[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 24, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20688-20690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-10070]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (01-051)]


National Environmental Policy Act; Genesis Mission

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Finding of no significant impact.

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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 (CEQ) 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 made a finding 
of no significant impact (FONSI) with respect to the proposed Genesis 
mission, which would involve a flight to a libration point (L1 point) 
in the Sun-Earth system, (i.e., where the gravitational pulls of the 
Sun and the Earth are balanced). The spacecraft would be placed into a 
halo orbit about the L1 point to collect incoming solar wind ions. 
After 2 years of sample collection, the spacecraft would return the 
samples to Earth.
    The baseline mission calls for the Genesis spacecraft to be 
launched aboard a Delta II 7326 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 
(CCAFS), Florida during the launch opportunity beginning in June 2001, 
as well as the recovery of the sample return capsule (SRC) at the Utah 
Test and Training Range (UTTR) approximately 65 kilometers (40 miles) 
southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, no earlier than June 2004, depending 
on the actual launch date.

DATES: Comments must be provided in writing to NASA on or before May 
24, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Steve Brody, NASA 
Headquarters, Code SD, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546. The 
Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared for the Genesis mission which 
supports this FONSI may be reviewed at:

1. NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW, Washington, 
DC 20546.
2. NASA, Spaceport USA, Room 2001, John F. Kennedy Space Center, 
Florida 32899 (321-867-2622). Please call Penny Myers beforehand at 
321-867-9280 so that arrangements can be made.
3. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800 Oak 
Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818-354-5179).
4. Tooele City Public Library, 128 West Vine Street, Tooele, UT 84074 
(435-882-2182).

    Other locations where the EA may be examined are listed in the 
Supplementary Information section below.
    A limited number of copies of the EA are available for persons 
wishing a copy by contacting Mr. Brody at the address or telephone 
number indicated herein.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Brody, 202-358-1544.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EA may be examined at the following 
additional public libraries:

1. Salt Lake City Public Library, Main Library, 200 East 500 South, 
Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801-524-8200).
2. Weber County Library, 2464 Jefferson Avenue, Ogden, UT 84401-2488 
(801-627-6913).
3. West Wendover Branch Library, 590 Camper Road, West Wendover, NV 
89883 (775-664-2510).

    The EA may also be examined at the following NASA locations by 
contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act Office:

1. NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, CA 94035 (650-604-1181).
2. NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA 93523 (661-258-
3689).
3. NASA, Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 
44135 (216-433-2755).
4. NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301-286-
6255).
5. NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (281-483-8612).
6. NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665 (757-864-2497).
7. NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (256-544-
1837).
8. NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (228-688-2164). NASA has 
reviewed the EA prepared for the Genesis mission and has determined 
that it represents an accurate and adequate analysis of the scope and 
level of associated environmental impacts. This FONSI summarizes and 
incorporates the EA by reference.

    NASA is proposing to launch the Genesis mission, which would 
deliver a single spacecraft into a halo orbit about the L1 point, 
approximately 1.5 million kilometers (km) [0.93 million miles (mi)] 
away from the Earth (approximately 1 percent of the Earth-Sun 
distance). This would also place the spacecraft well beyond Earth's 
magnetic field (magnetosphere), which shields the Earth from the 
charged particles emitted by the Sun, thus preventing instruments 
within the Earth's magnetosphere from acquiring accurate measurements 
of ions in the solar wind. After arrival at the L1 point, the mostly 
ultra-pure silicon collectors would be exposed to the incoming solar 
wind (i.e., material erupting from the Sun's corona). The ions from the 
solar wind would be accumulated as they implant in the collector 
materials. After 2 years of sample collection, the spacecraft would 
stow the collectors into a sealed canister in the SRC to protect the 
purity of the solar wind particles collected for return to Earth and 
subsequent recovery at UTTR. The spacecraft would not carry any 
radioactive material. Current plans call for using a Delta II 7326 
expendable launch system to inject the Genesis spacecraft into its low 
energy trajectory to the L1 point during the launch opportunity 
beginning in June 2001.
    Depending on the actual launch date in 2001, the Genesis spacecraft 
would return to Earth in June 2004 or sometime thereafter. At a 
prescribed time during its approach to Earth, a command sequence would 
be sent to the spacecraft to orient itself for separation

[[Page 20689]]

