Opportunity Information: Apply for NNH13ZDA004N
Apply for NNH13ZDA004N
- The NASA Headquarters in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUMENT PROJECT 2013" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 43.001 Science.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 21, 2012 and posted on Dec 21, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 5, 2013 Question and Answer Telecon January 17, 2013 Proposals Due APRIL 5, 2013, 5 pm EDT. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 17 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
- Unrestricted
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Opportunity Summary:
NASA's Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) 2013 was a grant-based educational flight opportunity run by NASA Headquarters through the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). The program invited U.S. universities to propose, design, build, and test an Earth science or space science instrument (a "science payload") that would ultimately fly on a NASA-supported suborbital platform. The eligible flight options were the kinds of vehicles commonly used for suborbital research and technology demonstrations, including sounding rockets, high-altitude balloons, research aircraft, and potentially commercial suborbital reusable launch vehicles. The core idea was to give undergraduate teams a real end-to-end flight project, not a paper study, so students could experience the same technical and operational pressures that show up in actual missions.
USIP was framed primarily as a STEM workforce and training effort, with NASA using its suborbital infrastructure to create a high-impact, hands-on learning environment. Proposals were expected to be built around multidisciplinary undergraduate teams, and the solicitation emphasized not only engineering and science execution, but also leadership and project management skills. In other words, the program was designed to push teams to operate like a small flight project organization: defining requirements, managing schedules and interfaces, building and testing hardware, documenting decisions, and delivering a payload that can survive integration and flight.
From a funding standpoint, SMD offered up to $50,000 per selected project to cover the design, development, and testing of the science payload. Universities were allowed to contribute additional resources if they wanted or needed to, but there was explicitly no required cost share or matching component, and no expectation that a school provide a particular level of additional funding. A major incentive was that NASA would cover the costs associated with integrating the payload onto the suborbital vehicle and providing the actual launch or flight, meaning the university team did not have to pay for the ride to altitude. This structure essentially focused the university budget on creating a flight-ready instrument while NASA handled the platform access and mission execution side.
Schedule and readiness were treated as real program drivers. Selected teams were expected to reach launch-ready or flight-ready status within about 13 to 16 months from the project start date, which is a relatively compressed timeline and signals that NASA wanted projects with clear, achievable designs and realistic development plans. NASA anticipated selecting roughly 15 to 20 awards (the source listing notes an expected 17), depending on available funding.
USIP also had a science relevance requirement: beyond being a student training exercise, the payload needed a purpose aligned with SMD's broader science goals. That meant proposed instruments and investigations had to connect in some credible way to NASA's Earth or space science priorities, rather than being purely engineering demonstrations with no science tie-in. The two stated goals made that balance explicit: first, to provide a hands-on flight project experience that strengthens students' science, technical, leadership, and project skills; and second, to actually fly a science payload relevant to SMD objectives.
Administratively, this opportunity was released as a discretionary grant solicitation under Funding Opportunity Number NNH13ZDA004N, associated with CFDA 43.001 (Science). The solicitation was posted December 21, 2012, with proposals due April 5, 2013 by 5:00 pm Eastern, and it included a question-and-answer teleconference scheduled for January 17, 2013. The announcement directed applicants to the NASA Research Opportunities (NSPIRES) site to access the full solicitation text and submission instructions. For assistance, the listed contacts included David Pierce (david.l.pierce@nasa.gov) and NSPIRES/NAIS support (nais.support@nasa.gov).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) 2013
What is the NASA Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) 2013?
USIP 2013 was a grant-based educational flight opportunity run by NASA Headquarters through the Science Mission Directorate (SMD). It invited U.S. universities to propose, design, build, and test an Earth science or space science instrument (a "science payload") that would ultimately fly on a NASA-supported suborbital platform.
What was the main purpose of USIP?
The program was framed primarily as a STEM workforce and training effort. The core idea was to give undergraduate teams a real end-to-end flight project (not a paper study) so students could experience the technical and operational pressures associated with actual missions.
Who was the intended applicant group?
The opportunity was aimed at U.S. universities. Proposals were expected to be built around multidisciplinary undergraduate teams.
