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Cover Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- SUMMARY OF SOLICITATION
- APPENDICES
I. Funding Opportunity Description
II. Award Information
III. Eligibility Information
IV. Proposal and Submission Information
V. Proposal Review Information
VI. Award Administration Information
VII. Points of Contact for Further Information
VIII. Ancillary Information
IX. Concluding Statement
Table 1. NASA Strategic Goals and Research Objectives
TABLE 2: SOLICITED RESEARCH PROGRAMS (IN ORDER OF PROPOSAL DUE DATES)
TABLE 3: SOLICITED RESEARCH PROGRAMS (IN ORDER OF APPENDICES A–E)

OMB Approval Number 2700-0087

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)

HEADQUARTERS

SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE

300 E STREET, SW

WASHINGTON, DC 20546-0001

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE AND EARTH SCIENCES – 2008

(ROSES-2008)

NASA RESEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT (NRA)

SOLICITING BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH PROPOSALS

NNH08ZDA001N

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 00.000

ISSUED: FEBRUARY 15, 2008

PROPOSALS DUE

STARTING MAY 9, 2008

THROUGH MARCH 27, 2009

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE AND EARTH SCIENCES (ROSES) – 2008

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Research Announcement

(NRA), entitled Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) – 2008,

solicits basic and applied research in support of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate

(SMD). This NRA covers all aspects of basic and applied supporting research and

technology in space and Earth sciences, including, but not limited to: theory, modeling,

and analysis of SMD science data; aircraft, stratospheric balloon, and suborbital rocket

investigations; development of experiment techniques suitable for future SMD space

missions; development of concepts for future SMD space missions; development of

advanced technologies relevant to SMD missions; development of techniques for and the

laboratory analysis of both extraterrestrial samples returned by spacecraft, as well as

terrestrial samples that support or otherwise help verify observations from SMD Earth

system science missions; determination of atomic and composition parameters needed to

analyze space data, as well as returned samples from the Earth or space; Earth surface

observations and field campaigns that support SMD science missions; development of

integrated Earth system models; development of systems for applying Earth science

research data to societal needs; and development of applied information systems

applicable to SMD objectives and data.

Awards range from under $100K per year for focused, limited efforts (e.g., data analysis)

to more than $1M per year for extensive activities (e.g., development of science

experiment hardware). The funds available for awards in each program element offered

in this NRA range from less than one to several million dollars, which allow selection

from a few to as many as several dozen proposals depending on the program objectives

and the submission of proposals of merit. Awards will be made as grants, cooperative

agreements, contracts, and inter- or intra-agency transfers depending on the nature of the

proposing organization and/or program requirements. The typical period of performance

for an award is four years, although a few programs may specify shorter or longer

(maximum of five years) periods. Organizations of every type, domestic and foreign,

Government and private, for profit and not-for-profit, may submit proposals without

restriction on number or teaming arrangements. Note that it is NASA policy that all

investigations involving non-U.S. organizations will be conducted on the basis of no

exchange of funds. Any changes or modifications to any of these guidelines will be

specified in the descriptions of the relevant programs in the Appendices of this

solicitation.

Details of the solicited programs are given in the Appendices of this NRA. Proposal due

dates are given in Tables 2 and 3 of this NRA. Interested proposers should monitor

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ or subscribe to the SMD electronic notification system for

additional new programs or amendments to this NRA through February 2009, at which

time release of a subsequent ROSES NRA is planned.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE AND EARTH SCIENCES (ROSES) – 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY OF SOLICITATION

Page

I. Funding Opportunity Description 1

(a) Strategic Goals of NASA’s Research Program 1

(b) Research Programs of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate 2

(i) Overview 3

(ii) E/PO Opportunities 4

(d) NASA-Provided High-End Computing (HEC) Resources 6

(e) NASA Safety Policy 7

(f) Availability of Funds for Awards 7

(g) Significant Changes from ROSES-2007 7

II. Award Information 8

(a) Funding and Award Policies 8

(b) Successor Proposals and Resubmissions 9

III. Eligibility Information 9

(a) Eligibility of Applicants 9

(b) Number of Proposals and Teaming Arrangements 10

IV. Proposal and Submission Information 10

(a) Proposal Instructions and Requirements 10

(b) Content and Form of the Proposal Submission 11

(i) Electronic Proposal Submission 11

(ii) Proposal Format and Contents 12

(iii) No Additional ROSES Requirement for Budget Format 13

(iv) Submission of Proposals via NSPIRES, the NASA Proposal Data System 13

(v) Submission of Proposals via Grants.gov 15

(vi) Notice of Intent to Propose 16

(vii) The Two-Step Proposal Process and the Two-Phase Proposal Process 17

(d) Proposal Funding Restrictions 18

(e) Proposal Requirements for Relevance 20

V. Proposal Review Information 20

(a) Evaluation Criteria 20

(b) Review and Selection Processes 21

(d) Processes for Appeals 22

(i) Reconsideration by SMD 22

(ii) Ombudsman Program 22

iii

(iii) Protests 22

(e) Service as a Peer Reviewer 22

VI. Award Administration Information 23

(a) Notice of Award 23

(b) Administrative and National Policy Requirements 23

VII. Points of Contact for Further Information 23

VIII. Ancillary Information 24

(a) Announcement of Updates/Amendments to Solicitation 24

(b) Electronic Submission of Proposal Information 24

(d) Further Information on SMD Research and Analysis Programs 25

(e) Archives of Past Selections 25

(f) Meeting Geospatial Standards 25

IX. Concluding Statement 26

TABLE 1. NASA Strategic Goals and Research Objectives 27

TABLE 2. Solicited Research Programs (in order of proposal due dates) see note

TABLE 3. Solicited Research Programs (in order of Appendices A–E) see note

Note: Tables 2 and 3 of this NRA are posted as separate documents on the ROSES-2008

homepage located at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select “Solicitations” then “Open

Solicitations” then “NNH08ZDA001N”).

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE AND EARTH SCIENCES (ROSES) – 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A. EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM

A.1 Earth Science Overview A.1-1

A.2 Terrestrial Ecology A.2-1

A.3 Carbon Cycle Science A.3-1

A.4 Land Cover/Land Use Change A.4-1

A.5 Biodiversity A.5-1

A.6 Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry A.6-1

A.7 Modeling, Analysis, and Prediction A.7-1

A.8 Physical Oceanography A.8-1

A.9 Ocean Salinity Science Team A.9-1

A.10 Cryospheric Science A.10-1

A.11 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team A.11-1

A.12 Ocean Vector Winds Science Team A.12-1

A.13 NASA Energy and Water Cycle Study - Water Quality A.13-1

A.14 Atmospheric Composition: Laboratory Research A.14-1

A.15 Atmospheric Composition: Surface, Balloon, and Airborne

Observations A.15-1

A.16 Hurricane Science Research A.16-1

A.17 Advanced Concepts in Space Geodesy A.17-1

A.18 Decision Support through Earth Science Research Results A.18-1

A.19 Earth Science Applications Feasibility Studies A.19-1

A.20 Advanced Information Systems Technology A.20-1

A.21 Advanced Component Technology A.21-1

A.22 Instrument Incubator A.22-1

A.23 Making Earth System data records for Use in Research

Environments A.23-1

A.24 Advancing Collaborative Connections for Earth System

Science A.24-1

A.25 New Investigator Program in Earth Science A.25-1

A.26 ICESat-II Science Definition Team A.26-1

A.27 SMAP Science Definition Team A.27-1

A.28 Earth Science for Decision Making: Gulf of Mexico Region A.28-1

A.29 Earth Science U.S. Participating Investigator A.29-1

APPENDIX B. HELIOPHYSICS RESEARCH PROGRAM

B.1 Heliophysics Overview B.1-1

B.2 Solar and Heliospheric Physics B.2-1

B.3 Geospace Science B.3-1

B.4 Heliophysics Theory B.4-1

B.5 Heliophysics Guest Investigators B.5-1

B.6 Living With a Star Targeted Research and Technology B.6-1

B.7 Living With a Star Targeted Research and Technology:

Strategic Capability B.7-1

B.8 Virtual Observatories for Heliophysics Data B.8-1

B.9 Solar Dynamics Observatory Science Center B.9-1

B.10 Guest Investigator Studies with C/NOFS B.10-1

APPENDIX C. PLANETARY SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM

C.1 Planetary Science Overview C.1-1

C.2 Cosmochemistry C.2-1

C.3 Sample Return Laboratory Instruments and Data Analysis C.3-1

C.4 Planetary Geology and Geophysics C.4-1

C.5 Planetary Astronomy C.5-1

C.6 Planetary Atmospheres C.6-1

C.7 Outer Planets Research C.7-1

C.8 Lunar Advanced Science and Exploration Research C.8-1

C.9 Jupiter Data Analysis C.9-1

C.10 Cassini Data Analysis C.10-1

C.11 Planetary Mission Data Analysis C.11-1

C.12 Mars Data Analysis C.12-1

C.13 Mars Fundamental Research C.13-1

C.14 Mars Instrument Development C.14-1

C.15 Mars Technology Project C.15-1

C.16 Planetary Instrument Definition and Development C.16-1

C.17 Astrobiology: Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology C.17-1

