**[Facility Tour Q & A]{.underline}**

**Updates to answers previously posted are identified below in red.**

**[Simulators]{.underline}**

1\. What is the scope of the Facilities Development & Operations
Contract (FDOC) responsibilities in the training facilities?

**Answer: FDOC will be responsible for all activities/functions related
to the simulators and trainers, except the actual instruction
(instructors and training leads are part of NASA/Space Program
Operations Contract (SPOC)/Integrated Mission Operations Contract
(IMOC)). FDOC responsibilities include operations, interfacing with JSC
Center Operations for building and utilities issues, hardware
engineering/maintenance/replacement (including a maintenance schedule
and a strategic equipment upgrade/replacement plan), simulation software
development and sustaining engineering, flight software integration,
integration of International Partner (IP) simulation modules/software,
flight-specific and generic load builds, configuration management, and
test & verification. Even though all simulator hardware and software is
to be maintained by FDOC, it belongs to the Government.**

2\. What type of code is used in the simulators and how is that code
managed?

**Answer: The majority of the software code in the simulators/trainers
is specialized (there is very little commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS).
The Space Station Training Facility (SSTF) and Part Task Trainers (PTTs)
are both programmed in Ada (but there is currently limited commonality
between the two sets of models). Each Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS)
and SSTF simulator load includes generic systems models, mission-unique
vehicle configurations, and actual flight-specific flight software. PTT,
Single System Trainer (SST) and Flight Controller/Crew Trainer (FCT)
loads contain generic systems models and a generic functional
representation of flight software. While there is some commonality, each
simulator and trainer has its own software life-cycle process. There is
very strict configuration control of the simulator training loads.**

3\. What is the biggest issue facing the training facilities and what
projects are in work?

**Answer: The biggest initiative currently underway in the training
facilities is an upgrade to the systems models in the SSTF and PTT in
order improve fidelity, reduce instructor workload, and provide better
ISS flight controller training capability. In particular, the ISIS
project in the PTTs should allow most systems models to run in an
integrated mode, thereby allowing simultaneous training of multiple
flight control positions ("mini-sim"). The ISIS capability is planned to
be delivered by October 2008 and would then be maintained by FDOC.**

4\. What are the responsibilities of the International Partners (IPs) in
the training facilities?

**Answer: For the Russian Segment Trainer (RST), the JEM Systems Trainer
(JST), and Columbus Trainer (COL-TRU), which are all integrated with the
SSTF, the IPs are responsible for providing updates to their simulation
software, as well as maintenance for any unique hardware (FDOC will
handle COTS hardware). Russia is also responsible for updating the
standalone Soyuz training capability (located in the PTT area).**

5\. Are there FDOC responsibilities that require foreign travel?

**Answer: FDOC is responsible for maintaining the American Segment
Trainer (AST) capability and for integrating semi-annual updates into
the AST's in Russia, Germany and Japan.**

6\. How much floor space is available on site?

**Answer: Roughly one hundred simulator/trainer personnel are currently
housed onsite (in Buildings 4S, 5N and 5S). Note that that number
includes people on different shifts who share work areas/desk space.
While practically all of the PTT personnel reside near the trainers (in
Building 4S), and the majority of simulator Maintenance & Operations
(M&O) personnel are in Building 5, most of the simulator programmers
reside offsite. There currently is an offsite capability to do simulator
software work (which can then be ported over to the simulators). There
is also a logistics/spares depot in Building 5N.**

7\. What floor space changes are currently planned?

**Answer: MOD has recently undergone a re-organization and physical
moves of office space are currently underway. Some of those moves entail
moving personnel into and out of Buildings 4S, 5S, 5N and 35 and include
the reconfiguration of open floor space. The simulation hardware and the
current total space available for simulator personnel will not be
affected.**

8\. What will be FDOC's responsibilities for the teardown of the shuttle
simulators?

**Answer: Prior to the decommissioning of the Shuttle simulators (the
GNS at the end of FY09 and the rest after FY10), NASA will disposition
the various components and FDOC will be tasked with their removal
through the change process.**

9\. What will be FDOC's involvement in the Constellation Training
Facility (CxTF) effort?

