National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Propulsion Technology Program

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 94-098]

National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Propulsion Technology

Program

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement

(EIS) and conduct scoping for the development and testing of liquid-

fuel engines and components for the Advanced Propulsion Technology

Program.

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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 1216 Subpart 1216.3), NASA intends to prepare an

EIS for its proposed Advanced Propulsion Technology Program

(hereinafter referred to as the ``Program''). NASA is considering a

wide variety of liquid-fuel engines to accommodate the propulsion

requirements of a new space vehicle(s) that would be the focus of the

Access to Space initiative. The proposed Program would consist of (1)

testing new and advanced engines and components for possible use in

developing the new space vehicle(s) and (2) modifying government-owned

facilities to support the Program. Two of the sites being considered

for the testing are Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville,

Alabama, and John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) near Bay St. Louis,

Mississippi.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on or before

January 17, 1995, or January 15, 1995, whichever is later, to assure

full consideration during the scoping process.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Dr. Rebecca C. McCaleb,

Director, Environmental Engineering and Management Office, Code AE01,

Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812. Information repositories

will be maintained at the following locations:

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

Washington, DC 20546.

(b) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Library, Building 4200,

Huntsville AL 35812.

(c) Huntsville, Library, 915 Monroe Street SW, Huntsville, AL

35801.

(d) Huntsville Library, Madison Branch, 181 Hughes Road, Suite 6,

Madison, AL 35758.

(e) Triana Town Hall, 101 Main Street, Triana, AL 35758.

(f) NASA, Stennis Space Center, Research Library, Building 1100,

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529.

(g) Hancock County Library, Highway 90, Bay St. Louis, MS.

(h) Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library, Goodyear Boulevard,

Picayune, MS 39466.

(i) St. Tammany Parish Library, Slidell, LA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Dominic A. Amatore, Deputy

Director, Public Affairs Office, Code CA01, Marshall Space Flight

Center, AL 35812, 205-544-6533; or Ms. Myron Webb, Director, Public

Affairs Office, Code PA00, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000, 601-

688-3341.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To meet the technical and programmatic

challenges of developing a new space vehicle(s), key advanced

technologies in propulsion systems must be explored. The Program would

be designed to demonstrate the technology maturity levels necessary to

reduce the development risk of the selected propulsion system(s) to an

acceptable level and to produce a highly operable, high thrust-to

weight propulsion system. Therefore, NASA is proposing to develop and

test one or more liquid engines and components that could be used in

the final configuration(s) of a new space vehicle(s). Engines under

consideration would use liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. The fuel would

be either liquid hydrogen, kerosene, or a combination of the two.

Facilities under consideration for testing these engines include,

but are not necessarily limited to, those located at MSFC and SSC.

Existing test facilities at these two NASA Centers would need to be

upgraded to accommodate Program objectives. Modification may include

addition of a kerosene tank on the test stand(s), a common structural

and functional interface, and an engine mounting adapter. Many aspects

of the Program would parallel test activities of propulsion systems

undertaken in the 1960's for the Apollo Program.

All test facilities at MSFC are located in the southern portion of

the Center; in turn, MSFC is almost centrally located within Redstone

Arsenal's 15,400 hectares (38,000 acres), with the closest private

property being approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the proposed

MSFC test facilities. SSC occupies 5,480 hectares (13,480 acres) in

western Hancock County, Mississippi, and is surrounded by 50,600

hectares (125,000 acres of acoustical buffer zone.

Alternatives for this proposal include, but are not necessarily

limited to, (1) alternative test sites, (2) test facility construction

and modification options, (3) alternative fuels and engines, and (4)

cancellation of the proposed Program (``no action'').

The EIS will consider the potential environmental impacts

associated with the Program and any needed construction or modification

of facilities. An initial assessment of environmental effects suggests

that the greatest impacts are likely to arise from noise and air

emissions. However, analysis indicates that air quality would remain

within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards at both MSFC and SSC.

IF MSFC and/or SSC were selected, little environmental impact is

anticipated on biological resources, threatened and endangered species,

cultural resources, wetlands, and recreational or scenic areas.

A public scoping meeting will be held near MSFC at the Ridgecrest

Elementary School, 3505 Cerro Vista SW, Huntsville, Alabama, on

December 6, 1994, starting at 7:00 pm. Another such meeting will be

held near SSC at the Hancock County High School, 7084 Stennis Airport

Drive, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on December 13, 1994, starting at

7:00 pm.

Written public input and comments on environmental issues of the

proposed Program, including, but not limited to, test site and facility

options and fuel and engine alternatives, as well as related

environmental concerns, are hereby solicited.

Dated: November 23, 1994.

Benita A. Cooper,

Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.

[FR Doc. 94-29415 Filed 11-29-94; 8:45 am]

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