NASA News Release 97-216
September 26, 1997
NASA ISSUES FINAL X-33 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY, NAMES PREFERRED LAUNCH AND LANDING
SITES
NASA today released the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the development
and flight testing of the X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator. The study considers
issues such as public safety, noise, impacts on general aviation and effects on biological
and natural resources. In the document NASA named three preferred landing sites
and one preferred launch site for the X-33. Seven sites were evaluated for potential
use during the 14-month study.
The preferred launch site is located near Haystack Butte on the eastern portion
of Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The preferred landing sites identified are Silurian
Lake, a dry lake bed near Baker, CA; Michael Army Air Field, Dugway Proving Ground,
UT; and Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls, MT.
After 30 days NASA will issue a Record of Decision announcing if it intends to
proceed with the X-33 flight test program as described in the environmental impact
statement. That final decision will be based on technical, cost and schedule considerations
in addition to environmental factors.
"The study determined that the overall predicted environmental impacts of
X-33 were minimal at all sites considered," said Dr. Rebecca McCaleb, who headed
the study. McCaleb is director of environmental engineering and management at NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. The study was prepared by a team
of dozens of experts from NASA's Marshall and Kennedy space centers who studied the
issues surrounding the X-33 program. The Department of Defense, the Office of Commercial
Space Transportation within the Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of
Land Management all cooperated in preparation of the document.
NASA conducted 23 public meetings in 13 communities in five states near the proposed
sites and met many more times with federal and state agencies, local authorities,
elected officials, Chambers of Commerce and many interested citizen groups. Comments
received from the public were considered during preparation of the final environmental
impact statement.
"Public participation was a vital part of the environmental process,"
said McCaleb. "It strengthened NASA's understanding of the potential impacts
of the flight test program and how to effectively mitigate them."
The X-33 is a sub-scale technology demonstrator prototype of a Reusable Launch
Vehicle, which Lockheed Martin has named "Venture Star," and which the
company hopes to develop early in the next century. Through demonstration flights
and ground research, the X-33 will provide information needed for industry to decide
by the year 2000 whether to proceed to the development of a full-scale, commercial
single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle. Such a vehicle could lower the cost
of putting a pound of payload into space from $10,000 to $1,000.
NOTE TO EDITORS: The final two-volume Environmental Impact Statement (approximately
1,025 pages with appendices), is available on the Internet at URL:
http://eemo.msfc.nasa.gov/eemo/x33_eis
Print versions of the document are available for review in the NASA Headquarters
and Marshall Space Flight Center newsrooms.
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