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star trek - How long can a galaxy class starship last before it needs servicing?


Assuming a Galaxy class starship were to work on a regular schedule (i.e. exploring, diplomatic missions etc. but NO battle), how long can it last before it has to return to a starbase for servicing?


I appreciate this may be difficult finding a series of episodes from TNG where the Enterprise-D does not battle between going to a Starbase, so, if it is absolutely necessary, battle can be included, but no major damage...



Answer



3 Years (ish) of normal operations


Whilst the TNG Technical Manual suggests that the Enterprise has the theoretical



"ability to operate independent of starbase refurbish-ment for extended periods. Independent exploration mode capability of seven Standard years at nominal Warp 6 velocity for docked configuration. Ability to execute deep-space exploration missions including charting and mapping, first cultural contact scenarios, and full biologic and ecologic studies.




the reality is that there are a number of service issues that would affect their ability to do so.


Fuel


The Enterprise-D seems to have sufficient antimatter (and Deuterium matter) fuel supplies to undertake 3 years of a normal mission profile without the need to refuel.


Antimatter
Each pod contains a maximum volume of 100 m^3 of antimatter, giving a 30-pod total starship supply of 3000 m^3, enough for a normal mission period of _three years_. Each is connected by shielded conduits to a series of distribution manifolds, flow controllers, and electro plasma system (EPS) power feed inputs.


Matter
The total internal volume, which is compartmentalized against losses due to structural damage, is 62,200 m^3. As with the volume of antimatter loaded for a typical multimission segment, a full load of deuterium is rated to last approximately _three years_.


Warp Core


The same source also notes that the engines must be maintained (at Starbase) every 10,000 hours of usage (approximately 1 year). Assuming the average mission requires a day of travel for every two days of actually doing stuff, this also works out to around 3 years


Standard in-flight preventative maintenance is not intended for the warp engine, since the core and the power transfer conduits can be serviced only at a Starfleet yard or starbase equipped to perform Class 5 engineering repairs. While docked at one of these facilities, the core can be removed and dismantled for replacement of such components as the magnetic constrictor coils, refurbishment of interior protective coatings, and automated inspection and repair of all critical fuel conduits. The typical cycle between major core inspections and repairs is 10,000 operating hours.



Warp Coils


The primary and secondary Warp coils also need "neutron purge refurbishment" every "2,000,000 Cochrane-hours". Given that a warp six field is 392 Cochranes, we can see that the main engines need to be overhauled at least every 3-4 years of normal use (or much sooner if high warp speeds are used regularly).


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