Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI)

Pre-Proposal Briefing

Michael Wargo, NASA Headquarters, HEOMDMax Bernstein, NASA Headquarters, SMD

Yvonne Pendleton, NASA Ames Research Center, SSERVI DirectorFeb 21, 2013

Overview

 1. Welcome, Introductions, Logistics, Institute Overview (Y. Pendleton) - Introduction of Headquarters Leadership: Michael Wargo, Victoria Friedensen, Max Bernstein

2. NASA’s intent and scope of SSERVI and CAN-1 (M. Wargo)

3. CAN Evaluation and Related Issues (M. Bernstein)

4. Q and A

Please note: written answers will hold precedent over verbal answers given at this teleconference.

Please be sure to check the NSPIRES website for any clarifications: http://solicitation.nasaprs.com/SSERVI

 Adobe Connect Only Use the “Questions” window located on the left of the screen to type in a question. The meeting host will prompt the moderator to address your question.

Teleconference Only (note: sound quality may be degraded if using non-polycom type speakerphones) Please mute your telephone upon entering the meeting, (*6 to mute/unmute). When the moderator asks for questions from telephone participants, unmute your telephone and ask your question. Please be courteous to others and wait for other participants to finish.

How to Participate

This briefing is being recorded and will be posted at: http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/can-2/

Adobe Connect and TeleconferencePlease mute your telephone and Adobe Connect speaker upon entering the meeting. When the moderator asks for questions from telephone participants, click on the Hand-Raising icon located in the upper part of your screen.

Select “Raise Hand” from the drop down menu. Wait for the host or moderator to acknowledge you, and then proceed to unmute your telephone and ask your question.  Please mute your telephone after asking your question. The host will lower your hand for you.

For additional assistance, please contact Ricky.Guest (Ricky.Guest@nasa.gov)

How to Participate

Virtual Institute Capabilities

•Eliminate geographical constraints, enabling NASA’s science and exploration goals to be addressed regardless of location of expertise or infrastructure

•Quickly transition teams from competitive to collaborative, effectively fostering interdisciplinary advancements

•Provide long-term stable, yet flexible, funding environment for efficient response to new knowledge

•Readily engage broader U.S. and international communities beyond current institute composition

•Help train the next generation of scientific explorers and catalyze networking opportunities for career development

SSERVI Mission

The Mission of SSERVI is to:

•Advance basic and applied research fundamental to lunar and planetary science, and advance human exploration of the solar system through scientific discovery and advancement

•Conduct and catalyze collaborative research in lunar and planetary science, enabling cross-disciplinary partnerships throughout the science and exploration communities

•Provide scientific, technical, and mission-relevant analyses for appropriate NASA programs, planning and space missions as requested by NASA •Explore innovative ways of using information technology for scientific collaboration and information dissemination across geographic boundaries

•Train the next generation of scientific explorers through research opportunities, and encourage global education and public outreach (EPO) through formal education, informal programs, and participatory public events

NASA’s Intent for SSERVI

The Institute was created to further the goals of science and exploration by addressing fundamental science questions and human spaceflight concerns, i.e., to bring science to bear on issues related to potential targets for human exploration.

While NASA’s horizon destination is Mars, there is a mandate for human exploration of Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs). An Institute that includes not only the Moon, but other potential destinations, is needed because there are Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) that apply across all potential human destinations.

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/library/skg.html

NASA’s Intent for SSERVI

As a joint research program activity, SSERVI will be responsive to both HEOMD and SMD goals

Furthermore, a series of Cooperative Agreement Notices (CANs), issued every 2.5 to 3 years, will allow for:

•The continued alignment of the Institute’s abilities with NASA’s requirements, and

•Overlap between generations of institute teams to provide robustness and continuity

For the purposes of the CAN, the Moon, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), and the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos are referred to as Target Body(s)

•The role of Target Body(s) in revealing the origin and evolution of the inner Solar System

•Near-Earth asteroid characterization (including NEAs that are potential human destinations)

•Lunar structure and composition

•Moon, NEA, and Martian moon investigations as windows into planetary differentiation processes

SSERVI CAN-1 Scope

•Regolith of Target Body(s)

•Dust and plasma interactions on Target Body(s)

•Volatiles (in its broad sense) and other potential resources on Target Body(s)

•Innovative observations that will advance our understanding of the fundamental physical laws, composition, and origins of the Universe

SSERVI CAN-1 Scope

Proposal Evaluation

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Scientific and Technical merit*

2. Plan to support other Institute objectives 3. Education and Public Outreach 4. Relevance

5. Cost

* These are the criteria by which proposals will be judged, of which S & T merit has the most weight

Proposal Evaluation: S & T Merit

Scientific and Technical Merit: •Particular emphasis will be placed upon innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to fulfill the research objectives and the formulation of a research plan that addresses multiple Target Bodies.

