Federal award (DELIVERY ORDER, fiscal year 2021)
Recipient: REDWIRE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2015-07-27 to 2024-12-31
Current total value of award: $3076561.84
Description: MULTI-PURPOSE VARIABLE-GRAVITY PLATFORM THE MVP IS DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR LIFE AND MICROGRAVITY SCIENCES RESEARCH ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION (ISS). IT ACCOMMODATES MULTIPLE EXPERIMENT MODULES WHICH PROVIDES 2-LEVELS OF CONTAINMENT WITH STANDARDIZED MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL INTERFACES WHICH MAY BE ACCESSED ON ORBIT OR CONTROLLED REMOTELY OR VIA A PRE-PROGRAMMED TIMELINE. THE POTENTIAL USES OF THE MVP ARE NUMEROUS SUCH AS CELL CULTURE, DROSOPHILA, AQUATICS, PLANTS, ALGAE, INVERTEBRATE ORGANISMS AND PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH. THE MVP OFFERS TWO INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLLED CENTRIFUGES AS WELL AS HEATING, COOLING, HUMIDITY CONTROL, CO2 SCRUB, ETHYLENE SCRUB AND VIDEO OBSERVATION.   THE MVP FACILITY WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO ISS IN A COMMON LAUNCH CARRIER, SUCH AS THE SPACEX DRAGON VEHICLE. THE FACILITY WILL BE SOFT STOWED IN FOAM LINED CARGO TRANSFER BAG FOR LAUNCH.  THE MVP FACILITY WILL BE OPERATED FROM AN EXPRESS RACK LOCATION.  FOR EXPERIMENT OPERATIONS, THE UNIQUE SPECIMEN CONTAINERS WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO ISS FOR EACH SPECIFIC RESEARCH INVESTIGATION.  AFTER THE SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE COMPLETE, THE UNIQUE SPECIMEN CONTAINERS WILL THEN BE TRANSPORTED BACK TO EARTH WHILE THE MVP FACILITY REMAINS ON ORBIT.  MODULES WILL BE TRANSPORTED BACK PER STANDARD RETURN VEHICLE PROCESSES.  TECHSHOT SHALL PROVIDE A SERVICE FOR THE INVESTIGATOR FOR EXPERIMENT SAMPLES LOADING AND UNLOADING PRE/POST FLIGHT.