Regulacje i polityka gospodarcza · 10.12.2002

National Environmental Policy Act; Mars Exploration Rover-2003 Project

Under 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 prepared a FEIS for the MER-2003 project. In the FEIS, NASA addresses the potential environmental impacts associated with continuing the preparations for and implementing the MER-2003 project. The purpose of the MER-2003 project is to explore the surface of Mars. The proposed action and preferred alternative for implementing the MER-2003 project includes two missions, each involving identical rover spacecraft. NASA proposes to launch the first mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida, in May or June 2003, on a Delta II 7925, and the second mission from CCAFS in June or July 2003, on a Delta II 7925 Heavy. Each rover would include two small radioactive sources for instrument calibration and would use up to 11 radioisotope heater units (RHU) for thermal control. NASA published a notice of availability (NOA) of the draft EIS (DEIS) for the MER-2003 Project (67 FR 4