ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY MARS 2020 INVESTIGATIONS | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NASA "Mars 2020 Investigations" Announcement of Opportunity

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This is an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) from NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) titled "Mars 2020 Investigations." It solicits proposed scientific and technology investigations to fly on a Mars rover mission planned for launch in July/August 2020.

2) What is the goal of the Mars 2020 mission that proposals must support?

Proposed investigations are expected to directly support the mission's overarching science goals, including: exploring and quantitatively assessing Mars as a potential past or present habitat for life; searching for signs of past life; collecting a carefully selected and documented set of samples for possible future return to Earth; and helping pave the way for eventual human exploration of Mars.

3) What types of proposals is NASA looking for?

NASA is inviting proposals for complete, Principal Investigator (PI)-led flight investigations. Proposals may be for a single instrument or a coordinated suite of instruments, as long as the investigation is responsive to Mars 2020 mission objectives and fits within rover constraints.

4) What does "PI-led flight investigation" mean in practice?

It means the PI and their team are expected to deliver an end-to-end investigation, not just an idea or a science plan. Each proposed investigation must address the instrument hardware (design, build, test, and delivery), how it will be operated on the rover during the mission, and how resulting data products will be processed, analyzed, and archived.

5) Does the AO allow a suite of instruments or only a single instrument?

The AO allows either. Proposals may be for a single instrument or for a coordinated suite of instruments, provided the overall investigation supports Mars 2020 objectives and stays within rover accommodation constraints.

6) Where do proposers find the official solicitation text?

The AO directs proposers to the full solicitation text and appendices hosted in NASA's NSPIRES system. The AO is the controlling document.

7) Where can proposers find rover capability information and payload accommodation details?

Additional context, rover capability information, and mission acquisition materials (including payload accommodation details) are provided through the Mars 2020 Acquisition Website. Payload resources such as mass, power, and data volume allocations are defined in a Payload Information Package (PIP) posted to the acquisition website.

8) What are the rover accommodation constraints proposers must follow?

Investigations must fit within rover constraints, including payload resources such as mass, power, and data volume. The specific allocations are to be defined in the Payload Information Package (PIP) on the Mars 2020 Acquisition Website, and proposers are expected to design within those published limits.

9) Is there a cost cap for an individual investigation?

No preset cost cap is stated for any single PI-managed instrument science investigation. However, NASA describes overall expected budgets across selected investigations and mission phases.

10) How much funding does NASA expect to allocate for selected SMD-funded investigations?

NASA notes that the total budget allocated across all selected SMD-funded investigations is about $100 million (real-year dollars) for mission Phases A through D, plus an anticipated about $60 million (real-year dollars) for Phase E.

11) What do Phases A through D cover in this opportunity?

Phases A through D are described as covering formulation through development, integration, and pre-launch activities.

12) What does Phase E cover?

Phase E is described as typically covering operations and data analysis during the mission.

13) Are technology investigations included, and how are they funded?

Yes. NASA indicates that exploration technology investigations may be selected, jointly funded by the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and the Space Technology Mission Directorate, with an overall total of about $30 million (real-year dollars) that includes Phase E costs.

14) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

15) Who is eligible to submit a proposal?

Eligibility is intentionally broad. Participation is open to essentially all organization types, both U.S. and non-U.S., including universities, companies, nonprofit organizations, federally funded research and development centers, university affiliated research centers, NASA centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and other government agencies.

16) Can a PI build a team across multiple organization types and countries?

Yes. PIs may build teams drawing from any of the eligible categories listed in the notice, including both U.S. and non-U.S. organizations.

17) Which document controls if there is a discrepancy between summaries and the AO?

The AO is the controlling document. The notice emphasizes that if there are any differences between a summary notice and the AO text, the AO provisions take precedence.

18) Was there a preproposal conference, and when was it scheduled?

Yes. NASA planned a preproposal conference on October 8, 2013, held via video/teleconference from Washington, DC, to brief interested parties and answer early questions.

19) Were Notices of Intent (NOIs) required?

Yes. Notices of Intent were required and were due October 15, 2013.

20) What was the proposal due date?

Full proposals were due December 23, 2013.

21) Who is the issuing agency?

The issuing agency is NASA Headquarters.

22) Which office handled contracting for this opportunity?

Contracting is handled through NASA's Headquarters Acquisition Branch (Code 210.H) at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

23) What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is NNH13ZDA018O.

24) What is the CFDA number and program name listed?

The CFDA number is 43.001, labeled as Science.

25) How is the opportunity categorized?

The opportunity is categorized as discretionary.

26) Where should applicants go for help accessing the application system or AO materials?

The notice mentions points of contact including Dr. Mitchell D. Schulte and NSPIRES/NAIS support, and it states that the full AO is available through NSPIRES.