LESSON 1: Science and Remote Sensing
Introduction to Course
Science Officer: Aboard Federation starships, the individual responsible for overseeing scientific investigations and for providing the ship's captain with scientific information needed for command decisions. Science station I and II are used by bridge personnel to provide realtime scientific data to command personnel. These stations are not assigned full-time technicians, but are available for use as needed. The starship is equipped to support a number of research teams whose assignments are designed to take advantage of the fact that the ship is a mobile research platform whose assignments will take it through a very large volume of space. Such secondary research missions typically include stellar mapping and observation projects, planetary surveys, interstellar medium studies, cultural and lifeform studies. These secondary mission teams must necessarily focus their work on stars and planets near primary mission sites, but the broad operating range of the starship makes this an extraordinary opportunity to study a large number of celestial objects. As with other investigation teams, secondary research projects are generally developed by Starfleet researchers or affiliated university and industrial scientists, and assigned to the starship for either short-term or ongoing investigations.
Science Station Functions
Primary functions of Science stations include:
*The ability to provide access to sensors and interpretive software for primary mission and command intelligence requirements and to supplement OPS in providing realtime scientific data for command decision making support.
*The ability to act as a command post for coordination of activities of various science laboratories and other departments, as well as for monitoring of secondary mission status.
*The ability to reconfigure and recalibrate sensor systems at a moment's notice for specific command intelligence requirements.
Sensor Systems
The sensor systems provide the starship and its crew with extensive capabilities in areas including:
*Astronomical observation: This includes optical and wideband EM scanning capabilities for the study of stellar objects and other phenomena across light year range. Capabilities include wide-angle scan ability for automated starmapping functions and wide range of individually controllable instruments for mission-specific studies.
*Planetary surface analysis: A broad range of short-range sensors provide extensive mapping and survey capabilities from planetary orbit. Besides high-resolution optical and EM scanning, virtual neutrino spectrometers and short-range quark resonance scanners provide detailed geologic structure analysis.
*Remote lifeform analysis: A sophisticated array of charged cluster quark resonance scanners providedetailed biological data across orbital distances. When used in conjunction with optical and chemical analysis sensors, the lifeform analysis software if typically able to extrapolate a bioform's gross structure and deduce the basic chemical composition.
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LESSON 2: Sensor Probes
Instrumented Probes
The detailed examination of many objects and phenomena in the Milky Way galaxy can be handled routinely by the ship's onboard sensor arrays, up to the resolution limits of the individual instruments and to the limits of available data extraction algorithms used in extrapolating values from combinations of instrument readings. Greater proportions of high-resolution data of selected sites can be gathered using close approaches by instrumented probe spacecraft. These probes are generally sized to fit the fore and aft photon torpedo launchers, providing rapid times-to-target. Three larger clases of autonomous probes are based upon existing shuttlecraft spaceframes that have been stripped of all personnel support systems and then densely packed with sensor and telemetry hardware.
General Use Probes
The small probes are divided into nine classes, arranged according to sensor types, power, and performance ratings. The features common to all nine are spacecraft frames of gamma molded duranium-tritanium and pressure-bonded lufium boronate, with certain sensor windows of triple layered transparent aluminum. Sensors are not utilizing the windows are affixed through various methods, from surface blending with the hull material to imbedding the active detectors within the hull itself. All nine classes are equipped with a standard suite of instruments to detect and analyze all normal EM and subspace bands, organic and inorganic chemical compounds, atmospheric constituents, and mechanical force proprties. While all are capable of at least surviving a powered atmospheric entry, three are designed to function for extended periods of aerial maneuvering and soft landing.
Types of Probes
Many probes include varying degrees of telerobotic operation capabilities to permit realtime control and piloting of the probe. This permits an investigator to remain onboard the starship while exploring what might otherwise be a dangerously hostile or otherwise inaccessable environment. The following section lists the specification of each class. The higher class numbers are not intended to imply greater capabilities, but rather different options available to the command crew when ordering a probe launch. General use probes readied for immeadiate launching are stored adjacent to the photon torpedo reactant loading area. Other standby probes are stored on standard torpedo transfer pallets. All probes are accesible to Engineering crew for periodic staus checks and modifications for unique applications.
