Research and Technology Development to Support Crew Health and Performance in Space Exploration Missions | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

NASA, through the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, issued a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) called "Research and Technology Development to Support Crew Health and Performance in Space Exploration Missions" under Solicitation NNJ10ZSA003N. The purpose of the opportunity is to fund research and technology development that strengthens NASA's Human Research Program by improving astronaut health, safety, and performance during current and future space exploration missions. The solicitation was posted electronically in late July 2010 and made available through NASA's NSPIRES system, with instructions to find it via the NASA Research Opportunities site under the open solicitations listing.

A key feature of this NRA is that it is a joint call for proposals supporting both NASA and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI). While the announcement is presented as a unified opportunity, NASA and NSBRI are effectively running parallel tracks: topics designated as NASA emphases are reviewed and awarded by NASA, and topics designated as NSBRI emphases are reviewed and awarded by NSBRI. If an applicant wants to pursue both sets of topics, they must submit separate proposals, and those proposals will be evaluated independently and could lead to separate awards.

On the NASA side, the solicitation seeks work across a wide range of biomedical and human performance risks relevant to spaceflight. The listed areas include host microbe interactions and the crew microbiome, methods to measure and manage workload, tools to support habitability concepts, and research on the psychosocial side of food acceptability in confined and isolated environments. It also targets neurocognitive performance, team autonomy, and behavioral health and performance with emphasis on International Space Station utilization. Additional biomedical topics include muscle issues (including gender and hydration considerations, as well as in-flight muscle changes), integrated countermeasures involving nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and exercise, innate immunity, pharmacology related to space motion sickness, bone fracture healing, and EVA physiology with a focus on suit-related injury countermeasures. Collectively, these topics reflect NASA's interest in both understanding human physiological responses to spaceflight and developing practical countermeasures, tools, and operational approaches that can be used in real mission settings.

On the NSBRI side, the emphasis areas complement NASA's interests but are organized around NSBRI's own research portfolio. The solicitation invites proposals addressing cardiovascular alterations, human factors and performance, musculoskeletal alterations, neurobehavioral and psychosocial factors, sensorimotor adaptation, and smart medical systems and technology. This set of topics highlights both classic spaceflight health concerns (like cardiovascular deconditioning and sensorimotor changes) and enabling capabilities such as smarter medical monitoring, diagnostics, or treatment technologies suitable for the constraints of space missions.

The application process is structured in two steps. Step 1 proposals were due September 2, 2010, and only applicants invited after Step 1 would submit Step 2 proposals, which were due December 1, 2010 (the same date reflected as the opportunity closing date). All submissions had to be made electronically, and the proposal needed to be submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization, not informally by an individual investigator. For Step 1, applicants could submit through either NSPIRES or Grants.gov, but organizations were required to be registered in NSPIRES and to designate their authorized organizational representative(s). Because electronic systems also require individual registrations for principal investigators and other participants such as co-investigators, the announcement strongly encourages teams to start registration and data entry well ahead of the deadline to avoid last-minute administrative problems.

Eligibility is broad. Participation is open to essentially all categories of U.S. institutions, including universities, industry, nonprofit organizations, NASA centers, and other government agencies. The notice also reiterates NASA's general policy on working with non-U.S. organizations: such collaborations may occur on a cooperative basis with no exchange of funds, rather than as direct NASA funding to a foreign entity. The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant funding action within science and technology and other research and development. The posting indicates an expectation of about 20 awards, with an award ceiling listed at $350,000 and no cost sharing requirement.

Procedurally, the announcement is identified as a broad agency announcement consistent with FAR 6.102(d)(2), which is commonly used for research solicitations where proposals are evaluated on scientific and technical merit rather than competing for a tightly specified procurement deliverable. The notice also makes clear that, even though the opportunity is posted publicly, NASA and/or NSBRI retain discretion to choose the appropriate award instrument for selected proposals. For official questions, the contracting officer contact provided is Vanessa R. Beene at NASA Johnson Space Center, with phone and email details included in the announcement.

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