NASA Research Announcement: Research Opportunities in Physical Sciences

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) announces the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) solicitation number NNH20ZDA012N entitled “Research Opportunities in Physical Sciences (ROPS)” will be released on or after September 1, 2020, via the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System, or NSPIRES. Since this is a summary notice, it is not a complete or verbatim summary of this NRA or any of its individual program elements or appendices. The ROPS NASA Research Announcement solicits physical science research to be conducted in a variety of venues, such as (a) aboard the International Space Station (ISS); (b) other space stations; (c) free flyers; (d) suborbital flights; (e) lunar Gateway; (f) lunar surface; or (g) performed as ground-based research (e.g., on Earth-based reduced-gravity platforms, in ground facilities, conducted as computational and theoretical investigations). The main NRA solicits research in the following six research areas: (1) Biophysics, (2) Combustion Science, (3) Complex Fluids, (4) Fluid Physics, (5) Fundamental Physics, and (6) Materials Science. The main NRA will remain open until its contents and appendices can be integrated into SMD’s multi-divisional annual NRA entitled “Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES).” Multiple ROPS opportunities to propose are planned through a series of appendices depending on available funding and other programmatic constraints. This NRA is open to researchers in all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, NASA Centers, and other U.S. Government agencies. The NRA and all appendices are part of the NASA Science Assistance Listing CFDA Number 43.001. All SMD financial assistance complies with 14 CFR 1250, i.e., the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that ensures that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any SMD-funded research. As a condition of receipt of funding, the institution acknowledges and agrees that it must comply (and require any beneficiaries, e.g., subgrantees, contractors, successors, transferees, and assignees to comply) with applicable provisions of national laws and policies prohibiting discrimination. The Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division within NASA’s the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) funds this research. The first appendix released under the main NRA solicitation number NNH20ZDA012N-A_FLUIDS, entitled " Research Opportunities in Physical Sciences - Appendix A ," can be found on or after September 1, 2020, via the following steps: 1. Visit the NSPIRES homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ 2. Under "Solicitation” select "Open” 3. In the keywords box type: NNH20ZDA012N 4. From the List of Open Program Elements select “Research Opportunities in Physical Sciences – Appendix A NNH20ZDA012N-A-Fluids" This announcement also summarizes Appendix A, which solicits proposals for fluid physics experiments to be conducted on the ISS. NASA plans to conduct boiling and condensation experiments aboard the ISS using the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) in the Fluids Integrated Rack. The FBCE is an integrated two-phase flow boiling and condensation facility intended to serve as a primary platform for obtaining two-phase flow and heat transfer data in microgravity. Once currently planned test runs for FBCE are completed, NASA intends to replace the original flow boiling module with a new boiling module that has a geometry that more resembles the propellant tank transfer process. Through Appendix A, NASA seeks research proposals to determine the best use of the new flow boiling module for the FBCE in support of in-space cryogenic propellant tank transfer research. All proposal concepts must fit within FBCE hardware capabilities that are currently designed. Appendix A shall use a two-step proposal process. Mandatory Step-1 proposals are due by October 1, 2020. Step-1 proposals will be reviewed at NASA for relevance to the Research Emphases and requirements outlined in the appendix. NASA will invite proposers found to be relevant to submit full Step-2 proposals. Step-2 proposals are due by December 1, 2020, via NSPIRES. Every organization that intends to submit a proposal in response to this NRA must be registered with NSPIRES, and such registration must identify the authorized organization representative(s) who will submit the electronic proposal. Proposals must be submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization. For Step-1 Proposal submission proposers may use either NSPIRES ( http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ ) or Grants.gov ( http://www.grants.gov ). It is mandatory to submit Step-2 proposals via NSPIRES. Principal Investigators (PIs) and other participants (e.g., co-investigators) must be registered in NSPIRES regardless of the proposal submission system used. Because each electronic proposal system places requirements on the registration of proposal team members, potential proposers and proposing organizations should access the system(s) well in advance of the proposal due date(s). Questions with regard to responding to this NRA may be addressed to the contacts referenced in the full solicitation document or at the end of this summary notice. PIs may collaborate with investigators from universities, Federal Government laboratories, the private sector, state and local government laboratories, and other countries. Proposals including international participation are eligible, provided NASA policies regarding the conduct of research with non-U.S. organizations are met. ROPS awards grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and inter- or intra-agency transfers, depending on the nature of the work proposed, the proposing organization, and/or program requirements. The typical period of performance for an award is four years, but some ROPS opportunities may allow up to five years and others specify shorter periods. To learn of the addition of new program elements and all amendments to this NRA, proposers should subscribe to the SMD mailing lists (by logging in at http://nspires.nasaprs.com / and checking the appropriate boxes under "Account Management" and "Email Subscriptions"). A lapse in Government funding, a public health, or other emergency may impact ROPS. In such cases, proposers should visit NSPIRES, the official NASA source for the ROPS NRA and any program appendix. Responses to inquiries will be given by e-mail and when appropriate posted to the Questions and Answers, (QAs) located on NSPIRES . Anonymity of persons or institutions who submit questions will be preserved.