C.18 Planetary Protection Research C.18-1

C.19 Astrobiology Science and Technology Instrument

Development, including Concept Studies for Astrobiology

Small Payloads and Satellites C.19-1

C.20 Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets C.20-1

C.21 In-Space Propulsion C.21-1

C.22 Fellowships for Early Career Researchers C.22-1

C.23 Planetary Major Equipment C.23-1

C.24 Moon and Mars Analog Mission Activities C.24-1

C.25 Lunar and Planetary Science U.S. Participating

Investigator C.25-1

APPENDIX D. ASTROPHYSICS RESEARCH PROGRAM

D.1 Astrophysics Overview D.1-1

D.2 Astrophysics Data Analysis D.2-1

D.3 Astronomy and Physics Research and Analysis D.3-1

D.4 Astrophysics Theory and Fundamental Physics D.4-1

D.5 GALEX Guest Investigator - Cycle 5 D.5-1

D.6 Swift Guest Investigator - Cycle 5 D.6-1

D.7 Suzaku Guest Observer - Cycle 4 D.7-1

D.8 GLAST Guest Investigator - Cycle 2 D.8-1

D.9 Kepler Guest Observer – Cycle 1 D.9-1

D.10 MOST U.S. Guest Observer– Cycle 1 D.10-1

APPENDIX E. CROSS-DIVISION RESEARCH

E.1 Cross Division Overview E.1-1

E.2 Applied Information Systems Research E.2-1

E.3 Origins of Solar Systems E.3-1

E.4 Near Earth Object Observations E.4-1

E.5 Opportunities in SMD Education and Public Outreach E.5-1

E.6 Space Policy Research E.6-1

E.7 Concept Studies for Human Tended Suborbital Science E.7-1

E.8 Supplemental Outreach Awards for ROSES Investigators E.8-1

E.9 Supplemental Education Awards for ROSES Investigators E.9-1

Note: Any amendments to the Table of Contents for Appendices A through E may be

found in Table 3 of this NRA. Table 3 of this NRA is posted as a separate document on

the ROSES-2008 homepage located at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select “Solicitations”

then “Open Solicitations” then “NNH08ZDA001N”).

New appendices as of October 3, 2008, are indicated in bold text.

vii

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN SPACE AND EARTH SCIENCES (ROSES) – 2008

SUMMARY OF SOLICITATION

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

(a) Strategic Goals of NASA’s Research Program

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Mission,

To pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and

aeronautics research,

and the Vision for Space Exploration, whose fundamental goal is

To advance U.S. scientific, security, and economic interests through a

robust space exploration program,

allow the science objectives of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to be

clearly defined as the orderly pursuit of the agency’s strategic goals.

Responsibility for achieving several of NASA’s strategic goals and outcomes (see

Table 1) belongs to SMD, including those to:

• Study planet Earth from space to advance scientific understanding and meet

societal needs;

• Understand the Sun and its effects on Earth and the solar system;

• Advance scientific knowledge of the origin and history of the solar system, the

potential for life elsewhere, and the hazards and resources present as humans

explore space; and

• Discover the origin, structure, evolution, and destiny of the universe and search

for Earth-like planets.

Further valuable, in-depth insight into these strategic objectives and supporting research

areas may be found in the following documents:

• The 2006 NASA Strategic Plan, available at http://www.nasa.gov/about/budget;

• The Science Plan for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (2007-2016) (hereafter

the NASA Science Plan), available at http://nasascience.nasa.gov/about-

us/science-strategy [hyperlink address updated on May 5, 2008];

• The Fiscal Year 2009 NASA Science Implementation Plan, available at

http://science.hq.nasa.gov/strategy; and [reference deleted on May 5, 2008]

• The Vision for Space Exploration, available at

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/main.

The NASA strategic goals and research objectives for science from the NASA Science

Plan are given in Table 1. These NASA research objectives, and their corresponding

strategic outcomes, are also used to assess NASA’s research progress for compliance

with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. Therefore,

proposers to this NASA Research Announcement (NRA) are expected to provide a short

statement in their proposals that demonstrates the relevance of the proposed research to

one or more of these NASA strategic goals, science outcomes, and the NASA Science

Plan (further instructions concerning this requirement are provided in Section IV(e)

below).

(b) Research Programs of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) pursues NASA’s strategic goals using a

wide variety of space flight programs that enable the execution of both remote sensing

and in situ investigations. These investigations are carried out through flight of space

missions in Earth orbit, as well as to or even beyond objects in the Solar System, and also

through ground-based research activities that directly support these space missions. This

ROSES NASA Research Announcement (NRA) solicits proposals for the latter of these

two types of programs, in particular, ground-based supporting research and technology

(SR&T) investigations that seek to understand naturally occurring space and Earth

phenomena, human-induced changes in the Earth system, and Earth and space science-

related technologies and to support the national goals for further robotic and human

exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Proposals in response to this NRA should be submitted to the most relevant science

program elements described in Appendices A, B, C, D, and E (see also the Table of

Contents that prefaces this NRA). Table 2 lists these program elements in the order of

their calendar deadlines for the submission of proposals, while Table 3 lists them in the

order in which they appear in the appendices of this NRA. Questions about each specific

program element should be directed to the Program Officer(s) identified in the Summary

of Key Information section that concludes each program element description.

In order to pursue NASA’s goals and objectives, SMD research activities are organized

into four Research Programs:

• The Earth Science Research Program sponsors research to explore

interactions among the major components of the Earth system — continents,

oceans, atmosphere, ice, and life — to distinguish natural from human-

induced causes of change and to understand and predict the consequences of

change. The Earth Science Research Program is managed by the Earth

Science Division.

• The Heliophysics Research Program sponsors research to understand the Sun

as a magnetic variable star and as the controlling agent of the space

environment of the Solar System, especially the Earth. The Heliophysics

Research Program is managed by the Heliophysics Division.

• The Planetary Science Research Program sponsors research to explore the

Solar System to study its origins and evolution, including the origins of life

within it. The Planetary Science Research Program is managed by the

Planetary Science Division.

• The Astrophysics Research Program sponsors research to explore the

Universe beyond, from the search for planets and life in other solar systems to

the origin, evolution, structure, and destiny of the Universe itself. The

Astrophysics Research Program is managed by the Astrophysics Division.

The program elements in Appendices A, B, C, and D describe program elements of these

four science research programs, respectively, while Appendix E describes cross-division

program elements relevant to two or more of these science research programs. Each of

these appendices is prefaced with an Overview section that provides an introduction to

the research program content that all interested applicants to this NRA are encouraged to

read.

The program elements described in these appendices also provide any clarifications or

modifications to the general guidelines contained in this Summary of Solicitation.

Amended on October 3, 2008. Section I(c) is replaced in its entirety.

Opportunities to propose for supplemental awards in Education and

Public Outreach have been added in Appendix E.8, Supplemental

Outreach Awards for ROSES Investigators, and Appendix E.9,

Supplemental Education Awards for ROSES Investigators. Old text is

indicated by struck through text.

(i) Overview

SMD is committed to fostering the broad involvement of the Earth and space science

research communities in Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) and contributing to

NASA’s three education goals and outcomes:

• Strengthen NASA and the Nation’s future workforce;

• Attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

(STEM) disciplines; and

• Engage Americans in NASA’s mission.

The NASA Science Mission Directorate’s vision for Education and Public Outreach is:

To share the story, the science, and the adventure of NASA’s scientific

explorations of our home planet, the solar system, and the universe beyond,

through stimulating and informative activities and experiences created by

experts, delivered effectively and efficiently to learners of many backgrounds

via proven conduits, thus providing a return on the public’s investment in

NASA’s scientific research.

Progress towards achieving these goals has become an important part of the broad

justification for the public support of Earth and space science. A more detailed discussion

may be found in the NASA Education Strategic Coordination Framework

(http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Strategic_Coord

ination_Framework.html).

SMD sponsors a broad spectrum of educational activities ranging from kindergarten to

postgraduate levels via several vehicles of solicitation. A variety of information about

recent E/PO activities in Earth and space science can be found at

http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/education-public-outreach. This site includes the

Explanatory Guide to E/PO Evaluation Criteria (April 2008), strategic planning and

implementation documents, catalog or directory of E/PO resources, and list or abstracts

of selected E/PO awards, etc.

(ii) E/PO Opportunities

Three opportunities to participate in SMD’s E/PO programs are included in this ROSES

NRA. The first is the opportunity to conduct midsized E/PO projects by participating in

Opportunities in Science Mission Directorate Education and Public Outreach

(Appendix E.5 of ROSES). The second are the opportunities for early career scientists

and engineers; early career scientists and engineers in Earth science may participate in

the New Investigator Program in Earth Science (Appendix A.21 of ROSES) and early

career scientists and engineers in planetary science may participate in the Fellowships for

Early Career Researchers (Appendix C.22 of ROSES).

The third opportunity is for Principal Investigators (PIs) of selected research

investigations to receive Education or Outreach awards as supplements to their research

award. Note: Two major changes have been made to the supplemental E/PO award

opportunity compared to ROSES-2007 and earlier. (i) Two different pathways are

offered: $15K education pathway proposals and $10K outreach pathway proposals.

