RFP J.1.(a).1 Performance Work Statement.docx

80ARC023R0006 Attachment J.1.a.1.a

80ARC023R0006

Attachment J.1.(a).1.

AIRCRAFT AND SPACEFLIGHT SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SUPPORT SERVICES

(ASSESS) PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2.1 Core Requirements

2.1.1 Contract Management Requirements

2.2 IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

2.2.2.1.1 Computational Aerodynamics

2.2.2.1.2 Experimental Aerodynamics

2.2.2.2 Aerothermodynamics

2.2.2.2.1 Computational Aerothermodynamics

2.2.2.2.2 Experimental Aerothermodynamics

2.2.2.3 Aeroacoustics

2.2.2.4 Machine Learning

2.2.2.5 Materials Design/Manufacturing/Test/Evaluation/Development and Implementation

2.2.2.5.1 Materials Development

2.2.2.5.2 Material Characterization

2.2.2.5.3 Test Model Fabrication

2.2.2.5.4 Material Test Operations

2.2.2.5.5 Thermal and Mechanical Analysis

2.2.2.5.6 Material Response Modeling

2.2.2.5.7 Engineering Design Services

2.2.2.5.8 Computational Materials Services

2.2.2.5.9 Materials Sustainability

2.2.2.6 Systems Analysis, Engineering, Design and Development

2.2.2.6.1 Advanced Mission, System, and Architecture Studies

2.2.2.6.2 Aerospace Vehicle and Systems Concept Development

2.2.2.6.3 Systems Analysis Tools and Methods Analysis

2.2.2.6.4 Systems Engineering, Design, and Development

2.2.2.7 Structures Analysis

2.2.2.7.1 Structural Mechanics and Structural Dynamics

2.2.2.7.2 Durability Analysis

2.2.2.8 Engineering Risk Analysis

2.2.2.9 System Integration

2.2.2.10 Project Management

3.0 SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

4.0 DELIVERABLES

5.0 PHASE IN/

5.1 Phase-in

6.0 TRAVEL

7.0 APPENDIX

7.1 Applicable Documents

7.2 Acronym List

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This Performance Work Statement (PWS) defines the requirements to conduct and support research and technology development in order to meet evolving National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission objectives with respect to aircraft and spaceflight systems. Work requirements include support of scientific research; engineering design, analysis, and development; Technology Readiness Level (TRL) advancement of work associated with evolving NASA missions; implementation of technology programs; test implementation and operations; systems analysis and conceptual design; systems engineering and program/project management support. The Contractor shall support multiple complex NASA missions (programs/projects) including:

1) Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate’s (ARMD) Aeronautics Air Vehicles Program (AAVP), Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP), Integrated Aviation Systems Program (IASP), and Transformative Aeronautics Systems Program (TACP);

2) Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) & Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD) Exploration Systems Development; Commercial Crew Program;

3) Space Technology Mission Directorate’s (STMD) Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) and Game Changing Development (GCD) Programs;

4) NASA Engineering & Safety Center (NESC); and

5) Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) New Frontiers and other Planetary Science Exploration Programs.

In order to support these overarching NASA missions (programs/projects), the Aircraft and Spaceflight Systems Engineering Support Services (ASSESS) PWS requires engineering support to Divisions and Offices across Ames Research Center including the Entry Systems and Technology Division (TS), the Advanced Supercomputing Division (TN), the Aeromechanics Office (AV), the Systems Analysis Office (AA), and the Aviation Systems Division (AF).

The focus of the TS Division is the Research and Development (R&D) of technologies to enable the design and fabrication of vehicles that travel at hypervelocities through the atmosphere of Earth and other bodies in the solar system, including access to Earth orbit and reentry, planetary entry, and high altitude aerocapture. Currently the division supports a variety of mission types and technologies including the Artemis Program; Mars Sample Return; Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI2); Entry Systems Modeling; commercial space; SMD Planetary Science, Discovery, and New Frontiers missions; and advanced technologies, such as deployable heatshield architectures, advanced materials including woven thermal protection systems (TPS), propulsive descent, sensors and instrumentation.

Code TN develops modeling technologies in Computational Aerosciences, Computational Physics, and Information Technology (IT) to support Aeronautics, Human Exploration, Space Operations and Science Missions. Emphasis within the division is placed on tool development and analysis of mission enabling technologies and engineering applications on NASA High End Computing (HEC) systems. Work involves the development, validation, and application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and engineering risk tools involving Orion, the Space Launch System (SLS), Commercial Crew Program, a variety of NASA Aeronautics programs, and collaboration with all of the partners for these projects. Areas of current and future activity include: generating aero-databases for NASA X-planes (X-59 Low Boom Flight Demonstrator, X-57 Electrified Aircraft) and for space vehicles such as SLS, Orion, and commercial crew; performing detailed scale-resolving simulations of rocket launches and induced environments; developing and using high fidelity tools to predict near-field and far-field noise of various aerospace vehicles ranging from Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles to the X-59 and the Orion crew module launch abort system to evaluate their effects on the surrounding communities; advancing wall-modeled large-eddy simulation, aero-elasticity, fluid-structure interaction, multi-physics and multi-phase modeling, and Lattice-Boltzmann method; developing automated CFD parameter-study tools; computational modeling of planetary and Earth science; computational chemistry modeling; performing Engineering Risk Assessment (ERA), asteroid impact risk analysis, Mars Sample Return mission analysis, thermochemical non-equilibrium flow physics research, descent and landing system analysis and tool development, and UAM performance analysis.

