The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Mission Engineering and Systems Analysis (MESA) Division, Navigation and Mission Design Branch (NMDB), and Attitude Control Systems Engineering Branch (ACSEB) has a continuing requirement for Flight Dynamics Support Services.

The Navigation and Mission Design Branch (NMDB) and the Attitude Control Systems Engineering Branch (ACSEB) within the Mission Engineering and Systems Analysis (MESA) Division at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) are responsible for providing analytic and operational expertise for orbit and attitude systems, dynamics modeling, control analyses, and estimation and simulation of space vehicles. The branches create and maintain state-of-the-art analysis tools for mission design, trajectory optimization, orbit analysis, navigation, attitude determination, and controls analysis. The branches also provide the expertise to support a wide range of flight dynamics services, such as spacecraft mission design, on-orbit sensor calibration, launch support, and orbit operations. An active technology development program is maintained, with special emphasis on developing new techniques and algorithms for autonomous orbit/attitude systems and advanced approaches for trajectory design. Specific areas of expertise resident in the branches are:

• Trajectory analysis and control design
• Mission operations
• Mission design
• Orbit estimation techniques
• Constellation analysis
• Flight dynamics model development
• Flight dynamics ground and flight system development
• Ground attitude determination
• Spacecraft conjunction assessment

The NMDB flight dynamics support services provide for the planning, designing, implementation, enhancement, evaluation, integration, testing and conducting of the flight dynamics services and systems provided at GSFC. The flight dynamics disciplines include spacecraft navigation (orbit determination), trajectory control, mission design, attitude determination, attitude dynamics and attitude control. Unique mission support and network services are also provided. Flight dynamics mission support efforts involve the determination of mission flight dynamics requirements and the planning necessary to satisfy the mission/project needs. Technology development is performed in the areas of navigation, trajectory design and flight dynamics automation. Flight regimes supported include single satellite and satellite formations in low-Earth, high-Earth, gravity assist, libration point, non-Earth planetary and interplanetary orbit. Operational facility modernization planning, development, implementation and sustaining services are also provided.

Operations support is primarily provided through the NMDB’s Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF). In 2018, this facility will support flight dynamics computations for more than twenty-five spacecraft. Operational support includes orbit determination, acquisition data generation for the space and ground networks, tracking data evaluation and tracking system performance evaluation, maneuver planning and calibration support. The FDF also supports Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) operations and International Space Station (ISS) orbit determination, as well as Visiting Vehicles, crewed capsules, and exploration missions.

The FDF is a multi-mission operations facility that is located on the second floor, north wing in Building 28 at GSFC, and an annex area in Building 13, the Network Integrations Center (NIC). The FDF consists of mission operations areas and computer rooms at both primary and alternate processing facilities (APF). The general operations area covers approximately 1,320 square feet, the mission operations area covers approximately 2,660 square feet, and the computer room covers approximately 3,360 square feet. Office space to house support personnel is provided adjacent to the FDF and is considered part of the facility. Additionally, there are two conference rooms that are part of the FDF area. The FDF has approximately 100 computers that are used for operations support in a virtualized environment. These computers consist of server class machines that provide data storage and processing, external communications, and mission support and workstation class machines that are used for critical and mission support. These machines use Windows, UNIX and LINUX operating systems.

Software Engineering Requirements

Approximately 40 percent of the Work Breakdown Structure in this SOW is related to software services including software modification, development, and maintenance activities and is subject to compliance with NASA Procedural Requirements, NPR 7150.2A, NASA Software Engineering Requirements.

The contractor shall develop the following software plans (stand-alone or condensed into one or more documents) that meet the required content described in Section III, Data Item Descriptions. These software plans will be initiated by contract task order and submitted by the contractor for approval by NASA. After NASA approval, the software plans shall become contractually binding for all software activities in the Work Breakdown Structure tasks of this SOW:

• Software Development or Management Plan
• Software Configuration Management Plan
• Software Assurance Plan

Flight Dynamics Facility Operations

The contractor shall provide analytic and operational support for spacecraft orbit determination; trajectory control; mission planning product generation; acquisition data generation and transmission; and tracking data evaluation, calibration, and testing. The contractor shall support trajectory determination, monitoring, and network support operations for crewed flight and expendable launch vehicles (ELV). The responsibilities include a combination of analytical tasks, critical operations support including launch and early orbit checkout, and routine production activities. Operations support is primarily conducted in the FDF. The contractor shall permit Government insight of all operational support, product development, test and maintenance activities. The contractor shall permit Government personnel electronic access to documentation generated for or related to flight dynamics operations (e.g. plans, procedures, reports, design documentation, software code, problem reporting data, requirements, and requirements documentation and traceability, test plans, test data, analysis, schedules, etc.). The contractor shall conduct all software maintenance and development activities in compliance NPR 7150.2A. The contractor shall provide quality assurance for all operational products.

• Operations Support:
  • Orbit Determination and Analysis
  • Tracking Data Evaluation and Calibration
  • Acquisition Data
  • Mission Planning and Scheduling Products
  • Maneuver Planning Support
  • Human Space Flight Support
  • Expendable Launch Vehicle Support
  • Goddard Communications Center (GCC) Operations
• Flight Dynamics Systems Engineering
  • FDF Systems Engineering
  • System Facilities Sustaining Engineering
  • Model Maintenance
  • Automation Techniques
  • Conjunction Assessment

Flight Dynamics Analysis

The contractor shall provide flight dynamics services to flight projects from pre-Phase A through Phase D. The contractor shall also provide research and development (R&D) and technology development services as directed by the Government. The contractor shall provide for the maintenance and development of flight dynamics software that is used for technology development and analysis. Flight dynamics analysis and technology development tasks may include topics such as orbit determination, trajectory control, mission design, trajectory optimization, covariance analysis and measurement models. The contractor shall permit Government insight into all flight dynamics analysis, product development, and test and maintenance activities. The contractor shall permit Government personnel electronic access to documentation generated for or related to flight dynamics analysis (e.g. plans, procedures, reports, design documentation, software code, problem reporting data, requirements, and requirements documentation and traceability, test plans, test data, analysis, schedules, etc.). The contractor shall conduct all software maintenance and development activities in compliance with NPR 7150.2A. The contractor shall provide quality assurance for all operational products.

• Flight Project Support
  • Navigation Analysis
  • Mission Design
  • Maneuver Planning
  • Attitude Determination and Control Analysis
  • Ground System Development
• Technology
  • Advanced Navigation Techniques
  • Advanced Mission Design Techniques
  • Advanced Attitude Techniques
  • Formation Flying Techniques
  • Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Evaluation
  • CAVE Advanced Visualization Environment
  • Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis
  • Relative Navigation System Development