(ii) There are two proposal windows each year, and proposals are submitted through

NSPIRES. See Supplemental Outreach Awards for ROSES Investigators (Appendix E.8

of ROSES-08) and Supplemental Education Awards for ROSES Investigators

(Appendix E.9 of ROSES-08).

Other opportunities to participate in SMD’s E/PO programs are not included in this

ROSES NRA, but are solicited separately. These include E/PO opportunities embedded

in SMD missions and programs, opportunities available through SMD’s E/PO support

network organizations to provide E/PO support to the scientific and educational

enterprise inside and outside of NASA, and opportunities sponsored by NASA’s Office

of Education to develop systematic and sustainable educational efforts.

Questions and/or comments and suggestions about the SMD E/PO program are welcome

and may be directed to:

Ms. Stephanie Stockman

SMD Lead for Education and Public Outreach

Science Mission Directorate

NASA Headquarters

Washington, DC 20546

E-mail: HQ-SMD-ROSES-EPO@hq.nasa.gov

(i) Overview

SMD is committed to fostering the broad involvement of the Earth and space science

research communities in Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) and contributing to

NASA’s three education goals and outcomes:

• Strengthen NASA and the Nation’s future workforce;

• Attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

(STEM) disciplines; and

• Engage Americans in NASA’s mission.

Progress towards achieving these goals has become an important part of the broad

justification for the public support of Earth and space science. A more detailed discussion

may be found in the NASA Education Strategic Coordination Framework

(http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Strategic_Coord

ination_Framework.html).

SMD sponsors a broad spectrum of educational activities ranging from kindergarten to

postgraduate levels via several vehicles of solicitation. A variety of information about

recent E/PO activities in Earth and space science can be found at

http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/education-public-outreach [hyperlink address

updated on May 5, 2008]. These sites include the Explanatory Guide to E/PO

Evaluation Criteria (April 2008 [updated May 5, 2008]), strategic planning and

implementation documents, catalog or directory of E/PO resources, list or abstracts of

selected E/PO awards, etc.

(ii) E/PO Opportunities

Supplemental E/PO awards like those offered in ROSES 2007 are on hold pending a

global review of the entire SMD E/PO portfolio. SMD is carefully assessing its efforts so

that the use of NASA funds in the E/PO effort can be made more effective. SMD will

convene an E/PO working group to assess the need for E/PO projects with respect to the

other E/PO efforts and directions the community and NASA believe are most needed at

this time. SMD cannot make this decision until it decides how much effort to put into the

various E/PO areas: informal vs formal, elementary and secondary education vs college

and beyond, etc. This decision-making will include community input.

There are several program elements in ROSES 2008 offering opportunities for early-

career scientists and engineers, e.g. the New Investigator Program in Earth Science

(Appendix A.25) and the Fellowships for Early Career Researchers (Appendix C.22), as

well as more general opportunities in E/PO, e.g. Opportunities in Science Mission

Directorate Education and Public Outreach (Appendix E.5). Please see the appropriate

program element appendix for proposal information including whether these program

elements are soliciting proposals in ROSES 2008.

Other opportunities to participate in SMD’s E/PO programs are not included in this NRA,

but are posted separately at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/; these include the NASA Earth

and Space Science Fellowship (NESSF) Program for graduate students, E/PO

opportunities embedded in SMD missions and programs, and opportunities to provide

E/PO support to the scientific and educational enterprise inside and outside of NASA, as

well as to develop systematic and sustainable educational efforts.

Questions and/or comments and suggestions about the SMD E/PO program are welcome

and may be directed to:

Dr. Yvonne Pendleton

Senior Advisor for Research and Analysis (SARA)

Science Mission Directorate

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546

Telephone: (202) 358-0986

E-mail: sara@nasa.gov

(d) NASA-Provided High-End Computing (HEC) Resources

SMD provides a specialized computational infrastructure to support its research

community, managed on its behalf by NASA’s High-End Computing (HEC) program

(http://www.hec.nasa.gov/). Two major computing facilities are offered, namely, the

NASA Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) at Goddard Space Flight Center

(GSFC), and the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) facility at Ames Research

Center (ARC).

The HEC program facilities maintain a range of capacity and capability computing

systems, with significant data storage resources. These offerings are summarized at

http://www.hec.nasa.gov/about/overview.html. Augmentation and refreshment of these

central systems occur on a periodic basis. The HEC program also provides user services

in code porting, performance tuning, scientific data visualization, and data transfer.

Any need for computing time and other HEC program resources for the proposed

research must be explicitly described. The proposal should include identification of the

computing system and location, rationale and justification of the need, how it supports

the investigation, when during the proposed period the resources will be required, and an

estimate of processor hours and storage capacity needed. An aggregated computing time

per year (number of runs times number of processors per run times number of hours

required per run) should also be included.

The box provided on the Cover Page for proposals submitted in response to this NRA

should also be “checked” to indicate that a request for computing resources is included in

the proposal. As they review the intrinsic merit of the proposed investigation, science

peer review panels will be asked to consider the realism and reasonableness of the

computing time request and whether it is an appropriate utilization of a highly

constrained resource.

To receive an allocation of HEC resources, proposed investigations selected for funding

must make annual requests. The full requested levels cannot be guaranteed. SMD will

make every attempt to satisfy the needs in the context of the overall set of requirements,

resource constraints, and science priorities.

The HEC website provides the mechanism for PIs to formally request full computing

time allocations as identified in their funded proposals. Computing time awards are for

one year and nontransferable. PIs may make large requests, greater than 100,000

aggregated computing hours, at any time during the year, but requests will be considered

only twice a year (November and April). Small requests of less than 100,000 aggregated

computing hours may be allocated throughout the year.

To expedite the set-up of new user accounts (especially for foreign nationals that require

additional documentation and take longer to process), the HEC program will immediately

award any winning proposal that has requested HEC resources a small allocation of start-

up computing time. Winning PIs may then request accounts for themselves and all users

on their team following the procedure at

http://www.hec.nasa.gov/request/accounts_science.html.

For further information contact either of the following:

Dr. Tsengdar J. Lee Mr. Joseph H. Bredekamp

Earth Science Division Heliophysics Division

Science Mission Directorate Science Mission Directorate

NASA Headquarters NASA Headquarters

Washington, DC 20546 Washington, DC 20546

E-mail: Tsengdar.J.Lee@nasa.gov E-mail: Joe.Bredekamp@nasa.gov

Telephone: 202-358-0860 Telephone: 202-358-2348.

(e) NASA Safety Policy

Safety is the freedom from those conditions that can cause death, injury, occupational

illness, damage to or loss of equipment or property, or damage to the environment.

NASA’s safety priority is to protect the public, astronauts and pilots, the NASA

workforce (including employees working under NASA award instruments), and high-

value equipment and property.

(f) Availability of Funds for Awards

Prospective proposers to this NRA are advised that funds are not in general available for

awards for all of its solicited program elements at the time of its release. The

Government’s obligation to make awards is contingent upon the availability of sufficient

appropriated funds from which payment can be made and the receipt of proposals that

NASA determines are acceptable for award under this NRA.

(g) Significant Changes from ROSES-2007

Proposers should be aware of the following significant changes in this NRA from

ROSES-2007.

• Supplemental E/PO awards like those offered in ROSES 2007 are on hold

pending a global review of the entire SMD E/PO portfolio (Section I(c)(ii)).

• The maximum period of performance for new awards is now four years for most

program elements (Section II(C)),

• For ROSES-2008, SMD has discontinued the requirement that proposers should

redact budget data from the budget justification. Proposers should not upload a

second “total budget” document (Section IV(b)(iii)).

• In order to accelerate selection announcements, selection decisions for some

proposals may be deferred (Section V(c)).

• The description of the available appeals processes now includes the SMD process

for reconsideration (Section V(d)).

• Selected and funded investigators are encouraged to serve as peer reviewers

(Section V(e)).

• SMD maintains a new website for improving communication with the research

community (Section VIII(d)).

In addition to the listed significant changes, this NRA and the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers incorporate a large number of additional changes including both policy

changes and changes to proposal submission requirements. Many sections of both

documents have been clarified since the release of ROSES-2007. All proposers are urged

to read this NRA and the 2008 edition of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers carefully

since all proposals must comply with their requirements, constraints, and guidelines.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

(a) Funding and Award Policies

The amount of funds expected to be available for new awards for proposals submitted in

response to this NRA is given in the Summary of Key Information that concludes each

program element description in the appendices. Given the submission of proposals of

merit, the number of awards that may be made for each program element is also given in

this location.

In all cases, NASA’s goal is to initiate new awards within 46 days after the selection of

proposals is announced for each program element. However, this time period may be

longer based on the workload experienced by NASA, the availability of appropriated

funds, and any necessary post selection negotiations with the proposing organization(s)

needed for the award(s) in question. Regarding this last item, every proposer is especially

encouraged to submit full and detailed explanations of the requested budget (see

Section 2.3.10 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers1) to help expedite the processing of

the award should their proposal be selected.

