National Aeronautics and Space Administration February 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Phase 2 of the Watts on the Moon Challenge is open, and teams that wish to compete may now register. NASA seeks to stimulate research and technology solutions to support future missions and inspire new national aerospace capabilities through public prize competitions called Centennial Challenges. The Watts on the Moon Challenge is one such competition. Centennial Challenges are managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and are part of the Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. Phase 2 of the Watts on the Moon Challenge seeks to attract innovative engineering approaches to integrating power transmission and energy storage in order to enable missions operating in the extreme cold vacuum of the lunar surface. Phase 2 of the Watts on the Moon Challenge is a prize competition with a total prize purse of $4,500,000 USD, (four and a half million United States dollars) to be awarded to competitor teams that build and successfully demonstrate prototypes of novel technologies. Successful demonstrations from this challenge will complement ongoing NASA investments in lunar surface power generation. NASA is funding the prize purse and administration of the challenge competition. Any eligible individual or organization may participate in Phase 2. teams are not required to have participated in Phase 1.

The Grants Policy and Compliance Branch (GPC) in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of the Chief Financial Officer is soliciting public comment on the Agency's proposed implementation of a new term and condition that requires recipients of NASA financial assistance to obtain a quotation from small and/or minority businesses, women's business enterprises or labor surplus area firms when the acquisition of goods or services exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold. In response to the Executive Order regarding Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, NASA has been working to identify and address barriers that underserved communities and individuals may face in taking advantage of procurement, contracting, or grant opportunities. To address these barriers, NASA has taken a few actions including proposing the term and condition described above. NASA is taking this action to ensure that entities funded by NASA are compliant with the procurement standards in the uniform guidance. NASA's expectation is that this action will result in an increase in contracting opportunities for small and/or minority businesses, women's business enterprises and labor surplus area firms that contract with NASA financial assistance recipients.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat Division has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve a revision of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding certain Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 16 contract pricing requirements.

Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Secretariat Division has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request to review and approve an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding subcontract consent and Contractors' Purchasing System Review.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, DoD, GSA, and NASA invite the public to comment on an extension concerning travel costs. DoD, GSA, and NASA invite comments on: Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of Federal Government acquisitions, including whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. OMB has approved this information collection for use through April 30, 2022. DoD, GSA, and NASA propose that OMB extend its approval for use for three additional years beyond the current expiration date.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations, DoD, GSA, and NASA invite the public to comment on an extension concerning value engineering requirements. DoD, GSA, and NASA invite comments on: Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of Federal Government acquisitions, including whether the information will have practical utility; the accuracy of the estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. OMB has approved this information collection for use through April 30, 2022. DoD, GSA, and NASA propose that OMB extend its approval for use for three additional years beyond the current expiration date.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections.

In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announces a meeting of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement Committee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC). This Committee reports to the NAC.