Science is our first duty. Exploration is Starfleet's primary business, and science plays the most important role, for with it comes understanding. With the advent of new modes of travel and exploration, such as quantum slipstream drive, subspace transporters and the artificial wormhole network, the United Federation of Planets relies more than ever on the need for scientific excellence. The UFS Arcadia represents a bold step in that direction. The Arcadia's ongoing mission, always, is discovering and studying the physical wonders of the known universe. To this end, Arcadia utilizes a wide array of scientific design features.

Quantum-class starships such as the Arcadia are unique not just for the feature of Quantum Slipstream Drive, but their strong scientific focus. Therefore, science stations on such vessels receive high priority. This enables greater mission flexibility and management of all science-related resources.

• The main science station, or "science booth", sits along the port side of the bridge, to the left of the Command Ring. (See bridge layout, #12.) This station, normally manned by the Chief Science Officer, monitors and prioritizes all ongoing science missions and other missions requiring science components.
• The Science Mission Operations Console ("Sci-Ops") is located forward of the Command Ring, towards the viewscreen, and is manned by a Mission Ops Officer.
• Science Console Two ("Sci-2"), located to the right of the Mission Ops Console, is normally manned by a junior Science Officer assisting the on-duty senior Science Officer.

Arcadia has a major portion of two decks devoted to sciences, referred to as S1 (on Deck 7) and S2 (Deck 8), in the ship's forward module. The secondary computer core, directly above Stellar Cartography, facilitates most science operations when not under priority-override control.
• S1 houses the department's administrative offices, a central lounge (with replicator) for science crew, labs for Exobiology, Cultural Anthropology and Planetary Sciences, and Long-Range / Short-Range, Astrometric / Lateral Planetary Sensors.
• Stellar Cartography occupies most of S2, forward of Science Mission Control and Astrophysics, with a small area for Quantum Cartography studies tied to Main Engineering. Each area has its own equipment storage bay.

• Cultural Anthropology (S1) - Gathers, analyzes and catalogs sociological and historical artifacts as well as data concerning alien cultures. Boasts the third largest suite of labs, located along the port side of S1, between Cybernetics and Exobiology.
• Exobiology (S1) - Used by Biological Science Specialists for the study of alien life. This lab is available to Medical should the need arise. Also located on the port side of S1, adjacent to Cultural Anthropology.
• Cybernetics (S1) - A special section for cybernetic research. Officers from Sciences and Engineering can test finds and possible new applications. Located on the starboard side, S1, above Astrophysics.
• Stellar Cartography (S2) - Star-mapping and astronomical research are conducted here. SC can simulate celestial bodies in algorithmic or holographic format. In addition, simulations are updated in real-time with data recorded by all ship's sensors.
• Astrophysics (S2) - Adjacent to Stellar Cartography. In-depth research and analysis on atmospheric and spatial anomalies is performed here.
• Quantum Cartography (S2) - In much the same way Stellar Cartography studies celestial macro-phenomena, QC conducts research & analysis of space at the quantum level, including the effects of Quantum Slipstream Drive on the ship's internal & external environment. Maintains continuous datalink to computers in Main Engineering towards this end. Assists in quantum-engine efficiency improvements. Significant quantum occurrences are reported instantly to the on-duty officers in charge of Engineering and Sciences, as well as the Command Duty Officer.
• Planetary Sciences (S2) - After Stellar Cartography, this is the largest laboratory on the Arcadia, consisting of a suite of smaller labs able to mutually coordinate research projects. Hosts all scientific facilities needed for planetary analysis. Specialists in physical, natural, and biological sciences can be found here around the clock.