Awards made through this NRA will be in the form of grants, cooperative agreements,

contracts, and intra- or inter-agency transfers depending on the nature of the submitting

organization and/or the specific requirements for awards given in each program element

description in the appendices. The type of award to be offered to selected proposers will

1 The Guidebook for Proposers Responding to a NASA Research Announcement (hereafter referred to as

the NASA Guidebook for Proposers) is at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/nraguidebook; see

Section IV(a) of this NRA for further information.

generally follow the policies in Section D.1 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers,

although in a few cases, only one type of award may be offered as specified in the

program element description. A NASA awards officer will determine the appropriate

award instrument for the selections resulting from this solicitation. Grants and

cooperative agreements will be subject to the provisions of the Grants Handbook2 and

Appendix D of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. In the case of any conflict, the

Grants Handbook takes precedence. Contract awards will be subject to the provisions of

the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and the NASA FAR Supplement (see

http://ec.msfc.nasa.gov/hq/library/v-reg.htm).

(b) Successor Proposals and Resubmissions

Generally, PIs holding previous awards selected through any of the programs offered

through earlier NRAs are welcome to submit “successor” proposals that seek to continue

a previously funded line of research (see Section 1.5 of the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers). However, it is SMD policy that such successor proposals will be considered

with neither advantage nor disadvantage along with new proposals that are submitted for

that same program. Instructions regarding successor proposals may be found in

Section 1.5 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers.

Proposals that were submitted but not selected for any previous NASA solicitation may

be submitted either in a revised or original form. Such submissions will be subjected to

full peer review and considered with neither advantage nor disadvantage along with new

proposals that are received by NASA.

The maximum period of performance (duration) for new awards for proposals submitted

in response to this NRA is given in the Summary of Key Information that concludes each

program element description in the appendices. The usual maximum period of

performance is four years. Any deviation from the usual maximum duration of four years

will be noted (a few program elements may specify only one year for activities of limited

scope to as long as five years for extensive, comprehensive studies).

Any proposed period of performance must be justified in the proposal. The

appropriateness of the proposed period of performance will be evaluated by peer review.

NASA may select proposals for a shorter award duration than proposed.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

(a) Eligibility of Applicants

Participation in this program is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations,

including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory, as well as NASA Centers and other U.S. Government agencies. Historically

Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Other Minority Universities (OMUs), small

2 The NASA Grants and Cooperative Agreement Handbook (hereafter referred to as the Grants Handbook)

is at http://ec.msfc.nasa.gov/hq/grcover.htm.

disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled

veteran-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, and women-owned small

businesses (WOSBs) are encouraged to apply. Participation by non-U.S. organizations in

this program is welcome but subject to NASA’s policy of no exchange of funds, in which

each government supports its own national participants and associated costs (further

information on foreign participation is provided in Section 1.6 of the NASA Guidebook

for Proposers).

(b) Number of Proposals and Teaming Arrangements

There is no restriction on the number of proposals that an organization may submit to this

solicitation or on the teaming arrangements for any one proposal, including teaming with

employees of NASA’s Centers and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. However, each

proposal must be a separate, stand-alone, complete document for evaluation purposes.

If an institution of higher education or other not-for-profit organization wants to receive a

grant or cooperative agreement, cost sharing is not required, although NASA can accept

cost sharing if it is voluntarily offered (see the Grants Handbook, Section B, §1260.123,

“Cost Sharing or Matching”). If a commercial organization wants to receive a grant or

cooperative agreement, cost sharing is required unless the commercial organization can

demonstrate that it does not expect to receive substantial compensating benefits for

performance of the work. If this demonstration is made, cost sharing is not required but

may be offered voluntarily (see also the Grants Handbook, Section D, §1274.204, “Costs

and Payments”). See also Section V(a) below.

IV. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

(a) Proposal Instructions and Requirements

All information needed to apply to this solicitation is contained in this ROSES NRA and

in the companion document, the Guidebook for Proposers Responding to a NASA

Research Announcement (hereafter referred to as the NASA Guidebook for Proposers),

located at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/nraguidebook. By reference, the

2008 edition of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers is incorporated into this NRA.

Proposers are responsible for understanding and complying with its procedures for the

successful, timely preparation and submission of their proposals. Proposals that do not

conform to its standards may be declared noncompliant and rejected without review.

Questions regarding this NRA or its program elements should be directed to the

cognizant Program Officer identified in the Summary of Key Information subsection that

concludes each program element description. Any clarifications or questions and answers

that are published will be posted on the relevant program element’s web page.

The introductory material, as well as the appendices, of the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers provide additional information about the entire NRA process, including NASA

policies for the solicitation of proposals, guidelines for writing complete and effective

proposals, and NASA’s general policies and procedures for the review and selection of

proposals and for issuing and managing the awards to the institutions that submitted

selected proposals. A group of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) provides additional

miscellaneous information about a variety of the NASA proposal and award processes,

policies, and procedures.

Comments and suggestions of any nature about the NASA Guidebook for Proposers are

encouraged and welcome and may be directed at any time to the point-of-contact

identified in Section VII below.

(b) Content and Form of the Proposal Submission

(i) Electronic Proposal Submission

All proposals submitted in response to this ROSES NRA must be submitted in a fully

electronic form. No hard copy of the proposal is required or permitted. Electronic

proposals must be submitted by one of the officials at the PI’s organization who is

authorized to make such a submission; electronic submission by the authorized

organization representative (AOR) serves for the proposal as the required original

signature by an authorized official of the proposing organization.

Proposers may opt to submit proposals in response to this ROSES NRA via either of two

different electronic proposal submission systems: either via the NASA Solicitation and

Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES)

(http://nspires.nasaprs.com; see Section IV(b)(iv) below) or via Grants.gov

(http://www.grants.gov; see Section IV(b)(v) below).

Note carefully the following requirements for submission of an electronic proposal,

regardless of the intent to submit via NSPIRES or Grants.gov.

• Every organization that intends to submit a proposal to NASA in response to this

NRA, including educational institutions, industry, not-for-profit institutions, the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Centers, and other U.S. Government agencies,

must be registered in NSPIRES. This applies equally for proposals submitted via

Grants.gov, as well as for proposals submitted via NSPIRES. Every organization

that intends to submit a proposal through Grants.gov must also be registered in

Grants.gov, as well as in NSPIRES. Registration for either proposal data system

must be performed by an organization’s electronic business point-of-contact

(EBPOC) in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR).

• Any organization requesting NASA funds through the proposed investigation

must be listed on the Proposal Cover Page. NASA will not fund organizations that

do not appear on the Proposal Cover Page.

• Each individual team member (e.g., PI, co-investigators, etc.), including all

personnel named on the proposal’s electronic cover page, must be individually

registered in NSPIRES. This applies equally for proposals submitted via

Grants.gov, as well as for proposals submitted via NSPIRES.

March 5, 2008. The following paragraph has been clarified by inserting the bolded

sentence and deleting the struck through sentence; no change in policy is intended.

This clarification also applies to Section 1.4.2 of the Guidebook for Proposers.

• Each individual team member (e.g., PI, co-investigators, etc.), including all

personnel named on the proposal’s electronic cover page, must specify an

organizational affiliation. The organizational affiliation specified on the cover

page must be the organization through which the team member would work

and receive funding while participating in the proposed investigation. The

organizational affiliation specified must be the organization through which the

team member is participating in the proposed investigation. If the individual has

multiple affiliations, then this organization may be different from the individual’s

primary employer or preferred mailing address.

Generically, an electronic proposal consists of electronic forms and one or more

attachments. The electronic forms contain data that will appear on the proposals cover

pages and will be stored with the proposal in the NSPIRES database. A proposal

submitted in response to this NRA must have only a single attachment. The single

attachment contains all sections of the proposal, including the science/technical/

management section, the budget narrative, and all required and allowed appendices; see

Section IV(b)(ii) below for further requirements.

Submission of electronic proposals via either NSPIRES or Grants.gov is a two step

process. When the PI has completed entry of the data requested in the required electronic

forms and attachment of the allowed PDF attachments, including the

science/technical/management section, an official at the PI’s organization who is

authorized to make such a submission, referred to as the Authorized Organizational

Representative (AOR), must submit the electronic proposal (forms plus attachments).

Coordination between the PI and his/her AOR on the final editing and submission of the

proposal materials is facilitated through their respective accounts in NSPIRES and/or

Grants.gov.

(ii) Proposal Format and Contents

All proposals submitted in response to this NRA must include the appropriate required

electronic forms available through either of two proposal submission systems, NSPIRES

or Grants.gov.

The science/technical/management section and other required sections of the proposal

must be submitted as a single, searchable, unlocked PDF file that is attached to the

electronic submission using one of the proposal submission systems. Proposers must

comply with any format requirements specified in this NRA and in the NASA Guidebook

for Proposers (e.g. Section 2.3 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers). Only appendices

that are specifically requested in either this NRA or in the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers will be permitted; proposals containing unsolicited appendices may be

declared noncompliant. Section 2 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers provides

detailed discussions of the content and organization of proposals suitable for all program

elements in this NRA, as well as the default page limits of a proposal’s constituent parts.

