USS Loma Prieta : NCC-26848

THIS WEEK IN STELLAR CARTOGRAPHY: 
Stellar Cartographer Ensign Shawn Alpay here! Captain Perkins wanted me to provide you some context on a few very exciting stellar occurrences happening this week.

Saturday May 5 at 0835 PDT will yield the largest full moon of the year. The perigree of this “supermoon” will generate the largest tides seen in some time, exerting 42% more tidal force than the apogee two weeks later. To residents in the Loma Prieta’s San Francisco sector, I can happily report that such events harbor no known link to earthquakes.

Also this week is one of the best chances in your lifetime to see Venus with the naked eye. ‘Sol II’ will be best observed about an hour after sunset; it appears in the night sky beneath and to the right of the Moon. It’ll be closest to Earth on June 5th, but by then its phase will be thinner, due to its angle towards the Sun. At that time, however, we’ll be able to observe an eclipse-like Transit of Venus, during which the planet travels over the Sun; get your solar observation equipment handy, because this won’t happen again until 2117!

Speaking of eclipses, our next solar eclipse will occur in November, but you’ll have to be somewhere near the Oceania sector for the best view.

Finally, your moment of Zen: a binary star dubbed Sagittarii 2012 exploded into space last week. Of course, this occurred many years ago, but only now do Earth-dwellers observe such splendor. Google ‘Sagittarii 2012’ at your LCARS terminal to see a video of the nova’s appearance. 

~Ensign Shawn Alpay
Stellar Cartographer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

APRIL SCIENCE REPORT:
The Beginnings of a Positronic Brain: Great headway is currently being made by Earth’s cyberneticists and the quest to create a sentient android. The BrainScaleS project has succeeded in launching their first prototype of neuromorphic hardware that emulates parts of the humanoid natural brain. It is an eight inch large wafer equipped with 51 million artificial synapses. In three years, when they are finished with the project, the artificial brain will be able to re-create neurological processes 10,000 times faster than in human brains. No doubt this research will be the building blocks that will lead to Dr. Noonien Soong’s success in creating a positronic brain. 

Earth Claims Discovery of Oldest Planets: Recently Earth astronomers came upon the oldest alien planets discovered yet: 2 Jupiter-sized planets that were formed before the Milky Way galaxy was even formed. These 2 planets are estimated to be 12.8 billion years old and are 375 light-years away. No word from the Federation yet on whether a ship is going to be re-routed to explore these ancient planets.

Distilling Alcohol in Space: Long space missions can be very difficult to endure, so it is important to keep the ship’s inhabitants in good spirits—to that end NanoRacks LLC, with the assistance of Ardbeg distillery, is conducting a two-year experiment to create better alcohol for our comrades exploring the far reaches of the galaxy. Unmatured malt has been sent to the International Space Station orbiting Earth, where they will see how it develops without gravity. Everyone is very excited about the experiment and what will be learned about the chemical building blocks for new flavors. 

~Ensign Amy Sloan
Cyberneticist
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

As the Captain of a starship, you’re afforded a few privileges that they don’t typically mention in the literature at your local Starfleet recruiting office. It turns out that one of those privileges is recruiting a private chef, and then ordering operations to deactivate all the replicators for the day so that you can show of your new chef to your senior staff. 

And that’s exactly what I did when I recruited Ensign Chef Scott Spencer. And then, like that hack Emeril, I kicked it up a notch to warp 11. Instead of just serving the senior staff a meal of intergalactic proportions, I decided to secretly transport and trap them in a holodeck while they ate. Just as appetizers were being served, my senior staff found themselves assuming the roles of the crew of the USS Enterprise-D circa the late 2360s, just as they returned from their now famous away mission to recover the mythical and elusive Orb of Knowledge. 

Cmdr Jon Sung was transformed into LtCmdr Data, while LtCmdr Tom Hesser became LtCmdr Geordi LaForge. Capt. Erik Roberts was Lt. Worf, En. Cindy Bee was En. Ro, En. Kristin Koperski as Counselor Troi, En. Jesse MacKinnon as Cmdr. Riker, En. Amy Sloan as Dr. Crusher, and Lt(jg) Ben Roodman played Guinan, complete with iconic hat! Meanwhile, I assumed the role of ‘Admiral Di Lithium’ to oversee the simulation, while Lt. Samantha Dolgoff, En. Andy Smith, En. Carla Newman, Crewman Ian Sayre, and Crewman Jessie Philipp served as supervisory staff. 

