National Environmental Policy Act; NASA Routine Payloads for Expendable Launch Vehicles

[Federal Register: March 14, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 50)]

[Notices]               [Page 11518-11519]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr14mr02-71]

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (02-037)]

National Environmental Policy Act; NASA Routine Payloads for Expendable Launch Vehicles

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental assessment (DEA) for launch of NASA routine spacecraft as payloads on expendable launch
vehicles.

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 DEA for launch of NASA routine spacecraft as payloads on
expendable launch vehicles. This DEA addresses the potential
environmental impacts associated with preparing and implementing the
launch of missions that are designated routine payloads on U.S.
expendable launch vehicles from existing U.S. facilities using
established procedures.

The spacecraft covered by this DEA (referred to
as routine payload spacecraft) would meet rigorously defined criteria
ensuring that the spacecraft, their operation, and their
decommissioning would not present any new or substantial environmental
and safety concerns.

A Routine Payload Checklist (RPC) is used to
exclude missions from consideration as routine payloads if they include
any extraterrestrial sample return; would be launched on a vehicle and
launch pad combination not covered in this DEA; carry radioactive
sources that could not be approved by the NASA Office of Safety and
Mission Assurance (OSMA) Nuclear Flight Safety Assurance Manager
(NFSAM); cause the manifested launch rate (per year) for a particular
launch vehicle to exceed the rate previously approved and permitted at
the launch sites; require the construction of any new facilities (or
substantial modification of existing facilities); utilize hazardous
materials in quantities exceeding the Envelope Payload Characteristics
(EPCs); utilize potentially hazardous material whose type or amount
would not be covered by new or existing local permits or is not
included within the definition of the Envelope Spacecraft (ES); release
material other than propulsion system exhaust or inert gases into the
atmosphere; suggest the potential for any substantial impact on public
health and safety not covered by this DEA; have the potential for
substantial effects on the environment outside the United States;
utilize an Earth-pointing laser system that does not meet the
requirements for safe operations according to American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) analysis techniques; carry live or inactive
disease-causing biological agents; or have the potential to create
substantial public controversy related to environmental issues.

The
proposed launches would occur from existing launch facilities at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force
Base (VAFB), California, during the period 2002 to 2012. Spacecraft
that comply with the RPC would utilize materials, quantities of
materials, launch vehicles, and operational characteristics that are
consistent with normal and routine spacecraft preparation and flight
activities at VAFB, CCAFS, and Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida.
Therefore, the environmental impacts of launching routine payload
spacecraft would fall within the range of routine, ongoing, and
previously documented impacts associated with approved programs that
have been determined not to be significant.

The purpose and need for
this proposed action is to fulfill NASA’s mission for Earth
exploration, space exploration, technology development, and scientific
research. The scientific missions associated with NASA routine payload
spacecraft could not be accomplished without launching orbital and
interplanetary spacecraft.

DATES: Comments must be provided in writing to NASA on or before April
15, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Mark R. Dahl, Program
Executive, NASA Headquarters, Code SM, Washington, DC 20546. Hard copy
comments are preferred, but comments may be sent by electronic mail to
mdahl@hq.nasa.gov. The DEA may be reviewed at the locations listed
under the supplementary information in this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark R. Dahl, 202-358-4800;
mdahl@hq.nasa.gov. The DEA also is available in Acrobat
format at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/admin/pubs/routine_EA/index.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: U.S. space and Earth exploration is integral
to NASA’s strategic plan for carrying out its mission. NASA is also
committed to the further development of advanced, low-cost technologies
for exploring and

utilizing space. To fulfill these objectives, a continuing series of
scientific spacecraft would need to be designed, built, and launched
into Earth orbit or towards other bodies in the Solar System. These
spacecraft would flyby, encounter, orbit about, land on, or impact with
these bodies to collect various scientific data that would be
transmitted to Earth via radio for analysis. The scientific missions
associated with NASA routine payload spacecraft could not be
accomplished without launching such scientific spacecraft.

