20690 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 79 / Tuesday, April 24, 2001 / Notices

2.8 km (9200 ft) mean sea level, a

recovery helicopter would intercept the

SRC and initiate a mid-air retrieval

operation above the UTTR surface. The

intercept altitude would permit

multiple passes, if necessary, to effect

capture. A back-up helicopter would

provide redundant capability. The

proposed material to be used for the

forebody heatshield is a carbon-carbon

(C–C) composite. The peak heating

would occur at approximately 60

seconds after reentry begins, which

corresponds to an altitude of

approximately 60 km (196,860 ft) above

the Earth. The ablation would continue

for about twenty seconds. Models

conservatively predict that less than five

percent [2.05 kg (4.5 lb)] of the total C–

C material would ablate during reentry.

The chemical species produced during

ablation would be dissipated in the

shock wave behind the SRC. The

ablation process and thus the

production of ablation products would

cease more than 48 km (157,000 ft)

above the Earth. Therefore, these

concentrations would disperse in the

large volume of air in the upper

atmosphere and would not constitute a

danger to health or life on Earth. The

SRC heatshield would be rapidly

cooling during the subsonic portion of

the descent, and would not emit to the

lower atmosphere. UTTR is primarily

used by the U.S. Air Force as a bombing

and artillery test and training range. The

entry, descent, and recovery operations

for the 225-kg (495-lb) SRC would be

well within the bounds of the day-today operations carried on at UTTR. No

impact on threatened or endangered

species or critical habitat, cultural

resources, wetlands, or floodplains is

expected. Recovery scenarios wherein

the SRC is not retrieved via helicopter

in mid-air have also been addressed and

do not lead to substantial environmental

impacts.

Current plans call for commanding

the remaining spacecraft bus to perform

a controlled maneuver to burn the

remaining on-board propellant

approximately one hour after releasing

the SRC. This ‘‘deboost’’ maneuver

would result in the spacecraft entering

the upper atmosphere high above the

Pacific Ocean, where it would burn up

due to atmospheric friction. The

proposed Genesis deboost maneuver

would comply with the guideline for

footprint clearance of land masses [46

km (25 nautical miles) from U.S. soil,

370 km (200 nautical miles) from any

non-U.S. land mass].

Based on the Genesis Spacecraft

Breakup Analysis, the main spacecraft

composite structure is conservatively

predicted to break apart at altitudes

above 68 km (223,108 ft). Even in the

worst case wherein the spacecraft bus

reenters the atmosphere along the same

trajectory as the SRC, all components

have been shown by independent

modeling to burn up above 47 km

(154,000 ft). The small quantities of

gases produced during burnup of the

Genesis spacecraft are left at these

extreme altitudes.

Failure to undertake the Genesis

mission would disrupt the execution of

NASA’s Solar System Exploration

program as defined by the agency’s

Solar System Exploration Committee.

Solar wind samples returned by the

Genesis mission could significantly

improve our knowledge of the average

chemical and isotopic composition of

the solar system. Cancellation of the

proposed mission would result in no or

minimal environmental impact, but the

loss of the scientific knowledge and

database from carrying out the mission

could be significant.

On the basis of the Genesis EA, NASA

has determined that the environmental

impacts associated with the mission

would not individually or cumulatively

have a significant impact on the quality

of the human environment. NASA will

take no final action prior to the

expiration of the 30-day comment

period.

Edward J. Weiler,

Associate Administrator for Space Science.

[FR Doc. 01–10070 Filed 4–23–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7510–01–P

THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE

ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Meetings of Humanities Panel

AGENCY: The National Endowment for

the Humanities.

ACTION: Additional notice of meetings.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of

the Federal Advisory Committee Act

(Public Law 92–463, as amended),

notice is hereby given that the following

meetings of the Humanities Panel will

be held at the Old Post Office, 1100

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,

Washington, DC 20506

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Laura S. Nelson, Advisory Committee

Management Officer, National

Endowment for the Humanities,

Washington, DC 20506; telephone (202)

606–8322. Hearing-impaired individuals

are advised that information on this

matter may be obtained by contacting

the Endowment’s TDD terminal on (202)

606–8322.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

proposed meetings are for the purpose

of panel review, discussion, evaluation

and recommendation on applications

for financial assistance under the

National Foundation on the Arts and the

Humanities Act of 1965, as amended,

including discussion of information

given in confidence to the agency by the

grant applicants. Because the proposed

meetings will consider information that

is likely to disclose trade secrets and

commercial or financial information

obtained from a person and privileged

or confidential and/or information of a

personal nature the disclosure of which

would constitute a clearly unwarranted

invasion of personal privacy, pursuant

to authority granted me by the

Chairman’s Delegation of Authority to

Close Advisory Committee meetings,

dated July 19, 1993, I have determined

that these meetings will be closed to the

public pursuant to subsections (c) (4),

and (6) of section 552b of Title 5, United

Stated Code.

1. Date: May 28–30, 2001.

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Room: 527.

Program: This meeting will review

applications for Extending the Reach:

Faculty Research Awards, submitted to

the Division of Research Programs at the

April 10, 2001 deadline.

Laura S. Nelson,

Advisory Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–10053 Filed 4–23–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7536–01–M

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION

SAFETY BOARD

Sunshine Act Meeting

TIME AND PLACE: 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, May

1, 2001.

PLACE: NTSB Conference Center, 429

L’Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC

20594.

STATUS: The three items are open to the

public.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 7357 Fire

On Board Liberian Passenger Ship

Ecstasy, Miama, Florida, July 20, 1998

(DCA–98–MM–035).

7356 Special Investigation Report:

Rear-End Collision Prevention

Technologies.

7339A Railroad Accident Report:

Collision Involving Three Consolidated

Rail Corporation Freight Trains

Operating in Fog at Bryan, Ohio,

January 17, 1999 (DCA–99–MR–002)—

Positive Train Separation Issues.

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: Telephone: (202)

314–6100.