GRC NEWS RELEASE 99-92




99-92



For Release:  November 30, 1999




Pam Caswell
(216/433-5795)



Lori J. Rachul
(216/433-8806)



<h3>NASA Awards $173 Million Contract to Federal Data Corporation for 
Microgravity Research Support</h3> 

NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, has awarded a contract to 
Federal Data Corporation, Brook Park, OH, to provide activities in 
the development, fabrication, assembly, test, delivery and operation 
of microgravity research facilities and experiment payloads.



In performing the main tasks of the contract, Federal Data Corporation 
will design and build the Fluids and Combustion Facility for the 
International Space Station; operate a telescience support center for 
Glenn's microgravity program; and develop and build hardware and 
instruments for microgravity flight experiments proposed by principle 
investigators. The research platforms for the flight experiments may 
be aboard the Space Shuttle, sounding rockets or the International 
Space Station.



The performance-based contract provides $72.4 million for the design 
and construction of the fluids and combustion facility. The contract 
provides a maximum of $101 million for the operations of the 
telescience support center and the development and operation of 
flight experiment hardware, which will be accomplished through 
indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity delivery orders. The contract 
provides options for additional experiments and operations if 
required by Glenn.



The delivery order and payment aspects of the contract are designed to 
foster contractor innovation and autonomy. They provide to the 
Government flexibility when specific quantities and requirements 
cannot be predicted and enable the Government to issue fixed price 
incentive firm; firm fixed price; or cost plus incentive fee orders 
based on the maturity of the requirements.



Glenn researchers and their university partners conduct fluid physics 
experiments to learn how fluids behave and combustion science 
experiments to learn how flames and the products of combustion behave 
without the effects of gravity. The information learned can be used 
in a variety of applications including improved vehicle cooling 
methods in space and improved firefighting and fire safety procedures 
on Earth as well as in space.



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