Code AV is responsible for aeromechanics research activities that directly support the civil competitiveness of the United States (U.S.) helicopter industry. Emphasis within the Office is placed on providing support to. ARMD and the Fundamental Aeronautics Program through the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technologies Project. Work involves all aspects of rotorcraft which directly influence the vehicle's aerodynamic performance, structural, and dynamic response, loads, external acoustics, flight dynamics and control, handling qualities, vibration, and aeroelastic stability. The work is theoretical and experimental in nature, including the development of new technologies and new vertical lift aircraft concepts. Current efforts include the research, development, application, and validation of advanced computational methodology research using CFD, multi-disciplinary comprehensive analyses, advanced flight dynamics and control methodologies, and rotary wing preliminary design processes. Experimental research seeks to obtain accurate data to validate these analyses, investigate phenomena currently beyond predictive capability, and to achieve rapid solutions to flight vehicle problems, including pilot-in-the-loop research. Databases from the flight and wind tunnel experimental programs are validated, documented and maintained for the benefit of the U.S. rotorcraft technology base.

R&D efforts in Code AA focuses on the development, test, application and evolution of computational modeling and simulation tools and technologies for system and vehicle conceptual analysis and design. In support of the aeronautics and space exploration missions, Code AA develops tools and integrated processes to enable new analysis methods in support of technology portfolio, vehicle, and mission analysis. Technologies and tools using HEC for mission simulation and vehicle design are developed for, and applied to, advanced aerospace vehicle and system concepts. Code AA performs computational aerodynamics and aero-acoustics modeling, simulation and analyses of advanced transport aircraft systems in support of wind tunnel test planning and post-test analysis and develops computational models of advanced aircraft types for integration with airspace systems analysis models. In the realm of space flight vehicles, Code AA performs entry vehicle research and analysis including aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic analysis of earth re-entry vehicles, decelerator concepts and planetary entry vehicles, and supports the design of TPS. Code AA also develops and applies integrated multi-disciplinary analysis and optimization (MDAO) tools and processes for aerospace vehicle design and analysis,and participates in the research into and design of revolutionary aerospace including “green” aircraft technology development.

Code AF develops and applies advanced airspace modeling and simulation tools to model the air traffic flow across the U.S., and to evaluate new concepts in airspace design, traffic flow management, and optimization. The organization also develops and tests innovative automation concepts, technologies, and procedures, to identify the most promising capabilities to enable Air Traffic Management (ATM) automation. A primary focus of Code AF is ATM modeling and simulation of operational and technical support and systems engineering to advance research and demonstration initiatives, enabling the advancement of research and demonstration initiatives undertaken by the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Traffic Management and UAM concepts.

The requirements to be performed are described in the following sections.

2.0 SCOPE OF WORK

The ASSESS contract consists of Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP) Core Requirements and an Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) component under which Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) task orders (TO) will be executed. The Core consists of Contract Management requirements that are defined in this PWS. Technical requirements will be issued as TOs under the IDIQ Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) to accommodate technical work within the scope of this contract. Individual TOs will reference additional task-specific documents as required.

2.1 Core Requirements

This PWS section defines the core contract management requirements for the services and deliverables that shall be provided by the Contractor.

2.1.1 Contract Management Requirements

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Contract Management:

· Contract Compliance - The Contractor shall provide an on-site manager with full authority to manage the contract and bind the contractor for up to $5M. The site manager shall be the single point of contact for interface to the Contracting Officer (CO) and the Contracting Officer Representative (COR). The site manager will also be responsible for the overall management of the contract and performance requirements.

· Workforce Training – NASA will periodically provide NASA-specific mandatory training for all Ames Research Center (ARC) employees in areas such as safety, security, occupational health, and fire prevention. When mandatory training sessions are required, the contractor shall ensure that all of its employees performing requirements under this contract complete training and maintain training records, including required IT Security Training (Data Requirements Description (DRD) 6). NASA may provide other on-site training that the contractor may be invited to participate in on a space available basis; however, the contractor is responsible for ensuring all its employees are fully trained and qualified for the positions they fill without any reliance on Government provided training.

