Earth Spacedock and its true purpose?

[Robert Comsol]

It does sound somewhat odd, you'd think that their EVA suits provide sufficient protection from the "free radiation of space" (especially in the 23rd Century).

And we did see that in TMP unless the ship was assembled by Workbees and that guy waving was just out to do a little spacewalk before radiation levels became unhealthy and forced him to return "indoors".

I presume if we look for further elaborations in the other novelizations, the writers took the Okuda posture when it came to the working principle of the infamous Heisenberg compensators: They work adequately and do the job they were designed for.

Bob

 

[SchwEnt]

That's totally splitting hairs, because the terms "dock" and "port" have always been used interchangeably throughout history to describe any place where ships are moored.

I'd say Wikipedia suggests otherwise, i.e. that a dock can be part of a port but a port is not the "lesser" part of a dock.

Sorry, but that's pure semantics. The terms are both used to describe places where ships are.

Yes, both describe places where ships are. But I believe there is a difference. A dock is like a berth, the "parking spot" for a vessel, the location/structure that accommodates a ship.

A port includes dock(s) and also the supporting maintenance, cargo, fueling, quarters, other facilities.

If you say "the port of Rotterdam" or "the port of New York", there's more implied than if you say "the dock in New York".

 

[C.E. Evans]

I'd say Wikipedia suggests otherwise, i.e. that a dock can be part of a port but a port is not the "lesser" part of a dock.

Sorry, but that's pure semantics. The terms are both used to describe places where ships are.

Yes, both describe places where ships are. But I believe there is a difference.

Not really. It's just terminology.

A dock is like a berth, the "parking spot" for a vessel, the location/structure that accommodates a ship.

A port includes dock(s) and also the supporting maintenance, cargo, fueling, quarters, other facilities.

In a real sense, that's my point. We're still describing a place where ships are parked. At best, it's the difference where a specific ship is parked and where multiple ships are parked.

 

[Maurice]

dock 1 |däk|
noun
a structure extending alongshore or out from the shore into a body of water, to which boats may be moored : the gangplank was lowered to the dock.
• an enclosed area of water in a port for the loading, unloading, and repair of ships.
• ( docks) a group of such enclosed areas of water along with the wharves and buildings near them.
• short for dry dock .
• (also loading dock) a platform for loading or unloading trucks or freight trains.

port 1 |pôrt|
noun
a town or city with a harbor where ships load or unload, esp. one where customs officers are stationed.
• a harbor : the port has miles of docks | [as adj. ] an abundant water supply and port facilities.
• (also inland port) an inland town or city whose connection to the coast by a river or other body of water enables it to act as a port.

 

[C.E. Evans]

A rose by any other name.

 

[Mycroft Maxwell]

Its really annoying trying to figure out why ships would go to spacedock for repairs instead of a drydock. But I was thinking, you don't really see any workbees in the place, and it doesnt have the amount of lighting the drydocks had. Im thinking it might be a Refueling place and a place to park while the crew is on leave and etc. It might be that the drydocks stay so busy you have to keep them open as much as possible.

I really wish that the JJ Abrams movie would have shown this complex under construction or something. You know this Spacedock had to take a very long time to build...and I guarantee this monster was not constructed of the surface. NO WAY IN HELL!!!

 

[Saturn0660]

I've always just looked at Spacedock One as being a massive spaceport, a major port of call for ships--both Starfleet and civilian--passing through Sector 001. It has a strong Starfleet presence (and may have levels reserved solely for Starfleet's usage), but I tend to think the majority of its population is civilian and may not be too unlike DS9 in the way it operates with retail shops, restaurants, business offices, entertainment venues, permanent residential areas, etc. In a way, it's an entire city in space, IMO.

I've always kinda thought that myself.. I'll even go one more and say there is NO reason to think that space dock even has Anti-Matter in it at all. There no reason for it to have a M/AM reactor. It doesn't move anywhere.

If there were Anti-Matter processing on the Sol system i'd say it's much much closer to the sun. Powered by vast solar arrays. Serviced my tankers making runs to and from the gas giants in systems.

 

[BK613]

Its really annoying trying to figure out why ships would go to spacedock for repairs instead of a drydock... It might be that the drydocks stay so busy you have to keep them open as much as possible.

Not all repairs require a drydock. I would surmise that drydocks are typically employed for major structural changes and/or new construction. Items like interior remodels and software upgrades would be a waste of a drydock's resources since they could be accomplished pier-side in Spacedock. Especially in an age of transporters.

 

[zDarby]

If spacedock is a hub of local travel than she very likely has antimatter to fill up the tanks of those in need.

I see no reason why there couldn't be a antimatter creation crew aboard. It's a rather big station, definately a metropolis in orbit. Why shouldn't this metropolis make enough antimatter for local Earth traffic? Why not have the local traffic hub be able to take care of ceeating the fuel for the local traffic? Naturally, if you want to supply the solar system with antimatter you'll make a station within the orbit of Mercury and collect mass solar energy for your project. But, as someone said, fusion energy is cheap in Star Trek and making antimatter is way easier then than now. I like the notion of spacedock maker its own fuel, even if it's only for the locals.

