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National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: January 5, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 3)]
[Notices]
[Page 625-628]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05ja06-52]
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[Notice (05-177)]
National Environmental Policy Act; Advanced Radioisotope Power Systems
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (DPEIS) for the Development of Advanced Radioisotope
Power Systems.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and NASA policy and procedures (14 CFR
subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared and issued a DPEIS for the proposed
development of two new types of advanced Radioisotope Power Systems
(RPSs), the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG)
and the Stirling Radioisotope Generator (SRG).
The purpose of this proposed action is to develop advanced power
systems, specifically the MMRTG and the SRG, that would enable a broad
range of long-term space exploration missions and would be able to
function in the environments encountered in space and on the surfaces
of planets, moons, and other solar system bodies that have an
atmosphere. Included in this proposed action are NASA's long-term
research and development (R&D) activities focused on alternative
radioisotope power systems and power conversion technologies. The long-
term R&D activities could include, but not necessarily be limited to,
improvements to further increase the versatility of future RPS designs,
expanding their capability and the environments in which they can
operate. The long-term R&D activities are also expected to include
activities to develop RPS designs with smaller electric outputs and
efforts to reduce the mass of power conversion systems to further
improve specific power (watts of electrical power per unit of mass).
Such long-term R&D activities do not involve the use of radioactive
material.
The only alternative to the Proposed Action considered in detail is
the No Action Alternative, where NASA would discontinue development
efforts for the production of the MMRTG and the SRG and would continue
to consider the use of currently available RPSs, such as the General
Purpose Heat Source-Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (GPHS-RTG),
for future exploration missions. As with the Proposed Action, NASA's
long-term R&D activities on alternative radioisotope power systems and
power conversion technologies would continue.
DATES: Written comments on the DPEIS must be received by NASA on or
before February 20, 2006, or 45 days from the date of publication in
the Federal Register of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notice
of availability of the DPEIS for the Development of Advanced
Radioisotope Power Systems, whichever is later.
ADDRESSES: Comments submitted via first class, registered, or certified
mail should be addressed to Dr. Ajay Misra, Science Mission
Directorate, Mail Code 3C67, Room 3N36, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street
SW., Washington, DC
[[Page 626]]
20546-0001. Comments submitted via express mail, a commercial
deliverer, or courier service should be addressed to Dr. Ajay Misra,
Science Mission Directorate, Mail Code 3C67, Room 3N36, Attn: Receiving
& Inspection (Rear of Building), NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20024-3210. While hard copy comments are preferred,
comments by electronic mail may be sent to rpseis@nasa.gov.
The DPEIS may be reviewed at the following locations:
(a) NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20546.
(b) NASA, NASA Information Center, Glenn Research Center, 21000
Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135 (216-433-2755).
(c) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800
Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818-354-5179).
In addition, hard copies of the DPEIS may be examined at other NASA
Centers (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below).
A limited number of hard copies of the DPEIS are available, on a
first request basis, by contacting Dr. Ajay Misra at the above address
or telephone number indicated below. The DPEIS also is available in
Acrobat[reg]
portable document format at
http://spacescience.nasa.gov/admin/pubs/rps/. 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Ajay Misra, Science Mission
Directorate, Mail Code 3C67, Room 3N36, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street
SW., Washington, DC 20546-0001, telephone 202-358-1588, or electronic
mail rpseis@nasa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NASA, in cooperation with the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE), proposes to:
(1) Develop in the near-term and qualify for flight two advanced
RPSs, the MMRTG and the SRG. The MMRTG and the SRG would be able to
satisfy a broader range of future space exploration missions than are
currently possible with existing radioisotope power technologies,
specifically the GPHS-RTG used on the Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini, and
the planned New Horizons missions. (The GPHS generates heat from the
radioactive decay of plutonium-238 dioxide, a non-weapons isotope of
plutonium, for conversion to electricity.) The advanced RPSs would be
capable of providing long-term, reliable electrical power to spacecraft
and function in the environments encountered in space and on the
surfaces of planets, moons and other solar system bodies that have an
atmosphere (e.g., Mars, Venus, Pluto, and two moons of Saturn (Titan
and Enceladus)). The RTGs used on NASA's Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini, and
the planned New Horizons missions employ the GPHS module developed by
DOE, fueled by plutonium dioxide (consisting mostly of plutonium-238),
as a heat source. The advanced RPS designs would generate power from
the heat given off by an enhanced version of the GPHS module; and
(2) Continue NASA's long-term R&D of alternative radioisotope power
systems and power converter technologies. These long-term R&D efforts
are addressed under both the Proposed Action and the No Action
Alternative as these efforts will continue irrespective of the
alternative selected by NASA. Such R&D activities do not involve use of
radioactive material.