· Products and Deliverables - Provide all deliverables as required in attachment J.1(a).3 DRD List including:

· Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan (DRD 7)

· Organizational Conflict of Interest Avoidance Plan (DRD 13)

· Software and Software Licenses Report (DRD 14)

· Subject Invention Summary (Interim (Annual) & Final)) Reports (DRD 15)

· Patent Rights – Notice of Election Decision (DRD 17)

· Subject Invention Reports (DRD 21)

· Employee Roster (DRD 24)

· Requests for Government Passenger Vehicle and Special-Purpose Mobile Equipment (Motor Pool) (DRD 27)

· Compensation Plan (DRD 29)

· Installation-accountable Government Property (IAGP) - Provide property management to ensure accountability for installation- accountable equipment in accordance with NASA Equipment Management Procedural Requirements, Requirement (NPR) 4200.1H. Reference attachment J.1.(a).4 Installation-Accountable Government Property (IAGP).

· Travel Management –Provide management of any Contractor personnel travel that may be required to attend meetings, to participate in industry site visits, or to attend technical conferences. The contractor shall schedule travel, make reservations, submit expense reports, and other travel coordination activities (DRD 26). The actual travel costs will be accounted for on the TO that contains the technical requirement the travel is in support of. The contractor shall coordinate contract employees' travel to conferences, field sites, universities, and other agencies in the performance of research, integration of products, technology development and infusion, and other important demonstrations of results. For any foreign program travel related to this contract, the Contractor shall comply with (NPR) 9710.1, General Travel Requirements, chapter 7 entitled Foreign Travel. High Threat Security Overseas Seminar (HTSOS) (DRD 25). Training costs associated with this requirement should be captured under the applicable IDIQ task order. It is estimated there will be approximately 130 trips per year, 10 of them foreign travel Continental United States (CONUS) travel is anticipated to average 4 days per trip and foreign travel is estimated to average 6 days per trip.

· Employee Background Checks and Clearances - Ensure that all of its employees and all foreign national visitors performing requirements under the ASSESS have completed the required background checks, approvals, and clearance requirements for access to the NASA Ames Research Center per NPR 2841.1, Identity, Credential, and Access Management and NPR 1600.4A, Identity and Credential Management.

· Employee Credential Management – All contractor employees performing requirements under the ASSESS contract shall be enrolled in the NASA credential management system and manage employee identity data to ensure it is current and accurate, in accordance with NPR 1600.4A, Identity and Credential Management, and NPR 2841.1, Identity, Credential, and Access Management (DRD 12).

· IT Security Management – Develop IT Security Management Plan (DRD 5) and employees shall adherence to approved plan. Track employee IT Security training compliance. Develop and update IT Security Plans. Ensure Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU)/Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR), proprietary, and other classified information are secured. The Contractor shall comply with the revised standards Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 when developing, procuring, maintaining or using electronic and information technology. Information and communications technologies (ICT) acquired incidental to this contract do not have to be modified to confirm to the revised 508 standards.

· Contractor employees will receive access to protected Government sensitive information and likely protected third party sensitive information as well. When specified in the contract or identified by the Contracting Officer, such information or Data shall be handled and protected in accordance with contract requirements and its approved OCI Plan (DRD 13). The OCI Plan will also address employee education requirements regarding proper handling and protection of sensitive information and Data.

· Handling and Protection of Government Controlled Contractor Generated Data - In the performance of this contract it is anticipated that the Contractor may generate data which the Government intends to control the release, publication, distribution and use thereof. For data generated by the Contractor in support of an identified Space Act Agreement, Commercial Space Launch Act Agreement, Commercial Space Competitiveness Act Agreement, or Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or for data otherwise identified by the Contracting Officer, the Contractor shall:

(1) use and disclose such data only to the extent necessary to perform the work required under this contract in support of such agreement, with particular emphasis on restricting disclosure of the data to those persons who have a definite need for the data in order to perform under this contract in support of such agreement;

(2) not reproduce the data unless reproduction of the data is specifically permitted by the Contracting Officer;

(3) refrain from disclosing the data to third parties without the written consent of the Contracting Officer; and

(4) return or deliver the data including all copies thereof to the Contracting Officer or his designated recipient when requested by the Contracting Officer.

· Records Management – Maintain a list of Government records created or maintained in the performance of the contract. Ensure adherence to Government records management requirements in accordance with NPD 1440.6, NASA Records Management and APR 1440.1, Records Management Program Requirements (DRD 28).

· Safety and Health – Develop a Safety and Health Plan (DRD 9) and employees shall adherence to approved plan (DRDs 10 & 11). In addition to the tasks stated below the contractor shall adhere to Code Q safety and health compliance requirements: APR 8715.1, Ames Health and Safety Manual, NPR 8715.3, NASA General Safety Program Requirements, NPR 8715.1, NASA Safety and Health Programs.

