SOLICITATION NOTICE
99 -- REINFORCED CARBON - CARBON CRACK REPAIR MATERIAL
- Notice Date
- 8/1/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 325520
— Adhesive Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- NASA/George C. Marshall Space Flight Center, Procurement Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812
- ZIP Code
- 35812
- Solicitation Number
- NNM066136
- Response Due
- 8/15/2006
- Archive Date
- 8/1/2007
- Description
- NASA/MSFC has a requirement for Non-Oxide Adhesive eXperimental- Revision D (NOAX-D) Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Repair Material. NASA/MSFC intends to purchase the items from from ATK Thiokol, Inc., an affiliant of Alliant Techsystems, Inc., pursuant to FAR 6.302-1,which implements the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1)for acquisition of supplies or services from only one source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Competition is impractical for the following reasons: 1. The development of an on-orbit Crack Repair Material (CRM) for the Space Shuttle orbiter wing leading edge represents a state-of-the-art technological advancement from the culmination of several years of evaluation and testing. This advancement is based in part upon the CRM's ability to be applied in the harsh environs of space and still survive the high temperatures of re-entry. Other candidates have been eliminated due to performance in the harsh application environment, cost to develop, or schedule constraints. Currently NOAX-D, supplied by only ATK Thiokol, Inc., is the only known repair material to perform in accordance with the technical requirements imposed by the Shuttle Program. 2. NOAX-D is a paste-like polymer which functions as an environmental barrier to retard oxidation of the carbon/carbon substrate of the Shuttle's Wing Leading Edge. The NOAX-D is worked in place by a crew member using a spatula to cover the repair site. After application during the early stages of re-entry, NOAX-D will convert to a ceramic/glass state via pyrolysis (~750?a-1470?a F). Once fully pyrolized, the repair will be capable of surviving temperatures up to a maximum of 2960 degrees Fareinheit for 1200 seconds. To simulate the harsh environs of application and operation for the repair material, testing has been conducted at the Human Thermal Vacuum (HTV) chamber and the Atmospheric Reentry Materials & Structural Evaluation Facility (ARMSEF). In addition, NASA has devoted two separate Designed Test Objectives (DTO) on board STS-114 and STS-121 to evaluate the affects of microgravity on repairs made with NOAX-D. These high fidelity tests represent millions of dollars NASA has invested into maturing the NOAX-D repair material to its current level. 3. As stated previously, NOAX-D was invented and is available only from ATK Thiokol. In addition, ATK has intimate experience with the formulation, mixing, packaging, and application of NOAX-D by working and developing the CRM over the last two years. ATK Thiokol is currently the only qualified vendor who can produce NOAX-D for the Agency, and change would require a re-qualification and certification process costing unacceptable budget and schedule impacts. In order to sustain the production of NOAX-D which has been certified "Safe to Apply" and "Safe to Fly" for the Space Shuttle, it is considered an impractical, as well as inefficient, use of resources to seek a contractor different from the one who initiated the technical effort. The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Notes 26 and 22. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. All responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Specific Note "B". Any referenced notes may be viewed at the following URLs linked below.
- Web Link
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- Record
- SN01103551-W 20060803/060801221717 (fbodaily.com)
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