[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 128 (Thursday, July 3, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36080-36081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17404]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 97-090]


National Environmental Policy Act; Cassini Mission

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of final supplemental environmental 
impact statement (FSEIS) for the Cassini Mission to Saturn and its 
moons.

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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 an FSEIS for the Cassini Mission. The FSEIS focuses on the most 
recently available information pertinent to the risk analyses of 
potential accidents during the launch and cruise phases of the mission. 
Certain accidents could potentially result in some release of plutonium 
dioxide from one or more of the three Radioisotope Thermoelectric 
Generators (RTG's) and the 129 Radioisotope Heater Units (RHU's) 
onboard the Cassini spacecraft. The currently planned mission involves 
the launch of the Cassini spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Station 
(CCAS), Florida, during the primary launch opportunity that begins in 
early October 1997.

DATES: NASA will take no final action on the proposed launch of the 
Cassini Mission before August 4, 1997, or 30 days form the date of 
publication in the Federal Register of the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency's notice of availability of the Cassini Mission 
FSEIS, whichever is later.

ADDRESSES: The FSEIS 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 (818-354-5179).

    In addition, the FSEIS 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).

[[Page 36081]]

(h) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23655 (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 (202-544-0031).
(k) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (601-688-2164).

    Limited copies of the FSEIS are available, on a first request 
basis, by contacting Mark R. Dahl at the address or telephone number 
indicated below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Mark R. Dahl, NASA Headquarters, Code SD, Washington, DC 20546-
0001; telephone 202-358-1544.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planned Cassini Mission is an 
international cooperative effort of NASA, the European Space Agency, 
and the Italian Space Agency, to explore the planet Saturn and its 
environment. Saturn is the second-largest and second-most massive 
planet in the solar system and has the largest, most visible dynamic 
ring structure of all the planets. The planned mission is an important 
part of NASA's program for exploration of the solar system, the goal of 
which is to understand the system's birth and evolution. The Cassini 
Mission would involve a 4-year scientific exploration of Saturn, its 
atmosphere, moons, rings, and magnetosphere. The Cassini spacecraft 
consists of the Cassini Orbiter and the detachable Huygens Probe. The 
Huygens Probe would be released for a parachute descent into the 
atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The scientific information 
gathered by the Cassini Mission could help provide clues to the 
evolution of the solar system and the origin of life on Earth.
    NASA issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Cassini Mission in July 1995 (hereinafter the ``EIS'') followed by the 
associated Record of Decision (ROD) to complete preparation of the 
Cassini Mission for launch in the October 1997 opportunity, or either 
the secondary or backup opportunities, and to implement the mission.
    The Cassini spacecraft would carry three RTG's that use the heat of 
decay of plutonium dioxide to generate electric power for the 
spacecraft and its instruments. The spacecraft would also use 129 
RHU's, each containing a small amount of plutonium dioxide, to generate 
heat for controlling the thermal environment of the spacecraft and 
several of its instruments.
    The action selected and documented in the ROD associated with the 
EIS consists of completing preparations for and implementing the 
Cassini Mission to Saturn and its moons, with a launch of the Cassini 
spacecraft onboard a Titan IV(SRMU)/Centaur. The launch would take 
place at CCAS during the primary launch opportunity that begins in 
early October 1997 and continues into mid-November 1997. A secondary 
launch opportunity extends from the end of November 1997 to early 
January 1997, with a backup opportunity from mid-March to early April 
1999, both using the Titan IV(SRMU)/Centaur. The primary launch 
opportunity would employ a Venus-Venus-Earth-Jupiter-Gravity-Assist 
trajectory to Saturn; the secondary and backup opportunities would both 
employ a Venus-Earth-Earth-Gravity-Assist (VEEGA) trajectory. The above 
primary launch opportunity remains NASA's preferred alternative and 
Proposed Action and would allow the Cassini spacecraft to gather the 
full science return desired to accomplish mission objectives.
    Along with the No-Action alternative (ceasing preparations and not 
implementing the Cassini Mission), the EIS evaluated in detail two 
other mission alternatives. The March 1999 alternative would have used 
two Shuttle flights with on-orbit integration of the spacecraft and 
upper stage, followed by injection of the spacecraft into a VEEGA 
trajectory to Saturn. Due to the long lead-time in developing and 
certifying the new upper stage that would be needed to implement it, 
this alternative is no longer considered reasonable. The other mission 
alternative considered in the EIS was the 2001 alternative which would 
use a Titan IV(SRMU)/Centaur to launch the spacecraft from CCAS in 
March 2001 on a Venus-Venus-Venus-Gravity-Assist trajectory. A backup 
opportunity in May 2002 would use a VEEGA trajectory. The 2001 
alternative would require completing development and testing of a new 
high-performance rehenium engine for, as well as adding about 20 
percent more propellant to, the spacecraft. Science returns from this 
alternative would meet the minimum acceptable level for the mission.
    The results from the safety risk analyses have recently become 
available. The FSEIS compares this recent best available information 
with that presented in the EIS. The FSEIS addresses the Proposed 
Action, the No-Action alternative, and the 2001 mission alternative 
(which is still available to NASA).
    Comments on the draft supplemental 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 April 9, 1997, (62 FR 17216) and U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency notice on April 11, 1997, (62 FR 
17810); and (b) direct mailings to interested parties. Comments 
received have been addressed in the FSEIS.
Benita A. Cooper,
Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.
[FR Doc. 97-17404 Filed 7-2-97; 8:45 am]
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