Grissom Class
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The Grissom-class surveyor is Starfleet's most advanced deep-space mapping platform. Designed as the successor in both form and function to the venerable and long-serving Oberth-class surveyor, this small starship provides Starfleet Cartography with detailed surveys of stars, planets, gravitational fields, and subspace to support safe and efficient warp navigation. In addition to its primary stellar cartography mission, the Grissom is capable of undertaking general scientific and exploratory assignments.
Science and Exploration
Like the Oberth-class of the 23rd century, the Grissom-class enters the 25th century as a dedicated scientific surveyor. This class was designed specifically to carry highly sensitive long-range sensors, ideal for stellar cartography missions. While a large explorer might have more sensor arrays, a ship of this class is intended to create detailed maps of space using the large instruments carried in her outrigger pod, the purpose of this pod being to hold these sensors further away from the ship's power generation and engine systems to minimize the impacts of localized interference on their operation. The equipment found aboard the Grissom-class is capable of mapping gravitational fields and subspace in great detail, which helps other starships plot optimal routes while traveling at warp. Another purpose of this mapping is to monitor subspace for any degradation caused to subspace by warp travel, especially from old-style warp engines.
To support her stellar mapping mission, the Grissom has two full astrometrics labs and a stellar cartography viewing chamber, all three of which are located in the secondary hull with direct connections to the sensors in the outrigger. Having multiple lab spaces allows several teams to analyze different types of data concurrently without impacting one another. For most missions, the stellar cartography department is the largest single team on the ship, encompassing specialists in everything from astrophysics to cosmology to subspace dynamics.
The Grissom is also capable of undertaking general science missions, with a half-dozen mission-configurable labs. Compared to the Oberth, the Grissom is much more capable of performing two different scientific missions at the same time: en route to a biological survey, the ship would likely also be conducting its normal stellar cartography surveys, with visiting biologists on board for just that mission and the stellar cartography team part of its normal crew. This ability to multitask stems from the ship’s much greater internal volume, thanks to miniaturized power generation systems and more advanced hull construction methods.
A full complement of survey probes is carried in the outrigger, ranging from multi-spatial probes to standard observation drones. These are launched through two forward launchers on the dorsal surface of the outrigger. Uniquely for a vessel of her small size, the Grissom also has a specialized lab for the construction of new probes. This is often useful when the ship is assigned to study unique interstellar phenomena that require specially built probes to explore.
Typically, Grissom-class ships don't perform the first pass of a star system or sector. They follow larger explorers to perform more detailed studies. Still, given their powerful systems, they do often make important discoveries that Starfleet's larger and more prestigious ships missed.
Diplomacy
Grissom-class ships are not suited for most diplomatic missions. Their low top speed and their high value for scientific tasks also make them a poor choice for courier missions. In the rare circumstances where a ship of this class is the first to encounter a new civilization, they must evaluate the situation very carefully to make contact, as they would be vulnerable should anything go wrong. They are, however, useful for third- or fourth-contact missions when scientific data is exchanged between a new contact and the Federation.
Engineering
Squinting, it would be easy to mistake the Grissom for the earlier Oberth, as they share the same layout. The Grissom, however, has much more organic curves, which significantly expand its internal volume. The small primary hull is joined directly to the secondary hull, both of which are roughly elliptical. The warp nacelles are mounted above the ship, above the pylons connecting the secondary hull to the outrigger. 95% of the ship’s habitable space is within the primary and secondary hulls, with the outrigger accessed only for non-routine service and containing the deflector dish, long-range sensors, probe bay, and fuel tanks.
Like her predecessor, the Grissom is meant to be easy to operate and maintain, with an engineering staff of just a dozen. This has been accomplished by using off-the-shelf propulsion and life support systems as much as was practical; the ship’s warp core and warp coils have been lifted entirely from the Nova-class design and have nearly thirty years of proven service from which enhancements to reliability have been made. Organic engineers are supplemented by a Long-Term Engineering Hologram, which is especially useful when servicing components in the uninhabitable sections of the outrigger.
Speed-limiting software also reduces maintenance requirements by restricting the Grissom to a normal maximum speed of Warp 8, though Warp 8.5 can be sustained for up to twelve hours in an emergency. Impulse power is provided by two oversized engines on the stern of the secondary hull, allowing the Grissom to maintain position even near powerful phenomena such as black holes and neutron stars.
