National Environmental Policy Act; Mars Pathfinder Mission

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 94-081]

National Environmental Policy Act; Mars Pathfinder Mission

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Finding of No Significant Impact.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural

Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and NASA policy and

regulations (14 CFR Part 1216 Subpart 1216.3), NASA has made a finding

of no significant impact (FONSI) with respect to the proposed Mars

Pathfinder mission, which would involve a flight to and landing on

Mars. The baseline mission calls for the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft to

be launched aboard a Delta II 7925 from Cape Canaveral Air Station

(CCAS), Florida, in December 1996.

DATES: Comments on the FONSI must be provided in writing to NASA on or

before November 23, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Mark P. Saunders, NASA

Headquarters, Code SL, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546. The

environmental assessment (EA) prepared for the Mars Pathfinder mission

which supports this FONSI may be reviewed at:

(a) NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street SW,

Washington, DC 20546.

(b) Spaceport U.S.A., Room 2001, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL

32899.

In addition, the EA may be examined at the following NASA locations

by contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act Office:

(c) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (415-604-

4191).

(d) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA 93523 (805-

258-3047).

(e) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301-

286-0730).

(f) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Resident Office, 4800 Oak Grove

Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818-354-5179).

(g) NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (713-483-8612).

(h) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665 (804-864-

6125).

(i) NASA, Lewis Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland,

OH 44135 (216-433-2902).

(j) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 (205-544-4523).

(k) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (601-688-2164).

A limited number of copies of the EA are available by contacting

Mark P. Saunders, at the address or telephone number indicated herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark P. Saunders, 202-358-0299.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NASA has reviewed the EA prepared for the

Mars Pathfinder mission and has determined that it represents an

accurate and adequate analysis of the scope and level of associated

environmental impacts. The EA is incorporated by reference in this

FONSI.

The planned Mars Pathfinder mission would deliver a very small

rover vehicle (hereinafter ``Rover'') inside a landing craft

(hereinafter ``Lander'') to the surface of Mars' northern hemisphere in

July 1997 to demonstrate enabling systems and technologies for

delivering small science payloads to that planet. The proposed action

calls for using a Delta II 7925 launch vehicle to inject the Mars

Pathfinder spacecraft into a direct Earth-Mars trajectory in December

1966. The Lander would enter the martian atmosphere and descend to the

surface using an aeroshell, parachute, and solid fuel rockets to slow

the descent. An airbag system would soften the final landing shock. The

Rover would then be deployed to the surface from the Lander. The Lander

would serve as a telemetry relay for the Rover to receive commands from

and return data to Earth. The Rover design would include three

Lightweight Radioisotope Heater Units (LWRHU's) as an additional heat

source to keep sensitive electronic components warm enough to operate.

Each LWRHU would contain 2.7 grams (about 0.1 ounce) of plutonium-238

dioxide. The Rover would carry an alpha/proton/x-ray spectrometer

(APXS) which uses a radioactive alpha particle source of curium-244

(approximately 2.78 gigabequerels or 75 millicuries). The primary

Lander mission would last 30 days, and the primary Rover mission 7

days.

Scientific objectives of the Mars Pathfinder mission include

imaging of the martian surface, atmospheric structure and meteorology

data collection, and investigation of the martian surface composition

at multiple sites in the vicinity of the Lander. The mission also will

include demonstrations of enabling technologies and technical

approaches for possible future Mars missions. These demonstrations will

include a simplified cruise approach to transfer the Lander from Earth

to Mars with a direct atmospheric entry from transfer orbit, extended

(minimum 30 days) surface operations using only solar and battery power

to operate all Lander systems, and direct-link radio communication

between the Lander and Earth. Traversing martian terrain, the Rover

would conduct microrover technology experiments and provide data on

capabilities, such as wheel/soil interactions and hazard detection. the

Rover also would employ its imaging equipment to allow assessment of

the Lander's condition and gather scientific data on the rocks and

soil.

Alternatives that were evaluated include: (1) No-action (i.e., no

Mars Pathfinder mission); (2) launch vehicle options, including the

Space Shuttle, Titan and Atlas configurations, foreign launch vehicles,

and other Delta configurations; and (3) alternate methods of providing

supplemental heat to or retaining heat in the Rover electronics

enclosure. Failure to undertake the Mars Pathfinder mission would

result in a lost opportunity to gain further scientific knowledge of

Mars and would prevent demonstration of technologies for efficient

delivery of scientific payloads to Mars. Of the launch vehicles

evaluated, the Delta II 7925 most closely matches the mission's needs,

is relatively low-cost, has superior reliability, and minimizes adverse

environmental impacts. Because of the small volume available for

insulation on the Rover, alternate heating methods (i.e., no LWRHU's)

for the Rover electronics can not provide a suitable thermal

environment for operation of the electronics while satisfying mission

objectives.

Expected impacts to the human environment associated with the

mission arise almost entirely from the launch of the Delta II 7925. Air

emissions from the ground-level exhaust consist primarily of carbon

monoxide, hydrochloric acid, aluminum oxide in soluble and insoluble

forms, carbon dioxide, and water. Air impacts will be short-term and

not substantial. Short-term water quality and noise impacts, as well as

short-term effects on wetlands and plants and animals, will occur in

the vicinity of the launch complex. None of these effects will be

substantial. There will be no impact on threatened or endangered

species or critical habitat, cultural resources, or floodplains. There

were no accident scenarios and associated environments identified for

the Delta II 7925 launch system that would result in the release of

plutonium dioxide from the Rover LWRHU's. While accident environments

could cause release of the curium used in the APXS, the amount of

curium is very small, and the associated incremental health risk is

negligible.

On the basis of the Mars Pathfinder EA and underlying reference

documents, NASA has determined that the environmental impacts

associated with this proposed mission will not individually or

cumulatively have a significant effect on the quality of the human

environment. NASA will take no final action prior to the expiration of

the 30-day comment period.

Wesley T. Huntress, Jr.,

Associate Administrator for Space Science.

[FR Doc. 94-26270 Filed 10-21-94; 8:45 am]

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