Long-Range Sensors - (20) Twenty redundant sensor pallets designed especially for Quantum-class starships. These sensors scan and provide usable data from the largest volume of space possible. Maximum sensor range under optimal conditions (without interference or obstruction) is approximately 10 light-years in high-resolution mode, or up to 60 light-years at medium-to-low resolution. Each pallet contains one of the following:

• Wide-angle active EM scanner, narrow-angle active EM scanner, 2.0 meter-diameter gamma-ray scope, variable-frequency EM flux sensor, parametric subspace field-stress sensor, gravimetric distortion scanner, passive neutrino imaging scanner, thermal imaging array, metreonic dispersion processing array, broadbeam active subspace scanner, narrow-beam active subspace scanner, panoramic passive subspace interferometer network, tunneling neutrino-emission detector network, warp-to-sublight ion deceleration detector, low-frequency subspace seismicity sensor, and warp activity detector/threat-analysis preprocessor. Of these twenty pallets, five are dedicated to flight operations and are online at all times, with five more on stand-by as backups. Two pallets are dedicated to primary missions, with up to three available for secondary missions. A maximum of five pallets are cycled out for preventative maintenance at any given time.

Type-1 • (10) Each type-1 pallet is equipped with wide-angle EM radiation imaging scanners, one (1) quark-population analysis counter, a Z-range particulate spectrometry sensor, and an interstellar chemistry analyzer. There are 10 total of these pallets onboard. Three are dedicated to flight ops and are online at all times, with three more as backups. One pallet is configured for primary missions, one for secondary missions, and two more cycled out for preventative maintenance. All additional sensor pallets except type-5 and type-6 have the same service ratios.
Type-2 • (10) Each contains a high-energy proton spectrometry cluster and a gravimetric distortion mapping scanner.
Type-3 • (10) These pallets contain maneuverable lifeform-analysis instrument clusters equipped with bioelectric sensor-web overlays.
Type-4 • (10) Contains an active magnetic interferometry scanner, a low-frequency EM flux sensor, a localized subspace field-stress sensor, a hydrogen filter subspace flux scanner, and a linear calibration subspace flux sensor.
Type-5 • (5) Each contains a variable-band optical imaging cluster, virtual aperture graviton flux spectrometer, high-resolution graviton flux spectrometer, and a very-low-energy graviton spin polarimeter. Five pallets: Two dedicated to flight ops; one to primary missions; one to secondary missions (if needed); one cycled out for maintenance.
Type-6 • (5) Contains passive-imaging gamma interferometry sensor, low-level thermal imaging sensor, fixed-angle frequency counter, and virtual particle mapping camera. Five type-6 pallets with same service ratios as type-5.

