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Update 4/08/2020 - Questions and Answers Question 1: Is the MAV IMU RFI still due Friday? Answer to Q1: The MAV IMU RFI due date has been extended to April 17, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. CST. _________________... Update 4/08/2020 - Questions and Answers Question 1: Is the MAV IMU RFI still due Friday? Answer to Q1: The MAV IMU RFI due date has been extended to April 17, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. CST. _______________________________________________________________ The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is seeking information from industry about potential sources for an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) in support of forthcoming request for proposal. As a proposed part of the potential Mars Sample Return Campaign, the MAV would transport Mars samples from the Martian surface into orbit for rendezvous with an awaiting spacecraft. Because the IMU will be used to propagate the launch vehicle attitude and perform vehicle guidance during the ascent from Mars surface, the IMU will be considered a mission critical sensor assembly. Consequently, the IMU must provide uninterrupted measurement data (for a continuous period of up to 3 hours), offer high reliability and robustness against the adverse space environments. Additionally, it is likely that a potential Mars Sample Return campaign would be classified as a NASA flagship mission, and would therefore warrant critical sensor assemblies (such as the IMU) that are already space-qualified or can be space qualified through a judicious selection of high reliability and traceability parts, qualified processes and appropriate test campaigns in the desired timeframe. The MAV is a two-stage vehicle and will require at least one IMU in the second stage. Each IMU shall be an integrated three-axis unit sensing both angular rates as well as linear accelerations about each axis. The IMU shall be capable of meeting all the performance requirements after a minimum period of five (5) years post-delivery. The IMU would be required to tolerate environments of launch, 2.5 years of deep space cruise, Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL), and a storage period of approximately one (1) year on the Martian surface. It can be assumed that there would be no opportunities or resources for in-flight or Martian surface recalibrations of the IMU. Note that the IMU will be in an unpowered state for a majority of the cruise except for short durations during health check-outs. The contractor will be responsible for the design, development, manufacture, testing, qualification and delivery of a fully-calibrated IMU assembly. NASA MSFC is looking for interested sources with the capabilities to provide an IMU with the following characteristics: Part I: IMU Assembly Specifications Thermal and Pressure Environments Storage Temperatures: -50 degrees C and +70 degrees C Operational Temperatures (full performance): -50 degrees C and +50 degrees C Pressure: Ambient to high vacuum (10e-12 Torr) with rapid depressurization from ambient to high vacuum in less than 5 minutes. Radiation Full performance after an exposure (cruise plus surface) to: Total Ionizing Dose: 12krad behind 100mil of Aluminum shielding (radial dose functions (RDF)=1) Displacement Damage Dose: 4.2e10 equivalent 1 MeV neutrons /cm^2 behind 100mil of Aluminum spherical shell (RDF=1) Single Event Effects: Single event latch-up: parts must meet a minimum LET of 75 MeV-cm^2/mg Single event upsets: correctable by onboard logic No single event functional interrupts over a period of 3 hours (this corresponds to roughly 2+ hours of warm-up time, and 15 minutes of ascent from Martian surface) Dynamic Environments Note that the following levels are for reference only; actual levels for MAV program are yet to be determined. These environments are survival, flight environments for ascent are in work. Pyrotechnic Shock (EDL): Frequency, Hz Peak SRS Response (Q=10) 100 20g 100 – 1,600 +10dB/octave 1,600 – 10,000 2,000g Random Vibration (EDL): Frequency, Hz Qualification Level 20 – 40 +6dB/octave 40 – 450 0.08 g squared per Hz 450 – 2000 -6dB/octave Overall 7.9grms Systems and Interfaces Update rate: minimum 100Hz Telemetry: delta-angles and delta velocities (preferred) along with unit health information Data interface: RS-422/RS-485 desired External Alignment: Fiducials (flats, cubes) for accurate optical alignment and/or a highly repeatable and precise pinned interface Mass: <4.5kg, lower mass is strongly preferred given the highly constrained MAV mass and overall impact to mission Performance Responses on IMU solutions are requested for two categories of performance levels: (1) High-Performance, and/or (2) Mid-Performance. The vendor can choose to respond in either or both of the categories. The performance specifications for each of the categories is listed below. Note that the environmental requirements and reliability needs will remain common across both the categories. High-Performance IMU Assembly Gyroscopes: All numbers below are 1-sigma standard deviation, end-of-life (5 years from delivery and after exposure to environments). If performance is not met then provide unit capability. Gyro Bias Repeatability: 0.01 degrees per hour Angular Random Walk: 0.005 degrees per root hour Gyro Scale Factor Error: 50 parts per million (ppm) Sensor Internal Misalignment: 0.004 degrees Gyro Output Noise (100 Hz standard deviation): 0.003 degrees Gyro Max Angular Rate: 100 degrees per second Accelerometers: All numbers below are 1-sigma, end-of-life (5 years from delivery and after exposure to environments). If performance is not met then provide unit capability. Accelerometer Bias Repeatability: 100 micro-g Accelerometer Scale Factor Error: 100 ppm Accelerometer Output Noise (100 Hz standard deviation): 0.01 meters per second Accelerometer Misalignment to Mount frame: 0.25 degrees Velocity Random Walk: 0.02 meters per second per root hour Accelerometer Range: 0g to 15g Mid-Performance IMU Assembly Gyroscopes: All numbers below are 