Jim Cast
Headquarters, Washington, DC              September 29, 1995
(Phone:  202/358-1779)


RELEASE:  95-165

"WORLD-CLASS" ADVANCED SPACE CONCEPTS SOLICITED

      NASA has issued a Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) in 
search of highly-innovative research projects from non-NASA 
sources to investigate new concepts for future government and 
commercial space applications.

      NASA intends to fund approximately eight "Advanced 
Concepts Research Projects" (ACRPs) in Fiscal Year 1996.  A 
budget of $1 million is planned with an expected duration of 
each individual project to be 24 months.  Appropriate cost-
sharing will be required from for-profit organizations.

      "In today's environment of belt-tightening, downsizing 
and reinvention, modest programs such as ACRP are absolutely 
essential for keeping the "pipelines" open for identifying, 
developing and advancing new and far-reaching concepts," said 
NASA's Dr. John E. Mansfield, Associate Administrator for 
Space Access and Technology, Washington, DC.

       A wide array of potential areas of technical interest 
is suggested in the CAN.  These areas support NASA's overall 
strategic objectives and range from aerodynamics, 
communications systems and space technology to materials, 
robotics, space structures and telepresence systems. 

       Principal Investigators for selected projects will be 
known as "ACRP Fellows."  While their research will be 
performed largely at their home institutions, interaction with 
other "Fellows" and team members will be provided through 
workshops, meetings and through innovative infrastructures 
that will utilize the Internet.

       Letters of Intent must be submitted by prospective 
proposers by October 27, 1995.  Final proposals must be 
received no later than December 1.

      The ACRP program is sponsored by the Advanced Concepts 
Office, NASA Headquarters, Office of Space Access and 
Technology, Washington, DC.


NOTE TO EDITORS:  The complete ACRP CAN (approximately 40 
pages) may be accessed via the Internet at the following 
address:  

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/acrp/oac.html  

    A printed copy of the CAN also is available from the NASA 
Headquarters Newsroom, Washington, DC (202/358-1600). 

                         - end -


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