Astrometrics

USS Voyager's astrometrics lab

Astrometrics was a specialized lab used aboard Federation starships for stellar cartographic purposes.

One particular example is the astrometrics lab on the USS Voyager, which was designed by Ensign Harry Kim and Seven of Nine. Astrometrics was used for charting stars, planets, nebulae, and other stellar bodies. It contained a large wraparound holographic wall screen which could display a stellar region three dimensionally. There were a series of control panels to manipulate the screen. The area below the screen and in front of the control panels could be used as a stage during presentations. Astrometrics also included three workstations on the side wall. Seven spent many hours in the lab mapping and cataloging interstellar bodies which the ship encountered.

For convenience or advanced analysis, astrometrics could also be used for communications purposes or even as a workplace for easy access to sensor information. Astrometrics was used by the crew of Voyager to communicate with Earth once contact was established through the Pathfinder Project.

Ensign Harry Kim and Seven of Nine updated Voyager's astrometrics lab at the request of Commander Chakotay in 2374. According to Chakotay, the lab had not been updated since Voyager left spacedock. (VOY: "Revulsion")

In 2375, when Seven suffered a type of multiple personality disorder, she took on the persona of Ferengi DaiMon Torrot and offered Captain Janeway twenty bars of latinum for the large astrometrics screen. (VOY: "Infinite Regress")

In an alternate reality, Naomi Wildman and Icheb worked in astrometrics once they became Starfleet officers. (VOY: "Shattered")

Background

The astrometrics lab first appeared in "Year of Hell". It displayed many images from the Hubble space telescope.

Astrometry is the measurement of the positions and motions of stars.