For most of the various tasks the science department has to complete, the ship's sensors are used. Long range and navigation sensors are located behind the main deflector dish, to avoid sensor "ghosts" and other detrimental effects consistent with main deflector dish millicochrane static field output. Lateral sensor pallets are located around the rim of the entire starship, providing full coverage in all standard scientific fields, but with emphasis in the following areas:

1. Astronomical phenomena
2. Planetary analysis
3. Remote life-form analysis
4. EM scanning
5. Passive neutrino scanning
6. Parametric subspace field stress (a scan to search for cloaked ships)
7. Thermal variances
8. Quasi-stellar material

Each sensor pallet can be interchanged and re-calibrated with any other pallet on the ship. Warp Current sensor: This is an independent subspace graviton field-current scanner, allowing the starship to track ships at high warp by locking onto the eddy currents from the threat ship's warp field, then follow the currents by using multi-model image mapping.

TRICORDER MARK X

The tricorder is the standard portable scanning, recording and information processing device for all Starfleet operatives. The initial concept evolved out of a series of scanning devices issued by Starfleet in circa 2230; intended to reduce the size and weight of equipment issued to landing parties, these scanners incorporated both significant amounts of internal data storage and a high degree of processing capacity. By 2240 the various scanning functions of the series had begun to be combined into a single unit; in 2248 a unit was fielded which integrated scanning, processing and communications facilities. Dubbed the "tri-function recorder", the official name was quickly replaced by the more simple "tricorder".

Many dozens of tricorder variants have been fielded over the 125 years or so. Some, such as the psychotricorder, are optimized for specific tasks - but specialization is not in keeping with tricorder design philosophy, and most new models have simply increased the number of functions and speed of the device while reducing the size and mass. Over the decades the tricorder has proved to be one of the most massively useful instruments in service with Starfleet. It's ability to detect and classify a huge range of different types of phenomena has become legendary, to the extent that Starfleet personnel frequently remark that there seems to be little these handy devices cannot do!

Power is provided through a sarium crystal similar to those used in standard phasers, and is rated as sufficient for eighteen hours of continuous use of all sensor systems. Such levels of use are unlikely within the field, and in fact the average power consumption has been found to be slightly over 15 Watts.

Within the tricorder are sensor assemblies which cover a total of 235 mechanical, electromagnetic and subspace devices. Of these, 115 are located in the directional sensor cluster at the top of the device, with the remaining 120 scattered throughout the body for all-around coverage. The tricorder can combine input from any or all of these sensors in order to give the most complete possible image of the object being scanned.

PADDS

The Personal Access Display Device is one of the most widely used methods of accessing and manipulating information. Although the capabilities of the Padd are limited compared to the larger desktop units, their small size offers a convenience that larger units lack. Indeed, the effectiveness of the principle is shown by the fact that while they have been produced in a massive variety of sizes and shapes, virtually every major species has produced a design which shares the same basic features.

Padds are almost always handheld devices with a large surface area relative to their thickness. They include both memory and processing capacity, usually with some form of remote linkage to larger more capable systems. Almost all have a display screen which takes up 50% or more of the surface. This is usually touch sensitive, but is supplemented by a small number of physical controls.

Starfleet is currently evaluating Padds which will introduce bio-neural elements, speeding up response time in line with the performance gains in modern Starships.

MICROSCOPE

An instrument able to image surfaces to submolecular accuracy in 3D by mechanically probing their surface contours and projecting the data onto a small screen. Used quite frequently by analysis of substances in the science department.

HOLOCAMERA

A device used to record holographic images. It is used for documentation, but some crewmembers use it for recreational purposes as well.

CONTAINMENT MODULE

A containment module is created to keep certain things contained that can harm the crew, like diseases.

CLASS I SEMSOR PROBE

	Range: 2 x 10^5 kilometers Delta-v limit: 0.5c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion Sensors: Full EM/Subspace and interstellar chemistry pallet for in-space applications. Telemetry: 12,500 channels at 12 megawatts.

