A gravsled or grav-sled was a type of open-air Federation hovercraft used in the 23rd and 24th centuries.
Specifications[]
Charged by power cells, a small gravsled could transport two people or a metric ton of cargo up to 60 kilometers per hour for up to four hours, but could only be raised a few centimeters above the surface. (FASA RPG module: Star Fleet Intelligence Manual)
The 2260s-era AP-16-class grav sled allowed a pilot and one passenger to travel up to 110 kilometers per hour for a distance of 1,500 kilometers. This type of vehicle weighed 0.06 metric tons, was unarmed, and could be raised five meters off the ground. It was 2.6 meters long, 0.75 meters wide, and 2.25 meters tall. Without a passenger, it could carry small amounts of cargo. Many owners customized the vehicle by adding seats. (Stardate Magazine vol. 1, Issue 7: "Quartermaster Corps: The AP-16 Grav Sled")
A larger, 2270s-era gravsled could fit four people and was driven by servomotors. It had a tow bar and waste holders. (TOS novel: Ice Trap)
Service history[]
In the 2260s, the Federation starship USS Enterprise carried grav-sleds. Several were ferried to the surface of Tlaoli IV via the cargo shuttle Edwin Drake along with a large landing party and other equipment in 2266. (TOS - The Janus Gate novel: Present Tense)
In 2266, grav-sleds were used in an Orion facility on Grex. Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov created a barricade with stacked crates and an abandoned grav-sled to slow enemy pursuit. (TOS - The Janus Gate novel: Past Prologue)
The vehicle hangar at Genetics Research Station 17 on Aleph III was outfitted with two AP-16-class grav sleds. In 2270, Cyrano Jones, Randolph Leon, and Daniel Lane rode the station's grav sleds to Jones' cargo ship, the Chameleon, to see how much equipment his cargo bay could hold for evacuating the station. (FASA RPG - Adventure Book module: Again, Troublesome Tribbles)
In 2271, a gravsled was aboard the Enterprise during its refit. (TOS - The Lost Years novel: Traitor Winds)
In 2273, Sulu, Chekov, and geologist Scott Mutchler brought a gravsled to a ravine on the side of the Rakatan Mons volcano on Rakatan aboard the shuttlecraft Gamow, then drove the gravsled to Seismic Station Three. (TOS novel: Firestorm)
In 2274, an Enterprise security team brought a large gravsled to Nordstral. Gear, tents and a solar-powered winch were stored within. (TOS novel: Ice Trap)
In 2278, a gravsled was stored in the shuttle bay of the Enterprise. (TOS novel: Death Count)
In 2279, while aiding Belle Terre settlers, Chekov towed a malfunctioning grav-sled out of the hold of a cargo shuttle. (TOS - New Earth novel: Rough Trails)
In 2371, Benjamin Sisko used a grav sled to move extra siding into one corner of an alternate reality USS Defiant's medical bay, aiding repairs to an aluminum-walled symbiont tank to help revive the Dax symbiont, which had been found there in stasis. (DS9 - Invasion! novel: Time's Enemy)
In 2383, a transporter beamed Sloe, a small grav-sled, and a cloaking device aboard the Intrepid (NX-07). (TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic)
Appendices[]
Appearances and references[]
Appearances[]
- FASA RPG - Adventure Book module: Again, Troublesome Tribbles
- TOS novel: Ice Trap
- TOS novel: Death Count
- TOS novel: Firestorm
- TOS - The Lost Years novel: Traitor Winds
- DS9 - Invasion! novel: Time's Enemy
- TOS - New Earth novel: Rough Trails
- TOS - The Janus Gate novel: Present Tense
- TOS - The Janus Gate novel: Past Prologue
- TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic
References[]
- Stardate Magazine vol. 1, Issue 7: "Quartermaster Corps: The AP-16 Grav Sled"
- FASA RPG module: Star Fleet Intelligence Manual