Beth Dickey/Melissa Mathews
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087/1272
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov, melissa.mathews-1@nasa.gov
Kelly Humphries/Brandi Dean
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kelly.o.humphries@nasa.gov, brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov
RELEASE: 07-218
NASA SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR CONSTELLATION MOON SUIT
WASHINGTON - NASA has issued a request for proposals from industry for
the design, development and production of a new spacesuit system for
Constellation Program voyages to the International Space Station and
the moon.
The Constellation spacesuit system contract is for design,
development, test, evaluation and production of equipment to support
astronauts aboard the Orion crew exploration vehicle. Orion will
carry astronauts on trips to explore the moon and support the space
station in the next decade. NASA expects to award the contract in
June 2008.
The suit and support systems will enable protection against spacecraft
cabin leaks and provide contingency spacewalk capability. For short
lunar exploration sorties, the suit also must support a week's worth
of moon walks in one-sixth gravity. Potentially, the system will
support multiple spacewalks during six-month lunar outpost stays.
Suits and support systems will be needed for as many as four moon
voyagers per trip or six space station travelers.
Prospective contractors are being asked to develop a system that
minimizes mass, volume and carry weight; donning time; maintenance
requirements; suit logistics; operational overhead; life cycle costs;
and operational constraints on the lunar surface in varying
geographical, solar and thermal conditions. The same spacesuit system
also must maximize pressurized and unpressurized crew comfort, range
of motion, reliability and work efficiency throughout multiple suit
uses. Designers are being asked to incorporate flexibility and
modularity to allow for efficient incorporation of future upgrades.
The cost-plus-award-fee contract will include a basic performance
period from June 2008 to September 2013. The performance period
involves design, development, test and evaluation work leading up to
manufacture; assembly and first flight of the suit components needed
for Orion; and the initial work on the suit components needed for the
lunar surface.
Two contract option periods will be available. Option 1 would cover
completion of design, development, test and evaluation for the
surface suit components. Option 2 would provide for suit production
under a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity
contract structure and sustaining engineering under a
cost-plus-award-fee structure from the end of the basic performance
period through September 2018.
To view the request for Constellation Spacesuit System proposals,
visit:
http://procurement.jsc.nasa.gov/csssFor information about NASA's Constellation Program, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/constellation
