Frozen Return of Samples To Earth (FROSTE)

2/28/2025

Question 1:  I was hoping to learn if this is considered a new requirement? If not, would it possible to get the incumbent contractor, contract number, and value?

Answer to Question 1:  FROSTE is a new requirement.

_______________________________________________________________________

NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources for the Frozen Return of Samples to Earth (FROSTE) effort.     

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/MSFC is seeking capability statements from all interested parties.  The Government reserves the right to consider all categories of small business set-asides based on responses received.

NASA/MSFC has a requirement for maintaining near constant temperatures of samples in cryogenically cold environments where little or no power is available. The latent heat of solidification in insulating materials could be utilized to help maintain sample conditions assuming appropriate materials are identified and available. The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to seek information on companies that can identify and provide candidate materials for such applications. The temperature range of greatest interest is from approximately 70 to 120k. Additional details are noted below.

This RFI concerns identification of materials and corresponding fluids that could provide heat transfer and heat storage in cold environments using the latent heat of solidification.  Such materials could be utilized for thermal control in lunar and Martian exploration systems.  Of particular interest is the identification and development of phase change materials capable of providing thermal consistency and uniformity throughout controlled volumes in cryogenically environments where little to no power is available.  Identification of the most appropriate materials for heat storage and transfer in such low temperature environments would enable NASA’s technological and hardware developments and inform future NASA procurements. 

Information regarding the properties, availability, and manufacturability of appropriate materials is requested.  Preferred materials would exhibit low toxicity, low flammability, low volatility/vapor pressure, and a broad liquid temperature range.  Potential examples of such fluids include hydrofluorocarbons, hydrofluoroolefins, perfluorinated compounds, etc. and mixtures involving these and other compounds.  Of particular interest is identifying fluids, whether pure or a mixture, with a broad range between melting and normal boiling points in the liquid range of interest, i.e. from near ambient to near cryogenic temperatures. 

The specific information desired for a given material with an indication if the information is an estimate, measured, or unknown is as follows:

Melting point

Normal boiling point

Latent Heat of Solidification/Melting

Heat of Vaporization

Flammability, e.g. flash point, lower explosion or lower flammability limit (LEL/LFL).

Toxicity

Conductivity of the liquid and solid phases

Specific heat of the liquid and solid phases

Phase Diagram

Solidification behavior, e.g. is it consistent, does it undercool readily, or become glassy or crystalline?

Characteristics of the Fluid, e.g. pure or mixture, azeotropic or not, eutectic or not, etc. 

Identify if the material is readily available or if not then identify the approximate time and other requirements necessary to manufacture the material.

No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation.  If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov.  Interested firms are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.

Interested firms having the required capabilities necessary to meet the above requirement described herein should submit a capability statement of no more than ten (10) pages indicating the ability to perform all aspects of the effort.

Statement of Capabilities:

Interested parties that have the experience base, expertise, and capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements to collaborate with NASA/MSFC regarding materials which can utilize the latent heat of solidification to store and/or absorb heat in cryogenic or near cryogenic environments are invited to submit a capability statement.

All responses shall be submitted electronically via email to Cornelius Edison (cornelius.d.edison@nasa.gov) and Cynthia Hubbard (cynthia.a.hubbard@nasa.gov) no later than March 12, 2025, 2:00p.m. CST.  Please reference “FROSTE” in any response.  Phone calls will not be accepted.  Submissions should be in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or PDF format. Files should not be more than ten (10) p­­­ages (no less than 12-point font, except in figure captions) and contain the following information:

• Name of the submitter and contact information, phone number, email address, and address of institution or firm
• Academic faculty or business title
• Cage code/Unique Entity ID
• Statement of capabilities and qualifications that address the respondent’s ability to provide support which meets the requirements specified above
• Executive summary (1 page maximum)
  • Acceptable files must be able to be opened in commonly readable formats, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Office
• Relevant documents
  • Acceptable files must be able to be opened in commonly readable formats, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Office

This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited.  Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.