The MMRTG would build upon spaceflight-proven passive
thermoelectric power conversion technology while incorporating
improvements to allow extended operation on solar system bodies that
have an atmosphere. Both the MMRTG and the SRG configurations, as
proposed, would consist of three basic elements: the enhanced GPHS heat
source, the converter, and an outer case with a heat radiator. The
converter thermocouple that would be employed in the MMRTG has a
history of use in diverse environments. The converter thermocouple
design is based on the Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP)-19
RTG, which was used successfully on the Viking Mars Landers and the
Pioneer spacecrafts in the 1970's. For the SRG, NASA, in cooperation
with DOE, would develop a new dynamic power conversion system based on
the Stirling engine. The Stirling conversion system would convert the
heat from the decay of plutonium into electrical power much more
efficiently than the MMRTG and therefore use considerably less
plutonium dioxide to generate comparable amounts of electrical power.
Because the SRG uses less plutonium dioxide than the MMRTG, the SRG
generates less waste (excess) heat. Therefore, an SRG also may be
beneficial for missions where excess heat would adversely impact
spacecraft operation, but perhaps undesirable for missions where excess
heat from the RPS is needed for warming spacecraft components.
An RPS generates electrical power by converting the heat released
from the nuclear decay of radioisotopes, such as plutonium-238, into
electricity. First used in space by the U.S. in 1961, these devices
have consistently demonstrated unique capabilities over other types of
space power systems for applications up to several hundred watts of
electric power. Radioisotopes can also serve as a versatile energy
source for heating and maintaining the temperature of sensitive
electronics in space. A key advantage of using RPSs is their ability to
operate continuously, both further away from and closer to the Sun than
other existing space power technologies. RPSs are long-lived, rugged,
compact, highly reliable, and relatively insensitive to radiation and
other environmental effects. As such, they enable missions involving
long-lived, autonomous operations in the extreme conditions of space
and the surfaces of solar system bodies. The GPHS-RTG, used on the
ongoing Cassini mission to Saturn and the planned New Horizons mission
to Pluto, is an RPS that is capable of operating in the vacuum of
space; however, it has limited capabilities for operating on surface
missions where an atmosphere is present. With the appropriate design,
such as on the SNAP-19 RTG for the Viking missions, an RPS would have
the capability to function in a wider range of surface conditions than
the GPHS-RTG.
Current energy production and storage technologies available to
NASA, such as batteries, solar arrays, and fuel cells are unable to
deliver the reliable electric power needed for some types of missions.
The existing GPHS-RTG used on previous orbital missions has limited
applicability on surfaces that have an atmosphere. The performance of
the GPHS-RTG, which is designed to operate un-sealed in space vacuum,
degrades in most atmospheres and does not provide the long-term
operating capabilities desired for surface missions. In addition, the
GPHS-RTG provides power in the upper 200's watts of electricity
(We). NASA envisions the need for lower levels of electric
power (approximately 100 We), and physically smaller power
systems, enabling NASA to more efficiently fly smaller missions that
require less power than that provided by the GPHS-RTG. The advanced RPS
designs are considered modular units. Thus one or more of these devices
could be fitted to a spacecraft for a mission requiring higher levels
of electric power.
The advanced RPSs would enable missions with substantial longevity,
flexibility, and greater scientific exploration capability. Some
possibilities are:
1. Comprehensive and detailed planetary investigations creating
comparative data sets of the outer planets--Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
[[Page 627]]
Neptune and Pluto and their moons. The knowledge gained from these data
sets would be vital to understanding other recently discovered
planetary systems and general principles of planetary formation.
2. Comprehensive exploration of the surfaces and interiors of
comets, possibly including returned samples to better understand the
building blocks of our solar system and ingredients contributing to the
origin of life.
3. Expanded capabilities for surface and on-orbit exploration, and
potential sample return missions to Mars and other planetary bodies to
greatly improve our understanding of planetary processes, particularly
those affecting the potential for life.
NASA's long-term R&D efforts involving alternative radioisotope
power systems and power converter technologies are on-going activities.
These ongoing R&D activities focus on longer-term improvements to RPSs
that are less technologically developed than the MMRTG and SRG.
Included are technologies that increase specific power (electrical
power output per unit mass); increase efficiencies for power conversion
technologies; improve modularity; increase reliability, lifetime, and
operability; and provide improved capability to operate in harsh
environments. These advancements would provide for greater power system
flexibility enabling use in more places in space and on solar system
bodies. The R&D efforts directed at power conversion technologies have
applicability to both radioisotope and non-radioisotope power systems.
The results of this R&D could be applied to improve the MMRTG or SRG
design, to facilitate evolutionary RPS designs including RPS designs
with smaller electrical outputs using GPHSs or radioisotope heater
units, and to improve non-radiological power systems. Future
fabrication of fueled RPSs, qualification units (used to demonstrate
the readiness of a design for flight applications) and flight units,
stemming from this R&D would be the subject of future NEPA
documentation. The long-term R&D activities are addressed under both
the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative as these efforts
would continue independent of the alternative selected by NASA. In
addition, NASA will continue to evaluate power systems developed
independently by other organizations for their viability in space-based
applications. As such, the discussion of longer-term R&D is for
completeness and descriptive purposes only.