CLASS II SENSOR PROBE

	Range: 4 x 10^5 kilometers Delta-v limit: 0.65c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion, extended deuterium fuel supply Sensors: Same instrumentation as Class I with addition of enhanced long-range particle and field detectors and imaging system Telemetry: 15,650 channels at 20 megawatts.

CLASS III PLANETARY PROBE

Range: 1.2 x 10^6 kilometers Delta-v limit: 0.65c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion Sensors: Terrestrial and gas giant sensor pallet with material sample and return capability; onboard chemical analysis submodule Telemetry: 13,250 channels at ~15 megawatts. Additional data: Limited SIF hull reinforcement. Full range of terrestrial soft landing to subsurface penetration missions; gas giant atmosphere missions survivable to 450 bar pressure. Limited terrestrial loiter time.

CLASS IV STELLAR ENCOUNTER PROBE

Range: 3.5 x 10^6 kilometers Delta-v limit: 0.6c Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion supplemented with continuum driver coil and extended deuterium supply Sensors: Triply redundant stellar fields and particle detectors, stellar atmosphere analysis suite. Telemetry: 9,780 channels at 65 megawatts. Additional data: Six ejectable/survivable radiation flux subprobes. Deployable for nonstellar energy phenomena

CLASS V MEDIUM-RANGE RECONAISSANCE PROBE

Range: 4.3 x 10^10 kilometers Delta-v limit: Warp 2 Powerplant: Dual-mode matter/antimatter engine; extended duration sublight plus limited duration at warp Sensors: Extended passive data-gathering and recording systems; full autonomous mission execution and return system Telemetry: 6,320 channels at 2.5 megawatts. Additional data: Planetary atmosphere entry and soft landing capability. Low observatory coatings and hull materials. Can be modified for tactical applications with addition of custom sensor countermeasure package.

CLASS VI COMM RELAY / EMERGENCY BEACON

Range: 4.3 x 10^10 kilometers Delta-v limit: 0.8c Powerplant: Microfusion engine with high-output MHD power tap Sensors: Standard pallet Telemetry/Comm: 9,270 channel RF and subspace transceiver operating at 350 megawatts peak radiated power. 360 degree omni antenna coverage, 0.0001 arc-second high-gain antenna pointing resolution. Additional data: Extended deuterium supply for transceiver power generation and planetary orbit plane changes

CLASS VII REMOTE CULTURE STUDY PROBE

Range: 4.5 x 10^8 kilometers Delta-v limit: Warp 1.5 Powerplant: Dual-mode matter/antimatter engine Sensors: Passive data gathering system plus subspace transceiver Telemetry: 1,050 channels at 0.5 megawatts. Additional data: Applicable to civilizations up to technology level III. Low observability coatings and hull materials. Maximum loiter time: 3.5 months. Low-impact molecular destruct package tied to antitamper detectors.

CLASS VIII MEDIUM-RANGE MULTIMISSION WARP PROBE

Range: 1.2 x 10^2 light-years Delta-v limit: Warp 9 Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration of 6.5 hours at warp 9; MHD power supply tap for sensors and subspace transceiver Sensors: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modules Telemetry: 4,550 channels at 300 megawatts. Additional data: Applications vary from galactic particles and fields research to early-warning reconnaissance missions

CLASS IX LONG-RANGE MULTIMISSION WARP PROBE

Range: 7.6 x 10^2 light-years Delta-v limit: Warp 9 Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration of 12 hours at warp 9; extended fuel supply for warp 8 maximum flight duration of 14 days Sensors: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modules Telemetry: 6,500 channels at 230 megawatts. Additional data: Limited payload capacity; isolinear memory storage of 3,400 kiloquads; fifty-channel transponder echo. Typical application is emergency-log/message capsule on homing trajectory to nearest starbase or known Starfleet vessel position