Science Lab
Science Laboratories are work areas sent aside aboard ships and stations to allow for observation and experimentation in the various science disciplines. Furthering our knowledge of ourselves and the galaxy around us has always been at the heart of Starfleet. No where does this take place more than in the labs of her vessels and Starbases. The accepted idiom at Starfleet Command has always been "the more labs the better", and save for the smallest of ship classes, that is the case. Each ship and station is considered a big scientific research platform and that requires a lot of space.
Designers, engineers, and administrators alike go through great pains to ensure that these labs are not only state-of-the-art, but also extremely safe and work-friendly. Lab layouts and designs differ from ship to ship, and the scientists that work in them often spend a lot of time and energy setting them up to their own preference or functionability. They can be modified in an endless number of ways with relative ease, including combining two or more labs for more space or flexibility. Items found in a science lab include (but are not limited to):
- Replicators
- holgraphic emitters
- containment fields
- sealed environmental systems
- dedicated sensor pallets
- multi-function diagnostic equipment
The "normal" science lab is rated to handle Level 3 Hazard Threats---anything greater is referred to either a Hazardous Materials Lab or Isolation Lab.
On stations, larger ships (such as those of the Galaxy and Sovereign class), and dedicated science vessels (such as the Nova and Daystrom classes), each scientific discipline will usually have it's own lab or labs. Geology, exobiology, botany, and temperal mechanics are just a few examples of this. Other vessels typically have the labs aligned by similar fields: Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Formal Sciences, etc. Smaller ships that may only have one or two science labs are equipped to handle a more generalized study and do not have the more specialized equipment of larger ships and stations.
See also: Astrophysics Lab, Astrometrics Lab, Engineering Lab, Medical Laboratories