· All personnel shall receive job specific medical exams as required by current NASA, ARC, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other applicable federal, state, and local regulatory agency standards.

· All personnel shall be trained in procedures, policies, and practices in accordance with current NASA, ARC, OSHA, EPA, and other applicable federal, state, and local regulatory agency standards.

· All operators of equipment are required to be licensed and/or certified have current licenses/certifications.

· Perform monthly NASA safety inspections in accordance with APR 8715.1, Ames Health and Safety Procedural Requirements for up to 4 buildings (office space) (DRD 23).

· Procedures shall be put in place to continually identify workplace hazards and address risks.

· Safety hazards from routine, non-routine, and emergency situations shall be identified and assessed.

· All incidents shall be investigated, and corrective actions shall be implemented.

· The contractor’s managers and supervisors shall receive training on safety concepts and their responsibility for protecting workers’ rights and responding to workers’ reports and concerns.

· Contractor’s staff shall be trained to recognize workplace hazards and to understand the control measures that have been implemented.

· Management Communication - Provide on-site management of the Contractor staff and meet weekly for up to an hour with the COR to keep the Government informed of ongoing operations and any problems or issues associated with meeting the requirements of each Core CLIN and TO. Meet with CO and COR monthly to provide an hour-long monthly status report that includes discussion of the cost, schedule and technical performance. Provide monthly reporting to Task Requesters, on the status of the technical work and deliverables (DRD 4). The reporting shall include technical accomplishments, identification of issues that may affect timely delivery of technical products or may indicate cost problems such as potential overruns, and information and/or issues related to resource allocations for the TOs.

· IDIQ Task Orders- The Government will prepare a TO request for each new requirement to be performed under the IDIQ component of the contract. The Contractor shall review the TO requests and provide the task plans in accordance with NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) 1852.216-80 Task Ordering Procedure. The Contractor shall plan, manage, control, and coordinate technical tasks, managing the resources allocated by NASA for specific elements in a manner to ensure requirements and deliverables are met on time and within budget. The contractor shall conduct negotiations with the Government, if the Government determines it to be necessary, on the scope, terms, and cost/fee of each TO. An estimate of 7-10 new TOs will be issued annually. It is anticipated that these TOs will be modified to add or remove requirements and deliverables between 3 and 10 times annually. In response to these modifications, the contractor shall be prepared to adjust staffing levels to accommodate the accrual workload. The negotiated TOs will be awarded on a CPFF completion basis. If TO responses include proposed subcontracting, include Subcontracting Consent Package in accordance with DRD 18.

· Resource Tracking - Provide management and administrative functions necessary to manage and to track the labor hours, materials, and associated costs to perform contract management, and IDIQ task orders under this contract. This contract will require the simultaneous performance of multiple, interrelated tasks. For TO’s, prepare initial and monthly financial reports (NASA Form (NF) 533) (DRDs 1 & 2) and Quarterly Financial Report, (NF533Q) (DRD 3). This contract will require financial tracking at the sub-task and potentially sub-sub task level for a potential total of between 50 and 80 accounting lines.

· Quality Management - Successful contract performance requires a commitment to follow and comply with all written NASA and ARC Quality Assurance requirements. Quality Management consists of activities in quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control (DRD 22). Risk Management is required in all aspects of quality management. The Contractor’s management approach shall include quality management and risk management in accordance with Ames Procedural Directives (APD) 1280.1, Ames Quality Management System. The contractor shall provide oversight, guidance, and quality assurance of technical activities including the following:

· Quality Planning – The contractor shall identify and verify quality standards that are relevant to the project/process and determine how to satisfy them.

· Quality Control – The contractor shall monitor both the process and the products such as technical deliverables, papers and presentations, to determine if relevant quality standards are being met and identify ways to mitigate risk or eliminate causes of unsatisfactory results at the work product level. Examples of Quality Control techniques include:

· Review of key project/process documentation (i.e., task requirements, technical specifications, management plans, project schedule and budget – original and current baseline, and project reports, etc.).

· Peer review / review of work products to identify defects and other needed changes. Examples of work product review methods include inspections, structured walkthroughs, and active reviews.

· Quality Assurance - Periodic executive review and evaluation of the management processes as well as overall performance to assure that the relevant quality standards are satisfied. This includes supporting internal and external quality audits and the periodic review of key project processes, documentation (i.e., project schedule and budget, original and current baseline, customer requirements, project reports, etc.) (DRD 16).

· Risk Management - Risk management includes the identification of risks, the thorough assessment of the probability and the impact for the occurrence of risks, and the planning of viable responses that include, but are not limited to, mitigation, contingency, and avoidance strategies. In all aspects of quality management (i.e., quality planning, quality control, and quality assurance), the contractor shall apply a risk management methodology to characterize risks at the level of work product, process, and the overall task.

