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Science and Technology List

Name :  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # All

Name Notes
Nanites [1] Federation term for machines small enough to enter a Humanoid body and conduct repairs to individual cells. Nanites have developed intelligence on at least one occasion. [1]
Nanoprobes [2] Machines approximately the size of a single cell which the Borg inject into a person to begin the assimilation process. Nanoprobes are essentially a form of nanite. [2]
Navigational deflector [3] Large component of a Federation starship which uses force fields and tractor beams to push objects out of the way of the ship as it travels through space. The deflector usually includes a large dish or array on the surface of the ship. [3]
Navigational Deflectors [4] While by most standards space qualifies as 'empty', in fact there is a significant amount of material of one sort or another within the interplanetary and interstellar medium. Most of this material is of atomic size, but a small fraction is comprised of micrometeorites and other such debris. All of this represents a potential danger to the unprotected vessel travelling at high relativistic or any warp speed; the kinetic energy of even a one gram object at 0.25 c is in excess of 2.8 TeraJoules, sufficient to vaporize over a cubic metre of tritanium.

The navigational deflector is designed to protect a ship from this hazard. An offshoot of tractor beam technology, the navigational deflector uses graviton polarity source generator to feed a subspace field distortion amplifier in order to project a 'force beam' ahead of the ship. This is sufficient to deflect most material out of the path of the vessel well before impact would occur.

The navigation deflector is usually one of the largest components of a vessel, most especially so as it is usually combined with a large sensor cluster. On Federation starships the deflector is usually a large flat or concave area located to give it a clear line of sight ahead of the vessel - usually at the front of the engineering section. The deflectors are typically steerable to some 7o from the normal line of sight.

Subspace field coils are used to split the deflector output into two components. First, a series of five nested parabolic shields extend nearly 2 km ahead of the ship. Very low power, these shields are sufficient to deflect stray hydrogen atoms of the interstellar medium as well as any sub-micron particles than may have escaped the deflector beam. While the vessel is at warp speed any particles hitting these fields will travel rapidly across the surface of the shields, passing through the ships warp field. This causes them to fluoresce, creating a 'rainbow streak' effect as they pass the ship. These streaks are bright enough that the uninformed often mistake them for passing stars!

The navigation shields also posses another intriguing property; they are immune to attack from laser weaponry. This is due to the trans-static flux effect which occurs as a by-product of the deflection process; when laser light impinges on a deflector field, the effect creates a small portal into subspace, causing the laser beam to pass harmlessly into this domain. As the beam is not subspace encased, it will re-emerge into normal space within a few milliseconds, putting it several hundred light seconds away. Since the beam never actually impacts on either the deflector shield or hull the power of the attack is irrelevant to the effect. This process is not regarded as a serious defensive measure, since laser weapons are considered obsolete by most major powers.

The second part of the navigational deflector system is a powerful tractor / deflector beam that sweeps thousands of kilometres ahead of the ship. This pushes aside larger objects that may present a collision hazard.
Neodynium power cell [5] Device used to power a Cardassian phase coil inverter. In 2373 they were hard to come by, at least on Deep Space Nine. [5]
Neuroelectric Isopulse [6] A type of energy-shock which can be used to re-start the brain of a person hours after it has become inactive. In concert with Borg nanoprobes, an isopulse can be used to re-animate a person well after Federation medicine would have regarded them as being deceased. The Borg assimilated the isopulse technology from Species 149; Seven of Nine adapted the technique to revive Neelix after he was killed on an away mission in 2374. [6]
Neurolytic restraint [7] Device used by the Orion slavers in the 2150s. It could induce convulsive seisures on command to disable prisoners. [7]
Neutron microscope [8] Instrument which the NX-01 Enterprise obtained in 2152 whilst visiting a medical conference on Dekendi III. [8]
Neutron Stars [1] All stars are composed of a colossal mass of gas which is engaged in a delicate balancing act. On the one hand gravitational forces are constantly attempting to cause the star to collapse; however, as they do the atoms in their core are crushed together under intense pressure and temperature. This causes them to fuse together, releasing a great deal of energy. This energy inflates the star, balancing out the gravity. This stage of a star's life can last for many billions of years.

As a star nears the end of its life it begins to run out of fuel. It can no longer release energy via fusion, and the gravitational forces finally win out and cause the star to collapse. The result is a supernova, a blast which ranks as one of the most powerful natural explosions known to Federation science. The outer layers of the star are blown away in the blast, but the core is compressed so powerfully that all of the atoms collapse in on themselves; the negative electrons are crushed into the positive centre of the atoms which they normally orbit. In a sense, the entire core of the star becomes a single neutral particle - a neutron star.

After they are formed neutron stars tend to spin very rapidly, emitting intense beams of energy from their poles. These sweep the sky like the beam of a lighthouse, and many pulsars can be detected as stars which flash brightly - pulsars. As the stars lose energy their rotation slows and eventually stops altogether, leaving a normal neutron star.

