NASA Research Announcement: Use of NASA Physical Science Informatics System Appendix F Released
The NRA solicits ground-based research proposals – both experimental and numerical studies – utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system (http://psi.nasa.gov). This online database provides investigators access to the raw and processed experimental data from physical science reduced-gravity flight experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS), Space Shuttle flights, Free Flyers, or commercial cargo flights to and from the ISS, and from related ground-based studies. The PSI system is a tool designed for researchers to data mine information from reduced-gravity physical sciences experiments and use it to further science in accordance with the open science approach, while also meeting the requirements of the nation’s Open Data Policy. The current call for proposals solicits proposals in the five research areas – Combustion Science, Complex Fluids, Fluid Physics, Fundamental Physics, and Materials Science – for which eligible experimental data will be available in the PSI by the proposal due date of December 16, 2019. Data from 63 investigations are eligible for this NRA. The call is open to two types of investigators: established researchers and graduate students. The award for each proposal selected will be a maximum of $100,000 per year for a total maximum award amount up to $200,000 for a two-year period.
The NRA is available at: https://tinyurl.com/NASA-PSI-F. The full announcement of the release of the NRA is included below.
NASA plans to conduct a proposers’ conference via WebEx at 2 pm Eastern Time on October 8, 2019. To participate, navigate to https://nasaenterprise.webex.com/ and enter the meeting information: meeting number: 909 907 088 / meeting password: rPTgbB@4. To hear the audio for the conference, call 1-844-467-4685 and enter the conference passcode: 544479#. If you want to submit questions about the PSI or the NRA before the conference, please send your questions to msfc-dl-psi-support@mail.nasa.gov. For additional information, see the PSI website.
Milestones connected to this NRA:
Sep 16, 2019 – Release NRA Appendix F
Oct 8, 2019 – Conduct Proposers’ Conference via WebEx
Oct 28, 2019 – Notices of Intent Due
Dec 16, 2019 – Proposals Due
June 15, 2020 – Announce Selections (target)
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released Appendix F of the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) NNH17ZTT001N, entitled “Use of the NASA Physical Sciences Informatics System,” available at https://tinyurl.com/NASA-PSI-F. This NRA solicits ground-based research proposals from established researchers and graduate students to generate new scientific insights by utilizing experimental data residing in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system (http://psi.nasa.gov). PSI is an online database of completed physical science reduced-gravity flight experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS), Space Shuttle flights, Free-flyers, commercial cargo flights to and from the ISS, or from related ground-based studies. The proposals submitted in response to this NRA must present a compelling case on how the experimental data from the PSI system will be used to promote the advancement of further research. Proposers must show a clear path from the scientific data obtained from the PSI system to the proposed investigation. In addition, the project must address an important problem in the proposed area of research and advance scientific knowledge or technology.
The umbrella NRA will remain open until 2022, with planned annual opportunities to propose to be provided through a series of appendices. This announcement is for the release of Appendix F, which solicits proposals in the five research areas: Combustion Science, Complex Fluids, Fluid Physics, Fundamental Physics and Materials Science. The Appendix specifically solicits proposals that utilize data from 63 eligible investigations listed in the Appendix and on the PSI website. The Appendix will be amended, if necessary, with an updated list of eligible investigations before the proposal due date of December 16, 2019.
This solicitation is applicable 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. This NRA is soliciting proposals from two types of investigators: 1) established researchers, including postdoctoral scholars; 2) graduate students (with academic advisors) from accredited U.S. postsecondary institutions and programs. The proposals from graduate students must be submitted by their advisor. Eligibility requirements and further instructions for both types of investigators are provided in the NRA. Principal Investigators (PIs) may collaborate with investigators from universities, Federal Government laboratories, the private sector, state and local government laboratories, and other countries.
The full text of the solicitation is available on the NASA Research Opportunities homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com under menu listing “Open Solicitations.” The direct link to the umbrella solicitation is http://tinyurl.com/NRA-NNH17ZTT001N. The direct link to the Appendix F webpage is https://tinyurl.com/NASA-PSI-F. Questions with regard to responding to this NRA may be addressed to the contacts referenced in the full solicitation document.
Notices of Intent for Appendix F are due on October 28, 2019, and they must be submitted electronically via NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/). Proposals are due on December 16, 2019, and they must be submitted electronically by an authorized official of the proposing organization using either NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/) or Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov). 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. Instructions on how to register in NSPIRES are provided in the NRA. Each electronic proposal system places requirements on the registration of principal investigators and other participants (e.g., co-investigators). Potential proposers and proposing organizations are urged to access the system well in advance of the proposal due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information.
NASA plans to conduct a proposers’ conference via WebEx on October 8, 2019. Prospective proposers are advised to monitor the solicitation webpage for further information on the conference, including instructions on how to submit your questions about the PSI or the NRA.
This is a broad agency announcement as specified in FAR 6.102 (d)(2). Notwithstanding the posting of this opportunity at FedBizOpps.gov, nspires.nasaprs.com, or Grants.gov, NASA reserves the right to determine the appropriate award instrument for each proposal selected pursuant to this announcement.
Published on October 1st, 2019
Last updated on October 1st, 2019