Repair pod

A repair pod was a type of maintenance spacecraft used by Federation Starfleet starships in the 2260s.

Specifics
A repair pod was smaller than either a shuttlecraft or a repair wagon. It had two mechanical manipulator arms to interact with objects outside the craft. It was maneuvered with thrusters. Crew wore environmental suits while operating the vehicle, which had seats for three people. It was powered with some sort of fuel as well as power packs. It had a sensor antenna dish at the top, a wide, oval-shaped viewing port and a small port on the starboard side. The port side was lined with computer banks.

History
After the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) entered quadrant Mark 1 and slipped into a subspace parallel universe, Hikaru Sulu detected a capsule floating outside the ship. James T. Kirk wanted it retrieved. A repair pod was fueled and readied on the hangar deck, but its power cells were drained due to the unique physics of the spacial region. Lieutenant was able to pilot the pod with the help of a cybernetic helmet, as her thoughts could power the vehicle in this region of space. Nova, Kirk and Spock were able to grab the capsule using the pod's manipulator arms and return it to the ship. 

Background

 * The repair pod resembled EVA pods seen in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

External link

 * EVA pod article at the 2001: A Space Odyssey Wikia.