USS Spirit
The USS Spirit is an experimental test bed operated by the Star Fleet Corps of Engineers and was the first starship built by Star Fleet to successfully use Quantum Slipstream Drive.
Design
In order to assist in the creation of a stable Slipstream, the Spirit was relatively small; approximately five decks high, and featured a tapered streamline hull with small wings near the front of the vessel and tailfin at the rear. The ship's warp nacelles were suspended on pylons extending out and down from the top of the rear of the vessel. Internally the Spirit was filled with sensors to collect data on Slipstream travel, though in any production-model vessel these would likely be replaced with crew quarters, science labs and other systems found on ships of exploration.
History
After years of trial and error, sometimes spectacular failures, and the loss of several skilled test pilots, the Spirit was Star Fleet's last-ditch attempt to create and maintain a stable Quantum Slipstream. For the first test-run of the Quantum Slipstream Drive, the Spirit's Commanding Officer, Captain Mark Rademaker of the Star Fleet Corps of Engineers, piloted the ship himself - he was successful. Further flights were carried out, each one increasing the duration of travel, maintaining a stable Slipstream for twelve hours before the drive overheated and had to be shut down - a duration not yet exceeded by any Slipstream vessel.
The Spirit remains in service as a test bed for systems designed to be used at Slipstream velocities, and Star Fleet intends to produce a limited run of Spirit-class Scouts based on the original design for long-distance scouting missions.
