HyperSTEP Hot Structure RFI

Background
NASA is developing a lifting-body design for hypersonic entry into planetary atmospheres, initially aimed at landing humans on Mars.

The HyperSTEP vehicle serves as a hypersonic flight test bed to test technologies at suborbital and orbital return velocities. The vehicle is designed with an optimized aerodynamic shape and features both propulsive and body flap controls, with the goal of being reusable with minimal refurbishment between flights.

Work Details
The contract involves the development of a hot structure version of the HyperSTEP vehicle, which requires materials that can withstand extreme heating environments.

Key tasks include:
1) Identifying potential sources for fabricating hot structure components;
2) Evaluating material systems such as carbon/silicon carbide (C/SiC), SiC/SiC, and high-temperature metallic alloys;
3) Providing Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) costs for single-use and reusable ship sets;
4) Estimating fabrication times and identifying supply-chain risks;
5) Offering feedback on the proposed vehicle design and material recommendations;
6) Describing manufacturing processes, including tooling requirements and process maturity;
7) Providing heat flux capability data and thermal/mechanical properties for material systems;
8) Estimating costs for delivering test panels and components;
9) Recommending Non-Destructive Evaluation techniques for component testing.