[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 195 (Monday, October 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52467-52469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-25643]
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[Notice 96-118]
National Environmental Policy Act; X-33 Program: Vehicle Design
and Flight Demonstration
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement
(EIS) and conduct scoping for the development and testing of the X-33
vehicle.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural
Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Part 1500-1508), and NASA policy and
procedures (14 CFR Part 1216 Subpart 1216.3), NASA intends to prepare
an EIS for Phase II of the X-33 Program (hereinafter referred to as the
``Program''), which would involve development and demonstration of the
X-33 test vehicle. The EIS will address environmental issues associated
with the fabrication, assembly, testing, and preparation of the flight
operations and landing sites associated with 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 Vehicles (RLV's) with certain
aircraft-like operational characteristics. The proposed Phase II of the
Program would involve final design, assembly and testing the X-33
vehicle by the year 2000.
Flight operations and landing site alternatives are under
consideration to satisfy flight testing requirements. The flight test
demonstration program would require short-range, mid-range, and long-
range landing sites remote from the flight operations (i.e., vehicle
takeoff) site at distances of approximately 160, 640, and 1,360
kilometers (km) (100, 400, and 850 miles (mi)) respectively. The
reasonable alternative sites for the proposed flight operations are
located within Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) near Lancaster,
California. Alternative landing sites for the flight test activities
are being considered in the states of California, Utah, Montana, and
Washington.
NASA is the lead agency in the preparation of the EIS. It is
anticipated that components of the U.S. Department of Defense, the
Bureau of Land Management, and the Federal Aviation Administration will
act as cooperating agencies.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on or before
November 29, 1996, to assure full consideration during the scoping
process.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Dr. Rebecca C. McCaleb,
Director, Environmental Engineering and Management Office, Code AE01,
[[Page 52468]]
Marshall Space Flight Centers, Alabama 35812. In addition, comments may
be sent to Dr. McCaleb electronically at ([email protected]) or by
facsimile at 205-544-8259. Information repositories will be maintained
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) Kern County Library, Boron Branch, 27070 Highway 5, Boron, CA
93516.
(d) Kern County Library, Ridgecrest Branch, 131 East Las Flores
Street, Ridgecrest, CA 93555.
(e) Los Angeles County Library, Lancaster Branch, 1150 West Avenue
J, Lancaster, CA 93524.
(f) Palmdale City Library, 700 East Palmdale Boulevard, Palmdale,
CA 93550.
(g) San Bernadino County Library, Barstow Branch, 304 East Buena
Vista, Barstow, CA 92311.
(h) Great Falls Public Library, 301 2nd Avenue North, Great Falls,
MT 59401.
(i) Moses Lake Library, 418 East 5th Street, Moses Lake, WA 98837.
(j) Dugway Proving Grounds Library, 5124 Kisstler Avenue, Dugway,
UT 84022.
(k) Tooele Library, 47 East Vine Street, Tooele, UT 84074.
(l) Salt Lake City Library, 209 East 500 South, Business/Science
Department, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT; Dr. Dominic A. Amatore, Deputy
Director, Public Affairs Office, Code CA01, Marshall Space Flight
Center, AL 35812, 205-544-6533. His office will ensure that the
appropriate source of information is provided.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The key objectives of the X-33 Design and
Flight Demonstration Program include:
--Reduce business and technical risks to privately financed development
and operation of a next generation space transportation system through
ground and flight tests of a spaceplane technology demonstrator.
--Ensure that the X-33 design and major components are usable and
scaleable to a full scale, single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) RLV
--Demonstrate ``aircraft like'' operations such as reusability and
affordability.
--Demonstrate autonomous capability (i.e., vehicle does not have a
pilot or onboard flight crew but is controlled by onboard flight
management system; vehicle is tracked by telemetry and on systems; and
human intervention capability to modify trajectory is maintained at the
flight operations site) from takeoff to landing.
--Verify operability and performance in ``real world'' environments.
