OVERVIEW
PENDING EXPLORATION REPLANNING. The Research Partnerships and Flight Supports (RPFS) theme is currently composed of several sections that directly contribute to many objectives of the NASA mission: Space Product Development (SPD), Research Partnership Centers (formerly known as Commercial Space Centers), Multi-User Systems and Support (MUSS), and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). The Space Product Development and the Research Partnership Centers will further NASA's mission by establishing industry-university-government partnerships making use of NASA assets, academic expertise and industry market knowledge and investment. The SPD and RPC programs are being realigned such that all activities contribute directly to the Agency mission while simultaneously providing industry researchers an access to conduct space-based experimentation they deem necessary to advance applications on earth. The dual-use philosophy allows both industry and NASA to benefit from the activities with industry and NASA sharing the costs. (Note: RPFS will be conducting a major review of priorities to ensure alignment of activities with the new Exploration vision. Some of the specific activities described here may change.)
The RPFS theme also includes the cross-cutting functions of Multi-User Systems & Support (MUSS), which encompasses the multi-use hardware development projects, and the overall ISS Shuttle, Progress, and Soyuz payload integration, ground processing, and operations support.
Finally, the RPFS theme currently includes integration responsibilities for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), a major high-energy space particle physics experiment planned for the ISS with the U. S. Department of Energy.
RELEVANCE
The SPD program provides research partners with the capabilities to pursue product lines with dual purpose applications which include improving NASA spacecraft and commercial aircraft safety, improving human health in space and on Earth, creating enabling technologies for exploration and development of space, and supporting the Biological and Physical Research Enterprise (BPRE) strategic and fundamental research goals (see Annual Performance Goal 5RPFS2) and ensuring the safety of our planet. MUSS provides end-to-end payload integration processing from initial manifesting; it provides engineering integration, training, mission integration, ground testing, on-orbit operations, and finally return of the experiment to the Principle Investigator for the ISS. MUSS develops and sustains multi-use hardware for Payload/Principle Investigators. AMS will study the origin of the Universe, and in particular, search for mysterious forms of matter such as anti-matter, dark matter, and strange matter, if existing.
