Editing Alaya Ravenstone (section)

== SCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS ==

=== SENSOR SYSTEMS ===

Long range and navigation sensors are located behind the main deflector dish, to avoid sensor "ghosts" and other detrimental effects consistent with main deflector dish millicochrane static field output. Additional sensors are placed behind the auxiliary deflector, allowing the Illuminar class one of the most refined forward scanning capabilities of any ship in the fleet. Lateral sensor pallets are located around the rim of the entire Starship, providing full coverage in all standard scientific fields, but with emphasis in the following areas:


Astronomical phenomena


Planetary Analysis


Remote Life-Form Analysis


EM Scanning


Passive Neutrino Scanning


Parametric subspace field stress (a scan to search for cloaked ships)


Thermal variances


Quasi-stellar material


Sub-Quantum Mass Particulates


Each sensor pallet (15 in all) can be interchanged and re-calibrated with any other pallet on the ship. 


Warp Current sensor: This is an independent subspace graviton field-current scanner, allowing the Illuminar class to track ships at high warp by locking onto the eddy currents from the threat ship's warp field, then follow the currents by using multi-model image mapping.


The Illuminar class starship is equipped with two high-power science sensor pallets in the saucer section, dorsal, aft of the bridge module and just aft of the upper, auxiliary deflector. The pallets are unplated for ease of upgrade and repair, as well as enhancing sensor acuity.

=== TACTICAL SENSORS ===

There are 12 independent tactical sensors on the Illuminar class. Each sensor automatically tracks and locks onto incoming hostile vessels and reports bearing, aspect, distance, and vulnerability percentage to the tactical station on the main bridge. Each tactical sensor is approximately 90% efficient against ECM, and can operate fairly well in particle flux nebulae (which has been hitherto impossible).

=== ASTROMETRICS LABORATORY ===

An advancement in integrated data processing, the Astrometrics Laboratory brings with it technological refinements used first aboard the USS Voyager. Served directly by the auxiliary computer core, the Astrometrics Lab conceivably has the largest single processing potential of any single laboratory aboard ship. Facilities include multiple multi-use consoles, control facilities, a large wraparound viewscreen and a centrally placed dais with holo emitter.

All information is directed to the bridge and can be displayed on any console or the main viewscreen. When under warp or staffed by demand, the Astrometrics Laboratory is manned by one supervising officer and as many as eight subordinates.

Note: Astrometrics serves the functions of Stellar Cartography also.

=== SCIENCE LABS ===

There are 15 science labs on the Illuminar class; eight non-specific labs are located on Deck 6 and are easily modified for various scientific endeavors including Bio/Chem, and Physics tests and/or experiments – crews rotate often among these laboratories. The Chief Science Officer’s office is attached to this bank of labs. Astrometrics is located on Deck 8 amidships.

 Deck 2 serves as home to the Planetary Development, Geologic Studies, Languages/Archaeology, and Biologics Laboratories. 

On Deck 7, there are housed two of the more expansive and specialized labs that conduct Atmospheric Physics experiments, as well as the more dangerous High-Energy Physics (note: additional SIF Field Generators are installed in the bulkheads around this lab).

The Chief of Scientific Research and Development has an office on this deck.


=== PROBES ===


A probe is a device that contains a number of general purpose or mission specific sensors and can be launched from a starship for closer examination of objects in space.


There are nine different classes of probes, which vary in sensor types, power, and performance ratings. The spacecraft frame of a probe consists of molded duranium-tritanium and pressure-bonded lufium boronate, with sensor windows of triple layered transparent aluminum. With a warhead attached, a probe becomes a photon torpedo. The standard equipment of all nine types of probes are instruments to detect and analyze all normal EM and subspace bands, organic and inorganic chemical compounds, atmospheric constituents, and mechanical force properties. All nine types are capable of surviving a powered atmospheric entry, but only three are specially designed for aerial maneuvering and soft landing. These ones can also be used for spatial burying. Many probes can be real-time controlled and piloted from a starship to investigate an environment dangerous, hostile or otherwise inaccessible for an away-team.