Class-1: Sensor Probe. These contain a full EM/subspace and interstellar chemistry sensor package for in-space applications. Powered by vectored deuterium microfusion. Telemetry transmits data over 12,500 channels at 12 MW (megaWatt) range. Maximum inventory: 20.
Class-2: Enhanced Sensor Probe. These have the same instrumentation as class-1 probes, with the addition of enhanced long-range particle field detectors and imaging systems; also deployed for in-space applications. Propulsion: Vectored deuterium microfusion with extended deuterium fuel reserves. Telemetry transmits on 15,650 channels at 20 MW. Maximum inventory: 20.
Class-3: Planetary Probe. These probes carry a terrestrial and gas-giant sensor package with material sample-and-return capability, as well as an onboard chemical analysis sub-module. Terrestrial landing capabilities from soft-landing to subsurface penetration. Designed to survive gas-giant atmospheric pressures to 450 dac. Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion. Telemetry transmits on 13,250 channels at 15 MW. Maximum inventory: 10.
Class-4: Stellar Encounter Probe. Can also be deployed for non-stellar energy phenomena. These contain triple-redundant stellar field- and particle-detectors, a full stellar atmospheric analysis suite, and six ejectable/survivable radiation subprobes. Powered by vectored deuterium microfusion, supplemented with a continuum driver coil. Telemetry transmits on 9,780 channels at 65 MW. Maximum inventory: 10.
Class-5: Medium Range Reconnaissance Probe. While designed for scientific use, recon probes are adaptable for tactical applications with the addition of a custom sensor / countermeasure package. Carries extended passive data gathering and recording systems along with a fully autonomous mission execution and return system. Atmospheric survivability and soft-landing capability. Powered by a dual-mode matter/antimatter engine (sublight to Warp 4). Telemetry transmits on 6,320 channels "in the clear" or 2,340 "scrambled" channels at 2.5 MW. Inventory: 10.
Class-6: Standard Communications-Relay / Energy-Beacon. Provides omnidirectional (360°) antenna coverage at .0001 arc-second high-gain pointing resolution. Contains a standard sensor package, powered by vectored deuterium microfusion engine with high-output MHD power-tap and an extended deuterium supply for transceiver power generation and planetary orbit changes. Telemetry transmits on 9,270 RF and subspace channels with subspace transceiver operating at 350 MW peak radiated power. Inventory: 5.
Class-7: Remote Culture Study Probe. These probes contain a passive data gathering system plus subspace transceivers. Provide data on cultures at Level-3 technology or lower. Maximum loiter time is 4 months. The destruct package is tied to anti-tamper detectors. Powered by dual-mode matter/antimatter engine (sublight to Warp 1.5). Telemetry transmits on 1,050 channels at 0.5 MW. Inventory: 5.
Class-8: Medium Range Warp Probe. The applications for these multimission probes vary from field research to early warning reconnaissance missions. They carry a standard sensor package plus mission-specific modules. Powered by a matter/antimatter warp-field sustainer engine with a flight duration of 6.5 hours at Warp 9. Telemetry transmits on 4,550 channels "in the clear" or 1320 "scrambled". Inventory: 5.
Class-9: Long Range Warp Probe. Typical application: An emergency log/message capsule on homing trajectory to nearest starbase or ship. Powered by a warp-field sustainer engine with a flight duration of 12 hours at Warp 9 and extended flight time of 14 days at Warp 8. Each Class-9 probe has a memory storage capacity of 3,400 kiloquads. Telemetry transmits on 6,500 channels at 230 MW with 50-channel transponder echo. Inventory: 5.

• Chief Science Officer - This position is manned by a science officer with superior management and administrative skills (rank: lieutenant or above). In charge of overall operation and functions of the various science sub-departments including personnel, records, and equipment. Sets departmental priorities, policy and guidelines (in accordance with Starfleet regulations). Serves as the captain's senior science advisor.
• Assistant Chief Science Officer - This officer's managerial and administrative skills are nearly equal to the CSO's. Rank: Lieutenant or lieutenant junior-grade. Assists in day-to-day management of the various sub-departments, including establishment and enforcement of duty rosters and scheduling. Interacts daily with key science personnel and ensures compliance with departmental policies.
• Senior Science Officers - Normally junior-grade lieutenants or above, these officers serve as Duty Officers for their respective shifts or fill other high-responsibility positions in the Sciences Department.
• Junior Science Officers - Normally ensigns assigned to specific high-discipline duties, such as Shift Stellar Cartographer, Shift Astrophysicist, or Geology Team leader. They may serve at the "Sci-Two" Console on the bridge.
• Science Mission Coordinator - Coordinates all phases of a mission. The Mission Coordinator is responsible for ensuring appropriate utilization of resources for the length of the mission. This officer approves sensor pallet usage, probe launches, and deployment of mission-specific Away Teams. The Chief Science Officer fulfills this function for a particular or primary mission, but may assign concurrent missions to other senior Science Officers depending upon mission complexity.
• Science Mission Operations Officer - Usually the senior Science Officer for a particular mission (Senior Geologist, Cartographer, Astrophysicist, etc.). Duty post: Science Mission Ops, bridge. The "Smoo" has many responsibilities while on duty and while a mission is in progress. Primarily responsible for monitoring activity relating to the mission. Assists the ship's Operations Manager, relieving that officer from responsibility for lower-priority tasks that must be monitored by a person rather than by computer. Mission Ops is also responsible for assignment of resources and priorities according to guidelines specified by the Ops Manager, operating protocols, and the mission order. Another important responsibility of Sci-Mission Ops is monitoring Away Team telemetry, including tricorder data and any other instrumentation utilized by the Away Team. During Away Team deployment, the Smoo also monitors all sensor data on the area of the Away Team's location. Provides the Command Duty Officer with pertinent information during the Away Team portion of the mission.
• Science Planning Team (SPT) - Also Science Mission Planning Team. This team reports directly to the Chief Science Officer and is composed of the seniors from each sub-department expected to be involved in a particular mission. The SPT has several crucial responsibilities:
• Resource determination: Analyzing the mission order and carefully designating resources, and determining what types are necessary to execute the mission. Available resources include sensor pallets, probes, recon shuttles and Away Teams. The SPT must also consider the amount of manpower to be allocated to the mission for each shift.
• Sequencing: The SPT must produce an integrated sequence of events for the guidance and monitoring of resource performance. In other words, they must outline the entire mission on a timeline. This timeline will show such details as what sensor pallet is to be used and when its activation will occur in the sequence of the mission. It will also show what probes will be necessary, any special instrumentation that may be added, and at what time-interval they will need to be launched.
• Coordination and implementation of routine activities: Includes such responsibilities as scheduling regular maintenance of crucial equipment and activities.
• Maintaining and monitoring compliance with the Mission Order: The Mission Order is the document authorizing the mission. It tells how the mission will be conducted in accordance with Starfleet regulations. If any deviations are required to the mission, the Science Planning Team must ensure that all such deviations are approved by the Chief Science Officer and updated to the Mission Order.

