SHUTTLECRAFT OPERATIONS

	The USS Enterprise is equipped with auxiliary shuttlecraft to support 
mission objectives.
	Standard complement of shuttlecraft includes ten standard personnel 
shuttles, ten cargo shuttles, and five special-purpose craft. Additional 
special-purpose shuttles can be provided to a starship as necessary. The 
Enterprise also carries twelve two-person shuttlepods for extravehicular and 
short-range use.
	Operating rules require that at least eleven shuttle vehicles be 
maintained at operational status at all times. Cruise Mode operating rules 
require one standard shuttlecraft and one shuttlepod to be at urgent standby 
at all times, available for launch at five minutesÕ notice. Four additional 
shuttlecraft are always available on immediate standby (thirty minutes to 
launch), and an additional six vehicles are maintained for launch with twelve 
hoursÕ notice. Red Alert Mode operating rules require two additional shuttles 
to be brought to urgent standby, and all nine remaining operational vehicles 
to be maintained at immediate standby.

SHUTTLEBAYS

	The Galaxy class USS Enterprise has three major facilities intended 
for the support of auxiliary shuttlecraft operations from the ship.
	Shuttlebay exterior space doors are triple-layered compressible 
extruded duranium. Inner doors are composed of lightweight neofoam 
sheeting in an expanded tritanium framework. During active shuttlebay 
operations, atmospheric integrity is maintained by means of an annular 
forcefield, which permits both doors to remain open for vehicular ingress 
and egress without depressurizing the bay.
	Each shuttlebay has its own operations control booth, which is 
supervised by an on-duty Flight Deck Officer. Each Flight Deck Officer is 
responsible for operations within that particular shuttlebay, but must report 
to the main shuttlebay officer for launch and landing clearance. In turn, the 
main shuttlebay officer must seek clearance from the Operations Manager 
on the Main Bridge.
	Launch maneuvers and landing approach piloting is managed by a 
number of precision short-range tractor beam emitters located in each 
shuttlebay and on the shipÕs exterior, just outside each set of space doors. 
These tractor beams are computer controlled under the direction of the 
Flight Deck Officer, permitting the safe maneuvering of shuttle vehicles 
within the bays and in the 350-meter approach zone.
	Maintenance facilities include replacement parts sufficient for 
twelve months of normal starship operations. These normally include two 
complete replacement spaceframes, which can be used for refurbishment of 
severely damaged ships.
	Note that replicator usage can allow fabrication of nearly any critical 
missing parts, but large-scale replication is not considered energy-efficient 
except in emergency situations. However, in such situations, power usage is 
usually strictly limited, so it is unwise to depend upon the availability of 
replicated space parts. This is another reason that the ship must maintain a 
significant stock of spare parts in inventory at all times.  Æ