National Environmental Policy Act; X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator Vehicle Program

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 97-091]

National Environmental Policy Act; X-33 Advanced Technology

Demonstrator Vehicle Program

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact

statement (DEIS) for the X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator Vehicle

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 Phase II of the X-33 Program, which involves the

development and demonstration of the X-33 test vehicle. The DEIS

addresses environmental issues associated with the preparation of the

flight operations (launch) and landing sites and testing of 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 (RLVs).

The reasonable alternative launch sites are located within Edwards

Air Force Base (AFB) near Lancaster, California.

Reasonable alternative landing sites for segments of the flight

test activities are located at Silurian Lake, near Baker, California;

China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center, near Ridgecrest, California;

Dugway Proving Grounds, near Tooele, Utah; Grant County Airport, Moses

Lake, Washington; and Malmstrom AFB, Great Falls, Montana. NASA is the

lead agency in the preparation of the environmental impact statement.

Components of the U.S. Department of Defense; the U.S.

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Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management; and the U.S.

Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration are

acting as cooperating agencies.

DATES: Comments on the DEIS must be submitted in writing and received

by NASA no later than August 18, 1997 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 X-33 DEIS, whichever

is later.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Dr. Rebecca C.

McCaleb, NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, AE01/Building 4201,

Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812. In addition, written comments

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

by facsimile at 205-544-9259. 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) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, Library, Building 4800, Room

2149, Edwards AFB, CA 93523.

(d) NASA,Spaceport USA, Room 2001, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL

32899. Please call Lisa Fowler beforehand at 407-867-2468 so that

arrangements can be made.

(e) Kern County Library, Boron Branch, 27070 Highway 5, Boron, CA

93516.

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

Ridgecrest, CA 93555.

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

Lancaster, CA 93524.

(h) Palmdale City Library, 700 East Palmdale Boulevard, Palmdale, CA

93550.

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

Barstow, CA 92311.

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

59401.

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

(l) Dugway Proving Grounds Library, 5124 Kisstler Avenue, Dugway, UT

84022.

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

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

Department, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.

In addition, the DEIS may be examined at the following NASA

locations by contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act

Office:

(o) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (415-604-4190).

(p) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301-286-

0730).

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

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

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

(s) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665 (757-864-2497).

(t) NASA, Lewis Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH

44135 (216-433-2222).

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

The DEIS can be found and accessed at the following internet

address: http://eemo.msfc.nasa.gov/eemo/x33__eis. Limited copies of the

DEIS are available, on a first request basis, by contacting Dr. Rebecca

McCaleb at the address indicated above or Dr. Dominic Amatore by

telephone at the number provided below.

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

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

Center, AL 35812, 205-544-6533.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The X-33 test vehicle is planned as an

approximately one-half scale reusable spaceplane. The vehicle would

launch vertically and 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 launch and land as a single

unit.

The flight test plan to meet the X-33 program objectives optimally

involves flights of approximately 160, 720, and 1,530 kilometers (100,

450, and 950 miles). During the landing sequence, the spaceplane would

be unpowered. 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 test 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 would

be conducted in three stages, with all launches occurring from the same

launch site. The three stages would involve the incremental increase 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 speeds of

March 4, 12, and 15, respectively. After each test flight, the X-33

would be ferried back to the flight operations 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 planned for a combined

total of 15 flights.

Reasonable alternatives considered for this proposed action

include:

--Flight operations (launch) sites:

(a) Edwards Air Force Base, California, Space Port 2000 site, and

(b) Edwards Air Force Base, California, Haystack Butte site;

--Short-range landing sites:

(a) Armitage Airfield, China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center, California,

and

(b) Silurian Lake, a dry lake bed, north of Baker, California;

--Mid-range landing sites:

Michael Army Air Field, Dugway Proving Ground, Utah;

--Long-range landing sites (may serve as an alternative mid-range

landing site):

(a) Malmstrom Air Force Base, Great Falls Montana, and

(b) Grant County Airport, Moses Lake, Washington; and,--``No Action.''

The ``No Action'' alternative (i.e., absence of the X-33 Program) would

mean that the RLV Program, as planned, could not proceed.

The DEIS considers the potential environmental impacts associated

with the test program and related construction/modification of

facilities. Areas of focus include, but are not necessarily limited to:

noise and sonic booms; flight safety; surface transportation impacts;

effects on airspace and air traffic; wildlife and threatened and

endangered species; and cultural resources.

Public information meetings will be held at the following dates,

times, and locations:

(a) Monday, July 7, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; Washington, State National Guard

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

(b) Tuesday, July 8, 1997; 6:00 p.m.; Great Falls High School, 1900

Second Avenue, South, Great Falls, Montana 59405.

(c) Wednesday, July 9, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; Social Rehabilitative Services

Auditorium, 111 Sanders Avenue, Helena, Montana 59601.

(d) Thursday, July 10, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; University of Idaho/Idaho State

University, 1776 Science Center Drive, Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402.

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(e) Monday, July 14, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; US Army Dugway Proving Grounds,

Old Post Headquarters, Building 5450, Command Conference Room, Dugway,

Utah 84022.

(f) Tuesday, July 15, 1997; 6:00 p.m.; Salt Lake City Public Library,

Main Library Lecture Hall, 209 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah

84111.

(g) Wednesday, July 16, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; Tooele Senior Center, 59 East

Vine Street, Tooele, Utah 84074.

(h) Monday, July 21, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; Lancaster High School, 44701 32nd

Street West, Lancaster, California 93536.

(i) Tuesday, July 22, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; Boron High School, 26831

Prospect Street, Boron, California 93516.

(j) Wednesday, July 23, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; Burroughs High School, 500

East French Street, Ridgecrest, California 93555.

(k) Thursday, July 24, 1997; 7:00 p.m.; Baker Senior Citizen Center,

73730 Baker Blvd., Baker, California 92309.

Benita A. Cooper,

Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.

[FR Doc. 97-17405 Filed 7-2-97; 8:45 am]

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