MISSION OBJECTIVES FOR GALAXY CLASS PROJECT

	Starfleet has long been charged with a broad spectrum of 
responsibilities to the citizens of the Federation and to the lifeforms of the 
galaxy at large. As the volume of explored space continues to grow, and with 
it the Federation itself, so do StarfleetÕs duties.

	These duties range from relatively mundane domestic and civil 
missions, to cultural contact and diplomacy, to defense, to our primary 
mission of exploration and research. Many of these responsibilities are best 
carried out with relatively small, specialized ships. Yet there continues to be 
an ongoing need for a small number of larger, multimission vehicles that are 
capable of implementing the complete range of StarfleetÕs objectives. This 
need has in fact grown as the volume of relatively unexplored space within 
Federation influence continues to expand.

	The Galaxy class starship represents StarfleetÕs most sophisticated 
achievement in multimission ship systems design.

	Pursuant to Starfleet Exploration Directive 902.3, the following 
objectives have been established for the Galaxy Class Starship Development 
Project:

¥Provide a mobile platform for a wide range of ongoing scientific and cultural 
research projects.

¥Replace aging Ambassador and Oberth class starships as primary 
instruments of StarfleetÕs exploration programs.

¥Provide autonomous capability for full execution of Federation policy in 
outlying areas.

¥Incorporate recent advancements in warp powerplant technology and 
improved science instrumentation.  Æ