from the SRC. After separation from the spacecraft, the SRC would 
directly enter the atmosphere to be captured midair via helicopter as 
it descends over UTTR. Following mid-air retrieval, the SRC would be 
removed to a staging area at UTTR where it would be prepared for 
transport to the planetary materials curatorial facility at the Johnson 
Space Center in Houston, Texas. Should conditions, such as weather over 
the recovery site, be unfavorable, there is an opportunity at entry 
minus 12 hours to enter a 19-day parking orbit for one or two 
revolutions (19 or 38 days) prior to a second Earth entry opportunity. 
In the unlikely event of bad weather on a second entry opportunity, the 
mid-air retrieval would not be possible, so the SRC would descend to 
the surface on a parafoil. The SRC and canister are designed to stay 
intact in the event of a parafoil landing.
    The overall science objectives of Genesis are as follows:
    (1) Measure the isotopic compositions of solar matter. Most 
chemical elements consist of more than one isotope. In some cases 
(e.g., oxygen and nitrogen) the relative amounts of the isotopes of a 
given element are not the same for different types of planetary 
materials. (An isotope is an atomic species of a chemical element with 
different atomic mass and physical properties, e.g., carbon-12 versus 
carbon-14.) However, at the required level of precision, the isotopic 
composition of solar matter is not available for comparison. Genesis 
could provide the data to fill this gap. The solar data are of major 
importance to planetary science because the outer regions of the Sun 
preserve the average composition of the solar nebula from which all 
planets in the solar system formed.
    (2) Significantly improve our knowledge of the abundance of 
elements originating in the Sun. A remarkable feature of the solar 
system is the great diversity of planetary objects. However, this 
diversity was produced from a solar nebula, which is widely accepted to 
have been homogeneous in chemical composition. How this transition from 
solar nebula to planets took place has both fascinated and mystified 
scientists. Partial answers are available from the study of the 
elemental and isotopic composition of solar system bodies which 
suggests that moons, planets, and even asteroids are significantly 
different in composition. These objects are ``fossil residues'', and 
differences in basic elements and isotopic compositions provide 
invaluable insight into how the solar nebula evolved. Using these 
differences, scientists can model various evolutionary processes, but 
have been hampered by missing information about the composition of the 
original solar nebula.
    The Sun, which contains well over 99 percent of all the material in 
the solar system, may help provide the answer. While its interior has 
been modified by nuclear reactions, the outer layers of the Sun are 
composed of very nearly the same material as the original solar nebula. 
Some of the Sun's composition can be determined by the characteristics 
of the light it emits, but the abundance of many elements and nearly 
all isotopes is as yet unknown.
    By stationing a spacecraft outside Earth's magnetic field, solar 
wind particles can be captured and returned to Earth where high 
precision analyses can be carried out. Comparing the Sun's isotopic 
composition and abundance against known planetary composition data sets 
may provide another piece of the puzzle in the continuing search for 
origins. The goal of Genesis is to improve the accuracy in the measure 
of each element's abundance by at least a factor of three.
    (3) Provide a reservoir of solar matter for the 21st century. A 
great advantage of sample return missions is that curated materials are 
available to address the advanced questions that arise in the normal 
course of scientific study. When the need arises for improved knowledge 
of solar isotopic or elemental abundance beyond that provided in the 
initial studies, the curated Genesis materials would be available to 
address these needs.
    Alternatives to the Genesis mission that were evaluated include: 
(1) No-Action (i.e., no Genesis mission); (2) launch vehicle options, 
including the Space Shuttle, Taurus, and Atlas configurations, as well 
as other Delta configurations; (3) alternative launch sites; and (4) 
alternative recovery sites. Of the launch vehicles evaluated, the Delta 
II 7326 launch system most closely matches the Genesis mission 
requirements within the cost constraints of this Discovery Mission.
    Expected impacts to the human environment associated with the 
mission arise almost entirely from the normal launch of the Delta II 
7326, and to a much lesser extent, the entry, descent, and recovery 
operations of the sample return. Air emissions during the launch 
produced by the solid propellant graphite epoxy motors and liquid first 
stage primarily include carbon monoxide, hydrochloric acid, aluminum 
oxide in soluble and insoluble forms, carbon dioxide, and deluge water 
mixed with propellant by-products. Air impacts would be short-term and 
not substantial. Short-term water quality and noise impacts, as well as 
short-term effects on wetlands, plants, and animals, would occur in the 
vicinity of the launch complex. These short-term impacts are of a 
nature to be self-correcting, and none of these effects would be 
substantial. No impact on threatened or endangered species or critical 
habitat, cultural resources, or floodplains is anticipated. In addition 
to the impacts that might be expected to arise from a normal launch, 
launch accident scenarios have been addressed and indicate no expected 
significant impact to the environment.
    The second stage would be ignited at an altitude of 111 kilometers 
(69 miles). Although the second stage would achieve orbit, its orbital 
decay time would fall below the limit NASA has set for orbital debris 
consideration. After burning its propellant to depletion, the second 
stage would remain in low-Earth orbit until its orbit eventually 
decayed. The second stage is designed to burn up as it reenters Earth's 
atmosphere. The Genesis mission planning has followed NASA guidelines 
regarding orbital debris and minimizing the risk of human casualty for 
uncontrolled reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. No other impacts of 
environmental concern have been identified.
    The level and scope of environmental impacts associated with the 
launch of the Delta II 7326 vehicle are well within the envelope of 
impacts that have been addressed in previous FONSIs concerning other 
launch vehicles and spacecraft. No significant new circumstances or 
information relevant to environmental concerns associated with the 
launch vehicle have been identified which would affect the earlier 
findings.
    The Genesis mission has been categorized by the NASA Planetary 
Protection Officer as a Planetary Protection Category V mission, 
``Unrestricted Earth Return'', because there is essentially zero chance 
of extraterrestrial biological contamination during sample collection 
at the L1 point, and thus an insignificant chance of back contamination 
by returning a novel organism to Earth. Nonetheless, prior to Earth 
return, the most recent scientific data related to the Genesis sample 
collection would be considered by the NASA Planetary Protection 
Advisory Committee in its review of this categorization for NASA.
    Upper altitude emissions associated with reentry of the SRC would 
include ablation (i.e., vaporization) products of the thermal 
protection system on the forebody. The SRC would enter the Earth's 
atmosphere directly above UTTR's South Range. At an altitude of

[[Page 20690]]

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-to-day 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