9.1 Sensor Systems
Describes how the numbers and types of external sensors on Deep Space 9 have varied over its history, from the mining-oriented and Bajor-orbital systems of Terok Nor to the Starfleet and Bajoran modifications made after the station's relocation to the Denorios Belt and the wartime shift of science and sensor assets toward defense and reconnaissance.
The numbers and types of external sensors installed on Deep Space 9 have varied radically over its long history. Relatively little scientific research had been accommodated on Terok Nor, and most sensor systems were designed to deal with the Bajor orbital environment and spacecraft operations. High-resolution sensor systems devoted to the planetary mining operations were typically installed on shuttlecraft or commandeered Bajoran impulse vessels and given the task of scanning Bajor and its neighboring planets for extractable resources.
All primary sensors on Terok Nor were arranged into irregular pallets and placed within shallow insets in the hull plating. These areas were typically protected from the space environment by a yellow ochre or reddish brown hafnium-duranide antiradiation coating. The sensors shared the inset structures with numerous utility ports and purge vents. Other sensing gear installed around the ops module and weapon sail towers was directly involved with station defense, and most of these devices remain in use with reconfigured connections to the CPG.
Many of the Starfleet and Bajoran modifications to the science and sensor systems were either removed or recalibrated for studying different phenomena following the station relocation. Once it was determined that the wormhole was a major element for scientific research, and that the station was going to remain at the Denorios Belt site for the foreseeable future, all science and engineering tasks were shifted to maximize results in the altered situation. Since the outbreak of the Cardassian and Dominion hostilities, a significant fraction of the science and sensor assets have been further shifted to support Deep Space 9 defense and reconnaissance of threat force developments.