Official LFS Industry Questions and Answers.pdf

Question #: Questions: Answer:

1 Is this acquisition going to be a small business set aside? No, this will not be a set aside, but small business goals will be required.

2 When would small business goal feedback be needed? NASA welcomes feedback at any time. That being said, the NASA team will be posting questions on SAM.gov in the next few weeks to receive formal feedback from industry concerning multiple items, including small business goals.

3 Is this considered a new program that if the US government was to go into a continuing resolution, would this acquisition still be funded, or not until the next budget was passed?

No, this is not a new program; a Continuing Resolution would not affect this acquisition.

4 Contract Type: Is there any more detail on a single award IDIQ or a multiple phase approach and what it would look like?

The government is interested in this idea and would like to be sure it's realistic and attainable. NASA wants to make sure that there are clear and obvious breaking points within the program, where downselects can be made as necessary. NASA would like vendor feedback or recommendations on clear break points, so as you review the SOW, please provide your input back to the LFS NASA Contracting Officer.

5 Has NASA published, or are there plans to publish, any lessons learned on the existing conditioned stowage systems of what has and has not worked?

At this time NASA does not have any published lessons learned for conditioned stowage.

6 We understand that LFS will be in the Engineering Directorate during the procurement and the build, but can you explain the higher level program organization structure?

The JSC Crew and Thermal Systems Division (EC) is serving as the Project Management team for LFS. The EC Division is part of JSC's Engineering Directorate.

The LFS contract and project are being managed by the Engineering Directorate on behalf of the Gateway Program. The overarching NASA Program (over Gateway) is the Moon-to-Mars Program. The current focus to this point has been on the technical requirements; the operational structure for the LFS is still to be determined

7 When will the PTRS be released? No later than the Draft RFP, but hopefully sooner.

8 The PTRS was listed in the DRDs, is the PTRS a

DRD/deliverable?

No, the PTRS itself is not a DRD/deliverable. There is a DRD that lists vendor review of the PTRS; vendor feedback and inputs to the PTRS are the deliverable for the

DRD.

9 The RFI contained questions about vacuum compatibility, but it was not discussed during Industry Day. Is vacuum compatibility no longer an interest for the LFS?

Vacuum compatiblity is not currently a requirement for the LFS.

10 Is this acquisition interested in a One-Size Fits All approach, or would multiple freezer/refrigeration designs be of interest?

Due to physical volume and budget constraints, this acquisition is only interested in one Freezer design.

11 Does NASA want a solution where the Freezer is stationed in multiple facilities and sample containers are swapped in and out, or is NASA looking for a payload style freezer where the entire unit is moved between vehicles?

Based on current operational concepts, a science sample container is inserted into the freezer and then the entire freezer is transferred between vehicles. The freezer door may need to be reopened once the freezer is installed and powered inside the vehicle to allow for additional science samples to be inserted.

12 Compared to the Request for Information (RFI), the dimensions mentioned during Industry Day seem to be different; what are the requirements for the dimensions of the freezer?

The RFI dimensions were slightly smaller than the payload bank triple locker. The PTRS will list the specific dimensions. This will be an export control document so a request via SAM.gov will be needed.

13 Is there a requirement for the size of the LFS door, or of the size of the opening for the LFS door?

At this time, there is not a requirement for the size of the LFS door. The PTRS will have the minimum internal cold volume dimensions for the LFS.

14 Does the freezer need to have data capability/embedded software?

Yes, the freezer will need to have data capability. There will be points in the mission when remote commanding is planned, and data capability will be required to send health and status data to/from the ground. Additional information will be provided in the PTRS.

15 What is driving the low temperature requirement? Could the freezer go colder than -97 Celsius?

The primary factor for the low temperature requirement of the LFS is based on the return of lunar geological samples. The NASA internal science team would like the lunar samples to be returned as cold as possible. Per the requirements, -85 degrees Celsius is the threshold requirement, and below -97 degree Celsius is the goal requirement.

