Kepler (USS Enterprise-A)

The Kepler was a Federation shuttlecraft in service to Starfleet in the 23rd century. The shuttle was assigned to the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) in the decade of the 2290s.

Specifics
Kepler was outfitted with limited shields, but it was not designed to withstand a continuous particle bombardment. Chairs were augmented with safety harnesses.

Service history
In 2293, James T. Kirk, Spock and Leonard McCoy traveled to Qo'noS aboard Kepler on a secret mission to rescue Peter Kirk, whom they believed was being held captive by Kamarag. It was their first visit to the Klingon homeworld where they could actually see the planet. They masked their approach by hiding with a debris belt from the moon Praxis, but the shuttle was smacked so much by debris that the shields collapsed and air pressure leaked. Human life signs were located at Kamarag's ancestral compound. Despite the bumpy ride, Kirk was able to pilot the ship near their destination, but the landing was rough — Kepler bounced heavily a few times before stopping. Because Kepler was too damaged to use for a return trip, Kirk set the vessel to auto destruct. 


 * Neither its class or registry were specified in the novel.