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2016SmallExplorer(SMEX)AnnouncementofOpportunityand

MissionofOpportunity(MO)

HeliophysicsExplorerProgramQ&A

ChangeLogRev. Date DescriptionofChanges01 10/8/15 AddedQ&As1and202 10/22/15 AddedQ&A303 3/11/16 AddedQ&A404 4/14/16 AddedQ&As5and605 4/20/16 RevisedQ&As1and2,AddedQ&As7-2706 4/21/16 RevisedQ&A2507 4/22/16 RevisedQ&A25,AddedQ&As28-3108 4/27/16 AddedQ&As32-3409 5/2/16 AddedQ&As35,3610 5/13/16 AddedQ&As37-3911 6/9/16 AddedQ&A4012 7/8/16 AddedQ&As41-4513 7/13/16 UpdateQ&A1714 7/21/16 AddedQ&A4615 7/26/16 AddedQ&A4716 7/29/16 AddedQ&A4817 8/8/16 AddedQ&As49-5318 8/9/16 AddedQ&As54and5519 8/10/16 AddedQ&As56and5720 8/23/16 AddedQ&As58-7121 8/25/16 RevisedQ&As62and57,AddedQ&As72-7622 8/31/16 RevisedQ&A47,AddedQ&As77–8120 8/23/16 AddedQ&As58-7121 8/25/16 RevisedQ&As62and57,AddedQ&As72-7622 8/31/16 RevisedQ&A47,AddedQ&As77-8123 9/9/16 AddedQ&A8224 9/23/16 AddedQ&A8325 9/30/16 RevisedQ&A83,AddedQ&As84-87

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Q–1 RecentsimilarAOs(suchastheAstrophysicsSMEXAO)includedtheoptionofproposingamissionwiththelaunchvehicleprovidedbytheproposerbutwithanincreasedcostcap.IsitanticipatedthattherewillbeasimilaroptionfortheHeliophysicsExplorerAO?

PleaseseetheCommunityAnnouncementUpdateathttp://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/HPSMEX/pdf_files/update-comm-announcement.pdfontheSOMAwebpageathttp://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/HPSMEX/index.htmlandFAQQ-5below.

Q–2 Isthereanychanceoftalkingormeetingwithyouonthisproject?

AllcorrespondenceandcommunicationconcerningthisCommunityAnnouncementcanbesenttohq-explorers@nasa.gov.

Q–3 AreproposalsrequestingflightonthefirstNASAExplorationMission (EM-1)allowedforthisopportunity?

ProposalsrequiringaflightonthefirstNASAExplorationMission(EM-1)arenotapplicablefortheHeliophysics2016SMEXorMOopportunities.

Q–4 PleaseclarifyiftheAOCostCapforaHeliophysicsSmallExplorermission

of$115millioninNASAFiscalYear(FY)2017dollarsincludesaccesstospaceasdescribedintheForward.ThereisatypographicalerrorintheDraftHeliophysicsSMEXAO.TheAOCapof$115MdoesNOTincludethecostforaccesstospace.

Q–5 WillNASAconsiderchangingtheHeliophysicsSMEXAOtoallowforco-manifested,rideshareorsecondarylaunchopportunities?

OnMarch11,2016, theNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration (NASA)Science Mission Directorate (SMD) released a draft solicitation for communityreview and comment: the Draft 2016 Heliophysics Small Explorer (SMEX)Announcement of Opportunity (AO) NNH16ZDA003J. A large number ofquestions and comments were received from the scientific community. SMD isnow issuing informationonananticipatedmajorchangebetween theDraftandFinal AOs based, in part, on these comments. Proposers should read the FinalHeliophysicsSMEX2016AOcarefullywhenitisreleased.

In order to expand the range of options for access to space, The HeliophysicsSMEXAOwillberevisedtoallowco-manifested,rideshare,orsecondarylaunchopportunities.AlthoughNASA-provided launchserviceswillbeofferedandmaybeproposed,proposersmayalsoproposealternativeaccess tospace.While the

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specificrequirementsarestillbeingdeveloped,itisanticipatedtheFinalAOwillbe similar, but not identical, to the 2015 Earth Venture Mission-2 AO(NNH15ZDA011O) and/or the 2014 Astrophysics Small Explorer AO(NNH14ZDA013O). Clarifications regarding Principal Investigator (PI)-ManagedMission Cost requirements and the AO Cost Cap are pending and will beincorporatedintotheFinalSMEXAO.

Q–6 PertheSpaceCommunicationsandNavigation(SCaN)MissionOperations

andCommunicationsService(MOCS)andRealignmentofFundingResponsibilitiesforSpaceCommunicationsandNavigationdocuments,shouldDSNaperturefeeds,perminuteSNfeesandNENperpassfeesbeincludedwithinthePImanagedcostcap,ornot?

AllcostslistedintheSpaceCommunicationsandNavigation(SCaN)MissionOperationsandCommunicationsService(MOCS)arerequiredandshouldbeincludedinthePImanagedcostcap.ItisagenericdocumentapproachtoestimatingbothcostandvalueassociatedwithusingtheSCaNnetworks.TheRealignmentofFundingResponsibilitiesforSpaceCommunicationsandNavigationdocumentwasgeneratedbetweentheSMDandHEOMD/SCaN.TheintentofthisdocumentwastohighlightinternalNASAcosts.

Q–7 CanyouclarifythetechnologyreadinesslevelrequirementsinSection5.2.4oftheSMEXAO?

Asdiscussedinrequirement24,additionaldetailislistedinAppendixB,SectionF,requirementB-36.Additionally,aswritteninAppendixI,additionalclarificationwillbegiveninthefinalAOrelease.TheTRLrequirementsdonotmandatesystemleveltestingformaturingtechnologiestoTRL6byPDR.RequirementB-36callsfordemonstrationinarelevantenvironmentandnotnecessarilyasystemleveltest.Pleaseseethe“SystemLevelTRL6example”documentintheprogramlibraryforadditionalinformation.

Q–8 Requirements27and28,andSections4.3.1,5.2.7,and5.6.6,discusstheneedtoaccountexplicitlyforNASA-providedtelecommunicationscostswithinthePI-managedMissionCost.Pleaseclarifyhowthisshouldbeaccountedfor.

NASA-providedtelecommunicationscostsmustbeexplicitlyaccountedforwithinthePI-managedcost.CostinformationcanbefoundintheSpaceCommunicationsandNavigation(SCaN)MissionOperationsandCommunicationsServices(MOCS)asprovidedintheDocumentLibrary.

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Q–9 Section5.2.7andRequirement30statethat“Proposalsshallconsiderthe

useofKaband...”.Whatlevelofdetailisrequiredintheconsideration?

AsdiscussedinSection5.2.7,proposalsshallincludethemissionrequirementsfortelecommunications.PleaseseeSFCGdocumentationforguidelines.AllproposerswhocontemplateusingKa-bandfordatatransmissionshouldcontactNetworkIntegrationManagementOffice(NIMO)priortosubmittingtheirproposal,toconfirmKa-bandavailabilityfortheirparticularmission.

Q–10 IsthePegasusHAPSsystem(orcomparableauxiliary/precisionorbitalinjectionsystem)a“standardlaunchservice”?

No,thisisanon-standardlaunchserviceandmustbecostedaspartofthePI-managedcost.PleasecontactNASALaunchServicesProgramforadditionaldetailsonnon-standardlaunchservices.

Q–11 Do“standardlaunchservices”includetimedreleaseofmorethanonesatellitefromasinglemission-provideddeployer,onatimescaleofafewminutes,oncethedesiredorbithasbeenachievedbytheLV?

No,thisisanon-standardlaunchserviceandmustbecostedaspartofthePI-managedcost.PleasecontactNASALaunchServicesProgramforadditionaldetailsonnon-standardlaunchservices.

Q–12 CanyoupleaseconfirmthatPhaseAcostsaretobeincludedinthePImanagedcostcapasstatedbyrequirement55ofthedraftHeliophysicsSMEXAO?

Yes,PhaseAcostsareincludedinthePI-managedcost.

Q–13 TheschedulingforB-DisveryshortcomparedtoanalogousAO'sinrecenttimes.ThedraftAOcallsout36monthsforPhaseB-Dschedule.Isitpossibletoproposetolengthenthisbyanywhereupto12months?