What kind of project did teams need to propose?
Teams were invited to propose an Earth science or space science instrument (a science payload) that they would design, build, and test for eventual flight on a NASA-supported suborbital platform.
What counts as a "science payload" in this program?
In this solicitation, a science payload referred to an Earth science or space science instrument that could be developed by an undergraduate team and prepared for integration and flight on a suborbital vehicle.
Which flight platforms were eligible?
The eligible flight options included suborbital vehicles commonly used for research and technology demonstrations: sounding rockets, high-altitude balloons, research aircraft, and potentially commercial suborbital reusable launch vehicles.
Did USIP require projects to actually fly, or could they be studies?
The program emphasis was on real end-to-end flight projects rather than paper studies. The solicitation highlighted delivering a payload that can survive integration and flight.
What skills and experiences was USIP designed to build in students?
USIP emphasized hands-on engineering and science execution along with leadership and project management. Teams were expected to operate like a small flight project organization, including defining requirements, managing schedules and interfaces, building and testing hardware, documenting decisions, and delivering a flight-ready payload.
How much funding was available per project?
SMD offered up to $50,000 per selected project to cover the design, development, and testing of the science payload.
Could universities contribute additional resources beyond the grant amount?
Yes. Universities were allowed to contribute additional resources if they wanted or needed to.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The solicitation explicitly stated there was no required cost share or matching component, and there was no expectation that a school provide a particular level of additional funding.
What costs did NASA cover outside the university payload budget?
A major incentive was that NASA would cover the costs associated with integrating the payload onto the suborbital vehicle and providing the actual launch or flight. This meant the university team did not have to pay for the ride to altitude.
What were teams expected to pay for with the grant funds?
The grant funding (up to $50,000) was intended to cover the design, development, and testing of the science payload.
How many awards did NASA expect to make?
NASA anticipated selecting roughly 15 to 20 awards (with an expected 17 noted), depending on available funding.
How long did teams have to become flight-ready?
Selected teams were expected to reach launch-ready or flight-ready status within about 13 to 16 months from the project start date.
What did NASA mean by "flight-ready" or "launch-ready" in this context?
Based on the solicitation description, flight-ready/launch-ready implied a payload mature enough to be delivered for integration, able to survive integration and flight, and supported by realistic schedules, interface management, documentation, and testing.
Did the proposed payload have to align with NASA science goals?
Yes. Beyond being a student training exercise, the payload needed a purpose aligned with SMD's broader science goals. Proposed instruments and investigations had to connect credibly to NASA Earth or space science priorities rather than being purely engineering demonstrations with no science tie-in.
What were the stated goals of the program?
The solicitation described two goals: (1) provide a hands-on flight project experience that strengthens students' science, technical, leadership, and project skills; and (2) actually fly a science payload relevant to SMD objectives.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this solicitation?
The Funding Opportunity Number was NNH13ZDA004N.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The solicitation was associated with CFDA 43.001 (Science).
When was the solicitation posted?
The solicitation was posted on December 21, 2012.
When were proposals due?
Proposals were due April 5, 2013 by 5:00 pm Eastern.
Was there a Q&A opportunity for applicants?
Yes. The solicitation included a question-and-answer teleconference scheduled for January 17, 2013.
Where were applicants directed to find the full solicitation and submission instructions?
Applicants were directed to the NASA Research Opportunities (NSPIRES) site to access the full solicitation text and submission instructions.
Who were the listed contacts for questions or support?
The listed contacts included David Pierce (david.l.pierce@nasa.gov) and NSPIRES/NAIS support (nais.support@nasa.gov).
Which NASA organization administered USIP?
The program was run by NASA Headquarters through the Science Mission Directorate (SMD).
What types of disciplines were encouraged on student teams?
The solicitation emphasized multidisciplinary undergraduate teams, reflecting the expectation that teams would cover both science and engineering execution along with leadership and project management functions.
Why did NASA emphasize schedules and readiness?
Schedule and readiness were treated as real program drivers. The relatively compressed 13 to 16 month timeline signaled an emphasis on clear, achievable designs and realistic development plans that could reach flight-ready status.
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