The Grissom has a single shuttle bay located on the aft end of the primary hull, where it meets the secondary hull. It is capable of carrying only two small shuttles or four shuttle pods. Notably for a ship of this size, the Grissom has six heavy tractor beam emitters placed around the ship, which are used both for standard towing missions and to manipulate objects like asteroids or comets for scientific purposes. Two are located near the center of the secondary hull on the dorsal surface, with direct connections to the ship's main power conduits.
Tactical
Like the Nova-class, the Grissom is well armed for a vessel of its size. Learning from the vulnerability of the older Oberth-class, Starfleet substantially increased the defensive capabilities of its successor. Twelve Type-X phaser arrays provide comprehensive coverage around the vessel, while two forward torpedo launchers carry a limited complement of photon torpedoes. Despite these armaments, the Grissom is not intended for combat. Its maneuverability and defensive systems are primarily intended to allow the vessel to disengage from hostile encounters and retreat to safety.
Shipboard Life
While smaller ships often have a reputation for being less comfortable than their larger cousins, the Grissom is an exception to this rule. Despite being larger than the Oberth, she carries the same number of crew members, which means that her accommodation standards are higher. Crew are housed in both the primary and secondary hulls, with the majority of personnel having a private cabin with a window. The ship’s lounge has large aft-facing windows in the primary hull, and there are two holosuites and a full-size holodeck (which can also be used for scientific simulations). This high standard of living is meant to help ease the stress that comes with long-duration deep space missions, where crews might go months without entering a star system, let alone setting foot on a planet’s surface.
Service on a Grissom-class ship means getting access to the best equipment available, and most surfaces are kept gleaming white. Holographic displays supplement traditional LCARS touch interfaces, and every compartment is accessible to holograms. Due to these ships’ long missions and exposure to dangerous phenomena, they have more medical personnel than most ships of this size. Medical support is provided by a small sickbay module, with a standard medical staff of two doctors and four nurses, as well as a counselor.
A posting to a Grissom-class ship is a prestigious assignment for any scientist specializing in space science, as they have some of the best equipment available for detailed interstellar surveys. During their long missions, crews develop a strong team-based atmosphere, and things are often less formal than aboard a larger ship. This level of collegiality is necessary for the rigorous academic debates which shape good science, and captains often encourage it by hosting social functions and colloquia to help their crews stimulate their minds. Being part of a small crew, though, means interpersonal problems can quickly become difficult to handle, especially when working in close quarters, so crew members are carefully screened for their interpersonal as well as scientific talents. Crew members in departments other than science tend to be relatively junior, with many roles in security, operations, and engineering filled by commissioned officers because those departments are small.
The Grissom-class History
By the middle of the 24th century, Oberth-class vessels had become some of the most prolific starships in Federation service. Originally developed as dedicated science vessels, the class had expanded into numerous utility roles, including cargo transport and scouting duties. Its simple construction also made the Oberth a useful technological testbed, with systems developed aboard experimental vessels later incorporated into designs such as the Galaxy-class. During the 2370s, the Nova-class increasingly assumed planetary survey duties, while utility vessels such as the California-class and Parliament-class took over many of the Oberth class's other support roles. By the 2390s, however, Starfleet again required a dedicated deep-space surveyor optimized for detailed interstellar mapping.
The Oberth was so adept at these surveys that Starfleet Science was insistent that the new design follow the principles of the old one in as many ways as possible, especially with having sensitive scientific equipment held far away from the ship’s warp core and other radiation-producing systems. After a lengthy design process, the Grissom was developed as an evolutionary step forward, incorporating new technology into the same basic hull form. The Grissom herself was launched in late 2398. Following a short shakedown cruise, it was judged to be a success, and an initial order for two hundred of these ships was placed.
The Grissom-class In-Play
- While roughly the same size as the Nova (in terms of habitable volume), the Grissom is meant to perform very different missions. The outrigger of the Grissom carries bulky long-range sensing equipment intended for mapping missions, while the Nova is adept at studying planets. These two ships complement one another, and both are being built at the same time. Occasionally, you’ll see either of these classes performing the mission type intended for the other, as they both also have multi-purpose labs aboard.
- Science ships are meant to perform detailed, specific studies more than they’re meant to wander around exploring like Starfleet’s larger ships. Missions are more focused, and so the crew tends to be more specialized.
- These ships’ small crew complements make them appropriate for junior commanding officers. Though it’s common for their commanding officers to have a scientific background, that’s not always necessary with a very experienced science officer, so officers from other tracks might end up in the center seat here.
- The Oberth was very vulnerable in combat situations. The Grissom was built with the realities of the 25th century in mind, so it’s not liable to explode from one hit, but it’s still not a combat vessel.