDT on November 1, 2004. All technical questions must be in writing to the contracting officer's technical representative (Andrew A Gonzales, NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 244-19, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000) or email to Andrew.A.Gonzales@nasa.gov no later than 9:00AM PDT on November 8, 2004. TELEPHONE OR FAX QUESTIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Offers for the items(s) described above are due by 4:00PM PDT on November 22, 2004 and must include, solicitation number, FOB destination to this Center, proposed delivery schedule, discount/payment terms, warranty duration (if applicable), taxpayer identification number (TIN), identification of any special commercial terms, and be signed by an authorized company representative. Offers shall be mailed to the attention of Maria Eloisa Perez, NASA Ames Research Center, M/S 241-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000. Offerors are encouraged to use the Standard Form 1449, Solicitation/Contract/Order for Commercial Items form found at: http://server-mpo.arc.nasa.gov/Services/NEFS/NEF_PDFData/SF1449.pdf Offerors shall provide the information required by FAR 52.212-1 (JAN 2004), Instructions to Offerors-Commercial, which is incorporated by reference. If the end product(s) offered is other than domestic end product(s) as defined in the clause entitled "Buy American Act -- Supplies," the offeror shall so state and shall list the country of origin. FAR 52.212-4 (OCT 2003), Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items is applicable. FAR 52.212-5 (MAY 2004), Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items is applicable and the following identified clauses are incorporated by reference: 1852.223-74 Central Contractor Registration, 1852.215-84 Ombudsman, 1852.223-72 Safety and Health (Short Form), 52.222-3, 52.233-3, 52.222-19, 52.222-21, 52.222-26, 52.222-35, 52.222-37, 52.225-1, 52.225-13, 52.225-33, 52.232-34. The FAR may be obtained via the Internet at URL: http://www.arnet.gov/far/ The NFS may be obtained via the Internet at URL: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/nfstoc.htm Selection and award will be made to that offeror whose offer will be most advantageous to the Government, with consideration given to the factors of proposed technical merit, price, and past performance. Other critical requirements: Delivery lead-time shall also be considered. It is critical that offerors provide adequate detail to allow evaluation of their offer. (SEE FAR 52.212-1 and 52.212-2) Offerors must include completed copies of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items with their offer. These may be obtained via the internet at URL: http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/eps/Templates/Commercial_Greater_Than_25K.doc . These representations and certifications will be incorporated by reference in any resultant contract. An Ombudsmen has been appointed -- See NASA Specific Note "B". The Ombudsmen for each of the NASA installations and for the agency and their phone numbers are available at the following URL: http://ec.msfc.nasa.gov/hq/library/Omb.html Prospective offerors shall notify this office of their intent to submit an offer. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the following Internet site for the release of solicitation amendments (if any): http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=21 . Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of this combination synopsis/solicitation and amendments (if any). Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below. http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html
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