STMD & ISS Research Office: Call for MISSE-FF Experiments

SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE AND INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION RESEARCH OFFICE CALL FOR MATERIALS INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXPERIMENT FLIGHT FACILITY (MISSE-FF) EXPERIMENTS

Call Opens:  December 16, 2024

Responses Due:  January 26, 5:00 p.m. PT

Section 1 – Purpose

This Call for Materials International Space Station Experiment–Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) experiments solicits materials and device investigations to be conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This call is specifically for NASA experiments that will fly as part of the MISSE-23 mission tentatively scheduled to launch in calendar year 2026.

NASA proposers are expected to define high-content experiments that explore a broad range of questions or address a very specific, important property, and gather a significant amount of data. These data will be made available to the global community of researchers through the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system (http://psi.nasa.gov) and the NASA Materials And Processes Technical Information System (MAPTIS) (http://maptis.nasa.gov).  Proposers are asked to provide, in ranked order, a preference for carrier exposure orientation (ram, zenith, wake). Final exposure orientation availability will be discussed during the award notification process.

Section 2 – General Information

With ISS operations planned through, nominally, 2030 a number of programs have been identified to use ISS capabilities for space-based research that provides data which helps meet NASA’s goals. At the same time, the International Space Station Research Office (ISSRO) is committed to optimizing the use of the station to meet exploration goals.

Since 2001, NASA’s Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) series flown on the exterior of the ISS has tested thousands of samples and specimens to investigate the effects of long-term exposure of materials to the harsh space environment. Test samples have included lubricants and paints, fabrics, container seals and solar cell technologies.

In 2015, Cooperative Agreement #NNJ15U08A (between NASA and Aegis Aerospace (formerly Alpha Space Test and Research Alliance, LLC)) was signed, providing NASA 40% allocation on the MISSE-FF platform in exchange for NASA’s investment in having Aegis Aerospace build and launch MISSE-FF.

The NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) strategically invests in the growth of the commercial spaceflight market while helping advance technologies that will enable future science and exploration missions. STMD will lead NASA’s efforts to use the MISSE-FF platform and fill NASA’s surface area allocation on each MISSE-FF mission by soliciting a queue of samples and experiments across different sponsoring organizations.

For each MISSE-FF mission, STMD will provide ISSRO a recommended, prioritized list of the experiments, Principal Investigator(s) (PIs)/Collaborators, flight orientation requirements (i.e., zenith, ram, wake and nadir), and surface area that the experiment occupies. After a recommended list of experiments is provided to ISSRO, the Aegis Aerospace MISSE Project Engineer will perform a feasibility assessment of the experiments in priority order, and, if necessary, will use lower priority candidates should a higher priority candidate experiment not be compatible with other experiments for a given MISSE Sample Carrier. Once the MISSE experiments have been selected and space allocations have been determined, all further activities concerning MISSE experiments will be managed by ISSRO and Aegis Aerospace.

Section 3 – NASA’s Allocation on MISSE-FF and Core/Optional Services Provided to NASA Experiments

There will be no costs for the surface area allocated on the platform for those experiments chosen to fit within NASA’s 40% allocation. Aegis Aerospace will provide standard services (e.g., UV sensors, temperature, solar angle, orbital parameters, etc.) along with the flight hardware (for standard samples sizes) for those experiments that fit within the NASA allocation as defined in IDIQ Contract #80JSC021DA017. Experiments may also require optional services (e.g., power, data, TReK setup, etc.) as defined in the contract, all of which incur additional costs attributable to the NASA PI. Task Orders will be written and negotiated to include these optional services. Additional surface area beyond the NASA 40% allocation may also be procured through the contract. For questions regarding the optional services or the IDIQ contract, please e-mail Ms. Ronda Kautz, Aegis Aerospace Lead Contract Administrator, at ronda.kautz@aegisaero.com

Section 4 – Funding

PIs/Collaborators are responsible for funding ground costs for experiment development and “optional services” above and beyond the hardware/surface area allocation and UV sensor. Refer to the online MISSE-23 Nomination Form for available optional services.

PIs/Collaborators are encouraged to consider mission directorate programs as potential sources of funding. Within STMD, proposers should discuss possible funding opportunities with the Program Executive (http://www.nasa.gov/content/stmd-program-executives) for programs including Centennial Challenges, Center Innovation Fund (CIF), Flight Opportunities, Game Changing Development, NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC), Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR), Small Spacecraft Technology, etc.

Section 5 – Required Information

The following are required for each nominated NASA experiment:

1. MISSE-23 Experiment Nomination Form – click for e-nomination form. Requires login using your NASA ID.
2. MISSE-23 Summary Chart (see attached pptx file)

Section 6 – Evaluation Factors

To be responsive to this call for MISSE-23 experiments, proposed experiments should have clearly defined scientific objectives and lead to new knowledge within accepted scientific standards. Purely phenomenological approaches with no significant mechanistic basis or likely gain in scientific knowledge are not acceptable. The criteria shown in the Call for MISSE-23 Experiment Nomination Form will be used in determining the intrinsic scientific/technical merit of the proposal. Other factors evaluated for the proposals include the potential of the proposed work to provide crosscutting solutions for future NASA missions or programs.

The completed online MISSE-23 Experiment Nomination Form and MISSE-23 Summary Chart should be submitted via e-mail to Robert Yang, at Robert.L.Yang@NASA.gov no later than January 26, 5:00 p.m. PST.

If you have any questions, please contact Robert Yang at Robert.L.Yang@NASA.gov, or call 202.358.0143.