ThePhaseB-DscheduleintheFinalAOwillremainthesameastheDraft.

Q–14 Whatinflationfactorshouldweusetoinflatecurrentyear$(2016)intoFY17$?TheinflationindexintheAOrightnowassumesthatwearein2017developingthecostestimate.

PleaseuseInflationtablesfoundintheAOdocumentlibrary.

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Q–15 RequirementB-52currentlyexplicitlylistswhichparametriccostmodelingtoolsmaybeusedtoconducttheparametriccostanalysis(SEER-HandPRICETruePlanning).Werequestthatthisberewordedtorequire“oneoftheCADsponsoredparametricmodelingtools”ratherthanexplicitlyrequireaspecifictool.

RequirementB-52willbedeletedintheFinalAO.

Q–16 CubesatsmayusetheISSasalaunchingfacility,usingtheNanoRackssystemintheJEMmodule.DoSCMinvestigationsthatusethesesortofservicesneedtocomplywithrequirementQ-18,ISSletteroffeasibility?

CSLIprovidedlaunchesdonotrequireanISSLetterofFeasibility.

Q–17 GiventhecomplexityofdevelopingaMissionofOpportunityrelativetothat

ofafullSmallExplorermission,isthereanyconsiderationtoraisingthefundinglevelforPhaseA?

ThePhaseAstudywillnowbeawardedfor$400K.

Q–18 Can6Ushavemassabovethe“6x1.33kg”guidanceintheAO?

Themasslimitationisdependentonthelaunchanddispenserused.The1.33kg/Uisthemostconstraininglimitandgoodforanyscenario.ThemostconstrainingscenarioisforaCubeSatsecondarylaunchopportunityonalaunchwithaNASAscienceprimary,inwhichcasethe1.33kgperoneUwouldapply.However,forCubeSatsonaVCLSclassmissionorothergovernmentlaunch,CSLIisacceptingCubeSatmassesthatexceed1.33kg/Umasslimit.Fora6UCubeSat,12kgisagoodlimittousethatwillsatisfyanydispenserwehaveoncontract.

Q–19 AreridesavailabletoGEOorGEOGraveyard?

AlthoughNASAdoesnotsendmanyspacecrafttoGEO,wedohavepartnershipssetupwiththeDoDwhodoutilizetheGEOdestination.However,DoDmissionsarenotplannedoutasfarasthe2022timeframe(atleastourknowledgeofthem),sowecan’tcommit.Wearealsoworkingonthecapabilitytomanifestwithacommercial“broker”whocouldprovidesecondaryopportunitiesoncommercialmissionssuchascommsats.GEOmissionsalsoplaceadditionburdensforamissiontomeettheorbitaldebrismitigationrequirementstolimitorbitallifetimeafterEOMto25yearsorenteranappropriatestorageordisposalorbitandforcollisionavoidance.

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Q–20 CanCSLIprovidearideformultipleCubeSatsgoingtothesameorbit?

Assecondarypayloads,itwillbemoredifficulttogetmultipleCubeSatsonthesamelaunch/sameorbit.However,wecurrentlyhave3emergingsmalllaunchprovidersoncontracttoprovidedemonstrationlaunchesinthe2017/18timeframe.Ifatleastoneofthemissuccessful,wemayhaveapotentialforessentiallydedicatedlaunchesofmulti-CubeSatmissionstoasingledestination.

Q–21 CanCSLIensure,withaletterofcommitment,wewillhavearideinthe

2022timeframe?

IfyouarerequestingaCSLIlaunch,CSLIwillmanifesttheselectedCubesats.However,aletterofcommitmentstatingaspecificlaunchdateisnotpossible.Asasecondarypayload,CSLIwillworkwithinyourrequestedconstraintsandprimarylaunchvehicleopportunities,tomanifestthemissioninatimelyfashion.WehavediscussedthiswiththeAOdevelopers.ProposersareexpectedtomeetLaunchReadinessDaterequirementsasspecifiedintheAO.

Q–22 WilltherebeanAOprocesstogetselectedforaride?

ForCubeSatsselectedfromaNASAAOthatproposetouseCLSIservices,wedoautomaticallyselectthemoutoftheCSLIAOprocess.WeaskforatleastacopyoftheproposalsubmittedforthescienceAOtobesubmittedtotheCSLIAOforpurposesofprioritization.TheCSLIcallshavebeenannual,openingintheAugusttimeframeandhaveadvertisedforlaunches1-4yearsoutfromtheannouncement.Sothe2018callwillprobablyadvertiseforlaunchesinthe2019-2022timeframe.

Q–23 Isthe$17Mchargethesameforonelaunchortwolaunches?

The$17M(note,thiscostisbeingre-evaluatedfortheFinalAOmayincreaseto$20M)isforonlyonelaunchof100kgofpayload.ThischargeisbuiltoffthescenarioofadedicatedlaunchofmultipleCubeSats.InthedraftAOthelastsentenceintheparagraphthataddressesthisisinerrorandwillbecorrectedinthefinal.

Q–24 Whataltitudesandinclinationsareavailable?

Asasecondarypayload,itsaltitudeandinclinationwoulddependontheprimarymission.Theprojectcanspecifytheorbitdesired,butthemoreflexibilityprovided,theeasiertomanifest.Thusfar,CubeSatshavebeendeployedoraremanifestedfordeploymentintothefollowingtargetorbits:

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102deginclination;420kmX810km40.5deginclination;500kmcircular51.6deginclination;400kmcircular(thisistheISSorbit,althoughaltitudemaybeslightlyhigherorlowerbasedonwheninthereboostcycletheCubeSatsaredeployed)97deginclination;450kmcircular98.2deginclination;440kmX670km90deginclination;500kmcircular85deginclination;500kmcircular55deginclination;375kmcircularInaddition,wecurrentlyhave3emergingsmalllaunchprovidersoncontract(VCLScontractsmentionedabove)toprovidedemonstrationlaunchesinthe2017/18timeframe.Ifatleastoneofthemissuccessful,wemayhaveapotentialforessentiallyadedicatedlaunchofasmallpayloadthatwouldbeabletoselecttheorbitalparameters(generallyLEOforthesenano-launchers)neededtomeettheirsciencerequirement.

Q–25 Whatarethepredictedlaunchdispersionsinaltitudeandinclination?

Launchvehiclesorbitinsertionaccuraciesaredispersionswithin±50kminaltitudeand±1.0°ininclination,howevertheyareverydependentonspecificlaunchvehicleandtargetorbit.TheVCLSlaunchvehiclesmayhavelargertolerancesastheyarestilldevelopmentalandwewouldbeflyingClassDtypepayloads.Iftighttolerancesonthedestinationorbitareimportanttoyourobjectives,thenstatethatandwewilldoourbesttomeetyourdesires.Justbeadvisedthatflexibilityenhancesourabilitytofindanappropriatelaunch.ForspecificsoneachtypeAthena;semi-majoraxis+/-20km,inclination+/-0.30deg.Pegasus;https://www.orbitalatk.com/flight-systems/space-launch-vehicles/pegasus/docs/Pegasus_UsersGuide.pdfDelta;http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/Launch_Vehicles/Delta_IV_Users_Guide_June_2013.pdfAtlasV;http://www.ulalaunch.com/uploads/docs/AtlasVUsersGuide2010.pdfFalcon9;http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/falcon_9_users_guide_rev_2.0.pdf

Q–26 Dothelimitsonmasspercube(1.33kgpercube)mentionedforthe

CubeSatLaunchInitiativeapplytothisservice?

Themasslimitationisdependentonthelaunchanddispenserused.The1.33kg/Uisthemostconstraininglimitandgoodforanyscenario.ThemostconstrainingscenarioisforaCubeSatsecondarylaunchopportunityonalaunchwithaNASAscienceprimary,inwhichcasethe1.33kgperoneUwouldapply.However,forCubeSatsonaVCLSclassmissionorothergovernmentlaunch,CSLIisacceptingCubeSatmassesthatexceed1.33kg/Umasslimit.Fora

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6UCubeSat,12kgisagoodlimittousethatwillsatisfyanydispenserwehaveoncontract.

Q–27 PleaseconfirmthatPhaseEcostsareorarenotincludedinthe$115Mcost

cap.

