In the original Enterprise's hangar bay, there were fueling stations located on the port wall. Any suggestions on how a Starfleet crewmember could fuel a shuttlecraft? And do you think later starships had fueling facilities in their hangar bays?
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
If I remember correctly, most shuttlecrafts are limited to impulse drive and low warp speeds (I think the highest a Type 6 could go was Warp 2.2 according to the Tech Manual). If this is the case, then the shuttlecraft would only really need replenishment of its deuterium supply. This is a relatively safe procedure, so I can imagine something like today's gas/petrol stations. As for antimatter, I think that would be too dangerous a thing to replenish in the same way. Maybe a small amount of antimatter is siphoned off the main antimatter supply, taken to the shuttlebay, and used to replace the empty pod?
From the views we've since of the Enterprise-D's shuttlebays, it looks like those fueling stations have been moved. I'd be willing to bet that they've been relocated to the hangar desk where the shuttles are stored when not in use. If you ever had another crazy pilot crash-land a shuttle in the shuttlebay, there's a risk of debris smashing into on of the stations and rupturing the tank. Hydrogen is very volatile, so you'd have a big boom. Thus, it was probably moved for safety reasons.
That my take on it. The only shuttle bays we've seen have been 2 and 3 on the E-D. Of course, those were the same set, but there appeared to be nothing against any side of the bays. The shuttles are supposed to be stored under the the shuttlebay in a hangar deck (as per Joseph's Tech Manual and the TNG Tech Manual and Blueprints). If its those hangar decks where the shuttle maintenance occurs, it'd be logical to have the fueling stations down there as well.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
The TNG Blueprints also put servicing bays below the shuttlebay floor, so yeah, that's probably where refueling is done.
Posted by Neonatal Drone (Member # 605) on :
The Impulse reactors use Deuterium (heavy Hydrogen) to power the ship.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
The sky is blue.
Posted by targetemployee (Member # 217) on :
Mr. Tom
Your tone is not welcome.
The question is not an obvious one and, since it has never been raised before, I asked our thread members for their suggestions and opinions. If you can't add anything of useful value, please don't say anything. Thank you.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 138) on :
Shuttlecraft label: 'Unleaded deuterium only'.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Why do I suddenly have this image of Riker standing next to a shuttle with a gasoline nozzle sticking out the side while he wipes of the windshield...?
Seriously, I will agree with the above...my guess is most of the refueling/maintenance is done in the deck below the shuttle bay. There's probably a whole facility down there just for repairs and stuff.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"The question is not an obvious one..."
Perhaps not, but Neonatal Drone's response was obvious, not to mention that it was something that had already been said. So, if you want to complain about useless comments in the thread, there's your source...
