National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Space Transportation Program

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 96-135]

National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Space Transportation

Program

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact

statement (DEIS) for the Engine Technology Support for NASA's Advanced

Space Transportation 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

procedures (14 CFR Part 1216, Subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared and

issued a DEIS for the Engine Technology Support of NASA's Advanced

Space Transportation Program. The proposed action by NASA is to test

new and advanced engines, and components, and to modify facilities to

support the programmatic development of future launch vehicles. NASA is

considering a wide variety of liquid-fueled engines to accommodate

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the propulsion requirements of new space vehicle(s). The primary sites

being evaluated for the testing activities are NASA's Marshall Space

Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama, and John C. Stennis Space

Center (SSC) in Hancock, Mississippi. In addition, Edwards Air Force

Base near Lancaster County, California, is also being considered as a

potential test site.

DATES: Comments on the Engine Technology Support for NASA's Advanced

Space Transportation Program must be submitted in writing to NASA on or

before December 29, 1996, or 45 days from the date of publication in

the Federal Register of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's

notice of availability of the Engine Technology Support for NASA's

Advanced Space Transportation Program DEIS, whichever notice is later.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Dr. Rebecca McCaleb,

Director, Environmental Engineering and Management Office, Code AE01,

Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 35812. The DEIS may be reviewed

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, Maury Oceanographic Library,

Building 1003, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000.

(g) Hancock County Library, 312 Highway 90, Bay St. Louis, MS

39520.

(h) Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library, 900 Goodyear Boulevard,

Picayune, MS 39466

(i) St. Tammany Parish Library, 555 Robert Avenue, Slidell, LA

70458 and

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

California 93550

In addition, the Engine Technology Support for NASA's Advanced

Space Transportation Program DEIS may be reviewed at the following NASA

locations by contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act

Office:

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

4190).

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

258-3448).

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

286-0730).

(d) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800

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

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

6125).

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

OH 44135 (216-433-2313).

(g) Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 (407-867-2497)

(h) Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (713-483-8612)

Limited copies of the Engine Technology Support for NASA's Advanced

Space Transportation Program DEIS are available, on a first request

basis, by contacting the Marshall Space Flight Center at the address or

telephone number indicated below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Dominic Amatore, NASA Marshall

Space Flight Center, Code CA01, MSFC, AL 35812; Telephone 205-544-0031,

or Ms. Myron Webb, NASA Stennis Space Center, Code PAOO, SSC, MS 39529-

6000.

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 activities

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(s). Therefore, NASA is proposing to

develop and test one or more liquid engines so components 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 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 may need to be

upgraded to accommodate objectives. Modifications 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 be similar to 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 and in the center of Redstone Arsenal's 15,400 hectares

(38,000 acres). The closest private property is approximately 4

kilometers (2.4 miles) from the proposed MSFC test facilities. SSC

occupies 5,585 hectares (13,800 acres) and is surrounded by 50,616

hectares (125,071 acres) of acoustical buffer zone primarily in western

Hancock County, Mississippi and eastern St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.

Alternatives for this proposal include, but are not necessarily limited

to: (1) alternative test sites; (2) test facility construction and

modification options; (3) fuels, engines and components; (4)

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

The DEIS considers potential environmental impacts associated with

the activities and any needed construction or modification of

facilities. The areas of Environmental concern include impacts on air

quality and from noise. However, analyses indicate that air quality

will remain within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards at both

MSFC and SSC. If MSFC and/or SSC were selected, no substantial

environmental impact is anticipated on biological resources, threatened

and endangered species, cultural resources, wetlands, and recreational

or scenic areas. A public meeting will be held near MSFC at the

Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, 915 Monroe Street,

Huntsville, Alabama on December 2, 1996, starting at 7:00 p.m. Another

such meeting will be held near SSC at the Hancock County High School,

7084 Stennis Airport Drive, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, on December 11,

1996, starting at 7:00 p.m.

Comments were solicited at public scoping meetings and from

federal, state, and local agencies, organizations and members of the

general public through a Federal Register NASA notice published on

November 20, 1994 (59 FR 61346), newspaper advertisements, and direct

mailing to interested parties.

Comments received have been addressed in the DEIS. Written public

input and comments on environmental issues of the proposed program are

hereby solicited. These issues include, but are not limited to, test

site and facility options, fuel and engine alternatives, and related

environmental concerns.

Dated: November 7, 1996.

Benita A. Cooper,

Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.

[FR Doc. 96-29099 Filed 11-13-96; 8:45 am]

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