Jim Cast
Headquarters, Washington, DC                        June 26, 1997
(Phone:  202/358-1779)

Dom Amatore
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone:  205/544-0031)

RELEASE:  97-144

NASA RELEASES X-33 DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT; 
PUBLIC MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR JULY

On Friday, June 27, NASA will issue its Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement on the development and flight testing of the X-33 
Advanced Technology Demonstrator.  NASA also has announced plans 
to hold public meetings in 11 communities in five states to 
present the studyıs findings and seek public comment.

The environmental study examines the potential impacts of X-33 
development and flight testing.  Major issues addressed in the 
environmental study -- which began Oct. 7, 1996 -- include noise 
and sonic booms, flight safety, and effects on airspace and air 
traffic patterns.  Many of the issues addressed originated from 
comments NASA gathered during public scoping meetings held in the 
same communities during the fall and early winter.

The 273,000-pound, wedge-shaped X-33 is being developed under a 
cooperative agreement with NASA by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, 
Palmdale, CA.  As many as 15 flight tests of the X-33 are planned 
to originate from Edwards Air Force Base, CA, and land at sites in 
Southern California, Utah, and Montana or Washington, beginning in 
1999.  

The objective of this technology development and demonstration 
effort is to support government and private sector decisions by 
the end of the decade on development of an operational next-
generation space launch vehicle.  A full-scale, single-stage-to-
orbit reusable launch vehicle will dramatically increase 
reliability and lower the cost of putting a pound of payload into 
space from $10,000 to $1,000.  By reducing the cost associated 
with transporting payloads into low Earth orbit, a commercial 
reusable launch vehicle would create new opportunities for space 
access and significantly improve U.S. economic competitiveness in 
the worldwide launch marketplace.  NASA will be a customer, not 
the operator, of an industry-developed reusable launch vehicle.
-end-

NOTE TO EDITORS:  Additional information on the X-33 
program, the draft Environmental Impact Statement and the 
schedule/locations of public meetings is available via the 
Internet at URL:  

ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1997/97-144a.txt