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Stardate 93066.5
 TO CMDR Sivath CC LCDR Callahan; FROM LT Coats SUBJ Development of a new SIF for the MS-243 Selenium Mine |
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Commanders,
Recently a team, including myself, was dispatched from the Starbase to the Selenium mine known as MS-243 in order to investigate a loss of communications. Once there, we found that the crew had been put in stasis pods by a Class 1 artificial intelligence known as Speedy. The AI had put the crew in stasis in order to protect them while it devoted the majority of power to maintaining a Structural Integrity Field (SIF) to keep the mining base in tact, as the body it was on was falling apart. We were able to allocate more memory and power to the computer in order for it to complete its tasks and release the miners that it had put in stasis, thereby allowing us to avert disaster. I will not go into a full description of what transpired here, for it is beside the purpose fo this message, and more details on the mission should be available soon in an AAR.
Due to the imminent separation of the asteroid, it would be good to leave the mine alone for the time being. Despite this, it would be a waste to completely abandon it. The mine provides selenium to the Federation and Starfleet, which has applications in a variety of fields, from medicine to explosives. In order to fix the problem of the asteroid's separation, I would like to purpose the development of a new SIF specifically designed to keep together MS-243. I should also like to propose a three-part plan for further inspection of the mine to ensure it's safety once the new SIF is designed, tested, and implemented. While this will naturally use up resources, I believe it is a necessary endeavor, as the selenium provided by these mines have many useful properties that the Federation can use. Below you will see the outline of the proposed inspection plan.
Linda Coats wrote:
Phase 1
- Phase 1 of the inspections will be conducted directly after the new SIF is installed. This will be a series of scans that will be incorporated into updated simulations of the device, to insure that nothing unexpected comes up and interferes with how the SIF works. Should it fail this round of inspections the field generation device will be deactivated, removed, and brought back to the base in order to correct the flaws.
Phase 2
- Phase 2 of the inspections will be conducted once the SIF is demonstrated to be working properly and is shown to hold the asteroid together. This round of inspections will determine if the new SIF will be able to stabilize the asteroid on its own, without the use of the preexisting one. If it passes this round of inspections than it is proposed that the preexisting SIF is turned off, but kept ready for quick activation should the new one fail at any time.
Phase 3
- Phase 3 of the inspections will determine whether the mining base and computer themselves are safe for use. This will require a rather large team of engineers searching the base for any structural concerns that would prove dangerous the miners. It will also require a small team of computer specialists to determine if the AI, 'Speedy', is fit for continued use, seeing as it previously put the miners in stasis pods and was reluctant to release them.
- Phase 1 of the inspections will be conducted directly after the new SIF is installed. This will be a series of scans that will be incorporated into updated simulations of the device, to insure that nothing unexpected comes up and interferes with how the SIF works. Should it fail this round of inspections the field generation device will be deactivated, removed, and brought back to the base in order to correct the flaws.
Phase 2
- Phase 2 of the inspections will be conducted once the SIF is demonstrated to be working properly and is shown to hold the asteroid together. This round of inspections will determine if the new SIF will be able to stabilize the asteroid on its own, without the use of the preexisting one. If it passes this round of inspections than it is proposed that the preexisting SIF is turned off, but kept ready for quick activation should the new one fail at any time.
Phase 3
- Phase 3 of the inspections will determine whether the mining base and computer themselves are safe for use. This will require a rather large team of engineers searching the base for any structural concerns that would prove dangerous the miners. It will also require a small team of computer specialists to determine if the AI, 'Speedy', is fit for continued use, seeing as it previously put the miners in stasis pods and was reluctant to release them.
Thank you for looking over this, Commanders. While I realize that this doesn't directly affect the Starbase or any of our ships, this mine is still nearby and is run by the Federation, I believe it is our duty to ensure it's safety and continual use. The selenium it recovers is a vital material to the Federation and Starfleet, and it would only be beneficial for us to help get the mine back into peak condition. We were also the ones called to investigate it, and while the investigation is over and the immediate crisis is averted, there is still more work to be done. If you have any questions or concerns about this proposal, I'd be happy to discuss them with you.
//SIGNED//
Lieutenant Linda Coats
Experimental Engineer, Deep Space 13
//ATTACHMENT// MS-243StructuralScans.scn