In support of TOs, the Contractor shall comply with the technical and management process requirements of the Ames Quality Management System (AQMS). This includes following applicable Ames’ procedures that are subject to audit and preparing for and participating in process audits as required by Center and Agency authorities. The Contractor shall attend relevant training, provided by the Government, as required for all on-site employees. Specific procedures will be indicated on each TO response. These procedures include the following AQMS documents:

· Phase-Out-The Contractor shall submit a Phase-Out Plan in accordance with DRD 8. Upon completion of this contract, the outgoing contractor is responsible for the orderly transfer of duties and records to the incoming contractor. The Contractor is responsible for the orderly transfer of duties and records, including complete equipment, systems, and facility logs, to the incoming Contractor (or NASA if there is no successor contract). During Phase-out, the Contractor shall vacate all areas of Contractor responsibility, having left them in a clean, professional state and having completed the checkout process. This shall be accomplished in an expeditious manner, while precluding interruption of the scheduled operation of any of the facilities listed in the PWS. Any and all standard operating procedures and documentation developed during this contract that is needed to successfully operate systems, perform job functions, and complete task in progress on the contract need to be provided. The Plan shall address issues pertinent to the continuation of safe operations for all areas of responsibility under the contract. All standard operating procedures and documentation developed during this contract that are needed to successfully operate systems, perform job functions, and complete tasks in progress on the contract, need to be provided as part of the phase out plan. These documents will be provided to the successor contractor for use and shall not have any proprietary markings on them that would prevent use of the documents for the purpose of performing future contractual requirements.

2.2 IDIQ REQUIREMENTS

This section describes the full scope of support requirements that may be performed under IDIQ TOs issued against this contract. TOs will be executed in accordance with ordering procedures in (NFS) 1852.216-80.

As authorized by a fully executed TO, the Contractor shall perform the requirements as defined in the TO within the broader scope defined in Sections 2.2.1-2.2.2.10 as follows:

· Collaborate and exchange technical information with the Government research staff.

· Provide research support, including direct research functions and indirect support such as support for technical and programmatic reviews.

· Provide deliverables for specific project milestones.

· Conform to all relevant standards and practices (e.g., configuration management, system integration requirements) for all projects and deliverables.

· Support technology infusion and deployment efforts with NASA customers.

· Attend and participate in group and project meetings.

· Present research, work in progress, and results to civil service management and to research peers at conferences.

· Support preparations for demonstrations and presentations of research, work in progress, and results to visitors and technical delegates, including supporting and hosting of technical workshops as needed.

· Provide technical assistance for preparation of graphics and presentation materials including displays, posters, brochures, manuals, publications, presentations and website development. Provide support in the development of publications, such as marketing plans, strategic plans, and reports. Provide technical writing and review support in the development of technical documentation.

· Typical deliverables that may be required under individual task orders; include data resulting from computational analysis or experiments; design and direction of experiments; software development/modification, materials design, characterization, and development, and mission and vehicle design characteristics.

2.2.1 IDIQ VEHICLE TYPES AND FLIGHT REGIMES

This section describes the flight regimes, vehicle classes, and associated critical technologies.

Hypersonic Flight- The Contractor shall develop enabling technologies including advanced analysis tools for the hypersonic flight regime. The Contractor shall perform assessment of environments, design, analysis, and testing to demonstrate suitability for future planetary entry systems. The Contractor shall be proficient in a broad range of skills including: CFD; systems analysis; thermodynamics and chemistry of gases; experimental techniques and test facility operation; hypervelocity testing; CFD code development and implementation on high performance computer systems; and technical and mechanical operation of experimental apparatus in fundamental studies laboratories. Requirements include the design and analysis of crewed and uncrewed Earth and Planetary Entry vehicles; design and analysis of launch systems; design, analysis and test of mechanically deployable and inflatable decelerators and entry systems; development of advanced Thermal Protection Materials including conformal ablator materials, woven materials and reusable materials; and heatshield development.

Rotorcraft- The Contractor shall address all aspects of the rotorcraft which directly influence the vehicle's aerodynamic performance, structural, and dynamic response, loads, external acoustics, flight dynamics and control, handling qualities, vibration, and aeroelastic stability. The work to be performed is theoretical and experimental in nature, including the development of new technologies and new vertical lift aircraft concepts, such as the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technologies (RVLT) Project. The objective of these efforts is to research, develop, apply, and validate advanced computational methodology research using CFD, multi-disciplinary comprehensive analyses, advanced flight dynamics and control methodologies, and rotary wing preliminary design processes. Experimental research seeks to obtain accurate data to validate these analyses, investigate phenomena currently beyond predictive capability, and to achieve rapid solutions to flight vehicle problems, including pilot-in-the-loop research. The contractor shall validate, document, and maintain databases from the flight and wind tunnel experimental programs.