**Answer: FDOC will support development of the CxTF and be instrumental
in the integration of the various components, but in general, NASA will
retain overall responsibility for that effort. It is anticipated that
FDOC (or its successor) will be responsible for operations and
sustaining engineering once the simulator is delivered. However, the
specific work breakdown structure of the CxTF project is still undefined
and all FDOC work on the CxTF will be IDIQ. The locations of the various
Cx training facilities are also undefined (but Building 5 is a leading
candidate for the simulators).**

10\. Will an ACA with the JSC Center Operations Contractor be required?

**Answer: Yes.**

**[Mission Control Center (MCC)]{.underline}**

11\. Is 98% IPS availability a requirement?

**Answer: Yes. In fact the Day of Launch Initialization Load ("I-load")
Update (DOLILU) Integrated Planning System (IPS) support function, when
supporting the Shuttle Launch, meets the MCC .995 reliability
requirement.**

12\. Is FDOC responsible for software, personnel, and facilities related
to Software Production Facility (SPF)?

**Answer: FDOC is responsible for supporting the integration of Shuttle
flight software into the SPF and for maintaining the physical hardware
in the SPF. FDOC is responsible for the operators of the SPF but not the
users of the facility.**

13\. What current or future projects is the Mission Operations
Directorate (MOD) working on (in the MCC)?

**Answer: MOD is currently working on many Equipment Replacement
projects and the major projects are the MCC Workstation Server
replacement, the Digital Voice Replacement, and the Front End Processor
replacement. A spreadsheet of all of the current and planned Equipment
Replacement projects will be placed on the FDOC website.**

14\. Are all Flight Control Rooms (FCRs) part of FDOC?

**Answer: Yes. In fact most of the Shuttle and Space Station support
rooms in the MCC are part of FDOC. There are a few rooms that are only
partially supported such as the Mission Management Team (MMT) and the
Historical Apollo FCR. FDOC maintains the Digital Voice Interface
Subsystem (DVIS) panel in the MMT and plays a minor facility
coordination role for any needed repairs since it is in the MCC. FDOC
plays an equipment management and facility coordination role for the
Historical Apollo FCR.**

15\. Are the M&O rooms provided and can the contractor make decisions
concerning M&O space?

**Answer: Yes, the space is available for M&O rooms; potential offerors
may propose alternative ways to house M&O.**

16\. Does FDOC maintain equipment and software for DOLILU and Trajectory
Server and have responsibility for the Flight Control Ops personnel that
use it?

**Answer: FDOC maintains the hardware and software for DOLILU and the
Trajectory Server. FDOC does not provide the flight controller
personnel.**

17\. What is the power demarcation between the Center Operations
Directorate's (COD) responsibility and FDOC responsibility?

**Answer: In nearly all cases, the COD demarcation is the power feeds up
to the Static Transfer switches in 30S and 30MOW. FDOC responsibility
starts with the Static transfer switches to the Power Distribution Units
(PDUs) and goes out to the floor for filtered, backup and even utility
power. Building wall-socket power is COD's responsibility and FDOC is
responsible for under-floor power.**

18\. Who initiates the efficiencies and synergy ideas that are brought
through the equipment replacement upgrades?

**Answer: Both NASA and the contractor are expected to initiate ideas
for efficiency and synergy. These ideas are then worked in a
collaborative fashion. The MCCS Development and Evolution document (to
be placed in the Technical Library) provides the guiding principles for
these engineering design discussions.**

19\. What Relational Databases are used in IPS?

**Answer: Oracle and SQL Server are used in IPS.**

20\. How do International Partners (IP) get to the IPS Relational
Database information?

**Answer: IPs do not have direct access to the database servers. Flight
planners exchange and integrate information directly with the IPs via
flat files.**

21\. What size will the serial switch be once SSP retires?

**Answer: It is currently an 800x900-port switch and we anticipate it
will be reduced to a 64x64-port switch.**

22\. Does the Facility Support Manager (FSM) configure the equipment for
NOAA and other weather related areas?

**A: No, the FSM does not configure the equipment for NOAA and other
weather related areas.**

23\. What is covered under FDOC in the Mission Evaluation Room (MER)?

