National Environmental Policy Act; X-33 Program: Vehicle Design and Flight Demonstration

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 96-118]

National Environmental Policy Act; X-33 Program: Vehicle Design

and Flight Demonstration

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 the X-33

vehicle.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969

(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.), the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural

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

procedures (14 CFR Part 1216 Subpart 1216.3), NASA intends to prepare

an EIS for Phase II of the X-33 Program (hereinafter referred to as the

``Program''), which would involve development and demonstration of the

X-33 test vehicle. The EIS will address environmental issues associated

with the fabrication, assembly, testing, and preparation of the flight

operations and landing sites associated with the X-33 technology

demonstrator spaceplane. The purpose of the proposed test program is to

demonstrate the feasibility of technology which could result in

commercially viable Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV's) with certain

aircraft-like operational characteristics. The proposed Phase II of the

Program would involve final design, assembly and testing the X-33

vehicle by the year 2000.

Flight operations and landing site alternatives are under

consideration to satisfy flight testing requirements. The flight test

demonstration program would require short-range, mid-range, and long-

range landing sites remote from the flight operations (i.e., vehicle

takeoff) site at distances of approximately 160, 640, and 1,360

kilometers (km) (100, 400, and 850 miles (mi)) respectively. The

reasonable alternative sites for the proposed flight operations are

located within Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) near Lancaster,

California. Alternative landing sites for the flight test activities

are being considered in the states of California, Utah, Montana, and

Washington.

NASA is the lead agency in the preparation of the EIS. It is

anticipated that components of the U.S. Department of Defense, the

Bureau of Land Management, and the Federal Aviation Administration will

act as cooperating agencies.

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

November 29, 1996, 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,

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Marshall Space Flight Centers, Alabama 35812. In addition, comments may

be sent to Dr. McCaleb electronically at ([email protected]) or by

facsimile at 205-544-8259. 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) Kern County Library, Boron Branch, 27070 Highway 5, Boron, CA

93516.

(d) Kern County Library, Ridgecrest Branch, 131 East Las Flores

Street, Ridgecrest, CA 93555.

(e) Los Angeles County Library, Lancaster Branch, 1150 West Avenue

J, Lancaster, CA 93524.

(f) Palmdale City Library, 700 East Palmdale Boulevard, Palmdale,

CA 93550.

(g) San Bernadino County Library, Barstow Branch, 304 East Buena

Vista, Barstow, CA 92311.

(h) Great Falls Public Library, 301 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls,

MT 59401.

(i) Moses Lake Library, 418 East 5th Street, Moses Lake, WA 98837.

(j) Dugway Proving Grounds Library, 5124 Kisstler Avenue, Dugway,

UT 84022.

(k) Tooele Library, 47 East Vine Street, Tooele, UT 84074.

(l) Salt Lake City Library, 209 East 500 South, Business/Science

Department, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.

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

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

Center, AL 35812, 205-544-6533. His office will ensure that the

appropriate source of information is provided.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The key objectives of the X-33 Design and

Flight Demonstration Program include:

--Reduce business and technical risks to privately financed development

and operation of a next generation space transportation system through

ground and flight tests of a spaceplane technology demonstrator.

--Ensure that the X-33 design and major components are usable and

scaleable to a full scale, single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) RLV

--Demonstrate ``aircraft like'' operations such as reusability and

affordability.

--Demonstrate autonomous capability (i.e., vehicle does not have a

pilot or onboard flight crew but is controlled by onboard flight

management system; vehicle is tracked by telemetry and on systems; and

human intervention capability to modify trajectory is maintained at the

flight operations site) from takeoff to landing.

--Verify operability and performance in ``real world'' environments.

The X-33 test vehicle is planned as an approximately one-half scale

reusable spaceplane. The vehicle would takeoff in a vertical position

and use conventional runways to land horizontally. The X-33 vehicle

would consist of a lifting body airframe with two cryogenic liquid

propellant tanks (liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX)) placed

within the aeroshell, and would use two linear aerospike main engines.

Water would be the primary product of the LOX/LH2 combustion. The

entire spaceplane (with all fuel tanks and engines) would takeoff and

land as a single unit. The flight profile includes takeoff with engine

burn until flight speed and altitude objectives are reached; at that

point, the engines would cut off.