Note that some of the program element descriptions in Appendices A through E of this

NRA may specify different page limits for the main body of the proposal; if so, these

page limits will be prominently given in the Summary of Key Information subsection that

concludes each program element description. In the event the information in this NRA is

different from or contradictory to the information in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers,

the information in this NRA takes precedence.

Important note on creating PDF files for upload: It is essential that all PDF files

generated and submitted meet NASA requirements. This will ensure that the submitted

files can be ingested by NSPIRES regardless of whether the proposal is submitted via

NSPIRES or Grants.gov. At a minimum, it is the responsibility of the proposer to:

(1) ensure that all PDF files are unlocked and that edit permission is enabled – this is

necessary to allow NSPIRES to concatenate submitted files into a single PDF document;

and (2) ensure that all fonts are embedded in the PDF file and that only Type 1 or

TrueType fonts are used. In addition, any proposer who creates files using TeX or LaTeX

is required to first create a DVI file and then convert the DVI file to Postscript and then to

PDF. See http://nspires.nasaprs.com/tutorials/PDF_Guidelines.pdf for more information

on creating PDF documents that are compliant with NSPIRES. PDF files that do not meet

NASA requirements cannot be ingested by the NSPIRES system; such files may be

declared noncompliant and not submitted to peer review for evaluation.

There is a 10 MB size limit for proposals (Section 2.3(c) of the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers).Large file sizes can impact the time it takes for NASA and peer reviewers to

download and access your proposal. In order to increase the ease in reviewing your

proposal, you should crop and compress any embedded photos and graphic files to an

appropriate size and resolution. Most electronically submitted proposals will be 1-2 MB

or less in size.

(iii) No Additional ROSES Requirement for Budget Format

For the past two years, SMD has required that proposers to ROSES withhold certain

budget data from their budget justification. They were also required to develop an

additional proposal section, the total budget, which contained complete budget

information.

On a one year trial basis, SMD is discontinuing this requirement.

Proposals submitted in response to this ROSES NRA should follow the directions for the

budget section of the proposal given in Section 2.3.10 of the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers. There are no additional requirements for ROSES proposals.

(iv) Submission of Proposals via NSPIRES, the NASA Proposal Data

System

Proposals may be submitted electronically via NASA’s master proposal data base system,

the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System

(NSPIRES). In order to submit a proposal via NSPIRES, this NRA requires that the

proposer register key data concerning the intended submission with NSPIRES; NSPIRES

is accessed at http://nspires.nasaprs.com. Potential applicants are urged to access this site

well in advance of the NOI and proposal due dates of interest to familiarize themselves

with its structure and enter the requested identifier information.

It is especially important to note that every individual named on the proposal’s electronic

Cover Page form (see below) as a proposing team member in any role, including

co-investigators and collaborators, must be individually registered in NSPIRES and that

such individuals must perform this registration themselves; no one may register a second

party, even the PI of a proposal in which that person is committed to participate. It is also

important to note that every named individual must be identified with the organization

through which they are participating in the proposal, regardless of their place of

permanent employment or preferred mailing address. This data site is secure and all

information entered is strictly for NASA’s use only.

All proposals submitted via NSPIRES in response to this NRA must include a required

electronic Cover Page form that is accessed at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/. This form is

comprised of several distinct sections: a Cover Page that contains the identifier

information for the proposing institution and personnel; a Proposal Summary that

provides an overview of the proposed investigation that is suitable for release through a

publicly accessible archive should the proposal be selected; Business Data that provides

the proposed start and end dates as well as other proposal characteristics, a Budget form

that contains a budget summary of the proposed research effort; Program Specific Data

that includes required questions specific to ROSES and that particular program element;

and Proposal Team that provides the co-investigators and other participants in the

proposal. This Cover Page form is available for access and submission starting about 90

days in advance of the proposal due dates given in Tables 2 and 3 of this NRA and

remains open until the proposal due date for each program element. Unless specified in

the program element description itself, no other forms are required for proposal

submission via NSPIRES. See the NASA Guidebook for Proposers, Sections 2 and 3, for

further details.

Although NSPIRES has the ability to accept many, separate proposal documents, the

required elements of any proposal submitted in response to this NRA must be submitted

as a single, searchable, unlocked PDF document that contains the complete proposal,

including the science/technical/management section and budget justification, assembled

in the order provided in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers (see Section 2.3) and

uploaded as a single attachment using the tools in NSPIRES. The proposer is responsible

for assembling the complete proposal document for peer review. All required and

permitted appendices must be included in the PDF file and should not be uploaded as

separate attachments, unless specified otherwise in the program element description in

the appendices to this NRA. Including any part of the proposal twice creates an additional

burden on the peer reviewers. Documents such as team member biographical sketches,

letters of commitment, and current and pending support should not be uploaded to

NSPIRES as separate files.

NSPIRES generates error and warning messages as part of the element check concerning

possibly missing data. An error will preclude proposal submission to NASA by the AOR.

A warning is an indication that data may be missing; a warning can be ignored after

verifying that the material is included in the single attachment containing the complete

proposal. Any actions taken because of warnings are at the PI's discretion.

In addition, it is unnecessary to download the Proposal Cover Page and incorporate it into

the Proposal Document. NSPIRES will automatically route the two parts of the proposal

(Cover Page form, proposal document) to the appropriate peer or NASA reviewers.

Proposers are encouraged to begin their submission process early. Tutorials and other

NSPIRES help topics may be accessed through the NSPIRES online help site at

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/help.do. For any questions that cannot be resolved

with the available online help menus, requests for assistance may be directed by E-mail

to nspires-help@nasaprs.com or by telephone to (202) 479-9376, Monday through

Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

(v) Submission of Proposals via Grants.gov

In furtherance of the President’s Management Agenda, NASA offers proposers the option

to use Grants.gov to prepare and submit proposals in response to this ROSES NRA.

Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant

opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies; it provides a single access point for

over 1000 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. The U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services is the managing partner for Grants.gov.

In order to submit a proposal via Grants.gov, Grants.gov requires that the PI download an

application package from Grants.gov. Identifying the appropriate application package

requires the funding opportunity number for that program element; the funding

opportunity number may be found in the Summary of Key Information subsection that

concludes each program element description in the appendices of this NRA. Proposals

submitted via Grants.gov must be submitted by the AOR.

Submitting a proposal via Grants.gov requires the following steps:

• Grant researchers (PIs) do NOT need to register with Grants.gov. However, every

individual named in the proposal as a proposing team member in any role,

including PI, co-investigators, and collaborators, must be registered in NSPIRES

(http://nspires.nasaprs.com) and such individuals must perform this registration

themselves; no one may register a second party, even the PI of a proposal in

which that person is committed to participate. This data site is secure and all

information entered is strictly for NASA’s use only.

• Follow Grants.gov instructions provided at the website to download any software

tools or applications required to submit via Grants.gov.

• Download the application package from Grants.gov by selecting “Download grant

application packages” under “Apply for Grants” at http://www.grants.gov. Each

program element described in an appendix of ROSES requires a different

application package and has a different Funding Opportunity Number; the

Funding Opportunity Number may be found in the Summary of Key Information

at the end of the program element description in each appendix of ROSES. Enter

the appropriate Funding Opportunity Number to retrieve the desired application

package. All NASA application packages may be found by searching on CFDA

Number 00.000.

• Complete the required Grants.gov forms including the SF424 (R&R) Application

for Federal Assistance, R&R Other Project Information, R&R Senior/Key Person

Profile, and R&R Budget. Every named individual must be identified with the

organization through which they are participating in the proposal, regardless of

their place of permanent employment or preferred mailing address.

• Complete the required NASA specific forms including NASA Other Project

Information, NASA PI and Authorized Representative Supplemental Data Sheet,

and NASA Senior/Key Person Supplemental Data Sheet (this form is only

required if there are Senior/Key Persons other than the PI).

• Complete any NASA program-specific form that is required for the specific

program element. Program-specific forms may be found by clicking on the

hyperlink in the NASA Other Project Information form or by directly accessing

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/grants.gov. Directions for accessing and submitting

program-specific forms, if there are any, are provided in the NASA Other Project

Information form.

• Create a proposal in PDF including the science/technical/management section and

all other required proposal sections (see Section 2 of the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers). Upload sections as separate PDF documents as prompted by

Grants.gov.

• Submit the proposal via the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); the

PI may not submit the application to Grants.gov unless he/she is an AOR.

Potential applicants are urged to access Grants.gov site well in advance of the proposal

due date(s) of interest to familiarize themselves with its structure and download the

appropriate application packages and tools.

Additional instructions for formatting and submitting proposals via Grants.gov may be

found in Sections 2 and 3 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. Instructions for the use

of Grants.gov may be found in the Grants.gov User Guide at

http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport. Instructions for NASA-specific forms and

NASA program-specific forms may be found in the application package and at

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/Grants.gov. For any questions that cannot be resolved with the

available online help menus and documentation, requests for assistance may be directed

by E-mail to support@grants.gov or by telephone to (800) 518-4726.