**Answer: In general, FDOC is responsible for the same kinds of
equipment for which they are responsible in other flight control areas.
FDOC is not responsible for MER laptops or personnel.**

24\. How many M&O rooms exist in Bldg 30?

**Answer: There are approximately four M&O rooms and several M&O
workspaces in buildings 30S and 30M.**

25\. How long will it take to recertify all of the User Applications and
Platform software on the MCC Workstation & Server Operating System
Replacement (MWSOR) project? Will it still be going on when FDOC begins?

**Answer: It will have taken approximately 18 months and the project
should be completed before FDOC begins.**

26\. What's the difference between ODIN, Raven, and Loci?

**Answer: ODIN (FCR position), Raven (MPSR position), and LOKI (MPSR
position) are systems flight controllers responsible for the ISS onboard
computers. These three positions are not FDOC responsibilities.**

27\. Are all of the Operations Technology Facility (OTF) facilities NASA
managed? Are they Contractor Supported?

**Answer: Yes, the OTF facilities are NASA managed and contractor
supported. Contractor support includes LOE and completion form support
for infrastructure changes.**

28\. Does DOLILU have access to both the IPS and MCC Local Area Networks
(LANs)?

**Answer: Yes, DOLILU has access to both the MCC and IPS LANs. However,
during Shuttle Launch DOLILU is isolated to the MCC only.**

29\. When was ISS moved out of the Blue FCR? Future plans?

**Answer: ISS moved out of the Blue FCR in October 2006. The Blue FCR
currently supports MWSOR testing and Shuttle launches, will support the
Hubble Mission in FY08, and may support initial Constellation testing.**

30\. Is all network hardware Cisco?

**Answer: About 99% of the network hardware is Cisco equipment.**

31\. What are FDOC's responsibilities in the Payload Operations Control
Center (POCC)?

**Answer: The FDOC contractor is responsible for voice, television,
video, network, and power equipment infrastructure in the POCC.**

32\. Who installs and removes the Principle Investigator (PI) equipment
in the POCCs?

**Answer: The PI's bring in, setup, and remove their own equipment in
the POCC.**

33\. In regards to the PTT: how many servers are there to support
individual rooms?

**Answer: The servers do not support individual rooms. There is a server
for each PTT, for a total of 5.**

35\. Is the Mission Operations Reconfiguration System (MORS) related to
IPS?

**Answer: No, MORS is the future Constellation recon system and IPS is
the current planning system for Shuttle and ISS.**

36\. Is the Facility Support Manager (FSM) part of FDOC?

**Answer: Yes, the FSM is part of FDOC, as are all the other Operations
Support Team (OST) positions. The equipment used by OST personnel is
also FDOC's responsiblity. UPDATE: The MCC Operations Handbook, which
describes the certified OST positions, is being added to the FDOC
Technical Library.**

37\. Are all of the data recorders still using tape?

**Answer: Yes. This will change with the new Front End Equipment
Replacement Project which will migrate the ISS downlink recording to the
Mission Data Storage Complex (MDSC) as Internet Protocol (IP) data
packets. The Shuttle downlink will continue to be recorded to tape until
Shuttle retirement.**

38\. What's the impact of DVIS users in Bldg. 5 as a result of Mission
Operations Voice Enhancement (MOVE)?

**Answer: All DVIS users will be migrated to the new MOVE system
including building 5.**

39\. Are the DVIS panels in MCC getting changed out with MOVE?

**Answer: Yes.**

40\. Is the Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) part of MOVE?

**Answer: Yes, the Marshall Space Flight Center HOSC is part of the MOVE
contract.**

41\. Is FDOC responsible for user apps maintenance and software
development?

**Answer: Yes, all MOD software development and maintenance will be done
by FDOC.**

42\. Will the MCC-H Automated System (MAS) PCs become part of FDOC?

**Answer: While the MAS PC hardware, base operating system and office
suite will be provided by ODIN, FDOC will have installation, platform
configuration, and System Administration responsibilities. ODIN will
retain PC hardware maintenance responsibility; however, FDOC will have
spares on hand in case of time-critical failures. The MAS servers are
procured, configured and maintained by FDOC.**

43\. Will the Ground System Development Environment (GSDE) at Lockheed
Martin move if a new contractor wins?

