Starfleet Shuttle Emergency Equipment

[darkwing_duck1]

Never mentioned, but probably a good idea to have, given that shuttles have an alarming tendency to break down in remote places and strand their passengers.

I gave the matter some thought, and came up with the following as the emergency supplies carried by a TOS era Class F shuttlecraft.

I figure that the stuff is stored in lockers built into the deck below the passenger seating, and in racks in the only glimpsed "aft section".

I assume that the consumables in these supplies represent amounts separate from that which the shuttle itself can provide, esp power. Or what potentially could be scavenged/hunted, etc on site, which Starfleet survival training would teach.

I also assume that some of the bigger "collapseable" items (like the shelters) are made of very thin but strong "memory cloth" type material and can be collapsed down into a bundle about the size of a large gym bag.

That said, here's my list:

• 7 x Thermal-regulation garmets. Form-fitting, thermal conductive fabric suits that act as either heat retainers (cold climates), or heat sinks (hot climates). Most effective in temperatures ranging from 120 degrees down to -40 degrees.
• 4 x thermal regulating blankets made from same material as the suits
• 7 x Atmospheric Filter/Life Support masks. Full face mask that either filters existing atmosphere or can be connected to a super condensed breathing gas tank/reprocessing unit, depending on local conditions. The reprocessor is good for up to 12 hours before it must be recharged with power and/or gasses. Not vacuum rated.
• 7 x Emergency EVA suits w 6 hour life support packs
  21 x spare reprocessing packs (1.5 standard days x 7 occupants)
• 2 x 5 man emergency shelters. Portable emergency shelter capable of providing comfortable environmental conditions for 5 standard size humanoids for as long as power and needed life support gasses are available. Typically attatched to the shuttle's life support and APU external connects. Power can also be drawn from solar cells built into the shelter under appropriate conditions, or a portable generator can be used that will supply power for up to 2 weeks. Not vaccum rated
• 1 x Emergency Ration Pack. Condensed food substitute for 7 people for up to 2 weeks. Nutrition and calories, but little bulk. You'll survive, but after 2 weeks you'll be wanting a big meal.
• 1 x Water Pack 28 liters of pure water broken down into 2 liter units.
• 1 x Water Collection system/Water Purifier. Can draw moisture from the surrounding atmosphere as well as purify existing water sources. A port allows it to be connected to the life support packs of the survival shelters to allow it to process moisture lost from breathing/sweating within the shelter. Also capable of processing urine to extract potable water.
• 4 x standard science tricorder
• 1 x standard medical tricorder
• 4 x standard first aid level medikits (the McCoy hip pouch)
• 1 x standard advanced field medikit (the larger "field bag" kit)
• 7 x phaser 1/2 combinations housed in a recharging rack w/one power pack each (as seen in "The Gallileo Seven")
• 7 x personal communicator
• 1 x portable subspace tranceiver/distress beacon with a 3-5 light year range depending on conditions.
• 1 x portable power generator

Any comments, suggestions for change?

 

[sojourner]

Break the water into 1/2liter units. Makes them easier to use/carry and less critical if an open one is spilled. You want something like a modern sportsbottle in size, not a 2liter of soda to carry around.

Make the garments emergency vacsuits. They will still do the job you have listed, plus if the shuttle loses pressure containment but all else still works they can still use it to get to safety. With the technology level in ST these should be able to be made compact enough to store onboard.

 

[kkozoriz1]

Add a spare survival/environmental suit & filter mask. Gives you the opportunity to repair one if damaged. Also, an engineering kit with tricorder, tools, trident scanner, suit patches, etc.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