Neutron stars are somewhat common, but pulsars are rather rarer since they do not last very long. The Federation has considerable experience in observing both neutron stars and pulsars; in 2366 the Enterprise-D spent some time at a pulsar when an alien life form abducted Captain Picard from the ship and imitated him to take his place. The aliens were investigating the concept of authority, and to that end the duplicate Picard ordered the crew to approach to within a dangerous distance of the pulsar. The crew declined and the impostor was unmasked. [9] Later in the same year the Enterprise-D assisted Dr. Paul Stubbs in his mission to investigate Kavis Alpha. This system consists of a star in orbit around a pulsar. Every 196 years the pulsar approaches close enough to pull stellar material from the surface of the star and onto itself, causing a huge explosion and expelling neutronium at relativistic speeds. [1]

In 2368 the Enterprise-D was tracking a fragment of a pulsar which was due to pass near to Moab IV. When a colony was discovered on the planet the Starship was able to use a modified tractor beam to alter the fragment's trajectory so as to reduce it's impact on the planet. [10]

In 2369 The Enterprise-D investigated another system similar to Kavis Alpha; the USS Yosemite had been investigating the system and had become trapped in a streamer of plasma which was passing between the star and the neutron star. The Yosemite had been crippled in an accident, but the Enterprise was able to rescue some crewmembers. [11]

Other ships have also encountered pulsars. In 2374 Voyager's captain piloted the ship directly between two pulsars which were in orbit of one another, a highly dangerous manoeuvre which she used to force alien ships attached to Voyager's hull to withdraw. [12]
Neutronic coupler [13] Tool in use on Deep Space Nine during 2373. [13]
Neutronic power source [14] Power source in use by the Xindi when they travelled back in time to Earth in 2004. [14]
Neutronic Wavefront [15] Phenomena produced when two neutron stars collide. The wave expands through space at relativistic speed, emitting radiation which prevents the use of warp drive and presenting considerable danger to spacecraft unable to escpae it. [15]
Null Space [16] A phonomenon which can occasionally be caused by unstable gravitational and magnetic fields during the formation of a star. A pocket of null space will absorb any electromagnetic energy which falls upon it, rendering its contents invisible to outside detection. The idea was long thought to be purely theoretical, but in 2368 a J'naii shuttlecraft was lost in a pocket of null space. The craft's crew was recovered by the Enteprise-D. [16] Null space also forms the basis for the catapult system built by Tash in the Delta Quadrant in his efforts to return home. [17]
Null Space Catapult [17] In 2376 Voyager encountered an alien named Tash who had constructed what he termed a "null space catapult". Like Voyager, Tash had become lost far from home. In his case he had been exploring an unstable wormhole when it threw his ship across thousands of light years, leaving him with a journey of ten years to get home. Rather than engage in such a voyage Tash built the catapult.

The device consisted of a large framework on which were mounted eight graviton projectors powered by a tetrion reactor. A ship would station itself close to the catapult and allow itself to be encased in graviton surge, which would then catapult it into null space. Mr Tash said that the ship should emerge a few hours later hundreds or even thousands of light years away. When Voyager arrived he was having some difficulty with the catapult - a test conducted earlier had been partially successful, throwing a probe some six hundred light years away. Unfortunately, the catapults core had been destabilized in the test and Tash had been unable to fix it. Voyagers captain offered to help by using well timed graviton bursts from the ships main deflector to correct the problem. In return, Tash offered to allow Voyager to use the catapult once he was gone.

Tash was able to use the catapult shortly afterwards, achieving results well beyond his expectations; his ship was thrown five thousand light years closer to home. He had to adjust his shield system in mid flight as the stresses involved in using the catapult almost tore off the outer layer of his ships hull, but he was able to transmit the modifications to Voyager and the ship used the catapult itself safely. Voyager was thrown across thirty sectors of space, coming three thousand light years closer to home in less than one hour.

Voyager has only encountered one other species which uses tetrion technology, the Ocampan's Caretaker which kidnapped the ship in the first place. The rarity of the technology indicates that it is unlikely that Voyager will be able to construct another catapult in the near future, if at all. [17]

Name :  A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # All

Colour key

Canon source Backstage source Novel source DITL speculation

References

# Series Season Source Comment
1 TNG 3 Evolution
2 Star Trek : First Contact
3 TNG 3 The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1
4 Star Trek : Generations
5 DS9 5 In the Cards
6 VOY 4 Mortal Coil
7 ENT 4 Borderland
8 ENT 2 Stigma
9 TNG 3 Allegiance
10 TNG 5 The Masterpiece Society
11 TNG 6 Realm of Fear
12 VOY 4 Scientific Method
13 DS9 5 Empok Nor
14 ENT 3 Carpenter Street
15 VOY 6 Fair Haven
16 TNG 5 The Outcast
17 VOY 6 The Voyager Conspiracy
Series : TNG Season 3
Episode : Evolution
Film: Star Trek : First Contact
Series : TNG Season 3
Episode : The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1
Film: Star Trek : Generations
Series : DS9 Season 5
Episode : In the Cards
Series : VOY Season 4
Episode : Mortal Coil
Series : ENT Season 4
Episode : Borderland
Series : ENT Season 2
Episode : Stigma
Series : TNG Season 3
Episode : Allegiance
Series : TNG Season 5
Episode : The Masterpiece Society
Series : TNG Season 6
Episode : Realm of Fear
Series : VOY Season 4
Episode : Scientific Method
Series : DS9 Season 5
Episode : Empok Nor
Series : ENT Season 3
Episode : Carpenter Street
Series : VOY Season 6
Episode : Fair Haven
Series : TNG Season 5
Episode : The Outcast
Series : VOY Season 6
Episode : The Voyager Conspiracy


© Graham & Ian Kennedy Page views : 1,512,247 Last updated : 19 Mar 2024