NASA/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas, 77058-3696, Mail Code: BH

16 -- X-38 DROP TESTING OF THE RECOVERY SYSTEM SOL 9-BH13-44-9-26P POC Eric W. Lewis, Contract Specialist, Phone (281) 483-0575, Fax (281) 244-5331, Email eric.w.lewis1@jsc.nasa.gov -- Krystine O. Bui, Contracting Officer, Phone (281) 483-4186, Fax (281) 244-5337, Email krystine.o.bui1@jsc.nasa.gov WEB: Click here for the latest information about this notice, http://nais.nasa.gov/EPS/JSC/date.html#9-BH13-44-9-26P. E-MAIL: Eric W. Lewis, eric.w.lewis1@jsc.nasa.gov. NASA/JSC plans to issue a Request for Offer (RFO) for drop testing of its parachute recovery system to validate parachute deployment, dynamics, aerodynamics, handling qualities, and automated landing characteristics. The Government intends to procure the services of a qualified contractor to prepare the parachutes and test articles for the tests and to support the drop tests. The project will be testing a 5500 sq ft parafoil on a 15,000 lb test article, and a 7500 sq ft parafoil on a 24,000 lb test article. Each test article will utilize a standard type 5 platform and standard test tub ballasted to the appropriate flight vehicle weight. Test article buildup and airdrop testing will be conducted at Yuma Proving Ground. The test article will be dropped from a C-130 using standard military air drop procedures. The platform will be extracted from the C-130 at 17,500 ft MSL via a standard extraction chute which will in turn deploy a drogue. The drogue will be attached at 4 attach points and stabilize the platform. The drogue has 4 stages. When the drogue is released from the platform, it will deploy the parafoil. The parafoil is attached at 4 attach points and has 5 stages. The Government will develop the test plans; arrange and procure the required range and range support; install and checkout the parafoil's guidance, navigation, and control system; serve as test conductor for the drop tests; pilot the parafoil; and provide the parachutes, groundstations for manual control of parafoil, strap cutter sequencer, NASA standard initiators for the strap cutters, test instrumentation, platforms, test tubs, aircraft, and aircrew. Approximately 3 weeks prior to each drop test, the Contractor shall support the Governmnent's pretest review meeting, where the test objectives and test article configuration are finalized. The Contractor shall provide the strap cutters for drogue release, and the pyro cutters required for disreefing, parafoil confluence fitting separation, parafoil deployment bag mouth opening, and parafoil deployment brakes release. The Contractor shall also provide certain expendables such as reefing lines and energy modulators. The Contractor shall also pack the parachutes, build up the test article for each drop to the configuration established at the pretest review, rig the test article with the parachutes for the drop, support the drop, support parachute recovery, and perform post test hardware inspections. Due to the aggressive schedules in the X-38 project, the Contractor must have previous experience with packing handling, installation, rigging and testing parafoils of the size range being tested by the X-38 project. Packing and rigging procedures will be provided to the Contractor when the contract is awarded. Currently, 3 drops are planned (9/99, 12/99 and 3/00). This procurement will include options for 5 additional drops. If the Government elects to exercise the options, an option will normally consist of performing drops of 2 test articles during the same week. The Government intends to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. The SIC Code and Size Standard are 3769 and 500, respectively. The DPAS Rating for this procurement is DO-C9. The provisions and clauses in the RFO and model contract are those in effect through FAC 97-12. All qualified responsible sources may submit an offer which shall be considered by the agency. The anticipated release date of the RFO is on or about September 8, 1999. An ombudsman has been appointed -- See Internet Note "B". The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet. These documents will be in Microsoft Office Suite (Word 6.0, Excel 5.0, PowerPoint 4.0) format and will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/JSC Business Opportunities home page is http://procurement.nasa.gov/EPS/JSC/class.html Prospective offerors shall notify this office of their intent to submit an offer. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet site for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Any referenced notes can be viewed at the following URL: http://genesis.gsfc.nasa.gov/nasanote.html Posted 08/16/99 (D-SN368326). (0228)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0193 19990818\16-0021.SOL)