I was just thinking about how if Starfleet would name a ship USS Columbia after the loss shuttle, it would number is xx102 seeing as Columbia was OV-102. It dawned on me (though many have probably already figured it out) that the Challenger's number was done the same way. The reason why the Galaxy class Challenger was 71099 was because all the other known Galaxy class ships were in the 71xxx range (except for USS Galaxy) and that the shuttle Challenger was OV-099. Granted, it would have looked better if it was 72099, but 71099 was probably what Foundation Imagaing (and Starfleet) came up with as an homage to the fallen shuttle.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
I still don't understand why people have a problem with Challenger's registry...
If Columbia is going to cameo on Trek in some way, it'll be on Enterprise. I figger NX-02 or something would be nice, and fitting too since Columbia is *technically* the second shuttle.
Mark
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
That probably would happen. Perhaps Starfleet would have Challenger NX-03, Discovery NX-04, Atlantis NX-05, Endeavour NX-06, and Pathfinder NX-07.
This is a snippet from another thread about Challenger...
"If the registries are roughly chronological, I wouldn't think you would start a ship and then decide to use it as a spare. Maybe it was more a homage to the real Shuttle Challenger than we think. OV-99 was initially built as a structural test article and was never intended to be a space-capable orbiter. When funds got tight, NASA decided to rework the structural frame into a usuable vehicle, since the loads applied didn't come close to exceeding any of the designed limits. Could be what happened here. Maybe it was a test article....wouldn't have to be an entire ship either...could be just framework sections that were later used as a final Galaxy Class ship."
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dat: That probably would happen. Perhaps Starfleet would have Challenger NX-03, Discovery NX-04, Atlantis NX-05, Endeavour NX-06, and Pathfinder NX-07.
And possibly the Buran?
Posted by Akira (Member # 850) on :
if i remember right the Buran is the Russian Space shuttle
Posted by E. Cartman (Member # 256) on :
It is. And, incidentally, superior in every way to its American counterpart. Bigger, cheaper, safer, more powerful engines, larger payload capacity. Gotta love Russian engineering.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
From what I read there... the Russians basically have three Burans that could theoretically fly? Probably a bit naive, but it seems like they only need money and some political motivation to get them into business..
Posted by newark (Member # 888) on :
The Buran project was cancelled. Sole surviving ship of the project serves as an attraction on a river in Russia. Visitors enter the ship, see a propanda film on the history of the ship, eat and drink a little, and leave. It is not space worthy.
The only space flight of the Buran occured in 1989, the same year when Russia left Afghanistan and the Berlin Wall was being torn down, as part of a certification program and no humans were in the ship when it entered space. The cost of the program ended Russia's ability as a space power. Though Russia had Mir and Soyuz, the Russian space agency was bankrupt and unable to fund further missions.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
And we all know that the reason for this is because all their money was being divirted to their military's Stargate Program.
Right?
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
I might be wrong here but wasn't there a reference to a starship "Shenandoah" being launched and given to a captain that Archer and Trip didn't particularly like, during the first season? I might be wrong, but isn't the Shenandoah going to be the 2nd NX-class vessel? I'm not sure though, no class was ever given.
I only mention this as it might make a hole in your theory. Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
I don't recall a mention that the Shenandoah was "just launched", only that she had a new captain. Also even if it was a new ship, it doesn't mean she is NX class. There are other classes of ships out there. We know NX class to be the newest so far, but it doesn't mean production had stopped on the older classes. Also, if the ship was new and belonged to a new class, it still doesn't have to be NX. It could be, say, an NY class just with older engines so it's not as fast. Remember the Warp 5 engines are still being tested in the field. Starfleet would probably wait until they know it's completely reliable before installing them on other classes, both old and new.
for example, if we had never seen the Hood in "Encounter at Farpoint" would you assume it was also a Galaxy class because we had the Enterprise as one? Or even the Bradbury? Or any other ship for which we never saw or had any mention of her class?
And one last thing, Mayweather had said it would be a few years before a new NX could be launched and enter service.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Right. Mayweather said that there were several more NX class ships on the drawing board. This certainly implies that there haven't been any more built other than Enterprise. It's possible that he meant three more planned on top of the 10 that have already been built, but I don't think that's what he meant.
The Shenendoah was a ship that was already in service, so if Travis' statement is meant to imply the existance of only one NX-Class ship at that point, the other ship would have to be of a different class.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
Oh. I wasn't sure that the ship was an existing one or new one - I've sadly missed the pilot episode and don't know whether it was mentioned. I guess that means that you can ignore my previous comment.
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