Subsonic- The Contractor shall develop and assess technologies to meet the goals of NASA Aeronautics AAVP, IASP, and TACP Programs to develop future aircraft, which include increased efficiency, reduced fuel burn, increased performance and reductions in noise. The Contractor shall perform modeling and simulation to enable advancements in Aircraft-centric technologies including laminar flow; large spans; autonomous flight (enabling reduced crews); airspace integration of unconventional vehicles. Technologies span approaches to adaptive control, load alleviation, integration of non-traditional propulsion, and other systems to optimize performance while reducing fuel burn and noise. The assessment of the impact of advanced technologies requires a comprehensive approach to the integration of the analysis, test, and validation of these technologies to enable more rapid availability for flight demonstration.

Supersonic- The Contractor shall develop and assess technologies to enable supersonic flight, currently supporting the development of a Supersonic Low-Boom Demonstrator project, addressing areas such as sonic boom minimization, safety, efficiency, and effective airspace integration, and maximization of effective handling qualities. Disciplines to be addressed will include acoustic measurement and technology development, controls assessment, aeroelastics, materials and material heating, structures, and aerodynamics.

Uncrewed Aerial Systems- The Contractor shall develop and assess technologies to enable safe and effective utilization of rotary and fixed wing UAS vehicles for a range of uses including planetary exploration such as the Mars Helicopter, Advanced Air Mobility, and remote, autonomous operations. The Contractor shall perform modeling of vehicles that will enable integrated airspace simulations, development of autonomous control approaches, risk assessment, controls development, and other critical capabilities that are being utilized in support of Advanced Air Mobility.

2.2.2 IDIQ TECHNICAL DISCIPLINE REQUIREMENTS

For the aforementioned and applicable vehicle types and flight regimes, the Contractor shall provide technical services to accomplish this work in the following discipline areas:

2.2.2.1 AERODYNAMICS

Background: Aerodynamics encompasses a broad area concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with moving objects, including interactions with flexible structures that are more broadly defined as the field of aeroelasticity. Understanding the motion of air (often called a flow field) around an object enables the calculation of steady and unsteady aerodynamic forces and moments acting on the object. The Contractor shall be proficient in fundamental fluid dynamics, unstructured and structured grid generation, advanced CFD tools, mathematical analysis, empirical approximation, wind tunnel experimentation, and advanced flow control techniques. For aeroelastic work, it is equally important that structural dynamics modeling capabilities are supported for the modeling of structure and aerodynamic interactions. This work includes experimental testing in wind tunnels ranging from subsonic to hypersonic speeds as well as computational work utilizing multi-processor computing facilities.

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Aerodynamics:

2.2.2.1.1 Computational Aerodynamics

CFD includes R&D of methodologies that support fluid physics and modeling. Codes to be applied and modified include OVERset grid FLOW solver (OVERFLOW), Launch Ascent and Vehicle Aerodynamics (LAVA), Automated Triangle Geometry Processing for Surface Modeling and Cartesian Grid Generation (CART3D) , Fully Unstructured Navier-Stokes 3D (FUN3D), *US3D, DPLR, *STAR-CCM+, Openfoam, Helios, Rotorcraft Comprehensive Analysis System (RCAS), High Performance Computing Institute for Advanced Rotorcraft Modeling and Simulation (HI-ARMS), and Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics (CAMRAD-2), and the Computational Research and Engineering Acquisition Tools and Environments (CREATE) tool suite. The Contractor shall perform the work required to support CFD technical activities including:

· Develop, validate, optimize, and apply new engineering-level and CFD algorithms and tools to improve accuracy and speed, and reduce memory requirements of flow solvers

· Establish and document best practices for application of set up of codes for different configurations and flight conditions

· Develop and apply advanced capabilities including turbulence models for massively separated flows and jet flows; coupled computational fluid analysis and computational structural dynamics; aero-structural solutions; shape optimization through adaptive mesh refinement; and rapid, accurate acoustic predictions.

· Generate and analyze steady and unsteady aerodynamic databases.

· Perform analyses including CFD-based viscous and inviscid flow analyses, and steady static aeroelastic, and dynamic aeroelastic analyses.

· Estimate the uncertainty associated with computational predictions and validate the computational models to experimental results.

2.2.2.1.2 Experimental Aerodynamics

Experimental Fluid Dynamics includes the testing and collection of quantifiable data for test articles in a full range of wind streams. The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Experimental Fluid Dynamics including:

· Develop test procedures and plans.

· Coordinate test article design and fabrication activities. Prepare test article and associated equipment to final test configuration.

· Calibrate and implement user defined test techniques including techniques for flow visualization and techniques to determine interaction with external sources.