1-sigma, end-of-life (5 years from delivery and after exposure to environments). If performance is not met then provide unit capability. Gyro Bias Repeatability: 1.0 degrees per hour Angular Random Walk: 0.1 degrees per root hour Gyro Scale Factor Error: 100 ppm Sensor Internal Misalignment: 0.004 degrees Gyro Output Noise (100 Hz standard deviation): 0.003 degrees Gyro Max Angular Rate: 100 degrees per second Accelerometers: All numbers below are 1-sigma, end-of-life (5 years from delivery and after exposure to environments). If performance is not met then provide unit capability. Accelerometer Bias Repeatability: 300 micro-g Accelerometer Scale Factor Error: 300 ppm Accelerometer Output Noise (100 Hz standard deviation): 0.02 meters per second Accelerometer Misalignment to Mount frame: 0.25 degrees per second Velocity Random Walk: 0.02 meters per second per root hour Accelerometer Range: 0g to 15g Schedule The desired delivery schedule for the IMU units is as follows: Two engineering development units (EDUs) within 18 months from start Two flight units within 24 months from start If the above delivery dates cannot be met, provide what can be met. Part II Responses to the RFI should include the following information: Supporting evidence or justification to achieve Part I specifications for either or both of the performance categories Present design for a conceptual IMU and outline the risks, development areas, current Technology Readiness Level(TRL), and expected TRL at delivery Examples of applicable (including proposed) flight history of the proposed IMU Present estimated size, weight, and power parameters of the proposed IMU Present estimated performance specifications of the proposed IMU Present expected environments of the proposed IMU, and if the above environments cannot be met, provide what can be met, and if the unit is capable of being upgraded to meet these requirements Overview of capability to provide low variability and high quality IMUs for use with the MAV Estimated development time and time to first unit providing detail to anticipated long lead items Overview of quality standards and planetary protection approaches for this mission that could be employed Qualification history of the proposed unit (if existing) in terms of radiation, thermal, and vibration environment The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 334511 - Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing *Please note information provided describes only the currently contemplated possible scope of services and may vary from the work scope in a final PWS included in any Request for Proposals (RFP). Statement of Capabilities: NASA MSFC is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, regardless of business size or status, for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition for this requirement. Interested parties that have the experience base, expertise, and capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to submit a response to this sources sought notice. Response Instructions: We request responses no later than 5:00 p.m. CST on April 17, 2020 – in the form of written and illustrated concepts, ideas, and descriptions of capabilities. Responses shall be submitted via email to Cynthia Hubbard (cynthia.a.hubbard@nasa.gov). Phone calls will not be accepted. The subject line of the submission should be “RFI MAV Inertial Measurement Unit” and attachments should be in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or PDF format. Files should not be greater than ten (10) pages (no less than 12-point font, except in figure captions) and contain the following information: 1. Name of submitter and contact information, phone number, email address and address of firm 2. Identification of business size under anticipated NAICS code 334511 3. CAGE code/DUNs number 4 Number of years in business and list of customers for the past five years: The Government encourages respondents to provide a list of customers for the past five years that helps demonstrate the respondent firm's capabilities and experiences. (Interested parties may opt to present a subset of past customers that is most relevant to the requirement.) 5. Discussion of experience relevant to the requirements above 6. Statement of capabilities and qualifications that address the respondent's ability to provide support which meets the requirements specified above 7. Discussion of flight heritage and ground testing in relevant environments, particularly radiation and susceptibility to single-event updates and radiation exposure. Place of Performance: Should this RFI result in a RFP, respondent’s facility shall be the primary place of performance. No contractor personnel will be located on-site, but they will travel occasionally to MSFC or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Some activities may require hosting of government personnel at the prime contractor’s facility. Disclaimer: It is not NASA's intent to publicly disclose vendor proprietary information obtained from this RFI. To the full extent that it is protected pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act and other laws and regulations, information identified by a respondent as "Proprietary or Confidential" will be kept confidential. It is emphasized that this RFI is for planning and information purposes only (subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, “Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes”) and is NOT to be construed as a commitment by the Government to enter into a contractual agreement, nor will the Government pay for information solicited. NASA will decide on whether to proceed with a procurement action, based on the responses received. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on beta.sam.gov. It is the respondent’s responsibility to monitor that site for the release of any solicitation or synopsis. The Government intends to review all responses submitted by Industry. At our discretion, NASA may hold meetings with respondents as needed to clarify responses and obtain further details. No evaluation letters and/or results will be issued to the respondents.