"IGF::OT::IGF" OTHER FUNCTIONS: TASK ORDER TITLE: CHARACTERIZE VARIABILITY IN MARS UPPER ATMOSPHERE 2. PURP…

Public award description

"IGF::OT::IGF" OTHER FUNCTIONS: TASK ORDER TITLE: CHARACTERIZE VARIABILITY IN MARS UPPER ATMOSPHERE 2. PURPOSE, OBJECTIVE, AND BACKGROUND OF WORK TO BE PERFORMED: THE 2013 STRATEGIC INNOVATION FUND (SIF) PROJECT TITLED CHARACTERIZING MARS ATMOSPHERE PROPERTIES RELEVANT TO ATMOSPHERIC FLIGHT ADDRESSES SPECIFIC SCIENCE QUESTIONS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO SUCCESSFUL ATMOSPHERIC FLIGHT FOR FUTURE MISSIONS TO MARS, VIA NUMERICAL SIMULATION AND ATMOSPHERIC DATA ANALYSIS. THE PROPOSED WORK IS TO IMPROVE CHARACTERIZATION OF ATMOSPHERIC VARIABILITY AT AEROBRAKING ALTITUDES IN MARS UPPER ATMOSPHERE. 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK TO BE PERFORMED: THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PERFORM THE FOLLOWING TASK REQUIREMENTS: 3.1 THE CONTRACTOR SHALL CHARACTERIZE THE RANGE OF MARS ATMOSPHERIC VARIABILITY IN SPACE AND TIME AT AEROBRAKING ALTITUDES, FOR A POTENTIAL FUTURE MARS MISSION, BASED ON NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS USING MARS UPPER ATMOSPHERE MODELING TOOLS, E.G. THE MARS GLOBAL IONOSPHERE-THERMOSPHERE MODEL (M-GITM). THE CONTRACTOR SHALL FORMULATE MODEL SIMULATIONS, BASED ON THEIR EXPERT KNOWLEDGE OF POTENTIAL SOURCES OF VARIABILITY, AND VALIDATE MODEL RESULTS, USING DENSITY FLUCTUATION DATA FROM PREVIOUS MARS MISSION, E.G. MARS ODYSSEY, MARS RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER AND MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR. 3.2 THE CONTRACTOR SHALL SUPPORT NASA SCIENCE DIRECTORATE PERSONNEL IN PLANNING, FORMULATING, AND WRITING A PROPOSAL FOR FUTURE SUPPORT UNDER THE 2013 NASA RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE AND EARTH SCIENCES (ROSES) SOLICITATION. POP - 04/08/13 - 9/30/13