- For other uses, see Keppler.
The Kepler was a Federation shuttlecraft in service to Starfleet in the 23rd century. The shuttle was assigned to the starship USS Enterprise-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. (TOS novel: Sarek)
- Neither its class or registry were specified in the novel.
Appendices[]
Connections[]
| Ships named Kepler or Keppler | ||
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starships: USS Keppler (Ptolemy-class) • USS Keppler (Constellation-class) • small craft: Kepler (USS Defiant) • Kepler (USS Endeavor) • Kepler (USS Enterprise, 2254) • Keppler (USS Enterprise, 2264) • Kepler (USS Enterprise, 2270) • Kepler (USS Enterprise-A) • Kepler (USS Enterprise-D) • Kepler (USS Enterprise-E) • Kepler (USS Lovell) • Kepler (USS Reliant) • see also: Keppler-class | 
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