Bussard collector

The Bussard collector, also known as the Bussard ramscoop, or simply the ramscoop, was a device usually attached to the forward end of a warp nacelle. The variation of the Bussard collector was known as the arva node. The collector, along with the Bussard collection coil, was called a Bussard unit. ( okudagram; )
All Federation starships were equipped with Bussard collectors, which were optimally positioned to collect interstellar particles. Collection worked best in regions where particle density was high, such as in star systems or nebulae. The Bussard collector normally collected hydrogen, especially deuterium, for fuel replenishment, but could be reconfigured to collect various gases like sirillium and plasma particles. A Bussard collector could also be reconfigured to expel gases or plasma. () Bussard collectors were not capable of producing nadion emissions. ()
Most Bussard collectors on Federation/United Earth Starships from the Phoenix in 2063, Enterprise NX-01 and the USS Enterprise had visible spinning impeller blades in the Bussard collectors. The impeller helped bring/attract hydrogen/other gases into the ramscoop for collection, then stored them in tanks. These visible impellers were mostly gone by the late 2270s, as Starfleet had developed other means for particle collection rendering the impellers obsolete. (; ; ; ; )
Aboard the , in the Engineering Systems Database, there was a folder titled "Bussard Collection Field Operations". This folder contained technical manuals relevant to the topic. ( okudagram)
Bussard collectors can be painfully bright to Human eyes. On the , viewports can be manually dimmed to prevent discomfort to those in rooms near the Bussard collectors. ()
== Modification and exceptional uses ==
In 2365, the USS Enterprise-D's collectors were used to create a harmless pyrotechnic display to deceive the Pakleds into releasing Lieutenant Geordi La Forge. The collectors were set to release hydrogen exhaust, which La Forge claimed to be a "crimson force field" that would disable the Pakleds' weaponry. ()
While trapped in a Tyken's Rift in 2367, the Enterprise-D released large quantities of hydrogen from its Bussard collectors to help some unknown aliens create a violent explosion and release themselves. ()
In 2373, the 's collectors were used to gather the sirillium from a class 17 nebula. It was described that they would "cut through that nebula like ice cream scoops." () They were modified to gather plasma particles from an astral eddy. ()
In 2374, Seven of Nine determined that the collectors of an starship were less than optimal. She performed a series of modifications that enhanced them by twenty-three percent. ()
In 2375, Commander William T. Riker used the 's collectors to gather, and then vent, metreon gas against attacking Son'a vessels, a maneuver which Commander La Forge nicknamed the Riker Maneuver. ()
In 2376, Voyagers collectors were modified to gather deuterium from a J class nebula. ()
In 2385, the 's collectors were used to gather deuterium from a maelstrom to refuel the nearly powerless starship, a move which involved the crew literally sailing the starship across a vapor ocean. Despite some difficulties, the effort was successful and the Protostars impulse and warp drives were restored, allowing the ship to leave Ysida for the first time in ten years. ()
== External links ==
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cs:Bussardův kolektor
de:Bussardkollektor
ja:バサード・コレクター
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Category:Warp
Category:Energy technology