The MCT works in one of the science suites on Deck 8 (S2). Each suite consists of a group of consoles monitoring status data for all sensors and probes used in a mission. Each ongoing scientific mission is assigned one of these teams and a suite. The MCT is on duty around the clock, throughout the mission's duration. They approve sequences and real-time command instructions to sensors and probes used in the mission. Their goal is to collect as much usable data as possible and pass it on to the Science Data Team. Starfleet's standard mission requirement is 85% delivery of all possible data. Arcadia's Mission Control Teams consistently maintain a standard of 99% data delivery. Each team is made up of three highly qualified enlisted crewmen from the Sciences Department, with individual specific duties:
• A senior petty officer, usually a first-class petty officer, serves as Flight Controller for probes. Also acts as shift team leader.
• Working alongside is an Assistant Flight Controller, usually a second-class petty officer. These two ensure that sequences and command activities prepared by the Science Planning Team are uplinked to sensors and probes at the proper time. They also ensure that the data they send back is complete and that there are no instrumentation problems. One section of each of their consoles is dedicated to alarms, so if any part of the sensor, probe, or data stream is not behaving as it should, a message appears on the alarm screen. Some of these messages are warnings or alerts for such things as the need for further analysis.
• Data Analyst. Also a senior petty officer, responsible for verification of telemetry data (both science and engineering), preliminary data and analysis, making preliminary data requests available (such as Command Duty Officer update requests), and archiving data received from mission probes and sensors.
    The dedication and alertness of these teams ensures that each mission is trouble-free and any problems that do arise are dealt with immediately. The Mission Control Team is an essential part of a system that continues to provide the highest data-yielding missions in Starfleet.

    This team, usually led by an Engineering Chief Petty Officer but involving Sciences personnel, consists of one or more technicians in each of eight specialized areas related to probes and sensors. These areas are: Systems Engineering, Attitude Determination and Control, Command and Data Handling Subsystems, Power Subsystems, Telemetry Subsystems, Propulsion Systems (including probes), Sensor Pallet Configuration, and Sensor Enhancement.
    The team leader ensures that nothing is overlooked. The PAT works to prevent problems before they happen and solve those that do occur. Since the PAT's primary responsibility is analyzing & maintaining equipment "health", and because so many operation aspects of the mission involve mission hardware, they are necessarily involved in sequence planning, design, and review. On an ongoing basis, the PAT generates routine and contingency operations procedures, performs engineering studies of system hardware performance, and maintains telemetry databases. When critical activities are taking place, the members of the Performance Analysis Team provide support to Science Mission Ops personnel.

