Federal award (DEFINITIVE CONTRACT, fiscal year 2022)
Recipient: SIERRA NEVADA CORP
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: 2019-05-02 to 2023-12-31
Current total value of award: $6929044
Description: BAA R&D - THE NEXT SPACE TECHNOLOGIES FOR EXPLORATION PARTNERSHIPS -2 (NEXTSTEP-2) APPENDIX F: LOGISTICS REDUCTION (LR) IN SPACE BY TRASH COMPACTION AND PROCESSING SYSTEM (TCPS) BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED JULY 3, 2018. PROPOSALS WERE RECEIVED AND EVALUATED AND SELECTIONS OF SUCCESSFUL PROPOSALS ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 5, 2018. NASA ISSUED THIS SOLICITATION TO SOLICIT IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGIES TO ADVANCE TRASH COMPACTION AND PROCESSING (TCPS) CAPABILITIES. TRASH PROCESSING ENABLES REDUCTION IN MASS, VOLUME, AND THE CREW TIME DEDICATED TO LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT. THE CURRENT APPROACH TO TRASH MANAGEMENT ENTAILS MANUALLY COMPACTING, TEMPORARILY STORING IT, AND THEN DISPOSING OF THE TRASH EITHER BY RETURN TO EARTH OR INCINERATION DURING REENTRY IN A DISPOSABLE SUPPLY VEHICLE. LONG DISTANCES FROM EARTH AND LENGTHY DURATIONS WITH LIMITED OR NO RESUPPLY WILL CHARACTERIZE FUTURE HUMAN MISSIONS. RETURNING TRASH TO EARTH WILL BE IMPRACTICAL, JETTISONING DURING THE MISSION CAN RESULT IN LOSS OF VALUABLE RECOVERABLE RESOURCES AND DISPOSING OF IT LOCALLY MAY POSE A PLANETARY PROTECTION RISK, IF LEFT UNTREATED..NASA NEEDS A SYSTEM THAT CAN HANDLE ASTRONAUT TRASH IN SITU RATHER THAN DISPOSING OF IT OVERBOARD. HOWEVER, STORING TRASH INSIDE A SPACECRAFT CREATES PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS FOR THE CREW, CONSUMES CRITICAL HABITAT VOLUME, AND SEQUESTERS POTENTIALLY VALUABLE RESOURCES. THIS WAS ONE OF THE SUCCESSFUL PROPOSALS FOR RESEARCH CONTRACTS IN AREAS FOR DESIGN, FABRICATION, AND TESTING OF CRITICAL COMPONENTS FOR A TCPS THAT COMPACTS TRASH TO REDUCE STORAGE VOLUME, RENDERS IT BIOLOGICALLY AND PHYSICALLY SAFE AND STABLE, RECOVERS TRAPPED RESOURCES, AND FORMS RESIDUAL MATERIAL INTO A STORABLE, POTENTIALLY USEFUL PRODUCT.