• 7 x Thermal-regulation garments. Form-fitting, thermal-conductive fabric suits that act as either heat retainers (cold climates), or heat sinks (hot climates). Most effective in temperatures ranging from 120 degrees down to -40 degrees.
• 4 x thermal-regulating blankets made from same material as the suits
• 8 x Atmospheric Filter/Life Support masks. Full face mask that either filters existing atmosphere or can be connected to a super-condensed breathing gas tank/re-processing unit, depending on local conditions. The re-processor is good for up to 12 hours before it must be recharged with power and/or gasses. Not vacuum rated.
• 21 x spare re-processing packs (1.5 standard days x 7 occupants)
• 8 x Emergency EVA suits w/6 hour life support packs
• 8 x 6-hour EVA life support packs
• 2 x 5-man emergency shelters. Portable emergency shelter capable of providing comfortable environmental conditions for 5 standard size humanoids for as long as power and needed life support gasses are available. Typically attached to the shuttle's life support and APU external connects. Power can also be drawn from solar cells built into the shelter under appropriate conditions, or a portable generator can be used that will supply power for up to 2 weeks. Not vacuum rated
• 1 x Emergency Ration Pack. Condensed food substitute for 7 people for up to 2 weeks. Nutrition and calories, but little bulk. You'll survive, but after 2 weeks you'll be wanting a big meal.
• 1 x Water Pack 28 liters of pure water broken down into half-liter units.
• 1 x Water Collection system/Water Purifier. Can draw moisture from the surrounding atmosphere as well as purify existing water sources. A port allows it to be connected to the life support packs of the survival shelters to allow it to process moisture lost from breathing/sweating within the shelter. Also capable of processing urine to extract potable water.
• 1 x standard Engineering tricorder
• 1 x specialized Engineering scanner ("trident scanner")
• 1 x standard portable Engineering toolkit
• 4 x standard Science tricorder
• 1 x standard Medical tricorder
• 4 x standard first aid level medikits (the McCoy hip pouch)
• 1 x standard advanced field medikit (the larger "field bag" kit)
• 8 x phaser 1/2 combination units housed in a recharging rack w/one power pack each (as seen in "The Gallileo Seven")
• 8 x personal communicator
• 1 x portable subspace transceiver/distress beacon with a 3-5 light year range depending on conditions.
• 1 x portable power generator

 

[kkozoriz1]

A selection of hand tools (saw, axe, shovel, etc) to deal with those darn energy dampening fields.

 

[sojourner]

Thermal garments and eva suits are redundant. just use eva suits. Same for the life support masks. redundant if you have eva suits.

 

[ElScoob]

Thermal garments and eva suits are redundant. just use eva suits. Same for the life support masks. redundant if you have eva suits.

All the more so given that "Spock's Brain" seems to suggest that the basic service-dress uniforms have a thermal regulatory function built in...

 

[kkozoriz1]

Masks could be useable where full suits are not needed. Thin atmosphere, tainted with sulfur, etc. If I could get away with just a mask I'd rather not lug around a full EVA suit. Masks could also be used for SCUBA if fitted with a gill pack.

 

[T'Girl]

You're talking about a lot of stuff, which is fine, but immediately next to the hatch you should have a smaller "grab bag." If you have to get away from your shuttle in a hurry (a few seconds), this will have just the basics, maybe the size of a medium knapsack.

Your five man shelters should be vacuum rated, you might have to leave your shuttle while still in space, or be marooned on a body like our moon. One of my tents (which is a five man) has a small vestibule, something similar, just big enough for one person, could serve as an airlock.

Add an inflatable ring so that in a different scenario it can also serve as a lifeboat (above).

It should also be a reasonable shelter from radiation (within limits).

Your Water Collection system/Water Purifier device is a good idea. How about something like that for food too? I not suggesting a replicator, but maybe a "protein re-sequencer" like gizmo. If your survivors run out of food and can't eat the local floral and fauna, you could dump the same into this device and it would give you "something" that you could digest.

Lastly you got to have a good knife, in a wilderness survival situation I'd rather have a knife that a gun. A knife is a tool.


.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Thermal garments and eva suits are redundant. just use eva suits. Same for the life support masks. redundant if you have eva suits.

EVA suits operate on a different principle than thermal barrierrs. EVA suits have to keep the wearer comfortable in radically changing thermal conditions (from the heat of direct sunlight exposure to the cold of lack of same), and to far greater extremes than one faces on a planet's surface. EVA suits, like ships themselves, require powered units to do this. They also have to be constructed differently to different tolerances due to pressurization.