· Set up and execute tests.

· Perform data reduction including set-up, transmittal, and verification of data files.

· Analyze experimental results for quality, accuracy, data trends, repeatability, reproducibility, and associated uncertainty.

· Develop new experimental techniques and measurement systems

2.2.2.2 AEROTHERMODYNAMICS

Background: Aerothermodynamics activities include the development and application of CFD and shock layer radiation codes, and design activities in support of vehicle and mission studies that rely on aerothermal environment modeling in conjunction with Materials modeling and testing, TPS sizing and selection, trajectory trades, and overall vehicle performance and feasibility trades. Research is undertaken in studies of real gas physics in hypersonic, reacting flows, and development and implementation of new physical models into modern CFD and shock layer radiation codes and in the planning and implementation of flight experiments for aerothermodynamic research. Experimental efforts are conducted in the arc jets, ballistic range, and Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) to investigate fundamental hypersonic flow phenomena including turbulent transition and shockwave radiation. The results of these efforts are used to derive and assess numerical algorithm enhancements and modifications to existing in-house reacting flow solvers as appropriate based on the ongoing research and project requirements.

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Aerothermodynamics:

2.2.2.2.1 Computational Aerothermodynamics

Computational Aerothermodynamics Analysis includes R&D of grid and flowfield modeling and analysis. Codes to be applied and modified include Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR), US3D, and Nonequilibrium Radiative Transport and Spectra Program (NEQAIR). The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Computational Aerothermodynamics Analysis:

· Validate, optimize, and apply new CFD algorithms in support of thermochemical model development, including gas-phase kinetics, thermal nonequilibrium, transport, and surface chemistry models

· Develop, validate, and apply radiation heat transfer calculation methods for the simulation of shock layer and wake radiation for blunt body hypersonic flows

· Perform aerodynamic and aeroheating computational analysis.

· Generate aerodynamic and aerothermal loads databases.

· Develop and implement software designed to enhance CFD analysis processes (e.g., database interpolation tools)

· Develop and implement engineering aeroheating prediction tools.

· Develop and maintain flow field analysis and prediction tools, (e.g., DPLR and US3D).

2.2.2.2.2 Experimental Aerothermodynamics

Experimental Aerothermodynamics includes the research, development, and application of advanced, state-of-the-art, methods and diagnostics for real-gas testing and data acquisition in shock tubes, ballistic ranges, and arc jets. The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Experimental Aerothermodynamics:

· Hypersonic test planning and implementation in national hypersonic facilities.

· Develop and apply models for the simulation of the flow in high enthalpy facilities, for the characterization of facility capabilities and traceability of test conditions to flight.

· Design and fabricate of models for ballistic range testing.

· Conduct experiments in the ballistic range.

2.2.2.3 AEROACOUSTICS

The acoustics discipline includes research to understand and control noise generated from flight vehicles as well as its effects on aircraft, rotorcraft, and spacecraft structures, and on communities. The work involves theoretical, analytical, computational, and experimental acoustics research, including both fundamental as well as applied research that includes development and validation of analytical models and tools as well as research aimed at understanding, predicting, and controlling/reducing the noise of aircraft and space flight systems. Codes to be applied and modified include FUN3D, OVERFLOW, Cart3D, and LAVA.

The contractor shall perform work and support in computational and experimental aeroacoustics including:

· Perform aeroacoustic simulations and apply experimental data to validate the use of CFD in characterizing flight vehicle noise sources.

· Develop, validate, and apply computational aeroacoustics for the prediction of flight vehicle noise.

· Perform computational analyses in support of experimental acoustic activities.

2.2.2.4 MACHINE LEARNING

Background: High-fidelity CFD simulations typically require high-performance computers and they take a long time to run to completion, even on the world’s fastest computer hardware. The ability to bring high-fidelity CFD analyses forward into earlier phases of design will require dramatic speedups for these high-fidelity simulations to allow for thousands or hundreds or thousands of such simulations to be run in order to address aerodynamic design and optimization problems. As a result, both the turnaround time for individual analyses must dramatically improve and the total numbers of these analyses must also increase dramatically. One way to obtain such speedups is to use machine learning to create fast-running and highly-accurate surrogate models to take the place of the high-fidelity CFD simulations in design and optimization environments. These machine learning surrogate models will be trained from a limited number of high-fidelity CFD simulations in order to retain the accuracy of the high-fidelity CFD simulations with much faster run times. The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of machine learning:

· Identification and formulation of necessary training data that needs to be generated in order to train machine learning models.

· Developing end-to-end software implementations in multiple high-performance computing resources to ensure reproducible workflows and scalability with computational resources.

· Develop robust testing and validation methods to evaluate the extrapolation and limitation of machine learning models within specific domains of rotorcraft computational modelling.

