RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES IN FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS - NASA/NSF PARTNERSHIP ON SCIENCE OF DUSTY PLASMAS: UTILIZING THE PK-4 FACILITY ON BOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

This joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Announcement solicits science research proposals from U.S. investigators for research that can be performed on or is directly related to the joint European Space Agency and Russian Federal Space Agency Plasma Krystall-4 (PK-4) experimental facility on board the International Space Station (ISS) and for ground investigations related to potential follow-on microgravity experiments in the field of dusty plasma physics. The PK-4 facility is a science-laboratory-style payload for performing a large variety of experiments with complex plasmas (a.k.a. dusty plasma). The solicitation (NNH16ZTT002N), entitled "Research Opportunities in Fundamental Physics - NASA/NSF Partnership on Science of Dusty Plasmas: Utilizing the PK-4 Facility on board the International Space Station," will be available on or about May 18, 2016. At that time, the solicitation will be found via the following steps: 1. Open the NSPIRES homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ 2. Select "Solicitations" 3. Select "Open Solicitations” 4. Select " Research Opportunities in Fundamental Physics - NASA/NSF Partnership on Science of Dusty Plasmas: Utilizing the PK-4 Facility on board the International Space Station NNH16ZTT002N” 5. Select “Research Opportunities in Fundamental Physics - NASA/NSF Partnership on Science of Dusty Plasmas: Utilizing the PK-4 Facility on board the International Space Station NNH16ZTT002N" under Announcement Documents. This joint NASA/NSF Research Announcement solicits research proposals with strong microgravity relevance in the following areas: 1) Flight research (dedicated experiments, data analysis, and theory/modeling development) that will utilize the PK-4 facility on the ISS to understand the physics of: a) Microscopic properties of complex plasmas; b) Macroscopic properties of complex plasmas; c) Generic properties of strongly-coupled many-body systems; d) other topics related to dusty plasmas. 2) Ground research that will enhance the current PK-4-related research and also lead to new microgravity science and instrumentation beyond PK-4 in the areas of: a) Data analysis, theory/modeling development, and development of new experimental tools and diagnostics; b) Development of new microgravity dusty plasma science experiments beyond PK-4. This Research Announcement is a joint solicitation by NASA and NSF. Proposals selected from this solicitation may be funded entirely by one agency or by both agencies. This Research Announcement is applicable to researchers in all categories of U.S. institutions, including educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, NASA Centers, and other Government agencies. Proposals including international participation are eligible, provided that the participation is within the requirements described in the solicitation and that NASA policies regarding the conduct of research with non-U.S. organizations are met. Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, August 19, 2016. Proposals must be submitted by an authorized official of the proposing organization. Proposals must be submitted electronically. Proposers may use either NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ ) or Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov ) for proposal submission. Every organization that intends to submit a proposal in response to this solicitation must be registered with NSPIRES, and such registration must identify the authorized organization representative(s) who will submit the electronic proposal. Instructions on how to register in NSPIRES are provided in the Research Announcement. Principal Investigators and other participants (e.g., co-investigators) must be registered in NSPIRES. Potential proposers and proposing organizations are urged to access the system well in advance of the proposal due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested information. Questions with regard to responding to this solicitation may be addressed to the contacts referenced in the full solicitation document. This is a broad agency announcement as specified in FAR 6.102 (d)(2). Notwithstanding the posting of this opportunity at FedBizOpps.gov, nspires.nasaprs.com, or Grants.gov, NASA and NSF reserve the right to determine the appropriate award instrument for each proposal selected pursuant to this announcement.