Thermal garments and eva suits are redundant. just use eva suits. Same for the life support masks. redundant if you have eva suits.

All the more so given that "Spock's Brain" seems to suggest that the basic service-dress uniforms have a thermal regulatory function built in...

The open question is to what degree, and for how long?

Masks could be useable where full suits are not needed. Thin atmosphere, tainted with sulfur, etc. If I could get away with just a mask I'd rather not lug around a full EVA suit.

And we saw them used in Trek on at least one occasion.

Masks could also be used for SCUBA if fitted with a gill pack.

That's an interesting thought, Aquashuttles certainly would have use for those given their operating environment.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

You're talking about a lot of stuff, which is fine, but immediately next to the hatch you should have a smaller "grab bag." If you have to get away from your shuttle in a hurry (a few seconds), this will have just the basics, maybe the size of a medium knapsack.

That's a good point. I could be pedantic and point out that we didn't see that and argue "staying true to the show", but I wont. If I let go of that, I could argue for additional wall lockers and ceiling bins (a la passenger jets). That would call for a much larger shuttle width and height, but it could be done by just upscaling the current configuration.

One thing this little thought experiment has taught me is that while the shuttle looked really cool, it wasn't all that well thought out.

Your five man shelters should be vacuum rated, you might have to leave your shuttle while still in space, or be marooned on a body like our moon. One of my tents (which is a five man) has a small vestibule, something similar, just big enough for one person, could serve as an airlock.

Something like the old "space ball" rescue system they experimented with for the NASA shuttle...interesting thought.

Add an inflatable ring so that in a different scenario it can also serve as a lifeboat (above).

Another good thought.

It should also be a reasonable shelter from radiation (within limits).

I should probably specify this in the description.

Your Water Collection system/Water Purifier device is a good idea. How about something like that for food too? I not suggesting a replicator, but maybe a "protein re-sequencer" like gizmo. If your survivors run out of food and can't eat the local floral and fauna, you could dump the same into this device and it would give you "something" that you could digest.

I actually had thought of that, but I'm running out of room short of radically upsizing the whole shuttle to accomodate additional storage.

Lastly you got to have a good knife, in a wilderness survival situation I'd rather have a knife that a gun. A knife is a tool.

Another good point.

Expect an update soon.

 

[sojourner]

Masks could be useable where full suits are not needed. Thin atmosphere, tainted with sulfur, etc. If I could get away with just a mask I'd rather not lug around a full EVA suit. Masks could also be used for SCUBA if fitted with a gill pack.

This is an emergency kit, not a weekend excursion camping trip. The EVA suit covers every contingency you mention. If you're going to have the EVA suit anyways, eliminate items that are redundant.

Thermal garments and eva suits are redundant. just use eva suits. Same for the life support masks. redundant if you have eva suits.

EVA suits operate on a different principle than thermal barrierrs. EVA suits have to keep the wearer comfortable in radically changing thermal conditions (from the heat of direct sunlight exposure to the cold of lack of same), and to far greater extremes than one faces on a planet's surface. EVA suits, like ships themselves, require powered units to do this. They also have to be constructed differently to different tolerances due to pressurization.

So it sounds like the eva suit is more capable than your garment. Once gain, this is an emergency kit. Keep items to a minimum. Power units are a non-issue if you are carrying a power generator in the supplies that can recharge them.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

So it sounds like the eva suit is more capable than your garment. Once gain, this is an emergency kit. Keep items to a minimum. Power units are a non-issue if you are carrying a power generator in the supplies that can recharge them.

The generator can break or eventually run out of fuel. What do you do then? I've already made their survival strategy more dependent on tech than any real survival expert would ever reccomend being. Folded up, the thermal suits (all of them) would take up maybe the amount of space in an average size suitcase, probably less.

Since this discussion got me thinking, here's a basic layout for a more realistic interior. VERY crude, not entirely to scale, just a conceptual sketch.

