[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48490-48491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18734]



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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 02-090]


National Environmental Policy Act; Mars Exploration Rover-2003 
Project

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft environmental impact statement 
(DEIS) for implementation of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER)-2003 
Project.

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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 DEIS for the MER-2003 project. The DEIS addresses the 
potential environmental impacts associated with continuing the 
preparations for and implementing the MER-2003 project. The purpose of 
this proposal is to perform exploration of the surface of Mars.
    The project is planned to consist of two missions, each involving 
identical rover spacecraft. NASA proposes to launch the first mission 
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida, in May or June 
2003, on a Delta II 7925, and the second mission from CCAFS in June or 
July 2003, on a Delta II 7925 Heavy. Each rover would include two small 
radioactive sources for instrument calibration and would use up to 
eleven radioisotope heater units (RHU) for thermal control.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on 
environmental concerns on or before September 9, 2002, or 45 days from 
the date of publication in the Federal Register of the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability of the MER-
2003 project DEIS, whichever is later.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted via first class, registered, or certified 
mail should be addressed to David Lavery, Office of Space Science, Mail 
Code SM, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001. Comments 
submitted via express mail, a commercial deliverer, or courier service 
should be addressed to David Lavery, Office of Space Science, Mail Code 
SM, Attn: Receiving & Inspection (Rear of Building), NASA Headquarters, 
300 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20024-3210. While hard copy comments 
are preferred, comments by electronic mail may be sent to 
[email protected]. The DEIS 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 at 321-867-2201 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 DEIS 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 (650-604-
1181).
    (e) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA 
93523 (661-276-2704).
    (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 (301-286-0730).
    (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-
544-2030).
    (k) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (228-688-2164).
    Limited hard copies of the DEIS are available, on a first request 
basis, by contacting David Lavery at the address or telephone number 
indicated herein. The DEIS also is available in Acrobat[reg] format at 
http://spacescience.nasa.gov/admin/pubs/mereis/index.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Lavery, 202-358-4800; electronic 
mail ([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MER-2003 project is part of a series of 
missions to characterize Mars' atmosphere, geologic history, climate, 
and the relationship to Earth's climate change process. The two 
missions of the MER-2003 project aim to determine what resources Mars 
provides for future exploration, and to search for evidence of past and 
present life. These two missions would continue the intense study of 
local areas of the surface via identical rover spacecraft. The two 
rovers would separately explore two different locations on Mars. 
Operation of the rovers and their science instruments would also 
benefit the planning and design of future missions by demonstrating the 
capabilities for long-range travel by mobile science platforms to 
validate long-lived, long-distance rover technologies; demonstrate 
complex science operations through the simultaneous use of multiple 
mobile laboratories; and validate the standards, protocols, and 
capabilities of the international Mars communications infrastructure.
    The proposed action consists of continuing preparations for and 
implementing the MER-2003 project. The first mission (MER-A) would be 
launched on a Delta II 7925 from CCAFS in May or June 2003. The second 
mission (MER-B) would be launched on a Delta II 7925 Heavy from CCAFS 
in June or July 2003. The 2003 launch opportunity represents the best 
opportunity for a surface mission to Mars in the next twenty years. 
Programmatic issues (e.g., changes in NASA priorities or unforeseen 
circumstances) could necessitate modification to the mission objectives 
and timing. Such modifications could result in the need to launch one 
mission in 2003, and a second mission at a later launch opportunity or 
not at all. Accordingly, the only alternative that was evaluated is the 
No Action alternative.
    For the MER-2003 missions, the potentially affected environment for 
normal launches includes the area at and in the vicinity of the launch 
site, CCAFS in Florida. The environmental impacts of normal launches of 
the two missions for the proposed action would be associated 
principally with the exhaust emissions from each of the Delta II 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 the launch complex, particularly if rain occurs shortly after 
launch.
    A concern associated with launch of the two MER-2003 spacecraft 
involves potential launch accidents that could result in the release of 
some of the radioactive material on board the rover. Each rover would 
employ two instruments which use small quantities of cobalt-57 (that 
would not exceed 350 millicuries) and curium-244 (that would not exceed 
50 millicuries) as instrument sources. Each rover would have up to 
eleven RHUs that use plutonium dioxide to provide heat to the 
electronics and batteries on board the rover. The radioisotope 
inventory of up to eleven RHUs would total approximately 365 curies of 
plutonium.
    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in cooperation with NASA, has

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performed a risk assessment of potential accidents for the MER-2003 
project. This assessment used a methodology refined through 
applications to the Galileo, Mars Pathfinder, and Cassini, missions and 
incorporates results of safety tests on the RHUs and an evaluation of 
the January 17, 1997, Delta II accident at CCAFS. DOE's risk assessment 
for this project indicates that in the event of a launch accident the 
expected impacts of released radioactive material at and in the 
vicinity of the launch area, and on a global basis, would be small.

    Dated: July 18, 2002.
Olga M. Dominguez,
Director, Environmental Management Division.
[FR Doc. 02-18734 Filed 7-23-02; 8:45 am]
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