Finally, even in TMP they're doing some pretty amazing stuff with force fields. It seems perfectly possible that the inside is a place where a ship berths to be surrounded by a force field that can then be pressurized. And even that is assuming that the whole place isn't pressurized and the forcefields are at or near the doors so that the bay doors can open without depressurization...just like shuttlecraft. No, we don't see it. But we don't see it anywhere in TMP movies (that I remember) and yet I assume it's true for them.

 

[Maurice]

"Dock" is short for "dry dock" so calling it a "space dock" doesn't automatically mean it can't also be a dry dock.

 

[Robert Comsol]

I tried to look up more information from the original production. Ken Ralston (ILM VFX supervisor) said it's basically a container for Starfleet ships which obviously refers to the top main section.

Bill George describes in the Cinefex issue for ST VI that he tried to show Earth Spacedock from a new and interesting angle and felt that ships arriving from Earth (i.e. below) should also be taken in "below", hence this shot in ST VI (notice the four 2001-Space Station V type cylinders at the bottom with rectangular hangar bays).

I think this schematic is a very good approximation, but IMHO all the areas below the "secondary docking bay" would be where the "living quarters" are. After all the panoramic windows there would give you a greater view of Earth than those in the stem section below and you got plenty, plenty of room there, too.

If Earth Spacedock is an inside-turned-out version of Cloud City from Star Wars the sphere at the bottom is most definitely a reactor as the one of Cloud City was also equally positioned down below (probably as a means of protection from possible, hazardous radiation).

Bob

 

[Saturn0660]

Oddly, I wonder what 24th century sky would look like. You can very easily see the ISS when it flies over at night. That bares the question. Just "where" is Spacedock? How high does it sit? I get the feeling the just looking into the sky just about anytime of the day and you see an eye full.. Spacedock, Earth Station McKinley and god what else. Creepy indeed.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I doubt you would ever see all of Earth's space platforms together at the same time due to them having different orbits.

 

[Saturn0660]

I doubt you would ever see all of Earth's space platforms together at the same time due to them having different orbits.

Well, i didn't mean all at the same time..

 

[Albertese]

"Dock" is short for "dry dock" so calling it a "space dock" doesn't automatically mean it can't also be a dry dock.

"Dock" is not short for "drydock." A drydock is a facility where a ship's hull can be raised above the water line (or have water pumped out as per locks) to make the bottom of it easily accessible. A regular dock is simply a place to tie up a ship. A drydock is always for construction, repair, or maintenance, while the regular dock is just for day-to-day operation. (exception... back in the day, ancient Greek Triremes and the like were always hauled out of water onto a drydock to avoid fouling the wood, but that sort of thing hasn't been done in quite a while.)

Having said that, in space, the need for a drydock in the wet navy sense doesn't ... hold water (gah! I'm so sorry, I couldn't help myself!) I would suggest that Star Fleet drydocks as per TMP, TWOK, and Generations, are for the same purposes of our own drydocks today: construction and major repairs and maintenance. Spacedock, could well be just for docking in the usual sense. However, seeing as how there is no wet (and therefore, no need for dry) in space, then I don't see why you couldn't do such work in Spacedock also if that's your bag.

...
If Earth Spacedock is an inside-turned-out version of Cloud City from Star Wars the sphere at the bottom is most definitely a reactor as the one of Cloud City was also equally positioned down below (probably as a means of protection from possible, hazardous radiation).

Bob

I have no specific reason to deny that the spherical area is a reactor (I tend to think so, myself) but I would be careful identifying too many parts based on trying to find corresponding structures on Cloud City, as that is from a totally different franchise in an unrelated universe and served a very different purpose.


All my old issues of Star Trek; The Magazine are inaccessible just now... but wasn't there a spread on Spacedock in one of those? might add fuel to the fire if nothing else...

--Alex

 

[Robert Comsol]

I have no specific reason to deny that the spherical area is a reactor (I tend to think so, myself) but I would be careful identifying too many parts based on trying to find corresponding structures on Cloud City, as that is from a totally different franchise in an unrelated universe and served a very different purpose.

I wholeheartedly agree that you shouldn't mix different franchises, but Earth Spacedock was designed and built by ILM which also designed and built many Star Wars vehicles. Given some obvious resemblances we could wonder whether they successfully "switched" from SW to ST mode.

(A drydock in space doesn't hold much water - )

Bob

 

[Maurice]

"Dock" is short for "dry dock" so calling it a "space dock" doesn't automatically mean it can't also be a dry dock.

"Dock" is not short for "drydock."

It IS in certain contexts, as I quoted earlier:

dock 1 |däk|
noun
a structure extending alongshore or out from the shore into a body of water, to which boats may be moored : the gangplank was lowered to the dock.
• an enclosed area of water in a port for the loading, unloading, and repair of ships.
• ( docks) a group of such enclosed areas of water along with the wharves and buildings near them.
• short for dry dock .
• (also loading dock) a platform for loading or unloading trucks or freight trains.