The Collier Report of U.S. Government Contracting

Sampling of Federal Government Funding Actions/Set Asides

In order by amount of set aside monies.

• $50,029 - Friday the 10th of July 2015
  National Aeronautics And Space Administration
  NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER
  THIS UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE UNIVERSITY (ISU) TO NASA HEADQUARTERS HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS MISSION DIRECTORATE RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS A GRANT FOR PARTIAL SUPPORT FOR ISU S 2013 MASTERS PROGRAM. THE REQUESTED SUPPORT, $50,029, FOCUSES ON THE MASTERS PROGRAM STUDENT RESEARCH TEAM PROJECT, HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS FROM MARTIAN ORBIT, ALSO KNOWN AS MARS-X. AN ISU TEAM PROJECT IS AN INTENSE, ORIGINAL RESEARCH ACTIVITY CONDUCTED BY MASTERS STUDENTS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AT ISU. THE MARS-X TEAM PROJECT WILL LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF PRECURSOR HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS FROM MARTIAN ORBIT. IT WILL ALSO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) EDUCATION AS IT RELATES TO THE ABILITY TO CONDUCT THIS AND OTHER COMPLEX SPACE MISSIONS. IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND COSTLY TO SEND HUMANS TO MARS, LAND ON THE SURFACE, EXPLORE, AND THEN TAKE OFF AGAIN TO FLY BACK TO EARTH. PRIOR TO A MISSION OF THIS MAGNITUDE, IT MIGHT BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO CONSIDER A PRECURSOR HUMAN MISSION TO FIRST EXPLORE MARS FROM MARTIAN ORBIT. THE MARS-X TEAM PROJECT PROPOSES THAT A HUMAN MISSION TO MARS COULD BE GREATLY FACILITATED, IF NOT FUNDAMENTALLY ENABLED, BY A PREPARATORY HUMAN MISSION EXPLORING MARS FROM MARTIAN ORBIT. THIS WOULD INVOLVE ROBOTIC EXPLORATION OF THE MARTIAN SURFACE OPERATED AND MONITORED BY ASTRONAUTS IN FACILITIES EITHER IN FREE-FLYING MARTIAN ORBIT OR STATIONED ON ONE OF MARS TWO MOONS. HUMANS COULD GUIDE A THOROUGH ROBOTIC EXPLORATION OF THE MANY POSSIBLE LANDING SITES ON THE MARTIAN SURFACE, THUS HELPING TO DETERMINE WHICH AREA ON THE SURFACE IS THE MOST SCIENTIFICALLY SIGNIFICANT, AS WELL AS THE MOST AMENABLE TO HUMAN EXPLORATION. THE ISU STUDENTS INVOLVED IN MARS-X WILL LOOK AT ALL OF THE ISSUES INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING AND IMPLEMENTING A MARTIAN ORBITAL MISSION. THESE INCLUDE MANY OF THE SAME SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, AND HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES THAT WOULD NEED TO BE CONFRONTED PRIOR TO SENDING HUMANS TO THE MARTIAN SURFACE, THUS ENHANCING THE LIKELIHOOD OF THAT EVENTUAL MISSION S SUCCESS. THE STUDENTS WILL ALSO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF STEM EDUCATION AND ITS INTRINSIC RELATIONSHIP TO THE SUCCESS OF SPACE ENDEAVORS. THEY WILL LOOK AT THE DOWNTURN IN STUDENT INTEREST IN STUDYING STEM SUBJECTS AND PURSUING STEM CAREERS, AND SEEK IDEAS TO CHANGE THIS NEGATIVE SPIRAL, USING SPACE ACTIVITIES, AND IN PARTICULAR HUMAN EXPLORATION OF MARS, AS A CATALYST. THE IMPACT OF ISU S MASTERS PROGRAM HAS BEEN WELL APPRECIATED BY NASA, WHICH HAS PROVIDED BROAD SPONSORSHIP FOR THE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE UNIVERSITY SINCE ITS INCEPTION TWENTYFIVE YEARS AGO. NASA ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL AS OTHER SPONSORS RECOGNIZE THAT THE VALUE OF THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY ISU STUDENTS DERIVES FROM THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF ISU S METHODOLOGY THAT BRINGS TOGETHER A DIVERSE POPULATION OF STUDENTS DIVERSE IN ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND, NATIONALITY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE, AND AGE AND EXPERIENCE. FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE 2012-13 ACADEMIC YEAR, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT APPROXIMATELY 50 STUDENTS WILL ATTEND THE MASTERS PROGRAM, WITH PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUNDS AND DEGREES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, POLICY AND LAW, BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS, ETC. IN ADDITION, ABOUT 100 FACULTY MEMBERS AND LECTURERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD (MANY FROM NASA) VISIT ISU EACH YEAR TO TEACH AND INTERACT WITH THE STUDENTS AND ONE ANOTHER. IN ALL ASPECTS OF ISU TEAM PROJECTS, THE STUDENTS CONCLUSIONS RESULT FROM CRITICAL ANALYSIS BUILDING ON THE WORK OF OTHERS (VIA LITERATURE SEARCH AND ACCESS TO EXPERTS) AS WELL AS INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND EVALUATION. AS WITH ALL ISU TEAM PROJECTS, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THE DIVERSE TEAM OF STUDENTS WORKING ON MARS-X, UNCONSTRAINED BY PREVIOUS PLANS OR POLICIES, WILL IDENTIFY AND DOCUMENT INNOVATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY, INTERNATIONAL IDEAS. ISU WILL DELIVER THE RESULTS OF THE MARS-X TEAM PROJECT TO NASA IN THE FORM OF A FINAL REPORT AND AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IN ELEC

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