2018-04412. Notice of Information Collection

AGENCY:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION:

Notice of information collection.

SUMMARY:

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections.

DATES:

All comments should be submitted within 60 calendar days from the date of this publication.

ADDRESSES:

All comments should be addressed to Lori Parker, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to Lori Parker, NASA Clearance Officer, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW, JF0000, Washington, DC 20546, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

Supersonic flight over land is currently restricted in the U.S. and many countries because sonic boom noise disturbs people on the ground and can potentially damage private property. NASA has developed a method for generating low level sonic boom noise similar to that anticipated for quiet supersonic flight. As sufficient research is assembled, there is potential for a change in federal and international policy.

The Waveforms Sonic Boom Perception and Response Risk Reduction (WSPRRR) test will utilize a specialized maneuver developed by NASA using an existing F-18 research aircraft to correlate human annoyance response with low level sonic boom noise in a community setting. This effort is designed to evaluate remote aircraft basing and operations, community engagement, sonic boom measurements, and community annoyance surveys. The effort will improve research methods for future community-scale response testing using a purpose-built, low boom flight demonstration aircraft (LBFD).

NASA supported two prior risk reduction field tests to evaluate data collection methods for low boom community response at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) in November 2011 (see ref. 1&2). The findings from both studies are not readily generalizable to a larger population, as the residents at EAFB are accustomed to hearing full level sonic booms on a routine basis.

II. Methods of Collection

The Agency will only submit a collection for approval under this generic clearance if it meets the following conditions:

The collections are voluntary;

The collections are low-burden for respondents (based on considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government;

The collections are non-controversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies;

Any collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the near future;

Information gathered will be used only internally for general service improvement and program management purposes and is not intended for release outside of the agency;

Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions; and

Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the population of study.

Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative information collections that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior to fielding the study. Depending on the degree of influence the results are likely to have, such collections may still be eligible for submission for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.

As a general matter, information collections will not result in any new system of records containing privacy information and will not ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

III. Data

Title: Waveforms Sonic Boom Perception and Response Risk Reduction (WSPRRR) Program.

OMB Number: 2700-xxxx.

Type of Review: New Clearance.

Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Organizations, State, Local, or Tribal Government.

Average Expected Annual Number of Activities: 50.

Average Number of Respondents per Activity: Variable.

Annual Responses: Variable.

Frequency of Responses: Variable.

Average Minutes per Response: Variable.

Burden Hours: 2,000.

IV. Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of NASA, including whether the information collected has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of NASA's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including automated collection techniques or the use of other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection. They will also become a matter of public record.

Lori Parker,

NASA PRA Clearance Officer.