(vi) Notice of Intent to Propose

For most of the program elements advertised through this solicitation, a brief Notice of

Intent (NOI) to propose is encouraged, but not required, for the submission of proposals

to this solicitation. The information contained in an NOI is used to help expedite the

proposal review activities and, therefore, is of considerable value to both NASA and the

proposer. To be of maximum value, NOIs should be submitted by the PI to NSPIRES

(located at http://nspires.nasaprs.com) by the dates given in Tables 2 or 3 of this NRA for

each program element in Appendices A through E. Note that NOIs may be submitted

within NSPIRES directly by the PI; no action by an organization’s AOR is required to

submit an NOI.

Grants.gov does not provide NOI capability; therefore, NOIs must be submitted via

NSPIRES regardless of whether the proposal will be submitted via NSPIRES or

Grants.gov. Interested proposers must register with NSPIRES before it can be accessed

for use. NSPIRES is open for the submission of NOIs for typically 30 days, starting about

90 days in advance of the due date for the proposals themselves. Since NOIs submitted

after these deadlines may still be useful to NASA, late NOIs may be submitted by E-mail

as directed in Section 3.1 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers.

(vii) The Two-Step Proposal Process and the Two-Phase Proposal

Process

The Two-Step Proposal Process

On occasion, NASA will solicit proposals using a two-step proposal process for which

the Step-1 proposal is a synopsis of the intended research. When employed, Step-1

proposals are submitted by the NOI/Step-1 due date given in Tables 2 and 3 of this NRA;

this site will be open for the submission of Step-1 proposals starting ~30 days in advance

of their due date. NASA will review this Step-1 proposal to determine if the anticipated

research project exhibits sufficient programmatic relevance and responsiveness to the

current solicitation to warrant submission of a full Step-2 proposal. All submitters of

Step-1 proposals will be informed by NASA no later than eight weeks after the Step-1

due date that they are, or are not, invited to submit a full Step-2 proposal by the proposal

due date established for that program element. The provision of feedback on Step-1

proposals prior to the Step-2 due date is not ensured. Note that Step-1 proposals are

required. A Step-2 proposal may be submitted only if a Step-1 proposal is submitted and

that Step-1 proposal results in an invitation to submit a Step-2 proposal.

The required synopsis for the Step-1 proposal is submitted as a PDF document upload;

the required contents for the Step-1 proposal will be specified in the program element

description. The investigation team is not considered binding for Step-1 and can be

adjusted in an invited Step-2 proposal. Budget and detailed program data should not be

included with the Step-1 proposal. The Step-1 proposal must be submitted by an

Authorized Organizational Representative of the proposing organization. Step-2

proposals are to be submitted in full compliance with the NASA Guidebook for Proposers

discussed in Section IV(a) above.

This ROSES-2008 NRA contains one program element that is soliciting proposals using a

two-step process: Land Cover/Land Use Change (Appendix A.4).

The Two-Phase Proposal Process

On occasion, NASA will solicit proposals using a two-phase proposal process for which

Phase-1 is an observing request for an observation to be performed by a NASA space

observatory as part of a NASA guest investigator/guest observer program element.

Phase-2 is a proposal for funding. An NOI is requested for a Phase-1 observing request

by the NOI due date, and the Phase-1 observing request must be submitted by the

proposal due date in Tables 2 and 3 of this NRA.

Grants.gov does not provide NOI or Phase-1 observing request capability; therefore,

NOIs and Phase-1 observing requests cannot be submitted via Grants.gov regardless of

whether the Phase-2 funding proposal will be submitted via NSPIRES or Grants.gov. The

Phase-2 proposal for funding must be submitted via either NSPIRES or Grants.gov by a

proposal due date that will be announced when NASA announces the disposition of the

Phase-1 observing requests. The process and requirements for the submission of Phase-1

observing requests and Phase-2 proposals may differ for each program element;

proposers should read carefully the relevant program element Appendix to this ROSES

NRA.

This ROSES-2008 NRA contains several guest investigator/guest observer program

elements using the two-phase proposal process: GALEX Guest Investigator

(Appendix D.5), Swift Guest Investigator (Appendix D.6),and Suzaku Guest Observer

(Appendix D.7).

For each program element in Appendices A through E of this NRA, the electronic

proposal must be submitted in its entirety by an Authorized Organizational

Representative (AOR) no later than the proposal deadline on the appropriate proposal due

date given in Tables 2 or 3 of this NRA. Unless stated otherwise in the relevant appendix

to this NRA, the proposal deadline is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. All proposals must be

submitted electronically using either NSPIRES or Grants.gov (see Sections IV(b)(i–iii)

above).

Proposals submitted later than the proposal due date and deadline will be considered late.

Proposals that are late will be handled in accordance with NASA’s policy as given in

Section (g) of Appendix B of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers (see also its

Sections 3.2 and F.23). Proposals received after the due date may be rejected without

review. If a late proposal is rejected, it is entirely at the discretion of the proposer whether

or not to resubmit it in response to a subsequent appropriate solicitation. It is not possible

to submit a late proposal electronically via NSPIRES unless the electronic Cover Page

was initially created prior to the proposal due date. Late proposals may not be submitted

via Grants.gov.

(d) Proposal Funding Restrictions

In addition to the funding restrictions and requirements given in the Guidebook for

Proposers and the Grants Handbook, the following restrictions are applicable to this

ROSES NRA.

• The estimated funding and number of proposals anticipated to be funded, as

shown in the Summary of Key Information at the end of each program element,

are subject to the availability of appropriated funds, as well as the submission of a

sufficient number of proposals of adequate merit.

• As directed in the NASA Guidebook for Proposers, Section 2.3.10(c)(iii), other

than the special cases discussed in Section 2.3.10(c)(ii) of the NASA Guidebook

for Proposers, and unless specifically noted otherwise in the specific ROSES

program element appendix, the proposing PI organization must subcontract the

funding of all proposed Co-Is who reside at other non-Government organizations,

even though this may result in a higher proposal cost because of subcontracting

fees.

• Regardless of whether a Co-I will be funded through a subaward or through a

separate award, the budget for the proposal must include all funding requested

from NASA for the proposed investigation. This must be reflected in the budget

totals that appear in the proposal and its budget forms. Any required budget for

Co-Is or Government facilities that will be separately funded should be included

in the proposal’s Budget Narrative and should be listed as "Other Applicable

Costs" in the required Budget Details, as well as entered in the “Other” line(s) on

the NSPIRES or Grants.gov budget entry form in the “Other Direct Costs”

section. This funding must be included in the total cost of the proposed work. No

indirect burden should be applied to this amount. (see Section 2.3.10(c)(ii) of the

NASA Guidebook for Proposers).

• The construction of facilities is not an allowed activity for any of the program

elements solicited in this NRA unless specifically stated. For further information

on the allowability of costs, refer to the cost principles cited in the Grants

Handbook, Section B, §1260.127, “Allowable Costs.”

• Travel, including foreign travel, is allowed as may be necessary for the

meaningful completion of the proposed investigation, as well as for publicizing its

results at appropriate professional meetings.

• Profit for commercial organizations is not allowable under grant or cooperative

agreement awards but is allowable under contract awards.

• U.S. research award recipients may directly purchase supplies and/or services

from non-U.S. sources that do not constitute research, but award funds may not be

used to fund research carried out by non-U.S. organizations. However, a foreign

national may receive remuneration through a NASA award for the conduct of

research while employed either full or part time by a U.S. organization (see

Section 1.6 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers).

• The following instructions clarify and supersede the Guidebook for Proposers,

Section 2.3.10(c)(iv).

Regardless of whether functioning as a team lead or as a team member, personnel

from NASA Centers must propose budgets based on full-cost accounting and

consistent with the current implementation of simplified full cost accounting for

the requested year of performance. Proposal budgets from NASA Centers must

include all costs that will be paid out of the resulting award. Costs that will not be

paid out of the resulting award, but are paid from a separate NASA budget (e.g.

CM&O) and are not based on the success of this specific proposal, should not be

included in the proposal budget. For example, CM&O should not be included in

the proposal budget while direct civil service labor, travel, and other direct

charges (including procurements and contractor labor) to the proposed research

task should be included.

• Non-NASA U.S. Government organizations should propose based on full-cost

accounting unless no such standards are in effect; in that case such proposers

should follow the Managerial Cost Accounting Standards for the Federal

Government as recommended by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory

Board (for further information, see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/fullcost). Proposal

budgets must include all costs that will be paid out of the resulting award.

(e) Proposal Requirements for Relevance

Proposals for all NASA sponsored research programs are evaluated on three criteria:

intrinsic merit, relevance to NASA’s objectives, and cost realism and reasonableness (see

Appendix C of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers). To enable NASA to properly

evaluate the relevance of proposals submitted in response to this solicitation, proposals

must contain a statement of the relevance of the proposed work to NASA objectives as

stated in the latest version of the NASA Strategic Plan and the NASA Science Plan (see

Section I(a)). This statement need not exceed a quarter page of text and is to be included

in the introduction to the science/technical/management section of the proposal. This

short statement of relevance to NASA objectives is in addition to the proposal’s longer

and more detailed discussion addressing the specific goals of a particular research

program element.

