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20 April 2001: Editor's note: This is the draft document NASA had planned to sign with ASI on 19 April 2001. Some last minute changes were made on the day of the press conference. A request has been put into NASA PAO by NASA Watch for the text of the document that was eventually signed. We will post that document if/when it is received. An 18 April 2001 email from Douglas Comstock at OMB apparently makes references to some items contained in this draft.
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION HABITATION MODULE PROJECT FRAMEWORK FOR COOPERATION This framework describes a proposed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Italian Space Agency (ASI) bilateral cooperative program for the detailed design , development, and operation of a Habitation Module (Hab), which ASI will develop and provide to NASA as part of NASA's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). The Hab activity will be based on the highly successful bilateral cooperation between NASA and ASI on the Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs). As a part of this bilateral cooperative agreement, NASA intends to provide ASI with launch services, additional astronaut crew opportunities and assignments, ISS utilization, and increased visibility for the Italian role in the ISS partnership, as mutually agreed to in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Considering that this framework is not intended to create binding legal obligations between NASA and ASI, the MOU between NASA and ASI will be required to formally document NASA and ASI's respective responsibilities in a legally binding document. This framework will form the basis for that MOU. 2. Statement of Need To fulfil the potential for scientific research and exploration on the ISS through a full crew complement of six or seven, the ISS requires a dedicated Hab. Under the Agreement Among the Government of Canada, Governments of the Member States of the European Space Agency, the Government of Japan, the Government of the Russian Federation, and the Government of the United States of America Concerning Cooperation on the Civil International Space Station (the Intergovernmental Agreement, or "IGA"), NASA is responsible for providing habitation capability for the ISS. In addition, NASA and ASI, following the successful completion of the MPLM program, have identified another major cooperative project to expand Italian contributions to the ISS. ASI has offered to build the Hab for the ISS and provide the competed Hab to NASA under a bilateral cooperative agreement. An ASI-provided Hab module will be a key part of the ISS and will assist NASA in filling its responsibilities under the IGA and, specifically, Article 3 (Space Station Elements) of the Memoranda of Understanding between NASA and the ISS partners. The NASA provision to ASI of access to and use of the ISS for Italian astronauts and Italian scientific payloads will enable ASI to strengthen its human space flight and scientific programs. 3. Program Description The Hab will be a module that houses the crew quarters and other essential habitability functions for ISS crew, as specified by the Habitation Module Specification. Under this bilateral cooperative project, ASI will design, construct, and verify the integrated Hab and deliver it to NASA in time for launch on ISS Assembly Flight 16A, currently scheduled for September 2005 but subject to change NASA will support the development of the Hab through provision to ASI of certain items as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). Currently, these are envisioned to be limited to a Galley, the Treadmill Vibration Isolation System (TVIS), and a limited number of additional items to be mutually agreed. NASA will seek to provide launches for four Italian Earth-observing satellites currently planned for launch in the 2003-2005 timeframe. 4. Mission Specialists/ISS Crew NASA will provide ASI with a combination of Shuttle and Space Station increment flight opportunities and will work closely with ASI to determine an ongoing training plan for Italian astronauts in order to establish a career track that allows the most effective contribution of ASI to the ISS program. Ass part of the flight opportunities accrued by ASI in accordance with the MPLM MOU, NASA will use its best efforts to provide ASI one ISS crew increment flight coincident with Hab delivery to the ISS, and a Shuttle flight coincident with the delivery of Node 3. In addition, as part of a NASA-ASI MOU based on this framework, the additional Shuttle flight opportunities for ASI would include an announcement of flight assignment concurrent with the signing of the MOU for the two Italian Astronaut Candidates currently in training, for one flight in 2003 and another as soon as possible thereafter, depending on the career track of the Candidate. Final confirmation of all flight assignments will be made by NASA in accordance with established policy, procedures, and standards for the flight of astronauts on the Space Shuttle and ISS. 5. Utilization NASA will provide ASI with a portion of NASA's utilization on the ISS to be defined in the MOU. NASA will provide for transportation and communication services to and from the ISS for ASI-provided payloads and samples commensurate with ASI's allocation of utilization resources under the Hab agreement. As part of the Hab arrangement, NASA and ASI anticipate the continued involvement of he Advanced Logistics and Technological Engineering Center in the development and support of the payloads for the ISS. NASA and ASI may pursue additional cooperative experiments to be flown in conjunction with Hab. Such experiments would be implemented via separate arrangements between NASA and ASI. 6. Management and Program Coordination The successful MPLM management model will be used for the development and operation of the Hab, which will be a permanent and highly visible contribution to the ISS. NASA and ASI will establish high-level, ongoing management mechanisms, which will include: 1) a top-level standing NASA/ASI Executive Committee; 2) the Space Station Control Board (SSCB); 3) supporting design and development working groups, as appropriate; 4) on-site liaison personnel; and 5) NASA-requested contractor-to-contractor interface between NASA and ASI prime contractors. NASA/ASI bilateral documentation will define the detailed implementing arrangements for the Hab activities. 7. Funding Arrangements NASA and ASI will each bear the costs of discharging its respective responsibilities, including travel and subsistence of personnel and transportation of all equipment and other items for which it is responsible. Further, it is understood that the ability of NASA and ASI to carry out their obligations is subject to the availability of appropriated funds. 8. Responsibilities Among its responsibilities under the cooperative Hab agreement, NASA will maintain responsibility for overall system specifications and interface control documentation; perform formal acceptance of the Hab and associated Test Support Equipment (TSE)/Ground Support Equipment (GSE) after on-orbit check out and verification; specific technical and operational interfaces; perform Shuttle-related processing and integration, and launch and integrate the Hab to the ISS. NASA will also provide required Space Shuttle and ISS training for the Italian Mission Specialists, ISS crew, and backups. Among its responsibilities under the cooperative Hab arrangement, ASI will design, manufacture, test, verify, and deliver the integrated Hab module to KSC, complete with subsystems, hardware to provide capability for all required habitation functions, associated software, test support equipment/ground support equipment, all training hardware/software, and flight and ground operations products. ASI will also perform ground processing and be responsible for sustaining engineering and overall logistics management. April 19, 2001
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