Official Lunar Freezer System (LFS) Industry Day & One-on-One Questions & Answers NOTE: Detailed technical requirements for the Lunar Freezer System are included in the Project Technical Requirements Specification (PTRS) document. A draft PTRS is planned to be released with the draft Request for Proposal (RFP), with a target for release prior to Draft RFP. The PTRS contains export controlled information and must be treated as controlled unclassified information (CUI). Interested vendors may request access to the controlled document on SAM gov by completing the questionnaire and submitting to the LFS NASA Contracting Officer (CO), Jonathan Anzures, and Contract Specialist (CS), Victoria Miller.

16 Is the initial cool down time a concern, i.e. time to get to the -85 C or +4 temperature?

Depending on the concept of operations, the cool down time is likely a less critical requirement than reaching the final low temperature requirement. A requirement for Cold Volume cool down time is provided in the PTRS.

17 Will the samples be pre-chilled? It is fair to assume that the Lunar samples will already be cold when inserted into the LFS. Other types of samples (biological, Human Research Program (HRP)) may be inserted warm and require cool down inside the LFS.

18 Do we have any insight as to the thermal mass of the samples that will be inserted warm?

A requirement for sample volume and cool down time is provided in the PTRS.

19 Are there any requirements on how fast the freezer needs to cool down biological samples or samples in general?

This is addressed in the PTRS.

20 SOW mentioned the power (100 Watt) requirement is firm and hard? Are temperature, power, and volume all equally important?

Yes, they are all firm. These are driven by the most restrictive vehicle interface for

LFS.

21 Is the 100 Watt limit firm? Could power from more than one locker location be utilized to supplement the 100W (provide more power for LFS)?

Due to vehicle limits, the 100 Watt limit is firm for operations in the Orion vehicle.

Current requirements state 100W max power for all vehicles due to the Orion power limitation. At this time, the requirment is firm; any additional potential power requested in Gateway or HLS would need to be negotiated with the vehicle program where the additional power is required.

22 If the power requirement is hard, what are the most important requirements for the LFS?

Power, mass, and temperature are the three hard requirements. External dimensions are also set, due to physical interface constraints (will be made available via the PTRS).

23 Is it possible to use water cooling for the LFS? At this time NASA intends to use air cooling for the LFS, as air cooling is the only cooling capability available in the Orion vehicle and some of the planned HLS configurations. Other methods for cooling would add mass and complexity to the design, and return mass is a critical requirement for LFS in Orion.

24 Is the assumption that Artemis 5 will use a Blue Origin vehicle?

While Artemis 5 is planned as the first operational mission for LFS, the LFS is intended to be used for missions beyond Artemis 5 as well. Blue Origin has been selected by NASA to provide the HLS vehicle for the Artemis 5 mission.

25 NASA is referencing two HLS designs, one from Starship and one Blue Origin. Does LFS need to be compatible to both designs or just Blue Origin design?

Vendors need to be compatible to both designs. Utilization of the LFS is intended to interface with Artemis 5 and beyond. Artemis 5 is just the first flight.

26 Will the HLS vehicle requirements be compatible with each other? (i.e. Will hardware have common requirements between the two different HLS vehicles since they are being built by different vendors?)

HLS Program is working to have a common utilization/payload-type hardware interface between the different HLS vendors. For the purpose of LFS, most of the requirements will be the same for HLS (physical interface, power, data, and other standards).

27 What is the environment going to be like in HLS and will radiation hardening be required?

The physcial environment conditions will be provided in the PTRS. The freezer will be operated in a pressurized environment (crew cabin type) for a majority of the time. The level of radiation tolerance/radiation hardening for components is still to be reviewed (TBR).

28 Will this freezer need to consider lunar dust? Yes, lunar dust will need to be considered for the LFS hardware design and development that are part of this acquisition.

29 How long is the return trip from the moon? HLS lift off from the moon to Gateway is approximately 1 day, then 5-11 days on Gateway, then 5.5 days from Gateway back to Earth via the Orion Crew Module.

30 Is the acquisition concerned with a potential power failure on the Orion trip back? Would this potential concern drive the need for unpowered cooling time?

The current requirement states 30 minutes is the minimum power-off hold time (threshold), with one hour as the goal. Anything in addition to this may provide additional capability.

31 Is the vendor responsible for cushioning the science or will that be the responsibility of the user?

There is a requirement in the PTRS for the LFS to provide a physical method to secure samples within the cold volume to preserve sample integrity.