PhaseEcostsareincludedwithinthePI-managedcostcap.

Q–28 DuetotheuncertaintyinlaunchdatesforCubesatupto6yearsinthe

futurecanyouclarifythewordingforRequirementQ-9? Yes,RequirementQ-9.InthefinalSALMON-2,PEAQwillbemodifiedto:

“Proposalsshallincludeadetaileddevelopmentschedule(includingintegrationplans)andanassociatedcostthatforaSCMwithalaunchreadinessdatenolaterthanJune2022,orforPMOsisconsistentwiththedocumentedlaunchandoperationsscheduleoftheprimaryhostmission.”

Q–29 CanRequirementQ-17bemodifiedsothatthatlaunchservicesavailable

fromcommercialentitiesarerecognized? Yes,thefinalMissionofOpportunity,PEAQandwillread,“RequirementQ-17.In

additiontotherequirementsgivenintheSALMON-2AO,allproposedSCMinvestigations,withtheexceptionofinvestigationsrequiringflightontheISSorsuborbital-classmissions,orlaunchservicespurchaseddirectlybytheinvestigation,mustalsoprovideaLetterofCommitmentfromtheprogramoragencyprovidingaccesstospace.ThisLetterofCommitmentmustcontain:…”.

Q–30 Canitbemadeclearerthatalloftherequirementsinsection4.5.3.3apply

onlytoinvestigationsthattakeadvantageoftheKSCCubeSatLaunchInitiative(CSLI)andnottootherCubesatinvestigations?

Yes,Section4.5.3.3andrequirementQ-21ofthefinalMissionofOpportunity,PEA

QwillbemodifiedtoexplicitlystatethesearerelevantforNASACSLIlaunches.Q–31 DoCubesatproposalsneedtoaddressRequirementQ-24oftheSALMON-2

PEAQ? Yes,CubesatproposalsneedtoaddressRequirementQ-24andRequirement39in

theSALMON-2AO.RequirementQ-24ofthefinalMissionofOpportunity,PEAQwillbemodifiedtoexplicitlystatethis.

Q–32 WillNASAallowalowertechnicalandcostriskforplanswherebywithin

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theproposedeffortaninexpensiveinitialpathfinderunitislaunchedandtested,withNASAnotcommittedtofundingthefollow-onsuntilbothtechnicalandcostsuccesshasbeenproveninspacewiththepathfinder?

ThegeneralTechnologyReadinessLevelrequirementistodemonstrateathereisaplantoachieveTRL6byPDR.ForCubeSatproposalsthatwishtodemonstratethattechnologybyafullflight,itismoreappropriatetoproposethetechnologydemonstratortotheResearchOpportunitiesinSpaceandEarthSciences(ROSES)SolicitationforHeliophysicsTechnologyandInstrumentDevelopmentforScience(HTIDeS).

Q–33 WillthetwoAOsbeupdatedtocite“EXP-RQMT-0003,SMallEXplorers

(SMEX)MissionAssuranceRequirements(MAR)MissionRiskClassification–NPR7120.5ClassD”asthemissionassurancerequirementsdocumentforthisacquisition?

Yes,thischangewillbemade.

Q–34 Whatrequirements,ifany,areleviedonNASAmissionsproposedfor

bandwidthrestrictionintheS-andX-bandregardlessofgroundsystemprovider?

PleasereviewtheSpectrumDataSpaceCommunicationsBandsdocumentandtheS-BandOverviewdocumentlocatedintheProgramLibrary.

Q–35 RequirementQ-33replacesrequirementB-23,Q-34replacesB-24,andQ-35

replacesB-27.RequirementsB-23,B-24,andB-27areinVersionAoftherequirementssectionF,whichdoesnotapplytoSmallCompleteMissions.DoesthismeanthatQ-33,Q-34,andQ-35onlyapplytoPartnerMissionofOpportunityinvestigations??

SALMON-2PEAQRequirementsQ-33,Q-34,andQ-35applytoSCMsaswellas

PMOs.ForSCMs,RequirementsQ-33andQ-34applyinadditiontoRequirementsB-31toB-44inVersionBofSALMON-2SectionF.However,thefollowingfromRequirementB-31shouldbenoted:

Insomeareas(e.g.,instruments),thedatarequestedmayhavealreadybeenpresentedinanothersectionoftheproposal(e.g.,theExperimentImplementationsection).Insuchacase,aproposalmayprovideareferencetothatsectionandneednotrepeatthedatainthissection.

ForSCMs,RequirementQ-35supersedesRequirementB-41.TheseclarificationswillbedocumentedintheFinalSALMON-2PEAQ.

Q–36 ToallowaproperdevelopmentcycleforballoonmissionsfromAntarctica,

canNASAextendtheflightreadinessdatetoDecember2022?

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ForSmallCompleteMission(SCM)MOs,proposersmustspecifythelaunchreadinessdateintheproposal,whichistobenolaterthanJune2022.However,forballoonmissionsplannedforlaunchfromAntarcticaduringtheDecember2022-January2023campaign,"launchreadiness”perthisrequirementisconsideredtobeoneandthesameasbeingatCSBFandreadytocompletepre-deploymentintegrationandtestingwiththeCSBFsupportsystems.Juneisthenormalmonthforpre-deploymentintegrationandtestingatCSBFforAntarcticballoonmissions,whichinthecaseofthisAO,mustbenolaterthanJune2022.

Q–37 Ifaproposalisforaconstellationofsatellitesconsistingofidenticalspacecraftbuses,withsomecarryinginstrumentAandsomecarryinginstrumentB,doestheproposalwarranttwoadditionalpagesforanadditionalinstrument?Also,ifflightsegmentisdefinedasspacecraftbuspluspayload,doesthisscenarioconstitutetwoflightsegmentsbasedontwodifferentflightconfigurations,thuswarrantinganadditionaltwopagesfortheadditionalflightsegment?

Assumingtheinstrumentsarenotdifferentiatedbyscienceoperationsonly,

instrumentBwarrantstwoadditionalpages.Butbecausetheflightsegmentsareonlydifferentiatedbysomethingthathasalreadybeencreditedwithadditionalpages,noadditionalpageswouldbewarrantedfortheadditionalflightsegment.IfaccommodationofinstrumentsAandBimposeddifferentrequirements,resultinginsignificantlydifferentspacecraftbusdesigns,twoadditionalpageswouldbewarrantedfortheadditionalflightsegment.

Q–38 WhatcostinformationisallowedintheHeritageAppendix?

AsstatedintheDraftHeliophysicsSMEXAO,AppendixB,SectionJ.10Heritage,RequirementB-68oftheDraftHelioSMEXAOallowsonlyspecifictypesofcostinformationtobeprovidedwhichis"acomparisonofthecostoftheheritageitemstotheproposedcost"onlyon"proposedelementswithsubstantialdesignheritage".RequirementB-68limitsthediscussionto"eachelementofanyheritagefromwhichtheproposedinvestigationderivessubstantialbenefit,includingheritagefromspacecraftsubsystems,instruments,groundsystems,flightandgroundsoftware,testsetups,simulations,analyses,etc."AnycostinformationfoundintheHeritageappendixwhichisoutsideofthelimitedscopeallowedbyRequirementB-68willnotbeconsideredintheevaluationoftheproposal.Allotherproposalcostinformation,asdescribedinAppendixB,SectionH.COSTANDCOSTESTIMATINGMETHODOLOGYoftheDraftHelioSMEXAO,mustbeincludedinthepage-limitedCostSectionoftheproposal.PleasealsonotethatAppendixB,SectionJ.PROPOSALAPPENDICES,RequirementB-54oftheDraftHelioSMEXAOstates"…Theproposershallnotincludeinthese

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Appendicesmaterialrequiredinthepage-limitedsectionsinthebodyoftheproposal.Anyadditionalinformationnotspecificallywithinscopeofanappendixwillnotbeconsideredbytheevaluationpanelandmayresultinreducedratingsduringtheevaluationprocessor,insomecases,couldleadtorejectionoftheproposalwithoutreview.”ThefinalPEAQwillincludethesamerequirementthatwillsupercedetheSALMON-2RequirementB-57.

