From sokhanh@asprs.org Sat Aug 21 13:55:56 2004
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2004 16:53:28 -0400
From: "Hing, Sokhan" 
To: cestvr@ces.iisc.ernet.in
Subject: ASPRS forwarding information on Landsat Data Continuity Mission
    (LDCM)


    [ Part 1, Text/PLAIN (charset: ISO-2022-JP "Latin & Japanese")  192 ]
    [ lines. ]
    [ Unable to print this part. ]

    [ The following text is in the "iso-2022-jp" character set. ]
    [ Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set.  ]
    [ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ]


The following information has been provided to us by Jim Irons of NASA.

 

To Those Interested in the Landsat Program:

 

Yesterday NASA released a Request for Information (RFI) on the Landsat
Data Continuity Mission (LDCM)  The RFI consists of a cover letter, a
draft solicitation, a draft instrument specification, a draft statement
of work, and several additional draft requirements documents.  The cover
letter is available at http://intranet.asprs.org/RFIcoverletter.pdf Key
excerpts from the letter can be found below.

 

All of the RFI documents can be found at the NASA Acquisition Internet
Service (NAIS) at web address
http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/sol.cgi?acqid=111775#Other%2001.

 

The documents can also be found at the LDCM web site: 
http://www.ldcm.nasa.gov/

 

The Executive Office of the President approved the release of this RFI
following eight months of discussion with an interagency working group. 
The working group included representation from NASA, USGS, NOAA, NGA,
NRO, and the NPOESS Integrated Program Office.

 

Please note the following:

 

●  One of the options the Government is considering is to migrate
the Landsat measurements to

     the NPOESS as an operational measurement.  This option would
necessitate flying future

     Landsat sensors in the 828Km-altitude orbit of the NPOESS satellites
with a 17-day ground

     track repeat period.  This would be a change from the 705 Km, 16-day
repeat period, orbit of

     Landsats 4, 5, and 7.

 

●  The instrument specification does not require thermal spectral
bands consistent with the

     LDCM Data Specification attached to the earlier, cancelled data
procurement request for

     proposals.

 

●  This RFI explicitly solicits your comments (see excerpts
below).  Comments are due by

     August 26 to:

 

Patricia Dombrowski

Contracting Officer

e-mail:  Patricia.M.Dombrowski@nasa.gov

Fax:  (301) 286-0383

 

Please allow me to encourage your comments and response.  This RFI
represents the first opportunity to inform and receive feedback from the
Landsat data user community, as well as industry, in many months.  Your
response to the options and strategies described in the RFI are critical
to the future of the Landsat program.

 

Please forgive me if you receive multiple copies of this e-mail.  I am
using several e-mail address lists for the sake of expediency and I know
the lists overlap.  Also, please share this message with any and all of
your colleagues working with Landsat data.

 

Regards,

 

Jim Irons

LDCM Project Scientist

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

 

RFI excerpts follow:

 

*  Although a final decision on continuity options has not been made, one
of the options the

   Government is considering as a long-term solution to ensuring Landsat
data continuity is to

   migrate the Landsat measurement to the National Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental

   Satellite System (NPOESS) as an operational measurement.  This would
necessitate the

   measurement to be migrated to an 828km mid-morning orbit, with the
earliest launch

   predicted with a Landsat imager to be at the end of calendar year
2009.

 

*  The government may also consider an earlier stand-alone mission to
minimize any risk to

    Landsat data continuity.

 

*  Taking these factors into consideration, NASA is hereby soliciting
innovative approaches for  

    development and incorporation of a new Operational Land Imager (which
the government has

    currently labeled OLI) for the NPOESS in the event the government
decides to procure OLI

    instrument(s) for flight on NPOESS.

 

*   NASA is also soliciting inventive approaches for a potential
stand-alone mission solution to

     minimize risk to Landsat data continuity.

 

*  The government is also interested in potential source's perspectives
on the benefits of, or

    alternatives to, utilization of the Advanced Landsat Imager (ALI)
technology developed by

    NASA/GSFC for Earth Observer-1 mission recognizing the timeliness
requirements

    associated with this mission.

 

*  Data specifications describing characteristics of Landsat data, a
potential OLI specification

    and a potential Statement of Work (SOW) are attached for reference
purposes only.

 

*   NASA welcomes comments on the information in this call including
attached documentation.

 

*   If NASA proceeds with a solicitation for either or both solutions,
there may not be a draft RFP

    release and this will be the only opportunity to comment on the
documentation listed above

 

*   All other inquires shall be submitted no later than 8/26/04 to the
same point of contact.

    Please reference Solicitation Number NNG04064128L in any response.

 

Point of Contact

            Name: Patricia Dombrowski

            Title:    Contracting Officer

            Phone: (301) 286-0621

            Fax:     (301) 286-0383

            mailto:Patricia.M.Dombrowski@nasa.gov

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Jim Irons                                                          TEL:
(301) 614-6657

Code 923 / Biospheric Sciences Branch         FAX: (301) 614-6695

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center             
  mailto:jim@ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov

Greenbelt, MD  20771

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

38657