The nine standard classes are:


'''CLASS I SENSOR PROBE''':

Range: 2 x 10^5 kilometers Delta-v limit: 0.5cPowerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion

Sensors: Full EM/Subspace and interstellar chemistry pallet for in-space applications.

Telemetry: 12,500 channels at 12 megawatts.  


 '''CLASS II SENSOR PROBE''':

Range: 4 x 10^5 kilometersDelta-v limit: 0.65cPowerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion, extended deuterium fuel supply

Sensors: Same instrumentation as Class I with addition of enhanced long-range particle and field detectors and imaging systemTelemetry: 15,650 channels at 20 megawatts.  


'''CLASS III PLANETARY PROBE''':

Range: 1.2 x 10^6 kilometersDelta-v limit: 0.65cPowerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion

Sensors: Terrestrial and gas giant sensor pallet with material sample and return capability; onboard chemical analysis submoduleTelemetry: 13,250 channels at ~15 megawatts.Additional data: Limited SIF hull reinforcement. Full range of terrestrial soft landing to subsurface penetration missions; gas giant atmosphere missions survivable to 450 bar pressure. Limited terrestrial loiter time.  


'''CLASS IV STELLAR ENCOUNTER PROBE''':

Range: 3.5 x 10^6 kilometersDelta-v limit: 0.6cPowerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion supplemented with continuum driver coil and extended deuterium supply

Sensors: Triply redundant stellar fields and particle detectors, stellar atmosphere analysis suite.Telemetry: 9,780 channels at 65 megawatts.Additional data: Six ejectable/survivable radiation flux subprobes. Deployable for non-stellar energy phenomena 


'''CLASS V MEDIUM-RANGE RECONNAISSANCE PROBE''':

Range: 4.3 x 10^10 kilometersDelta-v limit: Warp 2Powerplant: Dual-mode matter/antimatter engine; extended duration sublight plus limited duration at warp

Sensors: Extended passive data-gathering and recording systems; full autonomous mission execution and return systemTelemetry: 6,320 channels at 2.5 megawatts.Additional data: Planetary atmosphere entry and soft landing capability. Low observatory coatings and hull materials. Can be modified for tactical applications with the addition of a custom sensor countermeasure package.

 

'''CLASS VI COMM RELAY/EMERGENCY BEACON''':

Range: 4.3 x 10^10 kilometersDelta-v limit: 0.8cPowerplant: Microfusion engine with high-output MHD power tap

Sensors: Standard palletTelemetry/Comm: 9,270 channel RF and subspace transceiver operating at 350 megawatts peak radiated power. 360 degree omni antenna coverage, 0.0001 arc-second 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''':

Range: 4.5 x 10^8 kilometersDelta-v limit: Warp 1.5Powerplant: Dual-mode matter/antimatter engine

Sensors: Passive data gathering system plus subspace transceiverTelemetry: 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 anti-tamper detectors.

 

'''CLASS VIII MEDIUM-RANGE MULTIMISSION WARP PROBE''':

Range: 1.2 x 10^2 light-yearsDelta-v limit: Warp 9Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration of 6.5 hours at warp 9; MHD power supply tap for sensors and subspace transceiver

Sensors: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modulesTelemetry: 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''':

Range: 7.6 x 10^2 light-yearsDelta-v limit: Warp 9Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration of 12 hours at warp 9; extended fuel supply for warp 8 maximum flight duration of 14 days

Sensors: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modulesTelemetry: 6,500 channels at 230 megawatts.Additional data: Limited payload capacity; isolinear memory storage of 3,400 kiloquads; fifty-channel transponder echo. Typical application is emergency-log/message capsule on homing trajectory to nearest starbase or known Starfleet vessel position