Q–39 PleaseclarifySection1.1.oftheEXP-RQMT-003documentthatstates,“Thedevelopershallprepare,document,andimplementaMissionAssuranceImplementationPlan(MAIP).DeveloperMAIPandComplianceMatrixdraftsareduewithAOresponse."

ThedocumentEXP-RQMT-003willbeupdatedwithnewlanguage,withtherequiredinformationdelayedtoStep2.ThefirstparagraphinSection1.1willnowread:“Thedevelopershallprepare,document,andimplementaMissionAssuranceImplementationPlan(MAIP).DeveloperMAIPandComplianceMatrixdraftsareduewiththeConceptStudyReport.”

Q–40 HowwillNASAaccessriskforaproposalthatincludesaco-manifestedorsecondarypayloadpertainingtolaunchservices,cost,andschedule?

Alternativeaccesstospacemayincludetheprovisionofnon-NASAlaunch

servicesasprimary,secondary,orco-manifestedpayloadsonaU.S.-orforeign-manufacturedlaunchvehicle.Proposalsthatincludenon-NASAlaunchservices(purchasedorcontributed)obtainedfromaU.S.ornon-U.S.partnershallmeetthefollowingrequirements:• Whenflyingasaco-manifestedorsecondarypayload,theproposermust

demonstrateacommitmentfromtheproposedco-manifestedorprimarymissionorganization(s)toaccommodatetheproposedpayloadordemonstratethatthelaunchservicesproviderhasanappropriateprocesstoprovidespecificlaunchservices;thesecommitmentsmustbedocumentedinaLetterfromtheappropriateorganization(s).

• TheproposalmustidentifythelaunchopportunityandmustprovideevidenceintheproposalthatthelaunchserviceprovideragreestomanifestthemissionshouldtheproposalbeselectedandconfirmedforflightbyNASA.ThisevidencemustincludeaLetterfromthelaunchservicesprovidercontaining,ataminimum,thefollowinginformation:

− Evidencethatthelaunchservicesproviderwillprovidetheservicesdescribedintheproposalundertheconditions(cost,schedule)describedintheproposal;

− Adescriptionoftheopportunity(oropportunities,ifmorethanoneunderconsideration)thatthelaunchserviceprovidercanofferforconsiderationbythePI;and

− AdescriptionoftheprocessthatthelaunchserviceproviderwilluseinordertocommittothePItoprovidespecificlaunchservicesforthe

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proposedinvestigation,shouldNASAselecttheproposedinvestigation;thisprocessdescriptionmustincludeanotionalscheduleforidentifyingthespecificlaunchopportunityanddefinitizingthecost.

• Theproposalmustdescribethelaunchservices,demonstratecompatibilitywiththeproposedlaunchvehicle,andshowhowtheproviderwillfulfillthemissionrequirements.

• TheproposalmustdescribethearrangementbetweenthePIandthenon-NASAlaunchserviceprovidertoenablethePI'sinsightforlaunchservices,consistentwithNASAProceduralDocuments(NPD)8610.7and8610.23.NotethattheseNPDsallowuniquearrangementsforpayloadsabletotoleratemorerisk.NASAwilldevelopanadvisoryapproachbasedontheinsightthePIisprovidedfromthenon-NASAlaunchserviceprovider.Theproposalbudgetmustinclude$2.0MfortheNASAlaunchvehiclemonitoringfunctionsandadvisoryservicesthatwouldenableNASAtoreviewandadvisethePIonlaunchvehicleinformationfromthenon-NASAlaunchserviceprovider.

• Forproposedsecondaryorco-manifestedmissions,orformissionsproposedashostedpayloads,thePIassumesallriskforanydelaysintheimplementationoftheparentmissionandshall,therefore,proposeappropriatereservesforsuchschedulecontingencies.Proposalshallincludeaminimum9monthsfundedschedulereserveforthisrisk.Proposalshallprovidejustificationfortheschedulerisk.

Alternativeaccesstospaceoptionsinvolvesseveralcomplexissuesatthis

stageofprojectmaturity.Itisintheproposer’sbestinteresttoclearlysupportthematurityoftheirplanandaccesstospacepossibilities.Theminimumexpectationsforaccesstospacearrangementsmustbeincludedintheproposaltothelevelofdetailoutlinedabove.Anyadditionalevidenceofmaturityorcommitmentprovidedwillbeusedtosupportriskposture.

Q–41 Section5.9.2ofthedraftAOindicatesthatalaunchvehiclewillbeprovidedasGFE,andthat“Standardlaunchservices...willbeprovided”.Shouldthisbeconstruedtomeanthatstandardlaunchserviceswillbeprovidedatnodirectchargetotheproject,i.e.outsidethePI-ManagedMissionCost?

Section5.9.2ofthedraftAOregardingPIManagedMissionCostandlaunchserviceshasbeensupersededwiththeinformationprovidedinCommunityAnnouncement#2(http://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/HPSMEX/pdf_files/CA2-05112016.pdf)datedApril14,2016.NotethatunencumberedcostreservesarenotrequiredforNASAprovidedlaunchservices.

Q–42 WhereistheELVLaunchServicesInformationSummarydocument?

Thelatest“ELVLaunchServicesInformationSummary”document,dated05/02/2016,islocatedintheSMEXprogramlibraryathttp://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/HPSMEX/SMEX/pdf_files/SMEX-

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2016LSPInfoSummary-Draftgm.pdf.

Q–43 Whatisthe2016HeliophysicsSMEXAOCostCap?

TheAOCostCapforaHeliophysicsExplorermissionwillbeincreasedto$165MinFiscalYear(FY)2017dollars,includingaccesstospace,butnotincludinganycontributions.ThissupersedestheCostCapsstatedaboveinQ-4andQ-27inthisthisdocument.

Q–44 Fora2016HeliophysicsMO,arecostsassociatedwithNASAprovidedaccesstospaceorsuborbitalaccessoutsidethePI-ManagedMissionCost?

Fora2016HeliophysicsMO,costsassociatedwithNASAprovidedaccesstospaceasasecondarypayloadforCubeSatsthatuseCubeSatLaunchInitiative(CSLI),suborbital-classmissions,andinvestigationsrequiringflighttotheISS,willbeoutsidethePI-ManagedMissionCost.

Q–45 The2016SmallExplorer(SMEX)AnnouncementofOpportunity(AO)HeliophysicsExplorerProgramQ&A,Q-40requires9monthsminimumfundedschedulereserveforsecondary/co-manifestedlaunchscheduleriskmitigation.Canany(orall)ofthelaunchschedulereserveoccurafterthelaunchreadinessdate?

ThebaselinemissionlaunchreadinessdateisspecifiedintheAO,butpotentialdelaysinimplementationoftheparentmissionmayextendbeyondthis.Theproposalandjustificationofreservesforassociatedschedulecontingenciesmustincludeanassessmentoflikelihoodofdelay.Incaseswherethedelayisexpectedtoexceed9months,thecostofthedurationinexcessof9monthsmaybeadjustedaccordingtotheassessedlikelihoodofoccurrence.Incaseswherethedelayisexpectedtobelessthan9months,9monthsoffully-fundedschedulereservemustbeprovided.

Q–46 The2016SMEXAOcitesNPR8715.6B,whiletheProgramLibrarycitesNPR8715.6A.Since8715.6AwasstillineffectuponAOrelease,shoulditbeusedinsteadofNPR8715.6B?

Yes,butclarificationisnecessary.Earth-orbitingspacecraftwithaperigeeheightoflessthan2000kminaltitudeorwithin200kmofGEOarenotrequiredtobemaneuverable,butthesespacecraftwillberequiredtohaveconjunctionassessmentsperformedforthem.Alsonote,therequirementtobudgetforconjunctionassessmentriskanalysishasbeendeferredtoStep2.Forfurtherdetailedinformationpleasecontact:Ms.LauriNewman(Telephone:301-286-3155;E-mail:lauri.k.newman@nasa.gov).

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Q–47 The2016HeliophysicsSMEXAORequirementB-4andSALMON-2PEAQRequirementQ-41bothstate“ProposalsshallconformtothepagelimitsspecifiedintheProposalStructureandPageLimitstable”,buttherespectivetablesdonotprovideforextrapagesforadditionalseparate,nonidenticalscienceinstruments(PEA)orflightelements(both).Giventheinconsistency,dotheRequirementsorthetablesgovernthepagelimits?

