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SOURCES SOUGHT SPECIAL NOTICE – ARC – Low Cost, Highly Efficient and Robust Ablative Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) to Meet NASA Mission Needs in the Next Decade Background: In 2022 the Space Studie... SOURCES SOUGHT SPECIAL NOTICE – ARC – Low Cost, Highly Efficient and Robust Ablative Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) to Meet NASA Mission Needs in the Next Decade Background: In 2022 the Space Studies Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is expected to provide a comprehensive science and mission strategy for planetary science that updates and extends the Board’s current solar system exploration decadal survey, Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the Decade 2013-2022. The extended missions will require ablative thermal protection systems (TPS). Future NASA missions will also be more demanding in terms of mass and cost. They are expected to range in size from small cube-sat class to large entry systems (both rigid and deployable) that will include significantly higher heat loads than past missions. Under this Sources Sought notice, NASA is seeking TPS innovative and unique technologies that promise to enable substantial improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of our country’s space capability. Description: This Sources Sought is seeking potential partners specifically interested in developing competitive proposals in response to NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) Internal Research and Development (IRAD) opportunities, including Ames Center Innovation Fund (CIF), and other NASA internal calls. ARC is interested in partners that can perform research activities, and integrate technologies for ablative TPS that can lower the manufacturing complexity and cost, increase the mass efficiency and robustness and be tailorable for NASA missions in the next decade. Examples are needle punching of multi-layer TPS configurations. Information is sought on potential partners that, in addition to performing substantial research, can provide or subcontract for the hardware necessary to implement proposed research activities or technology demonstration units. Responding to this RFI: Responses to this Sources Sought Notice must be submitted no later than 4:00 PM Eastern time on February 15, 2022 for consideration in the current opportunity. Responses to this notice may also be considered for evaluation with regard to future opportunities at ARC. Responses to this notice shall be submitted by email only to shane.p.chapman@nasa.gov. Responses shall: 1) Not exceed 15 pages total; 2) Use an Arial font text with a size not smaller than 12 point; 3) Address all requirements listed, and 4) Provide a Point of Contact to address technical and contractual questions from NASA. NASA is looking at both evolutionary and revolutionary approaches to providing highly efficient and robust ablative TPS. This sources sought is focused on evolutionary approaches to leverage our recent development in 3-D woven TPS as well as conformal TPS and focus on the near-term assessment to advance those concepts to improve the efficiency and lower the cost and complexity without compromising the robustness of the ablative TPS. One natural area is needle punching to build up multi-layer TPS systems. Responses may be submitted for the technology area described below: Low Cost, Highly Efficient, and Robust Ablatives focusing on Large Area Seamless Needle Punched TPS for Space Applications. Specifically, ARC is interested in manufacturing techniques that could produce large area robust components (implemented in the resin infused state) for applications at temperatures exceeding 3000F for forebody and less severe environment for the backshell thermal protection. ARC is seeking partners that are familiar with industrial needle punching and felting of flat and curved parts to yield high temperature capable materials at sufficient thicknesses and be able to provide needled configurations from small articles (6” to 12”) and scaled up to large (up to 3.5m wide). Article thicknesses from 0.5 inch to greater than 2 inches may be required. Needle Punched layered systems with different composition fibers may be required. Thus, responders must show extensibility of their capabilities from small to large test articles and over a range of thicknesses including thicknesses up to 2 inches. Complex needle punched architectures of varying densities and compositions are of interest, so experience making such constructions is highly desirable. Requested Content for RFI Responses Responders should, at a minimum, address their experience with the following: List types of needle punching/felting capabilities and ability to demonstrate flat vs curved parts. List types of fibers used by company and level of experience needle punching/felting such fibers (ex. Carbon, Ceramic, organic). List density ranges achieved for types of fibers or 2-D fabric that have been needle punched together to yield a desired thickness. Provide felt thickness capabilities for architectures of interest utilizing high temperature fibers. Provide ranges of widths of needle punched/felted material that are possible for a relevant range of thicknesses and fibers. Identify inherent scale up limitations (thickness, width, length) for the felting approaches proposed List other experience the respondent feels is relevant to demonstrating capability to needle punch and layer 2-D fabrics or complex multilayered woven and felted systems together. List any experience joining preforms to make a larger area “seamless” preform Respondents must be able to handle ITAR content and materials. Responses to this notice may also be considered for evaluation with regard to future opportunities at ARC, if responders so indicate. Similarly, organizations that submitted responses previously to other Sources Sought Special Notices may request that their response be re-evaluated for this opportunity. In that case, please email shane.p.chapman@nasa.gov and indicate when the response was submitted previously and to what email address. This ARC partnering opportunity does not guarantee selection for award of any contracts or other agreements, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by NASA to pay for the information solicited. The proposal partner(s), if selected, will provide the necessary resources to support proposal development, at no cost to NASA, including technical requirements, conceptual designs, technical data, proposal input, project schedules, and cost estimates by the required due dates. Final proposal inputs on partnership proposal opportunities will be due to ARC prior to the final due date as determined by ARC’s proposal development team. Inability to adequately support proposal development will result in the partner being dropped from the proposal. If the proposal is subsequently selected by NASA, ARC anticipates issuing contracts or other agreements to the selected partner(s) for performance of the proposed tasks. Potential partners may submit their responses to this notice by email to the POC listed at any time. However, ARC reserves the right to complete its evaluation of responses in a time frame necessary to support timely submission of the ARC proposal to a particular opportunity. Responses to this notice will serve as the basis for selection of proposal partners. Additional information may be requested to help in the selection process. ARC reserves the right to hold optional oral presentations, meetings or written email exchanges with potential proposal partners to obtain additional information or clarifications about their capability. Oral presentations will have a specified period of time to present and for questions and answers. Responses to this notice will not be returned. All responders to this notice should be aware that NASA support service contractors may have access to their responses to this notice and proposal information. All information received in response to this notice that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled and protected accordingly. NASA support service contractors are under an obligation to keep third-party proprietary information in confidence. By submitting a response to this notice, the responder is deemed to have consented to release of proprietary information to such NASA support service contractors. This synopsis is for information and planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for information solicited. NASA does not intend to post information or questions received in response to this request to any website or public access location. Submitted responses will be maintained for possible future opportunities for 2 years after receipt.