[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 222 (Tuesday, November 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68726-68727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27184]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 14-119]


Final Environmental Impact Statement: Mars 2020 Mission

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) for implementation of the Mars 2020 Mission.

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SUMMARY: This Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is a tiered document 
(Tier 2 EIS) under NASA's Programmatic EIS for the Mars Exploration 
Program (MEP). The FEIS presents descriptions of the proposed Mars 2020 
mission, spacecraft, and candidate launch vehicles; an overview of the 
affected environment at and near the launch site; and the potential 
environmental consequences associated with the Proposed Action and 
alternatives, including the No Action Alternative.

DATES: NASA will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed Mars 
2020 mission either by December 19, 2014, or after 30 days from the 
date of publication of the NOA of the Mars 2020 FEIS in the Federal 
Register of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) NOA of the 
Mars 2020 FEIS, whichever is later.

ADDRESSES: The FEIS may be reviewed at the NASA Headquarters Library 
(Washington, DC), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Visitors Lobby 
(Pasadena, CA), as well as public libraries in Florida including 
Central Brevard, Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island, Port St. John, Cape 
Canaveral and Titusville. Limited hard copies of the FEIS are available 
and may be requested by contacting Mr. George Tahu at the address, 
telephone number, or electronic mail address indicated below. The FEIS 
is available electronically to download and read at http://www.nasa.gov/agency/nepa/mars2020eis. NASA's ROD will also be placed on 
this Web site when it is issued. Anyone who desires a hard copy of 
NASA's ROD when it is issued should contact Mr. Tahu.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. George Tahu, Planetary Science 
Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington, 
DC 20546-0001, telephone 202-358-0016, or electronic mail to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as Amended, (NEPA) (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 NEPA 
regulations (14 CFR Part 1216 subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared and 
issued an FEIS for the proposed Mars 2020 mission.
    The purpose of this proposed mission is to continue NASA's in-depth 
exploration of Mars by conducting comprehensive science on the surface 
of Mars. The mission would consist of a highly mobile science 
laboratory (rover) designed to explore and investigate in

[[Page 68727]]

detail a site on Mars in support of the overall scientific goal to 
address questions of habitability and the potential origin and 
evolution of life on Mars. The rover would include new in situ 
scientific instrumentation designed to seek signs of past life. This 
instrumentation would be used to select a suite of samples that would 
be stored in a retrievable cache for a potential future mission to 
return to Earth. The Mars 2020 mission would also demonstrate 
technology for future exploration of Mars (e.g., small secondary 
payloads or other technologies applicable to both robotic and human 
missions).
    The FEIS evaluates three alternatives in addition to the No Action 
Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, Alternative 1, NASA's Preferred 
Alternative, the proposed Mars 2020 rover would utilize a radioisotope 
power system, a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator 
(MMRTG), as its primary source of heat and electrical power to operate 
and conduct science on the surface of Mars. Under Alternative 2, the 
proposed Mars 2020 rover would utilize solar energy as its primary 
source of electrical power to operate and conduct science on the 
surface of Mars. Under Alternative 3, the proposed Mars 2020 rover 
would utilize solar energy as its primary source of electrical power 
augmented by the thermal output from Light Weight Radioisotope Heater 
Units (LWRHUs) to help keep the rover's on board systems at proper 
operating temperatures to conduct science on the surface of Mars.
    Under the Proposed Action (Alternative 1), Alternative 2 or 
Alternative 3, the Mars 2020 spacecraft would be launched on board an 
expendable launch vehicle from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) or Cape 
Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida during the July through 
August 2020 time period. The arrival date at Mars would range from 
January 2021 to March 2021. Should the mission be delayed, the proposed 
Mars 2020 mission would be launched during the next available launch 
opportunity in August through September 2022. Under the No Action 
Alternative, NASA would discontinue preparations for the Mars 2020 
mission, and the spacecraft would not be launched.
    With either the Proposed Action (Alternative 1), Alternative 2, or 
Alternative 3, the potentially affected environment for a launch 
accident includes the area at and in the vicinity of the launch site, 
KSC/CCAFS in Florida. Potential launch accidents could result in the 
release of some of the radioactive fuel from within the MMRTG. The 
MMRTG planned for use on the rover for the Proposed Action (Alternative 
1) would use approximately 4.8 kilograms (10.6 pounds) of plutonium 
dioxide to provide heat and electrical power. The LWRHUs planned for 
use on the rover for Alternative 3 would use approximately 192 grams 
(0.42 pounds) of plutonium dioxide to provide heat.
    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) served as a cooperating agency 
for this NEPA action, and in cooperation with NASA, performed a risk 
assessment of potential accidents for the Mars 2020 mission. This 
assessment used a methodology refined through applications to the 
Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini, Mars Exploration Rover, New Horizons, and 
Mars Science Laboratory missions. DOE's risk assessment for the 
proposed Mars 2020 mission utilizing an MMRTG, Alternative 1, indicates 
that in the unlikely event of a launch accident, a release of 
radioactive material is not expected. The risk assessment also 
indicates that in the unlikely event of a launch accident under 
Alternative 3, a release of radioactive material is not expected.
    NASA published a NOA of the Draft EIS (DEIS) for the Mars 2020 
mission in the Federal Register on June 5, 2014, (79 FR 32577) and made 
the DEIS available in electronic format on its Web site, http://www.nasa.gov/agency/nepa/mars2020eis. The EPA published its NOA in the 
Federal Register on June 6, 2014, (79 FR 32729). In addition, NASA 
published its NOA of the DEIS in local newspapers in the Cape 
Canaveral, Florida regional area, and held an online public meeting 
(also advertised in local newspapers and NASA social media sites) on 
June 26, 2014, during which attendees were invited to present both oral 
and written comments on the DEIS. No comments concerning the DEIS were 
submitted during the online public meeting. NASA received 10 comment 
submissions (by letter, email, and telephone) during the comment period 
ending July 21, 2014. The comments are addressed in the FEIS.

Cheryl E. Parker,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-27184 Filed 11-17-14; 8:45 am]
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