2016HeliophysicsSMEXAORequirementB-4andSALMON-2PEAQ

RequirementQ-41governthepagelimitsinthecaseofinconsistency.Furthermore,forboththeAOandPEA,anyextrapagesmaybedistributedbetweenSectionsD-Gasdesired.Extrapagesarenotallocatedforthefirstinstanceofeitherinstrumentorflightelement.Forexample,aninvestigationinvolvingspaceflightof5differentscienceinstrumentswouldbeconsideredtohave4additionalinstruments(oneoftheinstrumentsbeingthefirstinstanceofaninstrumentintheproposal).Suchaninvestigationwouldbeallowedupto2x4=8additionalpagesintheproposaltoachieveadequatedescriptionoftheseinstruments.NotethatQ&A#37providesanexampleofthepageallowanceforadditionalflightelements.

Q–48 WhereisthefinalCOMPLIANCECHECKLIST(APPENDIXFonpageF-1)for

theHeliophysicsExplorersProgram2016SmallExplorer(2016HelioSMEX)AnnouncementofOpportunity?

ThefinalversionoftheCOMPLIANCECHECKLIST(APPENDIXFonpageF-1)isavailableinthecorrectedAOpostedonJuly29,2016onNSPIRESat:https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={A0C496AC-9B9D-8F7D-A506-B1695BF9BDE8}&path=initThepreviousAppendixF.1onpageF.1(datedJuly20,2016)hasbeenupdatedtoremovethewatermarkthatimpliedthetablewasadraft.Thewatermarkhasbeenremoved.Nootherchangesweremade;thetableasreleasedwasthefinalversion.

Q–49 Doesthe“costtocomplete”inAORequirement58refertomissionPhasesA-D,orPhasesA-F?

PerAORequirement59,therearenominimumunencumberedcostreserve

requirementsforPhasesEandF.The“costtocomplete”inRequirement58isthatthroughPhasesA/B/C/D.

Q–50 IscollaboratorfundingconsideredacontributiontotheProject?WhataretheassociatedInstitutionalLetterofCommitmentrequirements?

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AORequirement48statesthat:“Proposalsshallidentifythefundingsourceforeachcollaborator;thecostsshallbeincludedintheTotalMissionCost.”CollaboratorfundingisconsideredacontributiontotheTotalMissionCost(seeAOSection4.3.2).InstitutionalLettersofCommitmentarerequiredforindividualsintheStep-1proposal,providedthattheindividual’seffortiscontributedandtheindividualispartoftheProposalTeam(seeAOSection5.8.1.3).

PEA-QRequirementQ-7statesthat:“Proposalsshallidentifythefundingsourceforeachcollaborator;thecostsshallbeincludedintheTotalMissionCost.”CollaboratorfundingisconsideredacontributiontotheTotalMissionCost(seeSALMON-2AOSections4.3.2and5.8).However,theSALMON-2AO(Section5.10.1)doesnotrequireanassociatedInstitutionalLetterofCommitment:“LettersofCommitmentsignedbyaninstitutionalofficialmustbeprovidedfrom(i)allorganizationsofferingcontributionsofgoodsand/orservices(bothU.S.andnon-U.S.,butexcludingCo-Iandcollaboratorservices)onano-exchange-of-fundsbasis…”.

Q–51 Isthereapagelimitonaclassifiedheritageappendix?

Aclassifiedheritageappendix,ifprovided,islimitedto30pages.PerSection5.8.3,“Therequirementsoncontentandformatoftheclassifiedappendixregardingheritagearethesameasthosefortheunclassifiedappendixregardingheritage(seeAppendixB,SectionJ.10,forfurtherdetails)…”.AppendixB,SectionJ.10statesthat“[t]hissectionislimitedto30pages”,where“thissection”referstotheunclassifiedheritageappendix.

Q–52 InwhatwayaretheScienceEnhancementOptions(Section5.1.5)andtheDataManagementPlan(RequirementB-23)beingdeferred?

PerAORequirements12-14,ifSEOactivitiesareproposed,theproposalshalldefineanddescribetheproposedactivities,whichshallbeclearlyseparablefromtheBaselineScienceMissionandThresholdScienceMissioninvestigations.IfanextendedmissionSEOisproposed,itshallconformtotheguidelinesprovidedintheSMDMissionExtensionParadigmdocument.However,therequirementtoestimatethecostofanySEOefforthasbeendeferreduntilStep2.Inaddition,NASAassumesthatoneofmoreactivitiesspecifiedwillbeproposed,evenafterdownselection,sotheyneedonlytobedescribedinproposalsand/orconceptstudyreportsiftheyareatypical.

PerAORequirementB-23,theend-to-enddataprocessingfromdownlinkofthedatathrougharchivingshallbedescribedintheproposedinvestigation.Inaddition,thescienceanddataproducts,andtheappropriateNASAdataarchiveandtheformatsandstandardstobeused,shallbeidentified.Anestimateoftherawdatavolumeshallbeprovided.Thedatalatencybyproductforthe

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submissiontothedataarchiveofrawandreduceddatainphysicalunitsaccessibletothesciencecommunityshallbedefined.However,aschedule-basedend-to-enddatamanagementplanisdeferreduntilStep2.

Q–53 IstheuseofKa-bandrequiredforsciencedatareturnfortheproposedinvestigations?

PerAORequirement29,theuseofKa-bandisrequiredforsciencedatareturn,unlessitisinappropriatefortheproposedinvestigation.IftheuseofKa-bandforsciencedatareturnisinappropriatefortheproposedinvestigation,thenproposalofanalternativecommunicationsapproachshallbejustifiedintheproposal.Justificationsthatmaybeacceptableincludesubsystem/componentheritage,linkavailability,andpowerconstraints.

Q–54 RegardingQ-39above,HasarevisedEXP-RQMT-003documentbeenissued?PleaseclarifySection1.1regardingwhentheMissionAssuranceImplementationPlan(MAIP)andComplianceMatrixdraftsarerequired.

RevisionAoftheEXP-RQMT-003documentwasissuedon03August2016,andispostedintheProgramLibrary.Section1.1nowreads,“Thedevelopershallprepare,document,andimplementaMissionAssuranceImplementationPlan(MAIP).DeveloperMAIPandComplianceMatrixdraftsareduewiththeConceptStudyReport."

Q–55 CanthebridgephasefundinglineatthebottomofTableB3bbedeferred?

ProposedbridgephasefundingrequestsareimportantconsiderationsinHeliophysicsDivisionbudgetplanning,sotherequirementfortheirprovisionwillnotbedeferred.

Q–56 IstherealimittothecontributionfractionforaPEAMO?

No.Q–57 ArecontributionsforHeliophysicsSMEXproposalslimitedtoeach

individualphase,ortothetotalproject?

TheHeliophysicsSMEXcontributionlimitof1/3ofthePI-ManagedMissionCostisappliedovertheentireproject.ThereisnolimitforanysinglephaseorWBSelement.

Q–58 FortheHelioPEAQ,doCubeSatmissionsgetlumpedwiththe“suborbital

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class”andthereforehaveacostcapof$35M,ordoesaCubeSatbasedmissionhaveacostcapof$55M?

CubeSatmissionsarecappedat$55M.BalloonsandsRLVsaretheonlymissionswithcostcapsof$35M.

Q–59 ForbothHelioSMEXAOandPEAQ,areallFiscalYearcoststobeintheGovernmentFiscalYear?

Yes,allFiscalYearcostsaretobeexpressedaccordingtotheGovernmentFiscalYear,OctobertoSeptember.

Q–60 HowmuchadvancenoticewillPIsbegivenastowhenthenolessthan24-hourwindowforClarificationswillbe?

Severalweeksbeforethepotentialmajorweaknessesaresentouttoproposers,theProgramScientistwillsendanemailouttoeachPrincipalInvestigatorstatingthedateproposerswillreceivepotentialmajorweaknessesandtheduedateandtimeforprovidingclarificationresponses.AnupdatetothisQ&AwithatargetperiodforClarificationswillbeissuedafterthereceiptofproposals.

Q–61 CanSEOsbeproposedintheStep1proposals?

