Federal Data Corporation has been awarded a contract by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH, for the development, fabrication, assembly, test, delivery and operation of microgravity research facilities and experiment payloads.
In performing the main tasks of the contract, FDC will design and build the Fluids and Combustion Facility for the International Space Station; operate a telescience support center for Glenn's microgravity program; and develop and build hardware and instruments for microgravity flight experiments proposed by scientists. The research platforms for the flight experiments may be aboard the Space Shuttle, sounding rockets or the International Space Station.
The contract provides $173.4 million for the design and construction of the Fluids and Combustion Facility, operations of the telescience support center and the development and operation of flight experiment hardware. The contract also provides options for additional experiments and operations.
Including all options, the contract spans eight years. The contract enables the Government to issue fixed-price-incentive, firm-fixed-price, or cost-plus-incentive-fee orders based on the maturity of the requirements. The work will be performed in FDC¿s Brook Park, Ohio facilities.
In commenting on the award, FDC¿s vice president and program manager, Dr. Guion S. Bluford, Jr. said, "The FDC team has a long legacy of supporting the important research conducted by Glenn. We are delighted at being selected as NASA¿s partner in expanding the microgravity research capabilities available to the scientific community."
Dan Young, FDC¿s CEO, noted, "NASA is FDC¿s largest customer and this is one of the largest contracts we have ever won. FDC will make every resource available to support Dr. Bluford and his team in assuring success."