The proposed action is comprised of preparing, launching, and
decommissioning missions designated NASA routine payload spacecraft.
The design and operational characteristics and, therefore, the
environmental impacts of routine payload spacecraft would be rigorously
bounded. Routine payload spacecraft would utilize materials, launch
vehicles, facilities, and operations that are normally and customarily
used at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California, and Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) and Kennedy Space Center (KSC),
Florida.

The routine payload spacecraft would use these materials,
launch vehicles, facilities, and operations only within the scope of
activities already approved or permitted. The scope of this DEA
includes all spacecraft that would meet specific criteria on their
construction and launch, would accomplish the requirements of NASA’s
research objectives, and would not present new or substantial
environmental impacts or hazards.

These spacecraft would meet the limitations set forth in the Routine Payload Checklist (RPC), which was developed to delimit the characteristics and environmental impacts of this group of spacecraft. Preparation and launch of all spacecraft that are defined as routine payloads would have environmental impacts that fall within the range of routine, ongoing, and previously documented
impacts associated with approved missions that have been determined not
to be significant.

Alternative spacecraft designs that exceed the limitations of the RPC may have new or substantial environmental
impacts or hazards and are not covered by this DEA. Foreign launch
vehicles would require individual consideration, review, and separate
environmental analysis, and were not considered to be reasonable
alternatives for the purpose of this routine payload spacecraft DEA.
The No-Action Alternative would mean that NASA would not launch
scientific spacecraft missions defined as routine payloads using
specific criteria and thresholds.

NASA would then continue to propose
spacecraft missions for individualized review under NEPA. Such
duplicate analyses and redundant documentation for spacecraft missions
that meet the limitations of the RPC, however, would not present any
new information or identify any substantially different environmental
impacts.

The expendable launch vehicles (ELVs) proposed for launching the
routine payload spacecraft represent domestic (U.S.) ELVs that would be
suitable for launching the routine payload spacecraft, would
potentially be available during the 2002 to 2012 period, have
documented environmental impacts, and would utilize existing launch
facilities. The ELVs included in this action are the Atlas series,
Delta series, Taurus, Athena series, Pegasus XL, and Titan II. These
launch vehicles would accommodate the desired range of payload masses,
would provide the needed trajectory capabilities, and would provide
highly reliable launch services. Individual ELVs would be carefully
matched to the launch requirements of each particular routine payload
spacecraft.

For the NASA routine spacecraft missions, the potentially
affected environment for normal launches includes the areas at and in
the vicinity of the two launch sites, CCAFS in Florida, and VAFB in
California. For normal launches of routine payloads under the proposed
action, the environmental impacts would be associated principally with
the exhaust emissions from the launch vehicles. These effects would
include short-term impacts on air quality within the exhaust cloud and
near the launch pads, and the potential for acidic deposition on the
vegetation and surface water bodies at and near each launch complex,
particularly if a rain storm occurred. To minimize the potential for
disturbance of protected wildlife species, consultation with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
of 1973 (as amended) is required. Routine payload processing and launch
activities would not require any additional permits or mitigation
measures beyond those already existing, or in coordination, for VAFB or
CCAFS launches.

There are no direct or substantial environmental impacts, including cumulative impacts, associated with the proposed action that have not
already been covered by NEPA documentation for the existing launch
sites, launch vehicles, launch facilities, and payload processing
facilities. NASA missions covered by this DEA would be manifested at
VAFB or CCAFS and would be within the total number of launch operations
previously analyzed in launch vehicle and launch site NEPA documents.The DEA may be reviewed at the following locations:

(a) NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20546 (202-358-0167).

(b) Spaceport U.S.A., Room 2001, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL
32899. Please call Penny Myers beforehand at 321-867-9280 so that
arrangements can be made.

(c) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818-354-5179).The DEA may be examined at the following NASA Centers by contacting
the appropriate Freedom of Information Act Office:

(d) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (650-604-1181).

(e) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA
93523 (661-258-3689).

(f) NASA, Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135 (216-433-2755).

(g) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301-286-6255).

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

(i) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 (757-864-
2497).

(j) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (256-
544-1837).

(k) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (228-688-2164).Limited hard copies of the DEA are available, on a first request
basis, by contacting Mr. Dahl at the address or telephone number
indicated herein.

Jeffrey E. Sutton,
Assistant Administrator for Management Systems.