Warp XV Development
Overview
The Development of the Warp XV Engine took several years and has grown to encompass multiple ships, crews, and characters in the furthest corners of the fleet. The development has and will continue to have pitfalls as the engine is fine-tuned, put through its paces, and becomes more widespread.
Beginnings and Confirmation of a Theory
The first inkling that a more efficient warp drive was possible when Oddas Aria was consulting with a colleague on the Argus Array[1]. The colleague, Ensign Houston, had in a moment of desperation written Aria to discuss some anomalous results seen after Houston had performed resource cutting measures. The upgrades had introduced what Houston assumed were noise, but what Aria recognized as extra layers of subspace which had not been seen before.
Armed with her information Aria contacted Roshanara Rahman for verification, or to be disproven. After days of simulation, Rahman offered verification and a road to getting a prototype engine approved.[2]
The Math
First Flight
Nova Aster
The Nova Aster, born the STS-17569-WV12 and rechristened by its crew of Roshanara Rahman and Oddas Aria, was standard Starfleet test sled put together by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to test the prototype Warp XV Engine, the OR Assembly Mark 1 or Oddas-Rahman Next Gen Warp Propulsion Assembly, a name neither Oddas or Rahman could bring themselves to say.
The vessel itself was part Type 9 shuttlecraft but then loaded with enough monitoring equipment to fill its 120m aft x 40m cylindrical aft compartment. The nacelles of the caft formed a single plane along the craft's body. [3]
All Go
The first flight of the Warp XV Engine, on Stardate 239602.16 - two years after it was postulated as a theory, saw the Nova Aster achieve a newly calibrated speed of Warp 12.4, but a differential formed between along the nacelles, causing the test to be aborted before it could achieve its full rated speed of Warp 13[3]. Despite this, the Corps of Engineers approved the Engine for field testing and for testing of various field testing of specific components and in specific environments.
Fleetwide Testing Procedures
The Advanced Starship Design Bureau, in association with the Starfleet Corp of Engineers, has developed the following outline of recommended test procedures to be followed by all ships participating in Phase One of the Warp Core refit program. These steps are intended to bring uniformity and consistency to systems testing and should be used as a framework for the execution of all post-upgrade certification work. If any major deviations from expected performance are observed, please forward all relevant test data to the Corp of Engineers immediately for review and appraisal.
1. "Batten Down the Hatches" - Test Prep - the ship is moved (towed, preferably) to a prosaic area of space and inspected from stem to stern for any irregularities before anything is started. Loose bolts are tightened, windows are closed, and any of Wesley's science experiments are safely shut down and stored until the experimental period is concluded. Good opportunity for some 'slice of life' time aboard ships as things are reviewed and stored.
2. "Does the damn thing even start" - Phase One - New engine core is brought online - ship gets a comprehensive post-power-up inspection and systems are verified to be working as expected. Core stays online at a low idle for a pre-determined period of time.
3. "Put the parking brake on" - Phase Two - Static Engine Spin-up test - the core is slowly brought up to full power while the ship is motionless and is left to thrum away at full power for a short time to make sure nothing rattles apart or falls off. In an old submarine movie, this'd be the point where a few non-important pipes burst or the ship lists unexpectedly.
4. "Ok, put it in first." - Phase Three - Point to point warp flight between two known points at a stable speed, like warp 5 or 6. Everybody is on the lookout for problems and runs through standard diagnostics on everything (sensors, tactical systems, etc) while in flight to make sure there are no unusual interactions between the new systems and existing ones.
5. "Fine, floor it." - Phase Four - Point to point warp flight between two known points at max obtainable speed. Tests the maximum sustained output level of the core along with any structural issues that may come up from extended use.
Shipboard Missions
Completed
Upcoming
- USS Eagle, Testing Deflector Shield in the Vicinity of Specific Subspace anomalies.