· Support and optimize the integration of machine learning technology inside the existing CFD software infrastructure

· Develop physics-informed machine learning techniques that include governing equations and governing physics into machine learning modeling in order to enhance the accuracy of machine learning surrogate models for complex aerodynamic simulations.

· Conduct thorough research on the feasibility and extent to which machine learning technology can impact and improve current computational modelling methods and objectives.

· Accelerate currently in-place computational modelling tools with machine learning components in order to speed-up many computationally expensive tasks.

2.2.2.5 MATERIALS DESIGN/MANUFACTURING/TEST/EVALUATION DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

Background: Materials design, manufacturing, test, evaluation development and implementation includes work ranging from basic research and technology development of advanced materials and materials analysis tools covering TRLs from 1 to 6, to the actual mission implementation of materials and tools, increasing technologies from TRL 6 to 9 and addressing material sustainability including:

· R&D of advanced materials and coatings including high-performance reusable and ablative thermal protection material systems.

· The development and implementation of advanced processing technology to produce these materials in a wide range of product forms and to incorporate them into a thermal protection system.

· Multidisciplinary work on flow field and surface interactions, material and structural interactions, and analysis and instrumentation for flight and ground materials characterization and testing.

· Arc jet or property test coupon and jig design and test execution.

· Computational materials support to inform on materials design and properties.

· Materials sustainability support.

· Management of the Thermal Protection Materials Laboratories to assure safe (see Safety and Health in Section 2.1.1 for details) and proper use, and upkeep, calibration, and repair of equipment.

The Contractor shall perform the following requirements in support of Materials Design, Manufacturing, Test, Evaluation Development and Implementation:

2.2.2.5.1 Materials Development

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Materials Development:

Pursue development of advanced materials including reusable and ablative TPS materials, including ceramic and carbon or carbon composites, ceramic or polymer composites, rigid and flexible TPS, insulations, coatings, and surface treatments.

Fabricate and test material samples to determine the optimum processing conditions, considering material performance, fabrication safety, cost, and other factors as defined in the TO.

2.2.2.5.2 Material Characterization

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Materials Characterization:

· Perform material characterization tests as required in support of materials development research and project activities. This work includes measurement of material composition, thermal and mechanical properties, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) imaging of microstructures, decomposition chemistry kinetics, and surface optical properties.

2.2.2.5.3 Test Model Fabrication

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of test model fabrication including arc jet testing and structural testing:

· Design, fabricate, modify, and inspect TPS material samples for ground testing and flight.

· Design and fabricate instrumentation to measure material performance in both ground tests and flight.

· Machine materials, apply spray coatings, apply adhesives, and work with flexible and rigid insulation as needed.

· Design and fabricate test fixtures to measure material performance in both ground tests and flight

2.2.2.5.4 Material Test Operations

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Material Test Operations:

· Provide test engineer support for materials testing in facilities including the arc jet complex. Activities include all aspects of testing, such as development of test plans, coordination with test facility operators, evaluation of test feasibility, design of test models and instrumentation, coordinating model fabrication and managing pre- and post-test activities including characterization and analysis.

2.2.2.5.5 Thermal and Mechanical Analysis

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Thermal and Mechanical Analysis:

· Apply computational tools to analyze the thermal and mechanical response of aeroshell vehicles including, TPS materials, components, and assemblies for both ground test models and flight designs under various reentry loads, utilizing software that includes Thermal Desktop, **MSC Corporation’s **Nastran, **Marc, and **Mentat.

2.2.2.5.6 Material Response Modeling

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Material Response Modeling:

· Apply exiting ablating material response computational tools to predict the performance and thickness requirements of TPS materials, under both ground test and flight heating environments utilizing codes that include in-house material response codes such as Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal response code (FIAT), 3D-FIAT, *Icarus and Porous material Analysis Toolbox (PATO).

· Develop new software routines to improve the modeling fidelity of existing material response tools, and create new tools as required.

· Support efforts to develop software tools to analyze coupled CFD and material response behavior.

2.2.2.5.7 Engineering Design Services

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Engineering Design Services:

· Provide engineering design support for development of arc jet and other test models, flight hardware, and test fixtures utilizing computer aided design software that includes SolidWorks and Pro E.

· Coordinate model design and development with test principal investigators and other project support staff.

2.2.2.5.8 Computational Materials Services

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Computational Materials Services:

· Conduct computational materials research by developing first-principles approaches for prediction material properties and performance. This research uses in-house developed software such as Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) and other existing software tools such as Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package (VASP),* Gaussian, *Molpro to model material behavior from the atomistic level to the continuum level.

· Develop research plans in coordination and cooperation with other researchers and project managers.

2.2.2.5.9 Materials Sustainability

The Contractor shall perform the following work in support of Materials Sustainability:

· Identify and evaluate alternate precursors to address supply chain issues with heritage TPS…