 

[scotpens]

All very practical and sensible, but where are you going to find room for all that crap in a seven-person shuttle that's only 24 feet long (according to “The Galileo Seven”) or 22 feet (the length of the actual mockup)? You'd have to leave out the people!

 

[darkwing_duck1]

All very practical and sensible, but where are you going to find room for all that crap in a seven-person shuttle that's only 24 feet long (according to “The Galileo Seven”) or 22 feet (the length of the actual mockup)? You'd have to leave out the people!

My original concept was lockers built into the deck beneath the seating. Most of that wouldn't take up too much room, being compact-able for storage. The biggest pieces of equipment would be the generator, radio and water purification gear.

But you are right, the shuttle as depicted has virtually no room for storage. It would have to be a bigger shuttle to accommodate the needed space.

 

[scotpens]

^^ The shuttle interior set, even without additional storage space, couldn't possibly have fit inside the mockup. Like the Jupiter 2, the Seaview, Supertrain, and a lot of other fictional vehicles, it had TARDIS geometry.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

A lot of that stuff is pretty small (phaser, communicator, tricorder, etc), and a lot of the rest could fit into a standard-size camper's/hiker's backpack. The biggest items are the bulk consumables (water and life support gasses, assuming the food is in the form of super-concentrates or "food pills" or some such), the generator, purifier, radio, and the shelters.

 

[T'Girl]

All very practical and sensible, but where are you going to find room for all that crap in a seven-person shuttle

In the Delta Flyer or a Runabout this isn't a problem, most other shuttlecraft it will be. The most likely storage space in the established designs would be beneath the floor panels. Still space will be at a premium.

I think you're going to have to leave out the seven EVA suits, certainly the full spacesuit kind we saw Paris and Torres wear while floating in space together. Something ultra-compact might be used to substitute. Combine a skin tight thermal-regulation garment (which can be wore under the regular uniform) with a light-weight pressure-suit outer shell. The same full face mask that can be used with just a air filter, can also be used with a life support unit. The pressure-suit can be store in a container the size of a shoe box, it is not as rugged as the full suit, but it's for emergencies only. The mask can be used attached to the pressure-suit, with the thermos only and just on bare skin. With the full life support pack, with a air filter or a oxygen pressure cylinder from the life support pack (maybe for diving). Mix and match.

All the other equipment in the smaller shuttlecrafts will also have to be ultra compact. The tiny two seat shuttles will carry basically nothing.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

All very practical and sensible, but where are you going to find room for all that crap in a seven-person shuttle

In the Delta Flyer or a Runabout this isn't a problem, most other shuttlecraft it will be. The most likely storage space in the established designs would be beneath the floor panels. Still space will be at a premium.{/quote]

Yeah, I came to the same conclusion.

I think you're going to have to leave out the seven EVA suits, certainly the full spacesuit kind we saw Paris and Torres wear while floating in space together.

No way in hell I could fit 7-8 of those in there, but the TOS pre-movie suits maybe. Biggest part of them was that art-deco helmet (maybe substitute something more like the helmet in JJ Trek. That might work.

Something ultra-compact might be used to substitute. Combine a skin tight thermal-regulation garment (which can be wore under the regular uniform) with a light-weight pressure-suit outer shell. The same full face mask that can be used with just a air filter, can also be used with a life support unit. The pressure-suit can be store in a container the size of a shoe box, it is not as rugged as the full suit, but it's for emergencies only. The mask can be used attached to the pressure-suit, with the thermos only and just on bare skin. With the full life support pack, with a air filter or a oxygen pressure cylinder from the life support pack (maybe for diving). Mix and match.

The breathing gasses cylinders are the big stumbler for me to be sure. How Kirk managed to survive at least a day in that suit without an air tank I'll never know.

Here's an unused Phase II design that isn't too bulky:

http://www.ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/images/TMP/costumes/phase 2 spacesuit.png

 

[kkozoriz1]

The TOS suits must have a really efficient CO2 scrubber.