Note that this NRA references NASA’s 2006 strategic goals and objectives (see

Section I(a) and Table 1).

V. PROPOSAL REVIEW INFORMATION

(a) Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation by peers of the proposing personnel will be used to assess each proposal’s

intrinsic scientific and technical merit, its relevance to NASA’s stated objectives, and its

cost realism. See Appendix C.2 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers for further

discussion of these criteria and their relative weights. The evaluation factors include

factors evaluated by peer reviewers, as well as factors evaluated by NASA program

personnel. Note the following specific points:

• Some of the program elements discussed in Appendices A through E will give

specific factors, based on the solicited research objectives, which will be

considered when evaluating a proposal’s science and/or technical merits and/or its

relevance to program objectives.

• As discussed in Section IV(e) above, relevance will be judged in part by the

proposal’s focus on specific strategic and science objectives for SMD, as given in

Table 1.

• Cost data for U.S. proposals will be evaluated both by peer review (for cost

realism and cost reasonableness) and by NASA program personnel (for total cost

and comparison to available funds). Proposers must follow the budget

requirements in Section 2.3.10 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposer. In a change

from previous years, proposers should not redact budget data from the budget

justification, and proposers should not upload a second “total budget” document

(see Section IV(b)(iii) of this NRA).

• Cost sharing is not part of the evaluation criteria (see Section III(c) above).

However, cost sharing may become a factor at the time of selection when

deciding between proposals of otherwise equal scientific and technical merit.

(b) Review and Selection Processes

Review of proposals submitted to this NRA will be consistent with the general policies

and provisions given in Sections C.1 through C.4 of Appendix C of the NASA Guidebook

for Proposers, and selection procedures will be consistent with the provisions of

Section C.5 of that document. For some of the program elements solicited in this NRA,

the desire to achieve a balance of efforts across the solicited program objectives may play

a role in the selections, taking into account not only the new proposals of merit that are

suitable for selection but also those that seek an extension of activities initiated through

previous but now concluded selections, i.e., “successor” proposals; see Section II(b)

above.

Unless otherwise specified, the SMD Division Director responsible for a research

program element (or his/her delegate) is its Selection Official. Unless otherwise

specified, the Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate (or his/her

delegate) is the Selection Official for cross-division program elements.

SMD’s goal is to announce selections within 150 days of the proposal due date and

within 56 days after the conclusion of the peer review. Selections are typically announced

between 150 days and 220 days after the proposal due date. Although there are many

reasons why selections are not announced earlier, the most common are the uncertainty in

the NASA budget at the time selection decisions could be made and the time required to

conduct an appropriate peer review and selection process. NASA does not usually

announce new selections until the funds needed for those awards are approved through

the Federal budget process. Therefore, a delay in the budget process for NASA usually

results in a delay of the selection date. After 150 days past the proposal due date for

which a proposal was submitted, proposers may contact the responsible Program Officer

listed at the conclusion of that program element description in the appendices for the

status of the selection activity.

In order to announce selection decisions as soon as practical, even in the presence of

budget uncertainties, the Selection Official may decide to defer selection decisions on

some proposals while making selection decisions on others. If a Selection Official uses

this option, then proposals will be selected, not selected, or not selected at this time.

Proposals which are not selected at this time will be considered for a supplemental

selection when circumstances allow. All proposers whose proposals are not selected at

this time will eventually be notified whether their proposal is selected through a

supplemental selection or is no longer being considered for a supplemental selection.

Those proposers not selected will be notified by postal or electronic mail and offered a

debriefing consistent with the policy in Section C.6 of the NASA Guidebook for

Proposers.

(d) Processes for Appeals

(i) Reconsideration by SMD

SMD has a process for requesting reconsideration of the declination of a proposal

submitted in response to an SMD NASA Research Announcement. Reconsideration may

be requested if the PI believes that the proposal was not handled correctly. This process

may be found at in the “SMD Reconsideration Policy” document available in the Library

section of the SARA website (see Section VIII(d) of this NRA for the URL of the SARA

website).

(ii) Ombudsman Program

The NASA Procurement Ombudsman Program is available under this NRA as a

procedure for addressing concerns and disagreements. The clause at NASA FAR

Supplement (NFS) 1852.215-84 (“Ombudsman”) is incorporated into this NRA. The

cognizant ombudsman is

Director, Contract Management Division

Office of Procurement

NASA Headquarters

Washington, DC 20546

Telephone: 202-358-0445

(iii) Protests

Only prospective offerors seeking contract awards under this NRA have the right to file a

protest, either at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) or with the Agency, as

defined in FAR 33.101. The provisions at FAR 52.233-2 (“Service of Protest”) and NFS

1852.233-70 (“Protests to NASA”) are incorporated into this NRA. Under both of these

provisions, the designated official for receipt of protests to the Agency and copies of

protests filed with the GAO is

Assistant Administrator for Procurement

Office of Procurement

NASA Headquarters

Washington, DC 20546

Telephone: 202-358-2090

(e) Service as a Peer Reviewer

The success of NASA’s research program rests on the quality of peer review.

Investigators whose proposals were selected in prior competitions are highly qualified

and may not be submitting a proposal to the current competition. NASA will contact

selected investigators and ask them to serve as a peer reviewer. Selected and funded

investigators are encouraged to agree to serve on SMD peer review panels and to support

NASA in conducting its competitive research programs.

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

(a) Notice of Award

Notification of both the selected, as well as the nonselected proposers, will be consistent

with the policy given in Section C.5.3 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers. For

selected proposers, the offeror’s business office will be contacted by a NASA Awards

Officer, who is the only official authorized to obligate the Government. Any costs

incurred by the offeror in anticipation of an award will be subject to the policies and

regulations of the Grants Handbook (see Section B, §1260.125(e), “Revision of Budget

and Program Plans”).

(b) Administrative and National Policy Requirements

This solicitation does not invoke any special administrative or national policy

requirements, nor do the awards that will be made involve any special terms and

conditions that differ from NASA’s general terms and conditions as given in the Grants

Handbook.

The reporting requirements for awards made through this NRA will be consistent with

Exhibit G of the Grants Handbook. Any additional requirements will be specified in the

program element description.

VII. POINTS OF CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

General questions and comments about the policies of this NRA may be directed to:

[POC updated July 17, 2008]

Dr. Max Bernstein

SMD Lead for Research

Science Mission Directorate

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546

Telephone: (202) 358-0879

E-mail: sara@nasa.gov

Note: Proposals must not be submitted to this address. Proposals must be submitted

electronically as described in Section IV above.

Specific questions about a given program element in this NRA should be directed to the

Program Officer(s) listed in the Summary of Key Information subsection that concludes

each program element description.

Inquiries about accessing or using the NASA proposal data base located at

http://nspires.nasaprs.com should be directed by an E-mail that includes a telephone

number to nspires-help@nasaprs.com or by calling (202) 479-9376. This help center is

staffed Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Inquiries about accessing or using Grants.gov located at http://www.grants.gov should be

directed by an E-mail to support@grants.gov or by calling (800) 518-4726. This

customer support contact center is staffed Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Eastern Time.

VIII. ANCILLARY INFORMATION

(a) Announcement of Updates/Amendments to Solicitation

Because this NRA is released far in advance of many of the deadlines given in Tables 2

and 3, additional programmatic information for any of its programs may develop before

their proposal due dates. If so, such information will be added as a formal amendment to

this NRA as posted at its homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com (select “Solicitations”

then “Open Solicitations” then “NNH08ZDA001N”) no later than 30 days before the

proposal due date, or, if this is not possible, the proposal due date will be extended to

allow 30 days for proposal submission from the date of the amendment. Although NASA

SMD will also send an electronic notification of any such amendments to all subscribers

of its electronic notification system (see Section VIII(c) below), it is the responsibility of

the prospective proposer to check this NRA’s homepage for updates concerning the

program(s) of interest.

Any clarifications or questions and answers that are published will be posted on the

relevant program element’s web page at http://nspires.nasaprs.com (select “Solicitations”

then “Open Solicitations” then “NNH08ZDA001N” then “List of Program Elements”

then the relevant program element). All such clarifications will be posted no later than 30

days before the proposal due date.

(b) Electronic Submission of Proposal Information

On-time electronic submission over the Internet is required for every proposal. While

every effort is made to ensure the reliability and accessibility of the electronic proposal

submission systems (NSPIRES and Grants.gov) and to maintain help centers via E-mail

and telephone, difficulty may arise at any point on the Internet, including the user’s own

equipment. Therefore, prospective proposers are urged to familiarize themselves with the

submission system(s) and to submit the required proposal materials well in advance of

the deadline of the program of interest. Difficulty in registering with or using a proposal

submission system is not, in and of itself, a sufficient reason for NASA to consider a

proposal that is submitted after the proposal due date (see Section IV(c) above).

