National Environmental Policy Act; New Millennium Program

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 98-100]

National Environmental Policy Act; New Millennium Program

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the Council on Environmental

Quality (CEQ) 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 made a finding of no significant

impact (FONSI) with respect to the proposed New Millennium Program

(NMP) and individual missions (as defined and described in the

associated Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA)), which would

involve a series of Earth orbiting and deep space spacecraft to be

launched over the time period of 1998 through 2010 from Vandenberg Air

Force Base (VAFB), California, and Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS),

Florida.

DATES: Comments on the FONSI must be provided in writing to NASA on or

before August 28, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Dr. William L.

Piotrowski, Senior Program Executive, Mission & Payload Development

Division, Code SD, NASA Headquarters,

[[Page 40546]]

Washington, DC 20546-0001. The PEA prepared for the New Millennium

Program which supports this FONSI may be reviewed at the following

locations:

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

Washington, DC 20546 (202-358-0167).

(b) Vandenberg Air Force Base, Technical Library, Building 7015,

806 13th Street, Vandenberg AFB, CA 93437.

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

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

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

Florida, 32899. Please call Lisa Fowler beforehand at 407-867-2497 so

that arrangements can be made.

The PEA may also be examined at the following NASA locations by

contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act Office:

(e) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (650-604-

4191).

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

258-2663).

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

286-0730).

(h) NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (281-483-8612).

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

2497).

(j) NASA, Lewis Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Rd, Cleveland, OH

44135 (216-433-2755).

(k) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (256-

544-5549).

(l) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (228-688-2164).

A limited number of copies of the PEA are available by contacting

Dr. William L. Piotrowski at the address or telephone number indicated

herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. William L. Piotrowski, 202-358-

1544.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NASA has reviewed the PEA prepared for the

NMP and has determined that it represents an accurate and adequate

analysis of the scope and level of associated environmental impacts.

The PEA is hereby incorporated by reference in this FONSI.

NASA is proposing to develop, build and launch a series of Earth

orbiting and deep space spacecraft over the time period of 1998 through

2010 from VAFB, California and CCAS, Florida. NMP spacecraft would be

designed to validate essential technologies and capabilities which

contribute to reducing the cost of future space and Earth science

missions. Within the primary objective of technology validation, as

much science as possible would be conducted. The program focuses on

advanced technologies (i.e., instrumentation and operations), which

offer the potential to contribute significantly to reducing the cost of

future space and Earth science missions while increasing their relative

capability in achieving scientific objectives. The investment now in

the NMP could begin to provide tangible benefits, especially in

validating solar electric propulsion, before the year 2000. The

reduction in size of spacecraft and the increase in capability that NMP

is designed to foster could bring about future economic benefits for

the U.S. Space Program.

Spacecraft final assembly, propellant loading, and checkout of

payload systems would be performed in existing Payload Processing

Facilities at VAFB and CCAS. The spacecraft would then be transported

to an existing Space Launch Complex at VAFB or CCAS where it would be

integrated with the launch vehicle. Due to varying payload weights and

mission specific requirements, NMP spacecraft may require different

launch vehicles. The launch vehicle selected as an environmental upper

``bounding case'' (i.e., maximum expected environmental impacts), is

the Delta II 7925. The NMP Program would not increase launch rates at

CCAS and VAFB above existing or previously approved levels.

In addition to developing and validating spacecraft,

instrumentation, and operations technologies, NMP is planned to

demonstrate new types of management and engineering techniques that

reduce development, launch, and operations costs. Computer-aided

design, and concurrent project engineering and design are being used to

accelerate and enhance the design process to lead to rapid

implementation. NMP flight-validated technologies may also find their

way into the consumer market for use in such applications as autonomous

rail transportation systems, new microsensors for automotive and

biomedical technology, and high quality imagery and enhanced memory

media for computer systems.

Alternatives to the proposed action that were considered included

those that: (1) Utilize an alternate launch vehicle, or (2) cancel the

NMP (the ``no action'' alternative). Of the launch vehicles evaluated,

U.S. launch vehicles proposed for launch of NMP spacecraft

(specifically the Delta II, Titan IIG, Athena, Taurus, and the Pegasus)

are best suited for the NMP for the following reasons: (1) The

alternative launch vehicles examined are approximately equal in their

potential impacts to the environment, and these impacts are not

individually or cumulatively significant; (2) proposed U.S. launch

vehicles closely match NMP performance requirements and allow for

variations in payload size and weight; and/or (3) selected launch

vehicles cost the same or less than the examined alternatives and are

similar in terms of reliability.

Maximum expected impacts to the human environment associated with

the program are bounded by and arise almost entirely from the normal

launch of the Delta II 7925. Air emissions from the exhaust produced by

the solid propellant graphite epoxy motors and liquid first stage

primarily include carbon monoxide, hydrochloric acid, aluminum oxide in

soluble and insoluble forms, carbon dioxide, and deluge water mixed

with propellant by-products. Air impacts would be short-term and not

significant. Short-term water quality and noise impacts, as well as

short-term effects on plants and animals would occur only in the

vicinity of the launch complex. There would be no impact on threatened

or endangered species or critical habitat, cultural resources, wetlands

or floodplains. The NMP would follow the NASA guidelines regarding

orbital debris and minimizing the risk of uncontrolled reentry into the

Earth's atmosphere. Accident scenarios have also been addressed and

indicate no potential for substantial impact to the human environment.

None of the NMP missions covered under the NMP PEA will have

radioactive materials aboard the spacecraft, except for the possibility

of very small quantities on certain missions for instrumentation

purposes. Consequently, no potential substantial adverse impacts from

radioactive substances are anticipated. The PEA provides a set of

questions that must be addressed in determining whether or not a

proposed future NMP mission falls within the scope of the PEA and this

FONSI. No other individual or cumulative impacts of environmental

concern have been identified.

The level and scope of environmental impacts associated with the

launch of NMP spacecraft are well within the envelope of impacts that

have been addressed in previous FONSI's concerning other launch

vehicles and spacecraft. NMP spacecraft would not increase launch rates

nor utilize launch systems beyond the scope of approved programs at

VAFB or CCAS. No NMP-specific processing or launch activities have been

identified that would require new permits and/or mitigation measures

[[Page 40547]]

beyond those currently in place or in coordination at VAFB and CCAS. No

significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental

concerns associated with the launch vehicle have been identified which

would affect the earlier findings. As specific spacecraft and missions

are fully defined, they will be reviewed in light of the NMP PEA. If

NASA determines that future payloads have the potential for

substantially different environmental impacts, further NEPA reviews

will be conducted and documented, as appropriate.

On the basis of the NMP PEA, NASA has determined that the

environmental impacts associated with the NMP and the specified

missions identified as within the scope of the PEA would not

individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the quality

of the human environment. NASA will take no final action prior to the

expiration of the 30-day comment period.

Wesley T. Huntress, Jr.,

Associate Administrator for Space Science.

Michael R. Luther,

Deputy Associate Administrator for Earth Science.

[FR Doc. 98-20265 Filed 7-28-98; 8:45 am]

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