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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1) What is this funding opportunity about?

This Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) from NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) seeks proposals to support the administration and day-to-day activities of NASA's Teaching From Space (TFS) program. The selected organization would help run and coordinate TFS programming and related initiatives that use human spaceflight and other flight platforms to engage educators and students.

2) What is Teaching From Space (TFS)?

Teaching From Space (TFS) is a NASA Education office physically co-located with the Astronaut Office at NASA JSC. This location is intended to help connect education efforts directly to astronaut training, mission operations, and flight-related learning opportunities, and to leverage "NASA-unique" assets such as astronaut experiences and flight missions for education.

3) Why is TFS located with the Astronaut Office?

The solicitation emphasizes that being co-located with the Astronaut Office positions TFS to connect education efforts directly to astronaut training, mission operations, and flight-related learning opportunities. This proximity supports education activities tied to authentic missions and operational environments.

4) What kinds of activities would the selected organization support?

Based on the announcement, the selected organization would support administration and day-to-day operations of the TFS program and help coordinate related initiatives leveraging human spaceflight and other flight platforms. The work is oriented around coordinating programming, networks, and partnerships that connect educators and students with flight-related learning experiences.

5) What is the broader context for this opportunity within NASA Education?

The opportunity reflects a NASA Education reorganization that occurred in FY2006, when management of certain education projects moved from NASA Headquarters to NASA Field Centers. As part of that shift, the Educator Astronaut Project (EAP) and Education Flight Projects (EFP) transitioned to the JSC Education Office and were integrated into TFS.

6) What are EAP and EFP, and how do they relate to TFS?

The Educator Astronaut Project (EAP) and Education Flight Projects (EFP), along with their associated activities, transitioned to the JSC Education Office and were integrated into Teaching From Space (TFS) as part of the FY2006 NASA Education reorganization described in the notice.

7) Which NASA center leads this work?

NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is identified as the lead center for these efforts. Other NASA Field Centers and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) participate in implementation.

8) How is the TFS portfolio managed inside NASA?

Internally, the TFS portfolio is overseen by a single project manager within the JSC Education Office. The notice describes this as centralized leadership with distributed participation across NASA sites.

9) What is the vision of Teaching From Space?

The program is framed around facilitating education opportunities that use spaceflight and other flight platforms as a compelling, real-world context for learning.

10) What "NASA-unique" assets does the solicitation highlight?

The solicitation highlights assets such as astronaut experiences, training pipelines, flight missions, on-orbit education activities, future mission platforms, and a range of education flight projects. These are described as giving NASA uncommon reach and credibility for inspiring students and supporting teacher professional growth, particularly when tied to authentic missions and operational environments.

11) What are the primary objectives of the effort?

The CAN identifies three primary objectives:

• Develop and provide distinctive NASA experiences, opportunities, content, and educational resources that increase K-12 student interest in STEM fields.
• Develop and facilitate a NEAT-like community (modeled on the Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers) of highly motivated educators who can amplify NASA learning experiences and help build sustained capacity in schools and districts.
• Build partnerships inside NASA and externally across formal and informal education communities to create unique learning opportunities and professional development experiences.

12) Who is the target audience or intended beneficiaries?

The objectives explicitly focus on increasing K-12 student interest in STEM fields and supporting educators through a NEAT-like community and professional development experiences.

13) What does it mean to facilitate a "NEAT-like" community?

The solicitation calls for developing and facilitating a community modeled on the Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers (NEAT). It is described as a group of highly motivated educators who can amplify NASA learning experiences and help build sustained capacity in schools and districts.

14) What kinds of partnerships does the opportunity emphasize?

The CAN emphasizes building partnerships both inside NASA and externally, across formal and informal education communities, to create unique learning opportunities and professional development experiences.

15) What organizations are eligible to apply?

Eligibility is limited to colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) entities), or consortia that serve higher education.

16) Can a consortium apply?

Yes. The notice includes consortia that serve higher education among eligible applicants.

17) What type of award is NASA expecting to make?

The award instrument is expected to be a cooperative agreement. The notice also states that NASA retains the right to choose the most appropriate award instrument for proposals selected under the announcement, regardless of how the opportunity is posted.

18) What is a cooperative agreement in this context?

The announcement notes that a cooperative agreement typically implies substantial involvement by NASA in the work as it is carried out. That is presented as consistent with a program closely tied to mission-related activities and agency coordination.

19) How many awards does NASA expect to make?

The posting indicates an expectation of one award.

20) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The posting indicates there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.

21) Where was the opportunity posted and how are proposals submitted?

The opportunity was made available via Grants.gov. The notice describes an electronic submission process and also requests an electronic Notice of Intent.

22) Was a Notice of Intent (NOI) required?

An electronic Notice of Intent was requested by the announcement.

23) What were the key dates listed in the announcement?

• Release date: March 17, 2008
• Notice of Intent deadline: March 28, 2008
• Full proposal due date: April 28, 2008
• Archive date: April 2, 2009

24) What minimum materials were required by the proposal deadline?

The notice states that at least the cover page, proposal summary, and budget summary were required by the proposal deadline.

25) What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The posting classifies the activity under Education.

26) What CFDA number is associated with the opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 00.000 (Not Elsewhere Classified).

27) Who are the NASA points of contact for solicitation-specific questions?

The announcement names Edward J. Pritchard (Project Manager) and Cynthia McArthur (Project Lead) as solicitation-specific points of contact, and indicates that email addresses are included in the posting.

28) Who can help if there are problems accessing the announcement electronically?

The announcement lists support contacts for difficulties accessing the announcement electronically, including Rose A. Herrera and NAIS support.

29) Is there an additional information source besides Grants.gov?

Yes. The notice references an additional information link through NASA's NSPIRES system.

30) What is NASA trying to achieve through this award overall?

Overall, the grant opportunity is a call for an eligible organization to partner with NASA JSC to help manage and execute the integrated TFS portfolio, connecting educators and students to authentic spaceflight-related learning experiences while building educator networks and partnerships intended to scale impact across K-12 STEM education.