Here's a contract that could take you out of this world, and give you the moon in the process. NASA issued a Request for Information, or RFI, to gauge interest and solicit ideas from private companies in providing communications and navigation services that would support the development of exploration, scientific and commercial capabilities on the moon over the next 25 years.

There are many possibilities as NASA plans to establish science stations on the lunar surface beginning as early as 2013, followed by the return of humans to the moon, and then the establishment of the first lunar outpost in 2020. The services for which NASA seeks information in this RFI are communications, networking, and position, navigation and timing. The information requested is for planning purposes only as this RFI is one step of a larger study that will culminate in a final NASA report addressing strategies for the commercial co-development of lunar communications and navigation.

In order to accomplish this huge task it will involve communications, networking and navigation capabilities to support these efforts will be provided by NASA, other national space agencies, private industry or some combination thereof. Communication and navigation services may include, but are not limited to, terrestrial network services, terrestrial ground stations, Earth-orbiting capabilities, lunar orbiting capabilities, and lunar surface capabilities. They may be complete "turn-key" services, subsystems or components; partial solutions such as applications for specific functions; or other capabilities believed to be necessary to meet a portion of anticipated needs.

Responses should be submitted to Barbara Adde, NASA Headquarters, Mail Suite 7L70, 300 E. St., SW, Washington, D.C. 20546-0001, by 4 p.m. EDT on Sept. 15, 2008. To view the Request for Information, please access this website.