Yes,SEOscanbeproposedintheStep1proposals.ThefinalHelioSMEXAO(Section5.1.5)andSALMON-2AO(Section5.2.5)bothstate:“NASAconsidersanyproposedSEOactivitiesasoptional.”Ifincludedinaproposal,however,costinformationisnotrequired.CostwillberequiredforanySEOsincludedintheconceptstudyreportsofselectedmissions.

Q–62 ForTMCevaluations,domultipleminorstrengths/weaknessescombinetorisetothelevelofaffectingtheriskrating?

TheTMCevaluationpanelwilldeterminethemajorandminorfindingsbasedonthedefinitionsofmajorandminorstrengthsandweaknesses.TMCriskratingsarebasedonlyonmajorweaknessesandmajorstrengths.MultiplerelatedminorweaknessesorstrengthscouldbecombinedintoamajoriftheTMCevaluationpaneldeemsitappropriate.

Q–63 WhatshouldweassumeforthetimeperiodbetweenendofPhaseAandstartofPhaseB?Isthisthe4-month(PEA)or5-month(AO)"bridge"?

ThereiseffectivelynogapbetweentheendofPhaseAatdownselectionandthestartofPhaseB.TheBridgePhaserepresentsthefirst4or5monthsofPhaseB.

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Q–64 Requirement90oftheHelioSMEXAOandRequirementQ-23oftheHelioPEAQspecify$2.0MNASAmonitoringofnon-NASAlaunches.Howshouldweallocatethis(onelumpvsspreadovertime);whatshouldbethetimingofthiscostinourcostbreakout?

WhilethereisnospecificrequirementregardingallocationoftheNASAmonitoringcharge,ourrecommendationistodistributeituniformlyovermissionPhasesCandD.Also,notethatthechargeinPEAQisnotapplicabletohostedpayloads,inlinewiththeSMEXAO.

Q–65 Section5.6.6oftheHelioSMEXAOandSection4.5.4oftheHelioPEAQdiscusshowtoincludecostsrelatedtoNASAservices,andspecificallyindicatenottoincludeNASAHeadquartersoverhead.ShouldtheproposalincludecostsrelatedtotheGSFCExplorersProgramOfficeactivitiestomanagetheproject?Ifyes,howdoweworkwithGSFCtoestimatethesecosts,andaretheyincludedinthePI-ManagedMissionCost,ortheTotalMissionCost?

No,projectsarenotresponsibleforExplorersProgramOfficepersonnel.ThecitedSectionsoftheHelioSMEXAOandPEAQapplytoNASACivilServantswhoaremembersoftheproposalteam.

Q–66 FortheHelioSMEXAO(Requirement89)andtheHelioPEAQ(RequirementQ-22),shouldthecostofthe9-monthfundedschedulereservebeconsideredpartofthe25%unencumberedcostreserve?

25%unencumberedcostreservesmustbeheldagainstthecostofthe9-monthfundedschedulereserves.PerHelioSMEXAOSection5.6.3,andSALMON-2AOSection5.5.2,fundedschedulereservemustbeincludedinthedenominatoroftheunencumberedcostreservescalculation.

Q–67 FortheHelioSMEXAORequirement58andPEAQRequirementQ-15,thetextforthe25%unencumberedreserverequirement,indicatesthisshouldbeagainst“costtocomplete”.Shouldthe“costtocomplete”bethePI-ManagedMissionCost,ortheTotalMissionCost?Shouldthereservebetakenagainstatotalthatitselfhasreservesinit(seepriorquestionaboutfundedschedulereserve),oronlyagainstplannedcosts?

TheHelioSMEXAORequirement58andHelioPEAQRequirementQ-15refertotheunencumberedcostreservesonthePI-ManagedMissionCosttocompletemissiondevelopmentPhasesA/B/C/D.Theunencumberedcostreservesaretheratioof:1)theamountofdevelopmentunencumberedcostreservesforPhasesA/B/C/D,notincludingfundedschedulereserve,and2)thePI-ManagedMission

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CosttocompletedevelopmentPhasesA/B/C/D,includingthecostoftechnicaldesignmargin,includingfundedschedulereserve,notincludingcostreserveorNASA-providedlaunchandmonitoring/advisoryservicecostsasapplicable.SeeHelioSMEXAOSection5.6.3andSALMON-2AOSection5.5.2.

Q–68 IntheSALMON-2AO,RequirementB-33refersto“RequirementB-46thruRequirementB-44”.Isthisatypo?Whatarethecorrectrequirements?RequirementB-33intheSALMON-2AOisinerror.ThefirstsentenceofthecorrectRequirementB-33reads:“NASArecognizesthatthefulldepthofinformationrequestedinRequirementB-34throughRequirementB-44maynotbeavailableforsomeaspectsofmissionimplementationatthisstageofmissiondesign.”

Q–69 TheHelioSMEXAOSection7.4.4andPEAQSection6.3.3indicatethatNASAmayrequestsitevisitstoreviewconceptstudyresults.ShouldPhaseAfundsbeallocatedtosupportsuchasitevisitaftertheCSRhasbeensubmitted?ShouldthePhaseAstudyperiodofperformanceextendbeyondthenominal11monthconceptstudyperiodinordertoallowproposerstosupportasitevisit?

AdequatefundingandscheduleshouldbeallocatedinPhaseAtosupportsitevisits.ThedraftGuidelinesandCriteriaforthePhaseAConceptStudydocumentintheProgramLibrariesstates,inpart:“Theconceptstudyforeachselectedinvestigationwillconstitutetheinvestigation’sConceptandTechnologyDevelopmentPhase(PhaseA)oftheFormulationprocessasoutlinedinNPR7120.5E.”(Page1)“TheproductofaconceptstudyisaConceptStudyReport(CSR)…”(Page1)“InvestigationteamsareresponsibleforthecontentandqualityoftheirCSRs,sitevisitpresentations,andresponsestoweaknessesandquestions...”(Page2)

“Theevaluationprocesswillincludevisitsbytheevaluationteamtoeachinvestigationteam’schosensite,tohearoralbriefingsand,ifneeded,toreceiveupdatesandclarificationofmaterialintheCSRs.ThesebriefingswillbeconductedapproximatelytwomonthsfollowingsubmissionoftheCSRs...NASAmayidentifyweaknessesandquestionsandaskthattheinvestigationteamrespondtotheseeitherpriortooratthesitevisit.(Page3)

“AnyadditionalinformationprovidedtoNASAbytheinvestigationteamatthe

sitevisit,inresponsetotheNASA-identifiedweaknessesandquestions,orinresponsetoNASArequestsforadditionalinformation,willbetreatedasupdatesandclarificationstotheCSR.”(Page3)

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Q–70 IstheMissionUniqueAdaptercostacosttodevelopaMUA,ortosupportaPI-providedMUA?

A“standard”payloadadapterisincludedintheNASA-providedLaunchService.Standardadaptersaredescribedinlaunchvehicle-specificpayloaduserguides.TheMissionUniqueAdaptercostincludesthedesignandmanufacturingofacustomadapter,ifoneisrequired.Ifthestandardadaptorprovidedbythelaunchvehicleissuitable,thecostisalreadyincludedinthe$50Mcharge;otherwise,thecostmustbeincludedinthePIManagedMissionCost(PIMMC).3optionsforPayloadAdapters:

1- ExistingLaunchVehiclestandardadapter:noadditionalcharge(includedin$50M)

2- MissionuniqueadapterfromNASAlaunchservice:costincludedinPIMMC3- PI-providedadapter:costincludedinPIMMC

Q–71 PleaseclarifywhetherornotNeNaccesscostsorothernon-NeNSCaNcosts

aretobeheldwithinthePI-ManagedMissionCost.

Q-6inthepostedQ&Asiscorrect:“AllcostslistedintheSpaceCommunicationsandNavigation(SCaN)MissionOperationsandCommunicationsService(MOCS)arerequiredandshouldbeincludedinthePImanagedcostcap.”SeeHelioSMEXAOSection5.2.5andSALMON-2AOSection5.3.6formoredetails.

Q–72 Ifacommerciallaunchserviceproviderwillonlycommittoa6-month

launchwindowatthistime(dependsonfindingaprimetooutorbit),woulditbeacceptableforthelaunchreadinessdate(NLTAugust2022)tobethestartofthat6-monthwindow?

Yes,assumingthatyouarereadytolaunchNLTAugust2022,andhavebudgetedenoughfundsforthepotential6monthdelay.