32 Will the Human Factors Analysis be worked similar to how it is done now with a Human Factors Implementation Team (HFIT) team and hardware gets certified through HFIT review? Or is the Human Factors Analysis something the vendor will need to do and provide themselves?

Assume a NASA Human Factors Implementation Team (HFIT) or equivilant team will be provided by NASA to review LFS hardware and certify the Human Factors Analysis requirements have been met.

33 Is there any Vibration or Acoustic Requirements that need to be met or maintained?

Yes, the requirements that are available at this time are included in the PTRS.

Some of the vibration and acoustic requirements are TBD.

34 Is there a requirement for humidity control? Vehicle/environmental requirements are provided in the PTRS. There is not currently a requirement for humidity control within the freezer cold volume.

35 What is driving the Lifetime requirement of 10 years for the LFS (from RFI Capability Statement)? Would this include the possibility for reconditioning in between?

Design life and operational life requirements are included in the PTRS. The nominal operational life may include reconditioning. A requirement for cumulative operational life is also included in the PTRS, which does not include reconditioning.

The driving requirement for cumulative operational life is that the Gateway Program intends to utilize a unit of the LFS onboard Gateway for extended durations.

37 Why should potential vendors be interested in GFE Requirements?

There are two different potential paths for flight hardware certification at JSC:

Payloads or Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). The GFE flight hardware certification process requires significantly more rigor and requirements. The LFS engineering and acqusition team want to make sure all potential parties are aware of the standards and processes, as GFE is the planned flight hardware certification path for LFS

38 Is there documentation that describes the LFS design requirements for the vehicles (vehicle interface requirements)? How will vendors get access to those documents?

The vehicle interface requirements will be released with the PTRS. NASA JSC will release the PTRS on SAM.gov; the document will be export controlled and vendors will need to request the access to the controlled document.

39 SOW mentioned Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and flight support equipment. The Flight Support Equipment included items like gloves and face shields, goggles, etc.

Can you elaborate on the expectations for Ground Support Equipment?

NASA does not have detailed information at this time what level of ground support will be needed for this acquisition. Historically, Cold Stowage has used batteries, carts, lifting aids, etc. Vendors should include anticipated GSE and associated costs in a LFS proposal.

40 In the SOW, it describes four Class I units. Will more units be required after this initial requirement?

Delivery of four (4) flight units is the current expectation. NASA does not know at this time if additional flight units of LFS will be needed.

41 How likely is a Powered Launch? Will multiple units be launched if powered?

At this time, there is only return capability for one freezer per mission. Powered launch of LFS is still an open item (TBD).

42 If LFS will be powered during launch, will four units be enough (for backup/contingency), and should there be more units available for follow up launches?

NASA does not have enough information at this time on the Artemis launch cadence to determine if additional units will be needed to support backup options and other contingency scenarios. This is something that will be considered moving forward.

43 Would there be some type of sustaining engineering support after delivery of the units?

Yes, some level of sustaining support is anticipated. However, the only engineering support that is part of the current acquisition is through the first flight operational mission of the LFS.

44 The Draft SOW milestone table only includes through flight hardware delivery, but the Draft SOW text includes support through the first operational mission. Which is correct?

Vendor support through the first operational mission is requested (Draft SOW section 7: Flight Integration), beyond the flight hardware delivery. NASA will update the milestone table in the SOW to include support through the first operational mission.

45 Are there any NASA facilities or equipment available for contractors to use?

Yes, test facilities (i.e. vibration, EMI, acoustics, etc.) can be made available and will require additional coordination. In the event this requirement is solicited via a formal RFP, any anticipated use of NASA facilities or non-NASA facilities and associated costs, may be an item for industry to consider communicating to the Contracting Officer directly through the Q&A period of the Draft RFP, if one is published through the GPE, SAM gov.

46 Regarding schedule, are the ATP+ number of months listed in the Draft SOW, firm schedule requirements? Examples include qual unit and first flight unit?

As of now, the schedule in the Draft SOW is intended to enable delivery of the first flight unit in time for the Artemis 5 mission. Flight unit delivery date includes additional schedule time to meet Artemis 5 manifest assumed on-dock dates (launch-minus dates for cargo packing, vehicle loading, etc.)