**Answer: Yes, the location of the GSDE should be addressed by the
offeror in their phase in plan.**

44\. Is payload control done at Marshall Space Flight Center, as well as
in the POCC at JSC?

**Answer: Payload flight control is done by Principle Investigators at
both MSFC and JSC.**

45\. Does the science center equipment go to FDOC?

**Answer: The MCC core infrastructure, such as MCC workstations,
televisions, projectors, MCC network, DVIS, and MAS, will be on FDOC.
The Science Center owned workstations, network, and video recording
devices will not be on FDOC. The provided equipment list in the RFP will
detail what Science Center equipment is on FDOC.**

46\. What do the Robotics Planning Facility (RPF) software tools
support, and what software languages are utilized?

**Answer: The RPF tools choreograph the Shuttle and ISS RMS movements to
prevent arm-to-arm and arm-to-vehicle collisions, and to avoid
electromagnetic radiation "keep out" zones. The RPF software is custom
Linux C-code.**

47\. What are the software languages used in Flight Dynamics?

**Answer: C and FORTRAN are used for flight dynamics applications.**

48\. Is the Initiative for Knowledge Management inactive, or is it part
of the Operational Data Reduction Complex (ODRC)?

**Answer: The Knowledge Management Initiative is within the flight
control area until it is transitioned to user apps and is not yet a part
of FDOC. The user apps software list in the RFP will identify the list
of user apps to be supported by FDOC.**

49\. Does the Sony Carter Training Facility have connectivity with the
SPF?

**Answer: No.**

50\. What is the difference between Buildings 30A and 30M?

**Answer: 30A is the administration wing and 30M (or 30MOW) is the
mission operations wing.**

51\. What search engine is used with ODRC?

**Answer: The ODRC search engine is custom developed software.**

52\. What is the SPF Bridge?

**Answer: The SPF "Bridge" is the room where the SPF operators sit.**

53\. Is copper a standard for the Agency for voice systems?

**Answer: There is no specific Agency standard for copper versus fiber
optics use in a voice system. The MOVE contractor proposed using twisted
pair copper and NASA accepted.**

54\. How are the in-work modifications that are unfinished at the start
of FDOC to be transitioned?

**Answer: NASA technical leads will work with incumbent contractors to
identify handover points. Offerors will identify in their Phase-in Plans
their overall process for taking over that work.**

55\. Are the cables under the floor the responsibility of FDOC?

**Answer: Yes. About 90 to 95% of the cables (power, network, video and
serial) under the floor are FDOC's responsibility. There are cases such
as the ODIN network cables for the JSC Institutional Network System and
the Science Center science network that are not part of FDOC.**

56\. Why do we have a mixture of Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) and Liquid
Crystal Displays (LCDs) in the FCRs and Multi-Purpose Support Rooms
(MPSRs)?

**Answer: Due to resource constraints, existing CRTs are replaced with
LCDs only when necessary.**

57\. When SSP retires, what happens to the White FCR?

**Answer: The White FCR will probably be used to support
Constellation.**

58\. Is there any fabrication work in FDOC?

**Answer: Yes, there will be some fabrication work. However, no major
fabrication work is anticipated for completion form tasks.**

59\. Are building modifications part of FDOC?

**Answer: Building construction is not part of FDOC; however, FDOC is
responsible for some minor building upkeep, such as carpet
installation.**

60\. Workstation Security: is Access Control and Audit (ACA) part of
FDOC?

**Answer: Yes.**

61\. What software encryption (such as PKI) is used on MCC systems?

**Answer: MAS uses PKI/Entrust. Kerberos is used on the Command
System.**

62\. Will it be difficult for non-incumbents to get hold of source code?

**Answer: No. NASA will be involved during the contract transition to
ensure software source is transitioned without a problem.**

63\. Is FDOC responsible for writing trajectory code for Constellation
trajectory operations?

**Answer: Yes.**

64\. Is FDOC responsible for Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers
that support the MCC?

**Answer: Yes.**

65\. Who interfaces between Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and
Tracking Data & Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)?

**Answer: The OST TELCOM position.**

66\. Are the Orbital Communications Adapter (OCA) router cards in the
MCC Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)?

**Answer: Yes.**