NASA said Monday it has selected Science Applications International to provide support for Goddard Space Flight Center’s Ocean Color research programs. SAIC will receive a five-year cost-plus award fee, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity task order contract with a maximum value of $30 million. The principal work will be performed at Goddard and at the contractor’s facility. The contractor will support the Ocean Biology Processing Group.
The group handles Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer/ Aqua ocean color data products; the reanalysis of ocean color data sets from the Coastal Zone Color Scanner and Ocean Color and Temperature Sensor; and the development of the prototype data processing system for the planned Glory mission in 2008.
Glory is a remote-sensing Earth-orbiting observatory designed to collect data on the chemical, microphysical, and optical properties, and spatial and temporal distributions of aerosols, and to continue collection of total solar data for the planet’s long-term climate record.
The contract will cover other support activities, including various research investigations funded through NASA Research Announcements, and tasks related to the ongoing development of lunar reflectance models and related satellite calibration methodologies. The investigations range from field validation studies and the collection of bio-optical data to the development of coupled physical-biogeochemical models.