The X-33 test vehicle is planned as an approximately one-half scale
reusable spaceplane. The vehicle would takeoff in a vertical position
and use conventional runways to 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 takeoff and
land as a single unit. The flight profile includes takeoff with engine
burn until flight speed and altitude objectives are reached; at that
point, the engines would cut off.
The flight test plan to meet the Program objectives would involve
flights of approximately 160, 640, and 1,360 km (100, 400, and 850 mi).
During the landing sequence, the spaceplane would glide to the landing
site in an unpowered manner. 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 tests 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 is planned to be conducted in three stages,
with all takeoffs occurring from the same flight operations site. The
three stages would involve the incremental expansion 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 maximum speeds of Mach 4, 12, and
15, respectively. After each test flight, the X-33 would be ferried
back to the takeoff 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 baselined for a combined total of 15 flights.
Alternatives to be considered for this proposal include, but are
not limited to:
--Alternative flight operations (takeoff) sites
--Short-range landing sites
--Mid-range landing sites
--Long-range landing sites
--The ``no action'' alternative which defines the baseline conditions
that would prevail in the absence of the X-33 test program.
Three locations within EAFB are the reasonable alternatives being
considered for the flight operations site. Reasonable short-range
landing sites being considered are Silurian Lake, a dry lake bed,
northeast of Barstow, California; and China Lake Naval Weapons Center,
near Ridgecrest, California. The baseline alternative for the mid-range
landing site is Michael Army Air Field at Dugway proving Grounds, Utah.
Reasonable long-range landing sites being considered are Port of Moses
Lake, Washington; and Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls,
Montana. Analyses conducted to date indicate that other potential
flight operations and landing sites are inadequate to meet the
requirements of the Program. The ``no action'' alternative (i.e.,
absence of the X-33 Program) would mean that the RLV Program, as
planned, could not proceed, resulting in continued reliance on existing
U.S. Government owned or controlled space launch vehicles, such as the
Space Shuttle and expendable launch vehicles; and/or space launch
vehicles owned and operated by foreign governments.
The EIS will consider the potential environmental impacts
associated with the test program and related construction and
modification of facilities. An initial assessment of potential
environmental impacts indicates that the EIS should focus on sonic
booms; potential effects on cultural resources, and threatened and
endangered species; on-range and off-range flight test paths; and
environmental impacts at the reasonable flight operations and landing
site alternatives.
Public scoping meetings will be held at the following dates and
locations:
(a) Monday, October 21, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Social Rehabilitative
Services Auditorium, Sanders Avenue, Helena, MT 59601.
(b) Tuesday, October 22, 1996: 6:00 p.m. Great Falls High School,
1900 Second Avenue, South, Great Falls, MT 59405.
(c) Thursday, October 24, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Washington State National
Guard Armory, 6500 32nd Avenue, N.E., Moses Lake, WA 98837.
(d) Monday, October 28, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Dugway Post Theater, US
Army Dugway proving Grounds, Dugway, UT 84022.
(e) Tuesday, October 29, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Tooele Senior Center, 59
East Vine Street, Tooele, UT 84074.
[[Page 52469]]
(f) Wednesday, October 30, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Quality Inn Airport,
5575 West Amelia Earhart Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84116.
(g) Tuesday, November 12, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Best Western Antelope
Valley Inn, 44055 North Sierra Highway, Lancaster, CA 93534.
(h) Wednesday, November 13, 1996; 7:00 p.m. Carriage Inn, 901 North
China Lake Boulevard, Ridgecrest, CA 93555.
(i) Thursday, November 14, 1996; 7:00 p.m. West Boron Elementary
School, 12300 Del Oro, Boron, CA 93516.
(j) Saturday, November 16, 1996; 10:00 a.m. Holiday Inn, 1511 East
Main Street, Barstow, CA 92311.
Written public input and comments on environmental impacts
associated with the proposed Program, including, but not limited to,
flight operations and landing site options, as well as related
environmental concerns, are hereby solicited.
Dated: October 1, 1996.
Benita A. Cooper,
Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.
[FR Doc. 96-25643 Filed 10-4-96; 8:45 am]
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