Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards: Difference between revisions

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File:UtopiaPlanitiaFleetYards.jpg
The famed Utopia Planitia Fleetyards in orbit of Mars

The Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards is one of the preeminent shipyards in the Federation and was the site of the Galaxy class and Sovereign class starship development projects. The vast bulk of the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards can be found in orbit high above Mars. The yards consist of an orbital spacedock and a series of dry-dock facilities where starships are built and repaired. Since its founding, Utopia Planitia has come to rival even Starfleet's San Francisco Fleet Yards in ship design and construction. The facility is staffed by some of the finest engineers and designers in the Federation and continues to produce cutting-edge starships.

Because of its importance and its proximity to the Starfleet Academy main campus, the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards also serves as a training ground for Academy cadets who choose to specialize in starship design. Cadets who focus on this aspect of Engineering must spend two semesters (preferably consecutive) taking advanced courses here and serving as interns on design and construction projects. Civilians studying starship design may also apply for permission to take these Starfleet Academy courses, but only those with exceptional academic credentials (and who pass the security checks) are accepted. After cadets graduate most of them return to serve 2-year apprenticeships before being promoted and reassigned. The courses are all taught by the shipyard’s senior engineers.

Orbital Facilities

The orbital spacedock is similar in design to the Spacedock One orbiting Earth. In addition to living quarters for members of the shipyard staff and officers assigned to the yards, the station includes drafting and design areas, and a gigantic docking bay for the repair and refitting of starships, and for the construction of new prototypes.

The central portion of the station is given over to the main spacedock itself. Large enough to accommodate several Federation starships at a time, the main dock area contains industrial replicators, umbilical supports, robotics systems, and work bee pods sufficient for the construction of starship designs. This area is used to build and "dry test" prototypes, including the U.S.S. Galaxy and the U.S.S. Defiant, and is closed to civilians. Unlike Earth's Spacedock, the Utopia Planitia spacedock is not normally used for the routine maintenance or refit of Starfleet vessels. Such ships are worked on in the yards' dry-dock facilities or at Earth's spacedock.

The spacedock level also contains Utopia Planitia's state-of-the-art drafting and design rooms, many of which look out into the yard. These rooms contain computer simulation and modeling tools to allow designers to develop the latest starship technologies and systems. Starship designs are extensively tested in computer and holographic simulations before any prototype is built, and design teams work constantly to improve and upgrade existing starship systems. Recent developments in warp engine performance, and the use of bioneural gel packs in starship computer systems, came out of the drafting rooms of Utopia Planitia.

The rest of the yards consist of numerous dry-dock facilities located near the main station. These facilities are orbiting frameworks inside of which a starship docks for maintenance and refitting. Each dry-dock contains industrial replicators and other equipment necessary to effect repairs on damaged vessels and to construct existing starship designs. The yards turn out starships of all classes currently in service with Starfleet, notably Intrepid-, Galaxy-, and Sovereign-class vessels. The yard's dry-docks are constantly abuzz with activity as work bees make their way from one area of the yards to another, and crews work constantly on the maintenance and construction of starships.

While the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards are a sensitive location, visitors can tour the dry-dock facilities. Travel pods depart on the hour from the Office of the Yard Master and travel throughout the facility, giving visitors an impressive and often breathtaking view, of Starfleet's finest vessels.

Reference(s)

  • Isaacs, Ross A., et al. A Cadet's Guide to Sector 001, New York: Last Unicorn Games, 1999.