Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha

A mass spectrometer was a device invented in the 20th century on Earth that was still used in the 24th century aboard Federation starships, and that could measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions.

In 2367, when caught in a warp bubble created by Wesley Crusher, Doctor Beverly Crusher imagined Geordi La Forge running a mass spectrometer on all particulates in sickbay where she saw an energy vortex, all to no avail. (TNG: "Remember Me")

When the dilithium chamber hatch aboard the USS Enterprise-D exploded later that year, La Forge and Data did mass spectrometer readings of the remains of the hatch to see if a chemical explosive was used, but did not find anything suspicious.

They later, by means of a microtomographic analysis of the dilithium chamber and the hatch mounting, detected sub-micron fractures in the metal casing, a breakdown in the atomic cohesive structure. This meant that neutron fatigue caused the explosion, not sabotage by the Klingon exobiologist J'Dan, as was originally suspected. (TNG: "The Drumhead")

In 2369, while searching for a cure for the aphasia virus, Dr. Julian Bashir performed a mass spectrometry analysis on a patient's tissue, which revealed a slight genetic abnormality. (DS9: "Babel")

External link[]

Advertisement