The flight test plan to meet the Program objectives would involve

flights of approximately 160, 640, and 1,360 km (100, 400, and 850 mi).

During the landing sequence, the spaceplane would glide to the landing

site in an unpowered manner. Flight tests would involve speeds of up to

Mach 15 and altitudes up to approximately 75,800 meters (250,000 feet).

None of the X-33 tests flights would achieve Earth orbit. Ground

operations and servicing (e.g., checkout, refueling, etc.) would be

conducted with ``aircraft like'' procedures and systems.

The test flight program is planned to be conducted in three stages,

with all takeoffs occurring from the same flight operations site. The

three stages would involve the incremental expansion of distance and

speed referred to as the ``flight envelope expansion'' which allows the

development program to minimize risk while achieving test objectives.

The three stage approach would necessitate short-range, mid-range, and

long-range landing sites to achieve maximum speeds of Mach 4, 12, and

15, respectively. After each test flight, the X-33 would be ferried

back to the takeoff site by a Boeing 747 aircraft in a manner similar

to that used for the transport of Space Shuttle orbiters. The test

program is currently baselined for a combined total of 15 flights.

Alternatives to be considered for this proposal include, but are

not limited to:

--Alternative flight operations (takeoff) sites

--Short-range landing sites

--Mid-range landing sites

--Long-range landing sites

--The ``no action'' alternative which defines the baseline conditions

that would prevail in the absence of the X-33 test program.

Three locations within EAFB are the reasonable alternatives being

considered for the flight operations site. Reasonable short-range

landing sites being considered are Silurian Lake, a dry lake bed,

northeast of Barstow, California; and China Lake Naval Weapons Center,

near Ridgecrest, California. The baseline alternative for the mid-range

landing site is Michael Army Air Field at Dugway proving Grounds, Utah.

Reasonable long-range landing sites being considered are Port of Moses

Lake, Washington; and Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls,

Montana. Analyses conducted to date indicate that other potential

flight operations and landing sites are inadequate to meet the

requirements of the Program. The ``no action'' alternative (i.e.,

absence of the X-33 Program) would mean that the RLV Program, as

planned, could not proceed, resulting in continued reliance on existing

U.S. Government owned or controlled space launch vehicles, such as the

Space Shuttle and expendable launch vehicles; and/or space launch

vehicles owned and operated by foreign governments.

The EIS will consider the potential environmental impacts

associated with the test program and related construction and

modification of facilities. An initial assessment of potential

environmental impacts indicates that the EIS should focus on sonic

booms; potential effects on cultural resources, and threatened and

endangered species; on-range and off-range flight test paths; and

environmental impacts at the reasonable flight operations and landing

site alternatives.

Public scoping meetings will be held at the following dates and

locations:

(a) Monday, October 21, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Social Rehabilitative

Services Auditorium, Sanders Avenue, Helena, MT 59601.

(b) Tuesday, October 22, 1996: 6:00 p.m. Great Falls High School,

1900 Second Avenue, South, Great Falls, MT 59405.

(c) Thursday, October 24, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Washington State National

Guard Armory, 6500 32nd Avenue, N.E., Moses Lake, WA 98837.

(d) Monday, October 28, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Dugway Post Theater, US

Army Dugway proving Grounds, Dugway, UT 84022.

(e) Tuesday, October 29, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Tooele Senior Center, 59

East Vine Street, Tooele, UT 84074.

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(f) Wednesday, October 30, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Quality Inn Airport,

5575 West Amelia Earhart Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84116.

(g) Tuesday, November 12, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Best Western Antelope

Valley Inn, 44055 North Sierra Highway, Lancaster, CA 93534.

(h) Wednesday, November 13, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Carriage Inn, 901 North

China Lake Boulevard, Ridgecrest, CA 93555.

(i) Thursday, November 14, 1996; 7:00 p.m. West Boron Elementary

School, 12300 Del Oro, Boron, CA 93516.

(j) Saturday, November 16, 1996; 10:00 a.m. Holiday Inn, 1511 East

Main Street, Barstow, CA 92311.

Written public input and comments on environmental impacts

associated with the proposed Program, including, but not limited to,

flight operations and landing site options, as well as related

environmental concerns, are hereby solicited.

Dated: October 1, 1996.

Benita A. Cooper,

Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.

[FR Doc. 96-25643 Filed 10-4-96; 8:45 am]

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