Q–73 FortheHelioSMEXAOandPEAQ,doInternationalSpaceStationpayloads

requireinclusionof9monthsfundedschedulereserveforlaunchdelays?

The9monthsfundedschedulereserveonlyappliestosecondaryorco-manifestedmissions,orformissionsproposedashostedpayloads.IfNASAlaunchservicestoISSareused,then9monthsoffundedschedulereservearenotrequired.

Q–74 FortheHelioSMEXAOandPEAQ,doesuseofInternationalSpaceStation

(ISS)communicationsforhealth,statusandinstrumentsuitecommanding,ortransmittalofcollectedexperimentdatafromtheISS,constitute“NASAnetworkservices”andisthereaPI-ManagedMissionCost(PIMMC)associatedwiththis?

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FortheSMEXAOandPEAQISSinvestigations,noNASAnetworkservicechargesarerequiredinthePIMMC.

Q–75 Section6.1.2oftheSALMON-2AOstates“thosewhosubmitNOIswillreceive

anyupdatesorAOamendmentsthatmayoccur,uptothetimeoftheproposalsubmittaldeadline.”However,theHelioSMEXAOdoesnothavethatsamestatement.Howwillproposingteams(SMEXAOandPEAQ)benotifiedofupdatesand/oramendments?

TheabovestatementfromtheSALMON-2AOisinerror.AnyamendmentswillbeannouncedbyemailtoallsubscriberstotheSMDgeneralinformationlistinNSPIRES.Forotherupdates,includingclarificationsandFAQs,proposingteamsshouldcheckthesolicitationpagesandQ&Asperiodically.

Q–76 FortheHelioSMEXAO,areunencumberedreservestobeincludedinthePI-

ManagedMissionCost(PIMMC)foreitherthe$50MNASA-providedlaunchservices(Section5.9.2)orthe$50MNASAprovidedaccommodationsonandtransportationtotheISS(Section5.9.3)?FortheHelioPEAQ,areunencumberedreservestobeincludedinthePIMMCforthe$20MNASA-providedlaunchservicesforCubeSatinvestigations(Section4.6.4.3)?ForboththeSMEXAO(Section5.9.4)andPEAQ(Section4.6.2),areunencumberedreservestobeincludedinthePIMMCforthe$2MNASAlaunchvehiclemonitoringfunctionsandadvisoryservicesrequiredfornon-NASAlaunches?

CostreservesarenotrequiredonanyoftheseNASA-providedservices.AsstatedintheHelioSMEXAO,Section5.9.2:“ThecostriskforNASAprovidedlaunchservicesisnotincludedinthePIMMC.Therefore,costreservesarenotrequiredforNASA-providedlaunchservices.”Similarly,costreservesarenotrequiredfortheSMEXAOISSinvestigations.AlthoughnotspecificallystatedinthePEAQ,forconsistencywiththeSMEXAO,costreservesarenotrequiredforthe$20MNASA-providedlaunchservicesforCubeSatprimarylaunches.Also,althoughnotspecificallystatedintheSMEXAOorPEAQ,noreservesarerequiredonthe$2MNASAlaunchvehiclemonitoringfunctionsandadvisoryservices.

Q-77 Section2.2ofPEAQindicatesthatprogramsaretobecompletedfairly

quickly,generallyin36monthsorless.Howisthisreflectedintherequirements?

AsindicatedinQuestion13above,the36-monthintervalgenerallydescribes

theintervalbetweenthestartofPhaseB(followingdown-select)andthe“end”ofPhaseD.Forthepurposesofthisdiscussion,theendofPhaseDisthelaunchreadinessdate(LDR).TheLRDspecifiedinRequirementQ-16states,“Proposalsshallincludeadetaileddevelopmentschedule(including

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integrationplans)andanassociatedcostthatforaSCMwithalaunchreadinessdate(LRD)nolaterthanAugust2022,orforPMOsisconsistentwiththedocumentedlaunchandoperationsscheduleoftheprimaryhostmission.”

Notethatthe9-monthintervalforschedulereserveforthecasesspecifiedinRequirementQ-22occursaftertheLRD.

Q-78 RegardingEarnedValueManagement(EVM),the2016Heliophysics

SMEXAOandSALMON-2AOreferentitiesreceivingcontractstotheNASAFarSupplement(NFS)forrequirements.ItisnotclearwhetheranEarnedValueManagementSystem(EVMS)needstobecertifiedbythecognizantFederalagencyinatimelyfashion.Whatistheintent?

NotethatProcurementClassDeviationPCD15-05

(http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/pcd15-05.htm),issuedonNovember10,2015,increasedthethresholdforEVMScompliancereviewsfrom$50millionto$100million.Asaconsequence,perPolicyspecifiedintheassociatedNFS1834.201,“forcostorfixed-priceincentivecontractsandsubcontractsvaluedat$50Million[100million]ormorethecontractorshallhaveanEVMSthathasbeendeterminedbythecognizantFederalagencytobeincompliancewiththeguidelinesintheAmericanNationalStandardsInstitute/ElectronicIndustriesAllianceStandard748,EarnedValueManagementSystems(ANSI/EIA-748).”Also,“forcostorfixed-priceincentivecontractsandsubcontractsvaluedat$20M[m]illionormorebutlessthan$50Million[100million],thecontractorshallhaveanEVMSthatcomplieswiththeguidelinesinANSI/EIA-748,asdeterminedbythecognizantContractingOfficer.”Compliance/validationareaddressedintheassociatedNFS1852.234-2,whichistailoredwithALTERNATEIforcontractsvaluedatlessthan$100million.

Q-79 TheSALMON-2AOSection7.4.2states"Proposalsarenotrequiredto

includeSOWsandcostandpricingdataforformulationandsubsequentphases.Thesewillberequiredonlyforinvestigationsthatareselectedattheoutcomeofthecompetition.”However,AppendixASectionVIstates:"Submissionofcostorpricingdata,asdefinedinFAR15.401,isrequirediftheproposalexceeds$650,000.”GiventhatproposalsrespondingtothePEAQwillbehigherthan$650,000,pleaseclarifytheproposalrequirementforcostandpricingdata.

TheSALMON-2isinconsistentonthistopic,andSection7.4.2iscorrect.

Followingselectionandduringnegotiationsleadingtoadefinitivecontract,theinstitutionmayberequiredtoresubmitcostinformationinaccordancewithFAR15.403-5.Submissionofcertifiedcostorpricingdata,asdefinedinFAR15.403-4,willberequiredifthePhaseAcost,orthecombinedPhaseAandBridgePhasecosts,exceedthecurrentthresholdof$750,000.Certifiedcostorpricingdatawillalsoberequiredforproposalsforsubsequentmissionphases.

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Q-80 Page15oftheLaunchServicesPresentationpresentedatthe

PreproposalConferenceimpliesthatMinotaur-Cmassperformance(800kgto600kmsun-synch)isavailabletoproposers.Ifaproposerhasa550kgspacecraftthatisintendedtobelaunchedintoa600kmsunsynchorbitandthespacecraftfitsinthelaunchenvelopeshownonPage18oftheproposal,isthisacceptable?

Proposersaretodesigntothelimiting/envelopingcaseofthepotentially

availablelaunchvehicles(fairingsize,performance,environments).Themaxspacecraftseparationmasstoa600kmsunsynchorbitwouldbeapproximately235kgperthelimitingperformancecurves.RefertoAttachment1intheupdatedELVLaunchServicesInformationSummary,RevA,intheProgramLibrary.

Q-81 IstheMissionUniqueAdaptercostacosttodevelopaMUA,ortosupport

aPI-providedMUA? A“standard”payloadadapterisincludedintheNASA-providedLaunch

Service.Standardadaptersaredescribedinlaunchvehicle-specificpayloaduserguides.TheMissionUniqueAdaptercostincludesthedesignandmanufacturingofacustomadapter,ifoneisrequired.Ifthestandardadaptorprovidedbythelaunchvehicleissuitable,thecostisalreadyincludedinthe$50Mcharge;otherwise,thecostmustbeincludedinthePIManagedMissionCost(PIMMC).

