NASA News Release 97-112,
June 26, 1997

NASA Friday will issue its Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the development and flight testing of the X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator. NASA also has announced plans to hold public meetings in eleven communities in five states to present the study's findings and seek public comment.

The environmental study examines the potential impacts of X-33 development and flight testing. Major issues addressed in the environmental study -- which began Oct. 7, 1996 -- include noise and sonic booms, flight safety, and effects on airspace and air traffic patterns. Many of the issues addressed originated from comments NASA gathered during public scoping meetings held in the same communities during the fall and early winter.

As many as 15 flight tests of the X-33 are planned to originate from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and land at sites in Southern California, Utah, and Montana or Washington in 1999.

The proposed short-range landing sites addressed in the environmental study are Silurian Lake, Calif., and China Lake Naval Weapons Center, Calif. The midrange landing site is Michael Army Air Field at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. The long-range landing sites are Moses Lake, Wash., and Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.

The objective of the technology development and demonstration effort is to support government and private sector decisions by the end of the decade on development of an operational next-generation space launch vehicle. A full-scale, single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle will dramatically increase reliability and lower the cost of putting a pound of payload into space from $10,000 to $1,000. By reducing the cost associated with transporting payloads into low Earth orbit, a commercial reusable launch vehicle would create new opportunities for space access and significantly improve U.S. economic competitiveness in the worldwide launch marketplace. NASA will be a customer, not the operator, of an industry-developed reusable launch vehicle.

Copies of the 600-page Environmental Impact Statement and its 40-page Executive Summary are being made available to the public in a number of repositories -- primarily public libraries -- in the local communities involved in the X-33 program. The documents also are being mailed to affected outside agencies -- such as state government and environmental offices, the Federal Aviation Administration and Bureau of Land Management.

The full text of the Environmental Impact Statement will appear on the Marshall Space Flight Center environmental office Web site at http://eemo.msfc.nasa.gov/eemo/X33_eis. The Notice of Availability publicizing the document's release and the repositories where a copy can be viewed is scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on July 3, 1997.

Requests for copies of the Executive Summary and/or the full Environmental Impact Statement can be made to:

Dr. Rebecca C. McCaleb, Director
Environmental Engineering and Management Office -- Code AE01
Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812

Affected agencies and the public are encouraged to review and comment on the findings within the environmental study. Comments can be offered at the public meetings listed below. Written comments for inclusion in the Final Environmental Impact Statement also may be forwarded by mail to the address listed above, by fax to (205) 544-8259, or by e-mail to "x33eis@msfc.nasa.gov." Comments also may be forwarded by calling toll-free at 1-800-833-0678 and leaving the comments on an answering machine. NASA officials will do their best to transcribe verbal comments; however, they cannot guarantee the same accuracy as with written comments.

Public comment will be accepted through Aug. 17, 1997. The Final Environmental Impact Statement is scheduled to be completed in September, with the Record of Decision scheduled for October.

The document is being prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, and NASA policy and regulations.