Bridge

Primary operational control of the Nova class starship is provided by the Main Bridge, located at the top of the Saucer Module on Deck 1. The Main Bridge directly supervises all primary mission operations and coordinates all departmental activities.

The central area of the Main Bridge provides seating and information displays for the commander and First officer. Directly fore of the command area is the Flight Control Officer, who faces the main viewer. And fulfills the Role of Navigation and in an emergency can also act as a Operations and Tactical position.

### Layout

The Operations Position is located on the port aft Side of the bridge, and staffed Operations Manager and room for a second Crewman. Ops is responsible for responsible for coordinating the activities of the Ships departments and for allocating resources such as power, sensor usage, and computer Time.

On the opposite side of the Bridge is the Tactical Officers position, with seating for a second crewman as well. This station is responsible for weaponry, Defense, and internal security Directly Aft of the Command area are the Bridge engineering Stations. at the center is the Master Systems Display (MSD) of the entire ship, giving the Engineers a quick display of all critical systems within the ship. directly to either side of the MSD are 2 Engineering consoles with seats for the Engineering staff on duty assigned to the Bridge.

The Science Stations is located on the starboard aft side of the bridge. The station was designed to monitor scientific activity aboard the ship, and was manned by a science officer. Science stations could also be used to query a starship's library computer. The science station can seat 2 people working at the same time. This station is used for Mission Specific Science functions as well as a Medical Reference Position.

At the very front of the bridge chamber is located a large (4.8 x 2.5 meter) visual display panel. This main viewer is generally used to display the output of one of the forward optical scanners, but can easily be reset for any other visual, informational, or communications use. When in communications mode, the main viewer shares the use of a dedicated subprocessor, which permits near-instantaneous conversion and display of nearly any visual communications format. The main viewer display matrix includes omni-holographic display elements and is thus capable of displaying three-dimensional information.

### Construction

Behind the aft workstations is a 3.2 meter equipment bay, normally sealed to crew personnel. This equipment bay houses three of the seven dedicated bridge computer optical subprocessors, and six of the twelve shared subprocessors. Also located in this equipment bay are several power, environmental, and optical data trunk connects. The remaining computer subprocessors are located in smaller equipment bays integral to the aft stations, in the side bays port and starboard of the command area, and in the deck structure between Conn and Ops and the main viewer.

Major connects to the bridge include two standard turbolift shafts, and four electro plasma power distribution waveguide conduits. Additional connects include four environmental support plenum groups, nine primary and two backup optical data network trunks, two replicator waveguide conduits, and three service crawl ways.

Because of the criticality of bridge systems, especially in emergency situations, the Main Bridge is designated as an emergency environmental support shelter, receiving priority life support from two special protected utilities trunks. These feeds permit Class M conditions to be maintained for up to seventy-two hours even in the event of failure of both primary and reserve environmental systems. Also provided within the bridge shell are two emergency atmospheric and power supply modules, each capable of providing up to twenty-four hours of atmosphere and lighting in the event of total environmental systems failure.

The Main Bridge module is connected to the spaceframe structure with a series of 320 7.2 cm duranium fastening rods. These fasteners can be disengaged at major starbase layover, permitting disconnect and replacement of the entire bridge module. Torsion relief and vibration damping are provided by a series of 17 mm microfoamed AGP semi-fiexible ceramic gaskets which form the mechanical interface between the structures.

The Main Bridge shell is constructed from an interlaced microfoam duranium filament shell gamma welded to a tritanium truss structural framework. The inner environmental envelope is fabricated from low-density expanded ceramic-polymercomposite segments, providing both atmospheric integrity and thermal insulation. During the initial space-worthiness tests of the original USS Nova prototype vessel, the standard Nova class bridge module was not yet fully operational.

Instead, a custom-built module was used that was equipped with independent life-support and sublight propulsion capabilities. This unit was used as a self-contained crew compartment during the initial shakedown and could have been ejected, carrying the crew to safety in the event of a catastrophic failure of the spaceframe or propulsion system.

It is anticipated that the current bridge configuration of the Nova class starship will remain relatively unchanged for a number of years. Current planning calls for annual design reviews of the bridge and control systems, with major system replacements projected at twenty-year intervals.

### Bridge Operations

Operational authority for the starship rests with the Commanding Officer (usually the captain or duty officer). The Commanding Officer is responsible for execution of Starfleet orders and policy, as well as for interpretation and compliance with Federation law and diplomatic directives. As such, the Commanding Officer is directly answerable to Starfleet Command for the performance of the ship.

The Main Bridge is directly responsible for the supervision of all primary mission functions. Through the Operations Manager, the bridge also monitors all secondary mission functions to provide an optimal operating state. The multimission operational profile of the Solstice requires extensive coordination between different departments. The Main Bridge also serves as a command center during alert and crisis situations.

#### Bridge Operations During Alert Conditions

* Cruise Mode. This is the normal operating status of the spacecraft. Cruise Mode operating rules require a minimum bridge staff of Commanding Officer (typically the captain), Flight Control Officer, Operations Manager, and at least one other officer available to serve at tactical or other stations as required. Other stations may be attended as specific mission requirements dictate.
* Yellow Alert. During Yellow Alert condition, all active bridge stations are automatically brought to Full Enable Mode. Auto diagnostics (Level 4) are initiated for all primary and tactical systems. Ops is responsible for evaluating all current operations and shipboard activities and suspending any that may interfere with ship's readiness to respond to potential crisis situations
* Red Alert. During Red Alert condition, all bridge stations are automatically brought to Full Enable Mode. Tactical systems are placed on full alert and, if unoccupied, the duty security chief will occupy the bridge Tactical station.Control/display panels aboard the USS Solstice are software-defined surfaces that are continually updated and reconfigured for maximum operator efficiency and ease of use. Each panel is tied into a local subprocessor that continually monitors panel activity and compares it to predefined scenarios and operational profiles. This permits the computer to continually update the panel configuration to provide the operator with a current menu of the most likely current actions. This also provides the operator with sufficient information and flexibility to determine and execute nonprogrammed instructions, if desired.

### Stations

The Bridge layout Consists of seven Main Stations that are to be manned during all Shifts.

* Command Stations
* Flight Controller (CONN)
* Operations Management (OPS)
* Mission Ops
* Tactical
* Science Station
* Engineering