Columbia Shuttlecrafts

The starship Columbia is equipped with a full complement of shuttles. She is equipped with several Type 8 and Type 9 shuttles which are capable of providing a variety of functions. Shuttles can be used for short to long range transportation as well perform a variety of mission functions. Modern shuttles are equipped with warp engines as well as phasers and in some cases micro-torpedoes.

All of the seven Columbia shuttlecrafts are named for the fallen astronauts of the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster.

Shuttle Names

1. Rick Husband - Type 9

• • Used by Lieutenant Zubowskivich and Counselor Gear to investigate a warp signature near the Endovan System.

5. Kalpana Chawla - Type 8

• This is the favorite shuttlecraft of Chief of Shuttle Operations Lieutenant Carlo Valenzano.
• Commanded by Lieutenant Commander Devana Franks during the Orion Syndicate Mission.

Shuttle Types

Type-8 Shuttlecrafts

Similar in design to Type 6 but slightly larger. It requires a piloting crew of two. It is equipped with a personnel transporter to allow short-range transportation. It has slightly enlarged twin warp nacelles compared to the Type 6 which is what gives it an extended travelling range over the Type 6. Its length and weight are otherwise similar to the Type 6, namely 6 meters and about 3.38 metric tonnes. Unlike the Type 6, the Type 8 is permanently equipped with phasers, with Type IV phaser emitters installed.

Type-9 Shuttlecrafts

The Columbia also carries several Type 9 shuttlecraft. These are more streamlined, having a pointed front and larger warp nacelles. The Type 9 personnel shuttlecraft is commonly known as a Class 2 shuttlecraft: the term Class 2 is a designation for shuttlecraft with small crew cabins and limited amenities, and include the Type 6, 8, and 9 models.

The Type 9 is a more streamlined vessel than earlier Types but has less internal volume. It can be crewed by a single person if necessary but is furbished for two pilots and four passengers.

It has the greatest range of the standard Starfleet shuttlecraft carried by Columbia, with a maximum speed of warp 4. Length: 8.5 metres. Height: 2.95 metres. It is specifically designed for deep space scouting missions, even though they are actually rather smaller than the Type 6. The greatest advantage that a Type 9 shuttlecraft has as far as a vessel like USS Columbia is concerned is its relatively compact dimensions. This enables a sizeable number to be stored within the shuttlebay area.

The Type 9s on Columbia are permanently equipped with phaser emitters of the Type IV variety.