franchise-star-trek-tng-technical-manual1

16.4 LIFEBOATSmary spacecraft maneuvering, is rated at a maximum 950 kgthrust and is fed from a 75 kg deuterium fuel supply. Thereaction control system performs all precise attitude andtranslation motions required for combined operations withother lifeboats and maneuvering during planetary landing.Life support on the ASRV is maintained by its automaticenvironmental system, providing complete atmospheric composition,pressure, humidity, and temperature control. Storedfood and water supplies as well as a waste managementsystem are included. Lightweight environment suits arestowed with portable survival packs for planetside operation.The normal lifeboat crew capacity is four, with provisions foras many as six if necessary.One important feature of the ASRV design, the in-linetwin hatches, allows it to dock with other lifeboats to formlarger clusters. This capability, nicknamed "gaggle mode" byexperienced pilots, dramatically increases in-space survivalrates by affording access to wounded crew members bymedical personnel, combining consumables supplies, andadding propulsion options. Gaggle mode must be terminatedprior to atmosphere entry, as the structural loads cannot behandled by the combined craft.Out of four hundred ejectable lifeboats installed within theGalaxy class, eighty are specialized ASRVs with two additionaldocking ports to increase the packing density andstructural integrity of the gaggle. Computer simulationsindicate that at least 25% of any total number of ejectedASRVs are likely to be the four-port version.Crucial to the successful recovery of the ASRVs are thesubspace communications systems and automatic distressbeacons.Lifeboats are yet another nifty idea that we may never actuallyget to see in an episode. Oh the other hand, model makerGreg Jein, who built some of the dead starships for thegraveyard scene in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II," putsome open lifeboat hatches on the destroyed ships, therebysuggesting that lifeboats were indeed used. Careful examinationof that scene shows several different starships, includingthe Nebula class USS Melbourne, designed by Ed Miarecki.16.3.2 Lifeboat ejection hatches (dorsal view)