Back in the galley, Ensign Chef Scott Spencer, assisted by Crewman Jenny Wilson and Crewman Chris Leung as his kitchen staff, began serving us amazing dishes from all over the Alpha and Beta quadrants. From Andorian tuber root to asparagus in yamuk sauce, targ in blood wine to the exotic ‘Parthas a la Yuta’, it was a five star meal that an Admiral would dream of. 

While we washed down our meal with a healthy mix of Klingon Bloodwine, Château Picard, and Federation Standard Synthale, the crew gradually unraveled the mystery of the disappearance of the Orb of Knowledge from the Enterprise-D. ***SPOILER ALERT*** They were all guilty! However, I choose to omit from my log exactly how and in what way they were guilty; you’ll have to pick up your own vintage copy of the ‘How To Host a Star Trek TNG Mystery’ holo-program to find out!

~Capt. Zach Perkins
Commanding Officer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

Yep, we went again. At this rate, I’m starting to think that we should just re-name the USS Loma Prieta’s ship’s bar to “the Academy”. Our ‘bar’ would be like Ten Forward, the arboretum, AND the holodeck combined. Best ship’s lounge ever, amirite?? 

An away team lead by myself, Capt. Zach Perkins, and accompanied by LtCmdr. Tom Hesser, Lt. Samantha Dolgoff, En. Cindy Bee, and En. Kristin Koperski beamed down to the luxurious landing pads of the California Academy of Science to survey their impressive array of artificial lifeforms and various other automated works of art. 

Lt. Dolgoff and I first rendezvoused with Admiral David Nottage of the USS Golden Gate, and together we attended an in-depth holographic simulation and briefing on NASA’s 21st century robotic missions to explore Sector 001. Afterwards, we re-grouped with the rest of the USS Loma Prieta crew for a bite to eat at the Academy’s mess hall. The crew proceeded to sample some fine Earth beverages until our servos were sufficiently ‘lubricated’ to proceed with our survey. 

Our first discovery was a set of robots made out of household items, like kitchen dish brushes, which were thoroughly amusing. We again encountered the same pre-Borg spheres that we had discovered during our previous Academy away mission (this time they threatened us with an eerie electronic cry of “EXTERMINATE!!!”), as well as an R2-D2 style droid made out of a discarded Heineken mini-keg, and even a pair of small spider-like robots that seemed intent on trying to mate with our shoes. 

Before the evening concluded, we learned that the Academy of Sciences would soon be hosting a Night Life celebration for Yuri’s Night, on April 12th, which is a global celebration Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. We immediately knew that this wouldn’t be the last time the Loma Prieta paid a visit to the Academy…

~Capt. Zach Perkins
Commanding Officer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

On December 27th, 2011, it was with great pride that I received orders from Starfleet’s Chief of Operations to assume full command of the USS Loma Prieta. Under her new registry designation of NCC-26848, we brought the Loma Prieta to full readiness as a mainstay vessel of the Fourth Fleet.  It had only been six months prior, with a skeleton crew of officers and crewmen, that we took the aging Ambassador class cruiser out of dry-dock and began the painstaking process of upgrading, recruiting, and taking her through what I believe to have been one of the most exciting and accomplished shakedown cruises that the fleet has ever seen. On January 28th of 2012, all of our hard work came to fruition when we hosted a truly epic celebration in Starfleet Academy’s Presidio district, and opened our doors to a flood of new crew members, visiting dignitaries, and Starfleet flag officers. 

Everything on the menu that day was remarkable. From Cmdr. Jon Sung’s stash of Romulan Ale, to the case of Klingon Blood Wine that I bartered for from a shady Ferenghi merchant. From Lt(jg) Nicole Lippmann’s expert bar-tending skills, to LtCmdr Tom Hesser’s home-made Hassperat and Ensign Tria Connel’s tea sandwiches. And last but not at all least; Lt Samantha Dolgoff’s Gagh, Sisko-style Cajun Gumbo, and her special BBQ Targ recipe; the entire menu was truly of galactic proportions. 

