Dome on top of bridge bubble (TOS/TAS era)

[Sgt_G]

I've seen some technical drawings that say this dome is the "Main Navigational Sensor Array" and the one on the bottom is the "Planetary Sensor Array".

Okay, how might a dome-shaped nav sensor work?? I have a theory about that.

Imagine a bundle of thousands of very skinny meter-long soda straws that have a slight taper of, say, 0.05mm wider at one end than the other. When the straws are bound together, this taper will cause them to naturally form a dome. Each straw will have a tiny sensor on the narrow end, inside the dome. Ergo, the sensor can see only the light that enters directly into the other end of the straw. As each straw is pointed at an oh-so-slightly different angle than the next straw, the array can measure with pin-point accuracy the direction to each star it sees. Also, the sensor can determine the spectral signature of the stars and thus identify which stars it sees. From that data, it's simple math to triangulate the ship's location in the know galaxy.

It makes sense in my head. Does it make sense to you??

 

[Forbin]

Okay.
But it still only covers the area above the ship.

 

[Henoch]

It makes sense in my head. Does it make sense to you??

But it still only covers the area above the ship.

I like it. The bottom sensor array may be dual use. While in planet orbit, it has a similar design structure but with sensors more geared for planetary observation and weapon use. Both domes plus the small rear dome provide for near full sensor coverage. Remember, in space there is no "up", so if the upper sensor is the most accurate, then the ship just rotates to aim the main sensors at the target of concern. This also can explain why the Enterprise cruises either bow slightly up or down at times.

 

[BK613]

Three words - futuristic phased array

 

[uniderth]

Plus the bridge dome can raise and lower. This could have something to do with sensor performance.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Three words - futuristic phased array

QFT
Phased Array's for all types of sensors =D

 

[Sgt_G]

When I drafted the police cutter deck plans (which will hopefully be published someday in a game module) there was some dead space that I used to invent the Phased-Array Lateral Sensors or PALS system. However, as the game doesn't have any rules for such a device, I had to also come up with some technobabble reasoning why it's not "better" than regular sensors in combat.

 

[Mytran]

I think it's connected to the weapons array:

• The lower dome is adjacent to where the phasers and photon torpedoes come from in TOS
• The upper dome is near where phasers come from in TAS and photons in Franz Joseph's plans
• The rear dome (above the shuttle bay) is where phasers come from in ENT's mirror episode

 

[Henoch]

Plus the bridge dome can raise and lower. This could have something to do with sensor performance.

"Up periscope!"

 

[Mysterion]

Plus the bridge dome can raise and lower. This could have something to do with sensor performance.

When/where have we seen this happen?

 

[Forbin]

When/where have we seen this happen?

We haven't, but it's been suggested as a reason the pilot version of the ship had a higher dome than the series version of the ship. The real reason being that the rescaled the ship to be twice as big as originally planned.

 

[Mysterion]

We haven't, but it's been suggested as a reason the pilot version of the ship had a higher dome than the series version of the ship. The real reason being that the rescaled the ship to be twice as big as originally planned.

Ah. So. I always just assumed (in universe) that the lower profile bridge structure was due to a refinement of the internal arrangement of systems or better/more compact tech coming along after the initial construction.

 

[Mytran]

We haven't, but it's been suggested as a reason the pilot version of the ship had a higher dome than the series version of the ship. The real reason being that the rescaled the ship to be twice as big as originally planned.

By the time they filmed The Cage the scale of the miniature had been pretty much established, even if oddities from earlier in production still remains (crew of 203 etc).
The shape of the dome means it didn't half in diameter when it lost half its height. SO, if the Bridge fitted into the dome on a 947' Enterprise, there's no way it would squeeze into one half the size

 

[Henoch]

The shape of the dome means it didn't half in diameter when it lost half its height. SO, if the Bridge fitted into the dome on a 947' Enterprise, there's no way it would squeeze into one half the size

This bridge might fit...

 

[Mytran]

This bridge might fit...

Interesting early design! No captain's chair, either. Was then then he would have sat at the helm/nav stations, acting more like a co-pilot?

 

[Henoch]

Interesting early design! No captain's chair, either. Was then then he would have sat at the helm/nav stations, acting more like a co-pilot?

In bombers and commercial airlines (GR's and Jefferies' backgrounds), the captain of the plane was aways the pilot.

 

[Mytran]

In bombers and commercial airlines (GR's and Jefferies' backgrounds), the captain of the plane was aways the pilot.

Yes, that was a poor choice of words on my part. I meant to imply that he and another officer sit at that double console together, piloting the ship like on an aeroplane. With the door right behind them

 

[Timo]

...With a cheap curtain across the doorway. Yes, I'd pay money to see the Ed Wood version of the adventures of the starship Yorktown and her captain Winter.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Henoch]

...With a cheap curtain across the doorway. Yes, I'd pay money to see the Ed Wood version of the adventures of the starship Yorktown and her captain Winter.

Timo Saloniemi

Don't forget the occasional visit by the sexy stewardess yeoman with coffee.

 

[Mytran]

Below is the picture I had in mind about the pilot/co-pilot station
I'd forgotten that we don't actually see the door behind them in this early concept sketch. Maybe they were keeping their options open?