CASIS, the nonprofit organization managing research in the U.S. National Laboratory aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has issued a request for proposals in the field of remote sensing until 21 February 2014.
The request specifies: "CASIS is confident that this Request for Proposals will attract both experienced and new-to-space investigators for the development and deployment for testing (for 90 days or less) of sensors or instrumentation for remote sensing or for the utilization of existing hardware for remote sensing on the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. Proposals should seek to use the National Lab for development of sensors and/or use of existing hardware for studies of Earth, Earth’s atmosphere, and astronomy and planetary science with the goal of benefiting life on Earth. CASIS will support this process through grant funding, facilitation of service-provider interactions and flight coordination to and from the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory."
The U.S. National Laboratory on the ISS is part of the U.S. segment of the Space Station and was created to increase the utilization of this unique research environment by other U.S. Federal entities and the private sector. As the ISS is orbiting Earth in a relatively low altitude of 140 miles or 400 km, it is in an ideal position to provide remote sensing services for the benefit of humankind. It covers 90% of the Earth’s population and can provide improved spatial resolution and variable lighting conditions compared to the sun-synchronous orbits of typical Earth remote-sensing satellites.