The SDT, led by a Chief Petty officer from the Sciences Department, consists of several enlisted technical specialists from each field of science involved in the mission. Their job is to turn "raw" data into usable data, in what is called the "build process". There are several steps involved, each adding more information to datafiles in order to refine probe and sensor observations used in the mission. The SDT also refines partially processed data from the Mission Control Team's Data Analyst. Once processed, the data is packaged, archived, and prepared for distribution to the Federation scientific community.

The Department of Sciences, like all ship's departments, is concerned with procedure, regulations, and chain of command. However, science advances through innovation, intuition, and invention. Thus, those in Sciences are allowed a certain "leeway" when complying with these guidelines, so long as such leniency does not permit conflict with standard regulations.

1. Gather and analyze information for the purpose of enhancing the Federation's understanding of the universe.

2. Support the ship's primary mission by gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information.

3. Use research and theoretical skills to support routine shipboard activities, and enhance other departments' efficiency or equipment as requested.

Note: While Starfleet Sciences operation manuals prioritize the above order, other documents providing guidelines to Command and other departments may present a different emphasis. The ship's commanding officer determines discretion on a case-by-case basis.

• Department members receive direction from Command staff (CO/XO) and/or the Chief Science Officer.
• If & when the highest-ranking Science Officer is not available, the next highest-ranking Science Officer has authority to act in place of the superior Science Officer.
• When providing support and assistance to other departments, science personnel are not to contest staff or policy of any other department.
• Should inter-department conflicts arise, the chief officers of the involved departments should be called promptly. Resolution should be attempted at the department chief level.

Minimum staffing of science personnel on the bridge should generally be as follows. Exceptions may be made for department meetings, Away Teams, critical experiments, etc.

• Docking Mode - No science support necessary.
• Cruise Mode - One (1) science officer minimum.
• Yellow Alert - Two (2) science officers minimum, including the Chief Science Officer.
• Red Alert - Up to four (4) science officers, who are not involved in other crucial activity.
• Upon detecting anomalies or entering an unknown system, the senior Science Officer on duty shall call full science staff to the bridge (if not already present).
• Intruder Alert - Science staff is to arm and assume defensive positions. Science personnel should comply with direction from Command or Security, and not initiate conflict without direction.
• Upon condition red, yellow, or intruder alerts, all experiments which might become hazardous are to be rendered inert if possible.
• In addition to normal scan, probe, and analysis duties, science personnel on the bridge may be asked to relieve Conn, Tactical, or Ops personnel. Should this relief be extended, or should the work load call for it, a science officer on bridge duty may call the Chief Science Officer at any time for additional assistance.

As the Arcadia's science staff is extended, some duties normally performed by specialists in other departments may be performed on a part-time basis by science personnel. These duties are mainly supportive operations, such as tuning systems and enhancing performance. Engineering is to be called for major incidents requiring replication and replacement.

Sciences may designate a "science lead" on missions of a significant scientific nature. This will be a specialist with the most knowledge in the appropriate field, not necessarily the ranking or senior department member. The science lead should make the needs of Sciences known to the Away Team leader, without questioning the AT leader's authority and responsibility.

Sciences usually assigns a "recorder" to Away Teams. This individual's responsibility is to generate a complete record of an investigation, as well as support the science lead. In an emergency, when the Away Team leader is evaluating and stabilizing a situation, the recorder should also report Away Team status to the ship. This continues until the AT leader can resume communications responsibility.

The science staff will, on request, assist any department in optimizing equipment for unusual tasks. In such cases the Chief Science Officer is to be contacted as required.

The science staff will in general not alter the configuration of any equipment without the knowledge and consent of the normal operators of the equipment. Should a need for altered configuration arise, duly designated science personnel will arrive with a new computer configuration file in hand, offering assistance in switchover.

Science support on the bridge and Away Teams provides perspective on the ship's mission and the local environment, giving other departments better working knowledge of the ship's condition and internal occurrences. Sciences assigns liaisons to other departments in order to exchange information and report problems. Liaisons are to conform to any protocols requested by department chiefs while visiting other departments. Should a department request science support, the person assigned will usually be their liaison. Liaisons can expect to interact with Command and chiefs in other departments.