ThreeoptionsforPayloadAdapters: 1-ExistingLaunchVehiclestandardadapter:noadditionalcharge(included

in$50M) 2-MissionuniqueadapterfromNASAlaunchservice:costtobeincludedin

PIMMC 3-PI-providedadapter:costtobeincludedinPIMMCQ–82 FortheHelioSMEXAOproposals,whatmaterialisallowedontheScience

EnhancementOptions(SEO)pages?

AsstatedintheHelioSMEXAORequirementB-4,twoextrapagesareallottedforallscienceenhancementoptions(SEOs)combinedintheScienceImplementationSection(SectionE).TheseadditionalpagesmaybeusedtodefineanddescribetheproposedSEOactivitiesasdescribedinSection5.1.5.

Q–83 WouldCSLIsupportthelaunchofupto6CubeSatswitha6Uconfiguration

andonboardpropulsionintoahighinclination(>60deg)LEO(~500km)fromasinglelaunchvehicle?Ifso,wouldCSLIsendprospectivePIsaletter

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tothateffect?

ItispossibleforCSLItosupportthelaunchdescribedabove.However,thisexamplehasthepotentialtoimposerequirementsthatcanonlybeaddressedbyaprimarypayloadlaunchinsteadofasecondarypayloadlaunch.Proposersareencouragedtospecificallyaddresshowtheirmissioncanbeaccommodatedasasecondarypayload.Thefeasibility,orlackthereof,ofamission’sabilitytobelaunchedasasecondarywillbeconsideredatselection.Inaddition,Q&A#20states“Assecondarypayloads,itwillbemoredifficulttogetmultipleCubeSatsonthesamelaunch/sameorbit”,andQ&A#24states“Asasecondarypayload,itsaltitudeandinclinationwoulddependontheprimarymission.Theprojectcanspecifytheorbitdesired,butthemoreflexibilityprovided,theeasiertomanifest".ProposalsusingCSLIaccesstospacearenotrequiredtoincludeCSLIlettersofcommitment(seeQ&A#21)anddonotincuranyadditionalaccesstospacecostsformultipleCubeSats(seeQ&A#44).ForlaunchesunderCSLI,aCubeSatwithpropulsionmayrequireawaivertotherequirementsintheHelioMOProgramLibrarydocumentLaunchServicesProgram,ProgramLevelDispenserandCubeSatRequirementsDocument(LSP-Req-317.01),dependingonthelaunchopportunitiesavailable.Notethatthepropulsivecomponentmayconstrainthemanifestoptions.

Q–84 DounencumberedcostreservesneedtobecarriedonNASA-provideditemsorservices,apartfromlaunchservices(AOandPEA)orISStransportationandaccommodation(AOonly)?

AnyNASA-provideditemorserviceforwhichacostisnotspecificallyprovidedintheAO,PEA,orassociatedProgramLibraries(i.e.,requiresanestimateintheproposal,suchasNENusage)musthaveunencumberedcostreserves.

Q–85 Forthe2016HelioPEAQMO,arewelimitedtoasingleschedulefoldout,or

canweusemorethanonefoldoutwithoutbeingcountedintheSectionsF&Gpagelimits?

Schedulefoldoutsinthe2016HelioPEAQMOproposalsareunlimitedwithrespecttopagelimits(seeSALMON-2RequirementsB-30andB-44).However,proposerscanrefertoSMEXAORequirementB-39foraspecificationofanappropriatelevelofdetailregardingschedulefoldoutpages.

Q–86 WhereshouldtheISSLetterofTechnicalInterfaceandResourceAccommodationFeasibilityAssessmentbeplacedwithintheproposalanddoesitcountagainstpagelimit?

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FortheSMEXandMO,includetheISSFeasibilityLetterinthesectioncontaininglettersofcommitment(see“J.2LettersofCommitment”).Thereisnopagelimit.

Q–87 WeareworkingonarideshareopportunityandhaveaquestionregardingtheLettersofCommitmentrequirement.ArelettersofcommitmentrequiredforU.S.DepartmentofDefense/SpaceTestProgram(DoD/STP)launchesforeachproposal?Whoshouldtheletterbeaddressedto?

Yes,aletterofcommitmentisrequiredforeachsubmittedproposalutilizinganon-NASAlaunch.Thelettershouldbeaddressedfromthelaunchserviceprovider(DoD/STP)tothePrincipalInvestigator(PI)andincludedinthePI’sproposal.FromRequirementQ-28,“InadditiontotherequirementsgivenintheSALMON-2AO,allproposedSmallCompleteMissions(SCM)investigations…mustalsoprovideaLetterofCommitmentfromtheprogramoragencyprovidingaccesstospace.ThisLetterofCommitmentmustcontain:(1)adetaileddescriptionoftheproposedprovisionsforaccesstospace(e.g.,launchtoorbitprovidedbyindustrialornon-U.S.partner,secondaryrideonanotherU.S.sponsoredmission,etc.),and(2)thestatusofthoseproposedflightprovisionswithinthesponsoringprogramoragency(i.e.,conditional,confirmed,conceptual,etc.)includingthelevelofcommitmentthatthesponsoringprogram/agencyhasmadetosupportthatflightopportunity.”Forthe2016Heliophysics-SMEX&MOAO,theprocedureforobtainingaDoD/STPletterofcommitmentisasfollows:1. ReviewtheSTPRideshareUser’sGuide(RUG)documentlocatedintheSMEXandMOProgramLibrariesforintegrationservicesassociatedwithCubeSats(sect.5.1),AftBulkheadCarrier(ABC)(sect.5.2),ESPA(sect.5.3),andESPAGrande(Sect.5.4).A-DeckIntegrationisnotanavailableintegrationservice.TheSTPRideshareprocessiscapturedintheRUGandspecifiesacceptableanalysesandtestmethodologiesrequiredtoassureeachRidesharespacecraftisadequatelyqualifiedandformallydefinestheRideshareStandardService(RSS).NotethatanyservicesrequestedbeyondthosespecifiedintheRUGarebydefinition“non-standard”andmayrequireadditionalfunding.Allcostsresultingfromnon-standardridesharerelatedactivitiesshallbefundedbythePI.

2. NotifytheHeliophysicsExplorersProgramExecutiveandProgramScientistbye-mail,viahq-explorers@nasa.gov,ofyourintenttousetheDoD/STPRideshareStandardService.Thisemailmustcontain:a. Thenameoftheproposalb. ThenameofthePIc. ThenameandaddressofthePIinstitutiond. AstatementofthefeasibilityoftheproposedinvestigationtoachievefullmissionsuccessundertheconstraintsoftheRSSasspecifiedintheRUG.NotethattheRUGRSSA-Deckaccommodationisnotavailableforthiscall.

e. Thisemailnotificationmustbereceivedby17:00EDTonWednesday,October5,2016.

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f. NASAwillgeneratearidesharerequestandsubmitittotheDoD/STPonbehalfoftheproposer.

g. Inresponse,theDoD/STPwillprovidealetterofcommitmenttotheproposertobeincludedintheproposal.

Forproposalbudgetpurposes,thePIcanassumeacostrangeoftheDoD/STPRSSbetween$250K(forasingle3U)upto$6M(forasingleESPAGrande).ProposalbudgetaryrecommendationforintermediatecasesmaybeobtainedbyrequestfromtheSMDExplorersRidesharePointofContact(PoC)listedbelow.AproposalbudgetallocationfortheNASALSPAdvisoryServicecost($2M)willnotberequiredforaDoD/STPRSSlaunch.Afterselection,DoD/STPwillconductadetailedaccommodationstudytoassesstheinterfacerequirementsanddevelopadetailedcostestimateforproposedclassofpayloadanddetermineanymissionuniquerequirements(i.e.non-standardservices).Notethataccommodationofnon-standardrideshareactivitieswillincreasethesecosts.Investigationorbitalrequirementswillbeconsideredintheproposalfeasibilityevaluation–particularlyintermsofthelikelihoodofachievingasecondaryridemanifestwithlaunchreadinessdatebyAugust2022.QuestionsofatechnicalorprogrammaticnatureconcerningobtainingaletterofcommitmentfromDoD/STPmaybeaddresseddirectlytoMr.DavidL.Pierce,ScienceMissionDirectorate,ExplorersRidesharePoC,byphoneat(202)358-3808,orbye-mailatDavid.L.Pierce@nasa.gov.