Class I Sensor Probe - Range 2 x 100,000 km Delta-v limit: 0.5c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfucion propulsion. Sensors: Full EM/Subspace and interstellar chemistry pallet for in-space applications. Telemetry: 12,500 channels at 12 megawatts.
Class II Sensor Probe - Modified CLass I. Range: 4 x 100,000 km Delta-v limit: 0.65c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion; extended deuterium fuel supply. Sensors: Same insrumentation as Class I with addition of enhanced long-ranged particle and field detectors and imaging system. Telemetry: 15,650 channels at 20 megawatts.
Class III Planetary Probe - Range: 1.2 x 1,000,000 km Delta-v limit: .65c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion. Sensors: Terrestrial and gas sensor pallet with material sample and return capability; on-board chemical analysis submodule. Telemetry: 13,250 channels at = 15 megawatts. Additional data: Limited SIF hull reinforcement. Full range of terrestrial soft landing to subsurface penetrator mission; gas giant atmosphere missions survivable to 450 bat pressure. Limited terrestrial loiter time.
Class IV Stellar Encounter Probe - Modified Class III. Range: 3.5 x 1,000,000 km Delta-v limit: 0.60c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion supplemented with continuum driver coil; extended maneuvering deuterium supply. Sensors: Triply redundant stellar fields and particles detectors, stellar atmosphere analysis suite. Telemetry: 9,780 channels at 65 megawatts. Additional data: Six ejectable/survivable radiation flux subprobes. Deployable for nonstellar energy phenomena.
Class V Medium-Range Reconnaissance Probe - Range: 4.3 x 10,000,000,000 km Delta-v limit: Warp 2. Powerplant: Dual- mode matter/antimatter engine; extended duration sublight plus limited duration at warp. Sensors: Extended passive data-gathering and recording systems; full autonomousmission execution and return system. Telemetry: 6,320 channels at 2.5 megawatts. Additional data: Planetary atmosphere entry and soft landing capability. Low observability coatings and hull materials. Can be modified for tactical applications with addition of custom sensor countermeasure package.
Class VI Comm Relay/Emergency Beacon - Modified Class III. Range: 4.3 x 10,000,000,000 km Delta-v limit: 0.8c Powerplant: Microfusiion engine with high-output MHD power tap. Sensors: Standard pallet. Telemetry/comm: 9,270 channel RF and subspace transceiver operating at 350 megawatts peak radiated power. 360 degree omni antenna coverage, 0.0001 arcsecond high-gain antenna pointing resolution. Additional data: Extended deuterium supply for transceiver power generation and planetary orbit plane changes.
Class VII Remote Culture Study Probe - Modified Class V. Range: 4.5 x 100,000,000 km Delta-v limit: Warp 1.5 Powerplant: Dual-mode matter/antimatter engine. Sensors: Passive data gathering system plus subspace transceiver. Telemetry: 1,050 channels at 0.5 megawatts. Additional data: Applicable to civilizations up to technology level III. Low observability coatings and hull materials. Maximum loiter time: 3,5 months. Low-impact molecular destruct package tied to antitamper detectors.
Class VIII Medium-Range Multimission Warp Probe - Modified Photon torpedo casing. Range: 1.2 x 100 l.y. km Delta-v limit: Warp 9. Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration 6.5 hours at Warp 9; MHD power supply tap for sensors and subspace transceiver. Sensor: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modules. Telemetry: 4,550 channels at 300 megawatts. Additional data: Applications vary from galactic particles and fields research to early-warning reconnaissance missions.
Class IX Long-Range Multimission Warp Probe - Modified Photon torpedo casing. Range: 7.6 x 100 l.y. km Delta-v limit: Warp 9. Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration twelve hours at Warp 9; extended fuel supply for warp 8 maximum flight duration of fourteen days. Sensors: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modules. Telemetry: 6,500 channels at 230 megawatts. Additional data: Limited payload capacity; isolinear memory storage 3,400 kiloquads; fifty-channel transponder echo. Typical application is emergency log/messgae capsule on homing trajectory to nearest starbase or known Starfleet vessel position.
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