National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Space Transportation Program

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (97-111)]

National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Space Transportation

Program

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of final environmental impact statement

(FEIS) 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 FEIS for the Engine Technology Support of NASA's Advanced

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

new and advanced engines, 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 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: NASA will take no final action on the proposed testing of new

and advanced engines, components, and modification of facilities for

the Engine Technology Support for NASA's Advanced Space Transportation

Program before September 22, 1997, or 30 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 FEIS,

whichever is later.

ADDRESSES: The FEIS may be reviewed at the following locations:

(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. Please call Lisa Fowler beforehand at 407-867-2497 so that

arrangements can be made.

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

Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (828-354-5179).

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

35801.

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

Madison, AL 35758.

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

(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

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

California 93550

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

locations by contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act

Office:

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

4190).

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

258-3448).

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

286-0730).

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

(h) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665 (757-864-

2497).

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

OH 44135 (216-433-2222).

(j) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 (205-544-0031).

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

Limited copies of the FEIS are available, on a first request basis,

by contacting Dr. Rebecca McCaleb, Director, Environmental Engineering

and Management Office, Code AE01, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

at the address or telephone number indicated below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Rebecca McCaleb, Director, Environmental Engineering and Management

Office, Code AE01, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812;

telephone 205-544-4367; or Mr. Ron Magee, Environmental Officer, Code

GAOO, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529; telephone 601-688-7384.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To meet the technical and programmatic

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

technologies in propulsion systems need to 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 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 liquid hydrogen, kerosene, or a combination of the two. NASA's

preferred alternative is to primarily conduct the propulsion testing at

SSC with some engine system component testing at MSFC.

The reasonable alternative under consideration for testing these

engines include, but are not 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

undertaken in the 1960's associated with 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)

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

The FEIS considers potential environmental impacts associated with

the proposed testing activities and any needed construction or

modification of facilities. The areas of potential environmental

concern include primarily impact 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

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endangered species, cultural resources, wetlands, or recreational or

scenic areas. No facilities would be constructed within the 100 year

flood plain.

Comments on the draft environmental impact statement were solicited

from Federal, State and local agencies, organizations, and members of

the general public through: (a) Notices published in the Federal

Register--NASA notice on November 14, 1996 (61 FR 58426), and U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency notice on November 15, 1996 (61 FR

58548). Comments received have been addressed in the FEIS.

Benita A. Cooper,

Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.

[FR Doc. 97-22252 Filed 8-20-97; 8:45 am]

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