National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Small Business Innovation Research & Technology Transfer 2004 Program Solicitations

TOPIC T9 Stennis Space Center

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T9.01 Rocket Propulsion Testing Systems
T9.02 Integrated Life-cycle Asset Mapping, Management, and Tracking


The John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) in south Mississippi is NASA's primary center for testing and flight certifying rocket propulsion systems for the Space Shuttle and future generations of space vehicles. Because of its important role in engine testing for four decades, Stennis Space Center is NASA's program manager for rocket propulsion testing with total responsibility for conducting and/or managing all NASA propulsion test programs.  Stennis Space Center tests all Space Shuttle Main Engines. These high-performance, liquid-fueled engines provide most of the total impulse needed during the shuttle's eight and one-half-minute-flight to orbit. All shuttle main engines must pass a series of test firings at Stennis Space Center prior to being installed in the back of the orbiter.

The Earth Science Applications Directorate is NASA's Program Manager for Earth Science Applications. The Directorate matches NASA's scientific and technical knowledge with issues of national concern and the needs of our partners. Partners include local, state, and tribal governments, commercial industry, with educational institutions and other non-profit institutions. Through the Directorate's co-funded partnerships, public and private sector decision makers learn how to apply new technologies to critical environmental, resource management, community growth, and disaster management issues. The Directorate also provides the remote sensing community with a comprehensive array of manmade and natural ground targets, measurement systems, and benchmark processes to help test airborne and space remote sensing systems against performance specifications and customer needs.

Stennis Space Center began "re-inventing government" decades ago before the concept became popular. Over the years, SSC has evolved into a multiagency, multidisciplinary center for federal, state, academic and private organizations engaged in space, oceans, environmental programs and the national defense. In addition to NASA, there are 30 other agencies located at Stennis. Of approximately 4,500 employees, about l,600 work in the fields of science and engineering.  These agencies work side by side and share common costs related to infrastructure, facility and technical services, thus making it cheaper for each to accomplish its independent mission at SSC.

T9.01 Rocket Propulsion Testing Systems

Proposals are sought for innovative technologies and technology concepts in the area of propulsion test operations. Proposals should support the reduction of overall propulsion test operations costs (recurring costs) and/or increase reliability and performance of propulsion ground test facilities and operations methodologies. As a minor element in a proposal for this topic, the offeror may include specific educational related research, technology advances, or other deliverables that address and support the Agency’s education mission, such as the enhancement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction with unique teaching tools and experiences. Specific areas of interest in this subtopic include the following.

Facility and Test Article Health-Monitoring Technologies


Improvement in Ground-Test Operation, Safety, Cost-effectiveness, and Reliability

Application of System Modeling to Ground Test Operations in a Resource Constrained Environment

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T9.02 Integrated Life-cycle Asset Mapping, Management, and Tracking

To support NASA’s need for reliable and low cost asset management in all of its programs including Earth-based activities, robotic and human lunar exploration, and planning for later expeditions to Mars and beyond, the Earth Science Applications Directorate at Stennis Space Center seeks proposals supporting NASA’s requirements for asset management. With proper physical infrastructure and information systems, identification tags should allow any item to be tracked throughout its life cycle. When combined with Earth and Lunar GIS, and related supporting documentation, any significant asset should be located, through time and space, as well as organization. Starting with programmatic requirements and design data, assets would be tracked through manufacture, testing, possible launch, use, maintenance, and eventual disposal. Innovative technology and information architectures should integrate and visually map infrastructure, assets, and associated documentation with the ability to link to program structure, budget, and workflow. Innovative solutions will facilitate information flow between the various NASA Centers and Programs. The system must maintain signature authority and restrict unauthorized moves. Ideally, if fully implemented, any remote item could be actively located throughout the NASA system with minimal delay. Any tagged item should be able to be queried at its location to retrieve associated records, e.g., maintenance, inspection, configuration management, chain-of-custody, engineering specifications, etc. A simple operator interface would provide “finger tip knowledge” about the asset. It should be possible to provide secure access to this information for both domestic and international partners. The proposed solution will minimize capital cost and human work effort required for inventory and tracking of nonconsumable assets, while exceeding the performance of current systems. Note that tagged assets may be subject to extreme environments in space and on Earth.

The innovation may eventually interoperate with a holistic information system, and may not preclude other uses for a terrestrial and lunar GIS such as:

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