NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source, to the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as part of its operational climate responsibility to fill the solar irradiance data gap between the Glory mission and NPOESS C2 planned for launch in 2016, intends to deploy the TSIS on the NPOESS C1 mission to be launched in early 2013. TSIS consists of two instruments: the Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM) and the Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SIM) and an integral pointing system. TSIS on the NPOESS C1 mission will continue the key climate measurement of Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) and Spectral Solar Irradiance (SSI), which are currently being measured by TIM and SIM on the SORCE mission launched in January 2003 and by TIM on the Glory mission to be launched in June 2009. NOAA has transferred the responsibility and the funding to NASA to manage the development and delivery of the TSIS to the Mission System Contractor for the NPOESS C1 Mission.
The fundamental requirement for TSIS on NPOESS C1 is to make precise and accurate measurements of TSI and SSI and connect them to previous TSI and SSI measurements to form a long-term climate record. The TSI measurements shall have an absolute accuracy of 0.01% (100 parts per million) based on Solar Irradiance (SI) units and shall have a relative accuracy of 0.001% per year. The SIM requirement is to make SSI measurements with a combined standard uncertainty of less than 0.1% and a long-term relative accuracy of 0.03%.
The above high level requirements flow into specific instrument requirements. The NPOESS C1 TSIS must be sensitive over the entire solar spectral range up to extreme wavelengths that contribute less than the 100 ppm requirement for absolute and 300 ppm for spectral irradiance measurements. The NPOESS C1 TSIS instruments must be absolute radiometers as opposed to relative radiometers. This means that a system to reduce 1/f noise must be included. An absolute radiometer has an internal absolute calibration source capable of fully establishing the measurement scale. The radiometric
detectors must be absorbing to a level of reflectance less than 0.02 %. The TSIS supplier is required to deliver a Level 1 science analysis system together with the instrument. TSIS measurements must be traceable to The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other international irradiance standards, as well as to the SORCE and Glory TIM and the SORCE SIM instruments. Since the NPOESS C1 spacecraft will be nadir pointing, similar to the Glory spacecraft, and the TSIS must point to the sun, it is required that the TSIS include a solar pointing platform. All requirements must be met by the integrated instruments/pointing platform combination.
It is the opinion of NASA that only LASP has the facilities and expertise, through their work on the SORCE and Glory missions, to perform the technical requirements of this procurement within the defined schedule.
The Government does not intend to acquire a commercial item using FAR Part 12. See Note 26. Interested organizations may submit their capabilities and qualifications to perform the effort in writing to the identified point of contact not later than 2:00 p.m. local time on 2008. Such capabilities/qualifications will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice. Responses shall be submitted by mail to NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center; Attn: Patricia Dombrowski, Code 210.Y; Greenbelt, MD 20771. An Ombudsman has been appointed. See NASA Note B.
Point of Contact
Patricia Dombrowski, Contracting Officer, Phone (301) 286-0621, Fax (301) 286-0383, EMail Patricia.M.Dombrowski@nasa.gov