•This criterion also includes appropriate breadth of the research, quality of the Team, and the management approach proposed for the productive coordination of the various elements.

•In addition, this criterion includes the probability of success (i.e., bringing the proposed tasks to successful closure) based on the period of performance and available resources.

Proposal Evaluation: Institute Objectives

Plan to Support Other Institute Objectives:

•Each Team and individual member of the Institute is expected to be an active participant in the Institute’s cooperative endeavors (e.g.; video seminars, workshops, focus groups, mentoring of students, and public outreach).

•Included in the evaluation will be an assessment of the degree to which the proposers understand the demands of participation in the Institute and how well they are prepared to meet those demands.

•Dedicated Team I.T. personnel (to insure timely and effective participation in videoconferencing), appointment of E/PO leads to interact with other teams and the central office, and reliable participation of the PI or a designated deputy in monthly Executive Council meetings are very important.

Proposal Evaluation: E/PO

Education and Public Outreach (E/PO):

Evaluation of each E/PO plan will be measured against the factors outlined in the SMD Explanatory Guide:

http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/education-public-outreach/explanatory-guide-to-smd-e-po-evaluation-factors/.

-Intrinsic Merit-Relevance to NASA Objectives-Cost-Program Balance Factors (used to select among proposals of equal merit)

Proposal Evaluation: Relevance and Cost

Relevance:

•Proposals must demonstrate the potential contribution of the effort to the Institute’s guiding premise that science and exploration are fundamentally entwined: science enables exploration and exploration enables science

•Proposals of high relevance must also demonstrate an understanding of, and articulate how, the proposed research relates to and influences understanding of the Target Body(s), and contributes to ongoing and planned research activities and NASA flight missions

Cost:•In evaluating the cost reasonableness of the proposals, reviewers will assess whether the proposed level of effort (i.e., labor Full Time Equivalents or FTEs) and the proposed other direct costs (i.e., supplies, equipment, travel) are commensurate with those required to accomplish the goals of the investigation. Salary levels, fringe benefit rates, and overhead rates are not part of that evaluation

•NASA Civil Servant (CS) salaries shall NOT be included in CAN budgets, however, CS FTEs should be provided in the budget justification section of the proposal so that level of effort can be properly evaluated

•Because NASA CS salaries must be paid for out of program budgets, NASA HQ needs to know in advance what they will cost. Therefore, NASA Civil Servants MUST upload salary info to NSPIRES

•While peer review panelists will not see the cost of CS salaries in the proposal budgets, PIs should request funding info from CS team members and keep their overall budget in mind with respect to the available funding expected for this CAN (See CAN Section 2.1)

Civil Servant Salary Clarification

Back-up Charts

 

•The role of the Moon, NEAs, Phobos and Deimos in revealing the origin and evolution of the inner Solar System:

•Inner Solar System history•Origin(s) of Target Body(s)•Inventory and evolution of impactor population through time•Crater mechanics•Crater distributions on the Target Body(s)•Volatile origin sequestration and transport•Influence of impacts on the evolution of the Earth-Moon system

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

•Near-Earth asteroid characterization (including NEAs that are potential human destinations:

•Populations•Origin•Physical and chemical properties such as size, mass, spin mode, composition•Structure•Mechanical properties•Thermal properties•Electrostatic and plasma environment•Radiation environment near space and at the surface•How these characteristics have varied over time

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

•Lunar structure and composition:

•History of volcanism and igneous processes•Environmental conditions near and at the lunar poles•Origin, characterization, transport, and sequestration of volatiles•Potential resources and prospecting•Radiation environment near space and at the surface•Exploration approaches

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

•Moon, NEA, and Martian moon investigations as windows into planetary differentiation processes:

•Gravitational properties of target body(s)•Structure of target body(s) interior(s)•Target body thermal history•Core formation mechanisms and core structure•Magnetic properties of target body(s)•Magma ocean studies•Role of volatiles in planetary differentiation and evolution•Geomorphology of target body(s) surfaces as indicators of subsurface processes

•Includes: planet wide dichotomies

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

•Regolith of Target Body(s):

•Geotechnical properties•Structure•Volatile content•Mobility•Regolith origin and evolution•Resource prospecting

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

•Dust and plasma interactions on Target Body(s):

•Dust composition•Dust size distribution and morphology•Dust mobility•Plasma contribution to dust transport and space weathering•Propulsion-induced ejecta•Other potential environmental effects on surface operations and systems for human exploration

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

•Volatiles (in its broad sense) and other potential resources on Target Body(s):

•Composition and concentration•Form•Origin•Transport•Polar cap studies•Distribution•Accessibility•Implications for exploration missions•Approaches to in-situ resource utilization (ISRU)

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

•Innovative observations that will advance our understanding of the fundamental physical laws, composition, and origins of the Universe:

•Observational investigations that will benefit from exploration of the Target Body(s)

•Comparative observations that take advantage of the exploration of the Target Body(s)

SSERVI CAN-1 Topics

Proposal Evaluation and Selection

Scientific and Technical Merit:•This criterion addresses the scientific and technical merit of the proposed research program with respect to topics described in CAN Section 1.4.

•Particular emphasis will be placed upon innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to fulfill the research objectives and the formulation of a research plan that addresses multiple Target Bodies.

•This criterion also includes appropriate breadth of the research, quality of the Team, and the management approach proposed for the productive coordination of the various elements.

•In addition, this criterion includes the probability of success (i.e., bringing the proposed tasks to successful closure) based on the period of performance and available resources. Prior relevant accomplishments can be used as one form of positive evidence that the proposed research plan can be carried out successfully.

Proposal Evaluation and Selection

Education and Public Outreach:

•An Education and Public Outreach plan is a required component of each proposal.

•The evaluation of this plan will be measured against the factors outlined in the Explanatory Guide to the NASA Science Mission Directorate Education and Public Outreach Evaluation Factors.

•The Explanatory Guide is available at http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/education-public-outreach/explanatory-guide-to-smd-e-po-evaluation-factors/.

•As stated in the Explanatory Guide, E/PO proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

Proposal Evaluation and Selection

Education and Public Outreach:

Intrinsic Merit:• Quality, Scope, Realism, and Appropriateness• Connections to Other NASA Activities• Partnerships/Sustainability• Evaluation

Relevance to NASA Objectives:• Customer Needs Focus• Content

Cost:• Resource Utilization

Program Balance Factors (used to select among proposals of equal merit):• Pipeline• Diversity

Proposal Evaluation and Selection

Cost:

•Cost data will be evaluated both by peer review (for cost realism and cost reasonableness) and by NASA program personnel (for total cost and comparison to available funds).

•Proposers must follow the budget requirements in Section 2.3.10 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposer.

•Each proposal shall provide a budget justification for each year of the proposed effort and shall be supported by appropriate narrative material and budget details in compliance with the NASA Guidebook for Proposers (and its constituent subsections).

Proposal Evaluation and Selection

Cost (continued):

•All Proposers are required to submit a thoroughly detailed cost breakdown. NASA Procurement Personnel must be able to determine that all proposed costs are allowable and reasonable. A detailed budget will facilitate this cost analysis.

•Cost sharing is not part of the evaluation criteria, see Section 3.4.

•Proposers are urged to make sure that adequate funds are included for partners commensurate with their level of involvement in proposed activities.

The approximate time line for the solicitation is as follows:

Community Announcement of CAN………September, 2012Request for comments…………..September/October, 2012 Release of CAN……………………….....January 10th, 2013Notices Of Intent Due………………………February 7, 2013 FAQ posted………………………………….February 8, 2013Virtual Forum for CAN Q&A………………February 21, 2013 Proposals due.………………………………....April 10th, 2013Proposal panel review……………………Late Summer, 2013 CAN Selections……………………………………….Fall, 2013 Cooperative Agreements in place…………….Late Fall, 2013

Solicitation Timeline