It is anticipated that development and test activities involving
the use of radioisotopes would be performed at existing DOE sites that
routinely perform similar activities. DOE currently imports from Russia
plutonium dioxide needed to support NASA activities. Radioisotope fuel
processing and fabrication would likely occur at existing facilities at
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico, which
are currently used for the fabrication of the fuel for the GPHS
modules. The advanced RPS assembly and testing would likely be
performed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), west of Idaho Falls,
Idaho. Any required additional safety testing (using a non-radioactive
fuel substitute to simulate the mechanical properties of the plutonium
dioxide fuel) of an advanced RPS could be performed at one or more of
several existing facilities; including DOE facilities such as LANL and
Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque, New Mexico, or U.S. Army
facilities at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland. Currently,
DOE is considering plans to consolidate operations for the domestic
production of plutonium at its INL facility; the NEPA process for this
action is on-going (70 FR 38132). NASA holds no stake in the decision
ultimately taken by DOE related to consolidation of its long-term
production of plutonium-238. NASA's Proposed Action or implementation
of the No Action Alternative is independent of the decision that will
be made by DOE after that NEPA process is completed.
Activities not requiring the use of radioisotopes and associated
with the development, testing, and verification of the power conversion
systems could be performed at several existing facilities including
NASA facilities (such as the Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field,
Cleveland, Ohio and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
California) and several commercial facilities (Pratt & Whitney
Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, California; Teledyne Energy Systems, Hunt
Valley, Maryland; Infinia Corporation, Kennewick, Washington; Lockheed
Martin Commercial Space Systems, Newtown, Pennsylvania; and Lockheed
Martin Space Systems Company, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania).
The only alternative to the Proposed Action considered in detail,
the No Action Alternative, is to discontinue development efforts for
the production of the MMRTG and SRG. NASA would continue to consider
the use of available RPSs, such as the GPHS-RTG, for future solar
system exploration missions. While well suited to use in space, the
GPHS-RTG would have substantially limited application on missions to
the surface of solar system bodies where an atmosphere is present. In
addition, DOE's GPHS-RTG production line is no longer operative,
including the Silicon/Germanium thermocouple manufacturing operations.
It may be possible to construct a limited number of GPHS-RTGs (one or
two) from existing parts inventories, but longer term reliance on this
technology would require the reactivation of these production
capabilities, including reestablishing vendors for GPHS-RTG components,
which could involve a substantial financial investment.
The principal near- and mid-term activities associated with the
Proposed Action and potential environmental impacts include:
development of 100 We capable MMRTG and SRG units and
demonstration of performance in flight qualified, fueled systems.
Development of these systems requires component and integrated systems
testing of unfueled units, acquisition of plutonium dioxide,
fabrication of fuel, assembly of a fueled test RPS and safety and
acceptance testing of that fueled RPS. Impacts from similar past
activities associated with the GPHS-RTG used for the Galileo, Ulysses,
Cassini, and the planned New Horizons mission to Pluto are well
understood and have been documented in past NEPA documents. Potential
environmental impacts associated with development of the flight-
qualified MMRTG and the SRG would be similar to those associated with
the GPHS-RTG and are expected to be within the envelope of previously-
prepared DOE NEPA documentation for the facilities that are involved in
this effort.
NASA's ongoing long-term R&D activities for alternative power
systems and advanced power conversion technologies are small-scale,
laboratory activities. No radioisotopes are involved and only small
quantities of hazardous materials might be involved. The potential for
impacts on worker health, public health, and the environment from these
R&D activities is small.
Actual use of an MMRTG or SRG on a specific spacecraft proposed for
launch from any U.S. launch site (e.g., Kennedy Space Center/Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Vandenberg Air Force Station) would be
subject to mission-specific NASA NEPA documentation. Potential
integrated system development (i.e., full system development requiring
the integration of the RPS converter with a radioisotope fuel source)
and production of any new generation of space-qualified RPSs
[[Page 628]]
(beyond the MMRTG and SRG) that results from the related long-term R&D
of technologies (e.g., more efficient systems or systems producing
smaller electrical power output), are beyond the scope of this DPEIS,
and would be subject to separate NEPA documentation.
The DPEIS may be examined at the following NASA locations by
contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act Office:
(a) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (650-604-1181).
(b) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA
93523 (661-258-3449).
(c) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt,
MD 20771 (301-286-6255).
(d) NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (281-483-8612).
(e) NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899 (321-867-9280).
(f) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 (757-864-2497).
(g) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812 (256-
544-2030).
(h) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (228-688-2164).
Any person, organization, or governmental body or agency interested
in receiving a copy of NASA's Record of Decision after it is rendered
should so indicate by mail or electronic mail to Dr. Misra at the
addresses provided above.
Written public input and comments on alternatives and environmental
issues and concerns associated with the proposed development of the
MMRTG or SRG are hereby requested.
Jeffrey E. Sutton,
Assistant Administrator for Infrastructure and Administration.
[FR Doc. E5-8280 Filed 1-4-06; 8:45 am]
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