Technical Specifications

Type:   Class F Shuttlecraft Starfleet Registry:   NCC-1647/1 - Sagan Mothership:  U.S.S. Farragut     Dimensions:   Length: 7.3 Meters   Beam: 4.5 Meters   Draft: 2.1 Meters   Weight: 12 Metric Tons   Decks: 1    Crew Compliment:   7 Maximum (Configuration Dependent)     1 Pilot     6 Passengers    Propulsion Systems:   1 Mk IV-A  Ion Propulsion Unit      Maximum Velocity: Warp 1.5      Tactical Systems:   Standard Deflector/ Shield Generation System

The shuttlecraft "Sagan" was named in honor of the late 20th century astronomer and Pulitzer Prize winning author, Doctor Carl Sagan, who pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence. Dr. Sagan made seminal contributions to the study of planetary atmospheres, planetary surfaces, the history of the Earth, and exobiology. He contributed to most of the unmanned missions that explored Earth's solar system.

The highlights of Sagan's career include the discovery of the high surface temperatures of the planet Venus, and solving the mysteries of what were believed to be "seasonal changes" to the planet Mars. He was among the first to hypothesize that Saturn's moon, Titan, and Jupiter's moon, Europa, may possess oceans, or lakes, making the them potentially habitable for life. Europa's subsurface ocean was later indirectly confirmed by the spacecraft Galileo. Sagan also helped solve the mystery of the reddish haze seen on Titan, revealing that it is composed of complex organic molecules constantly raining down to the moon's surface. He also speculated about life in Jupiter's clouds, given the planet's dense atmospheric composition, rich in organic molecules.

Sagan is best known, however, for his research on the possibilities of extraterrestrial life, including an experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation. His research has been credited as having transformed planetary science.