SMD maintains an electronic notification system to alert interested researchers of its

research program announcements. Subscription to this service is free to all registered

users of the NASA proposal data base system at http://nspires.nasaprs.com. To add or

change a subscription to the electronic notification system, users should login to the data

base system and select “Account Management” then “E-mail Subscriptions.” Owing to

the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of SMD programs, this E-mail service will

notify all subscribers of (i) all NASA SMD research program solicitations regardless of

their type or science objectives; (ii) amendments to all SMD solicitations that have been

released for which the proposal due dates have not passed; and (iii) special information

that SMD wishes to communicate to those interested in proposing to its sponsored

research programs. Altogether, a subscriber may receive 50–75 notifications per year.

SMD maintains this subscription list in confidence and does not attempt to discern the

identity of its subscribers. Regardless of whether or not this service is used, all SMD

research announcements may be accessed at http://nspires.nasaprs.com (select

“Solicitations” then “Open Solicitations”) as soon as they are posted (typically by

~9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on their release date).

Note: Automated spam filtering software may identify SMD’s electronic notifications as

spam or junk mail. Subscribers are advised to ensure that e-mail received from

“NSPIRES-help@nasaprs.com” is not identified by any automated e-mail filtering

system as unwanted e-mail.

NRAs issued by SMD are synopsized on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) at the time

they are released. This ROSES-2008 NRA will be synopsized upon its release.

Amendments to this NRA that create new proposal opportunities will also be synopsized

at the time of their release.

(d) Further Information on SMD Research and Analysis Programs

SMD maintains a website for improving communication with the research community.

This site is maintained by the SMD Senior Advisor for Research and Analysis (SARA)

and is referred to as the SARA website. The SARA website contains information related

to NASA's Science Research Programs, including Astrophysics, Planetary Science,

Heliophysics, and Earth Science. SMD is intent upon maximizing the science return from

every R&A dollar and invites researchers to be part of that process by communicating

ideas and concerns through the SARA website. The SARA website is at

http://nasascience.nasa.gov/researchers/sara [hyperlink address updated on May 5,

2008].

(e) Archives of Past Selections

For more information about the types of research supported by the program elements

solicited in previous editions of this NRA and other predecessor NRAs, the titles of

investigations selected through previous solicitations (issued after January 1, 2005) are

available at http://nspires.nasaprs.com (select “Solicitations” then “Past Solicitations”).

(f) Meeting Geospatial Standards

NASA pioneered the development of metadata and the accessibility and interoperability

of space and Earth science data. When grants result in the development of data that

NASA both identifies as geospatial and intends to distribute, then NASA awards will

require that documentation (metadata) meet Federal Geographic Data Committee

standards. NASA will assure that this documentation is electronically accessible to the

Clearinghouse network (http://www.fgdc.gov/dataandservices/) and discoverable through

Geospatial One Stop (http://www.GeoData.gov).

IX. CONCLUDING STATEMENT

Through this ROSES NRA, NASA encourages the participation of the space and Earth

science communities in its Science Mission Directorate research and technology

programs. These programs, while quite diverse in objectives and types, in fact form the

foundation of both the basic and applied research that allows NASA’s space and Earth

science programs to be properly planned and carried through to the successful

interpretation of data and its application to the needs of end users. Comments about this

NRA are welcome and may be directed to the point of contact for general questions and

comments identified in Section VII above.

Michael H. Freilich Richard Fisher

Director Director

Earth Science Division Heliophysics Division

James L. Green Jon A. Morse

Director Director

Planetary Science Division Astrophysics Division

S. Alan Stern

Associate Administrator

Science Mission Directorate

TABLE 1. NASA STRATEGIC GOALS AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

TABLE 1A. NASA’S STRATEGIC GOALS3

Strategic Goal 1: Fly the Shuttle as safely as possible until its retirement, not later than

2010.

Strategic Goal 2: Complete the International Space Station in a manner consistent with

NASA’s International Partner commitments and the needs of human

exploration.

Strategic Goal 3: Develop a balanced overall program of science, exploration, and

aeronautics consistent with the redirection of the human spaceflight

program to focus on exploration.

Strategic Subgoal 3A Study Earth from space to advance scientific

understanding and meet societal needs.

Strategic Subgoal 3B Understand the Sun and its effects on Earth and the solar

system.

Strategic Subgoal 3C Advance scientific knowledge of the origin and history of

the solar system, the potential for life elsewhere, and the hazards and

resources present as humans explore space.

Strategic Subgoal 3D Discover the origin, structure, evolution, and destiny of

the universe, and search for Earth-like planets.

Strategic Subgoal 3E Advance knowledge in the fundamental disciplines of

aeronautics, and develop technologies for safer aircraft and higher

capacity airspace systems.

Strategic Subgoal 3F Understand the effects of the space environment on

human performance, and test new technologies and countermeasures

for long-duration human space exploration.

Strategic Goal 4: Bring a new Crew Exploration Vehicle into service as soon as possible

after Shuttle retirement.

Strategic Goal 5: Encourage the pursuit of appropriate partnerships with the emerging

commercial space sector.

Strategic Goal 6: Establish a lunar return program having the maximum possible utility

for later missions to Mars and other destinations.

3 From The 2006 NASA Strategic Plan; see Section I(a) for reference

TABLE 1B. NASA’S SCIENCE QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES4

Strategic Subgoal 3A: Study planet Earth from space to advance scientific

understanding and meet societal needs.

NASA’s Science Questions

• How is the global Earth system changing?

• What are the primary causes of change in the Earth system?

• How does the Earth system respond to natural and human-induced changes?

• What are the consequences for human civilization?

• How will the Earth system change in the future?

NASA’s Research Objectives

3A.1 Understand and improve predictive capability for changes in the ozone layer,

climate forcing, and air quality associated with changes in atmospheric

composition.

3A.2 Enable improved predictive capability for weather and extreme weather events.

3A.3 Quantify global land cover change and terrestrial and marine productivity, and

improve carbon cycle and ecosystem models.

3A.4 Quantify the key reservoirs and fluxes in the global water cycle and improve

models of water cycle change and fresh water availability.

3A.5 Understand the role of oceans, atmosphere, and ice in the climate system and

improve predictive capability for its future evolution.

3A.6 Characterize and understand Earth surface changes and variability of Earth’s

gravitational and magnetic fields.

3A.7 Expand and accelerate the realization of societal benefits from Earth system

science.

4 From The Science Plan for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (2007-2016); see Section I(a) for

reference

Strategic Subgoal 3B: Understand the Sun and its effects on Earth and the solar

system.

NASA’s Science Questions

• How and why does the Sun vary?

• How do planetary systems respond?

• What are the impacts on humanity?

NASA’s Research Objectives

3B.1 Understand the fundamental physical processes of the space environment from the

Sun to Earth, to other planets, and beyond to the interstellar medium

3B.2 Understand how human society, technological systems, and the habitability of

planets are affected by solar variability and planetary magnetic fields

3B.3 Develop the capability to predict the extreme and dynamic conditions in space in

order to maximize the safety and productivity of human and robotic explorers.

Strategic Subgoal 3C: Advance scientific knowledge of the origin and history of

the solar system, the potential for life elsewhere, and the

hazards and resources present as humans explore space.

NASA’s Science Questions

• How did the Sun’s family of planets and minor bodies originate?

• How did the solar system evolve to its current diverse state?

• What are the characteristics of the solar system that lead to the origin of life?

• How did life begin and evolve on Earth and has it evolved elsewhere in the solar

system?

• What are the hazards and resources in the solar system environment that will

affect the extension of human presence in space?

NASA’s Research Objectives

3C.1 Learn how the Sun’s family of planets and minor bodies originated and evolved.

3C.2 Understand the processes that determine the history and future of habitability in

the solar system, including the origin and evolution of Earth’s biosphere and the

character and extent of prebiotic chemistry on Mars and other worlds.

3C.3 Identify and investigate past or present habitable environments on Mars and other

worlds, and determine if there is or ever has been life elsewhere in the solar

system.

3C.4 Explore the space environment to discover potential hazards to humans and to

search for resources that would enable human presence.

Strategic Subgoal 3D: Discover the origin, structure, evolution, and destiny of the

universe, and search for Earth-like planets.

NASA’s Science Questions

• What are the origin, evolution, and fate of the universe?

• How do planets, stars, galaxies, and cosmic structure come into being?

• When and how did the elements of life and the universe arise?

• Is there life elsewhere?

NASA’s Research Objectives

3D.1 Understand the origin and destiny of the universe, phenomena near black holes,

and the nature of gravity.

3D.2 Understand how the first stars and galaxies formed, and how they changed over

time into the objects recognized in the present universe.

3D.3 Understand how individual stars form and how those processes ultimately affect

the formation of planetary systems.

3D.4 Progress in creating a census of extra-solar planets and measuring their properties.

TABLE 2: SOLICITED RESEARCH PROGRAMS (IN ORDER OF PROPOSAL DUE DATES)

TABLE 3: SOLICITED RESEARCH PROGRAMS (IN ORDER OF APPENDICES A–E)

Tables 2 and 3 are posted as separate documents on the ROSES-2008 homepage located

at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ (select “Solicitations” then “Open Solicitations” then

“NNH08ZDA001N”).

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) ://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepository/cmid=129170/Summary%20of%20Solicitation%20Amend29 Summary Of Solicitation Amend29

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