The events throughout the day were also not to be missed. I’d like to thank Lt(jg) Ben Roodman for seeing to our ‘Zero-G Combat Training’ facilities (ie: the bounce house); LtCmdr Hesser for handling the arduous process of setting up our ARTEMIS consoles for the ‘Kobyashi Maru Beatdown’ tactical exercise; Chief Petty Officer Cody Bratt for his highly skilled photography and portrait taking skills; Ensign Andy Smith for funding our USS Loma Prieta branded shot glasses; Yeoman Cindy Bee for being the best cheerleader (and the worst tactical officer) a crew could ever ask for; Lt Samantha Dolgoff for being the best chef and secret girlfriend (SHHH! Don’t tell Starfleet or they’ll reassign us!) a Captain could have; and most of all I’d like to thank our illustrious First Officer, Cmdr Jon Sung for hosting the entire thing, and for tolerating the giant mess we made. 

I would also like to thank Admiral David Nottage, CO of the USS Golden Gate (Region 4, San Francisco), for officiating our ceremony; Captain Joshua Andrews, CO of the USS Sandstorm (Region 4, Las Vegas) and Vice Admiral Jerry Tien, CO of the USS Eagle (Region 4, Fremont) for gracing us with their esteemed presence; and Captain Erik Roberts, XO of the USS Paegan (Region 2, Florida) who has since transferred to the USS Loma Prieta as our new Chief of Security! I’d also like to thank all of the new friends and crew-mates who attend our party. Many of you have already registered for Starfleet and joined us as commissioned officers, and we’re looking forwarded to adding even more of you at our next meeting! 

~Capt. Zach Perkins
Commanding Officer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4

Chief Engineer’s Log: Having successfully traveled back into the early 21st century, we arrived at the California Academy of Sciences, and the crew of the USS Loma Prieta split into teams to examine various aspects of this historic building which. By the mid 22nd century, this bastion of scientific wonder was relocated to make way for the construction of Starfleet Headquarters and Starfleet Academy.  

Leading the Engineering team, and accompanied by Ensign Cindy Bee, we proceeded to examine future engineering technology as it applied to space travel during the early 21st century.  Our attention was drawn to the NASA table containing the Kepler project. The Kepler project, or just “Kepler”, is NASA’s first attempt to find class M planets outside our own solar system.  At this point in Earth history, the only manned space exploration has been to the Earth’s moon. 

Using a specially designed, very sensitive, wide-field telescope called a photometer, Kepler seeks to detect planets that can support life, by detecting light from nearby stars that is periodically blocked by orbiting planetoids.  Kepler was launched into orbit around the Earth’s sun (Sol) on March 6, 2009  and functions as a very precise light meter. Data from at least three transits of a planetoid must be collected in order to ensure that it is indeed a planet orbiting the given star. Transits occur when the orbit of a planet is along our line of sight to a star. These transits can last from a few hours to about half a day and happen once per orbit. 

Once enough data has been collected, scientists can determine both the planet’s size and its orbit from the transits. The planet’s size determines if you could have a life-sustaining atmosphere. Knowing the orbit and type of a star, scientists can determine if the planet is in the “HZ” of that star. The HZ refers to the “habitable zone” and is the range of distance from a star where liquid water can exist on a planet’s surface.  With the current understanding of carbon-based life, water is required for the chance for life to develop on a planet outside our solar system, at least life similar to our own. Of course, finding such a planet does not guarantee that it will support life, but this is the first step that NASA has taken to determine this without resorting to further manned missions within the galaxy. 

Kepler is pointed at a rich star field in the Cygnus and Lyra regions of our galaxy, the Milky Way, and continuously monitors more than 100,000 stars to look for planets.  In the early 21st century, the world was still using a system called the Internet to communicate and store information. By current Starfleet standards, the system was laughably inadequate. Using this medium, information regarding the project could be found at the internet address of http://kepler.nasa.gov. It is amusing to note that Starfleet crews have visited thousands of class M planets in its history, and one has to wonder if the Kepler project had detected any of those beforehand. Upon completing our research, myself and Ensign Cindy Bee concluded our reports and went in search of synth ale, however it hasn’t been invented yet so we had to drink a regional version of beer instead. I have to say, programmers for the replicators and manufacturers of synth ale should really come back in time and get some samples of beer so that they can more closely duplicate the flavors. If only the Academy had been dispensing whiskey, now that would’ve been a wonderful history lesson.

~Lt. Tom Hesser
Chief Engineer
USS Loma Prieta
Starfleet, Region 4