1.1 Introduction

The faculty of Star Fleet Academy here on Terra is both proud and privileged to have had the opportunity to develop this revised edition of our space flight chronology. This edition represents an ambitious effort to provide Academy midshipmen with the latest, most up-to-date illustrated history of Terra's development of space flight and its unique relationship to the Federation Star Fleet. Likewise, the volumes in this series dealing with the development of space flight on other Federation prime worlds is likewise being updated and will be required reading at their local campus of Star Fleet Academy.

It is important to note that when the United Federation of Planets was first conceived in 2127, humanity's progress towards the stars was comparable to that of the other worlds of the Local Group. Humanity was unique in that it had the drive and the will “to boldly go where no one has gone before,” as is recorded in the original United Earth Star Fleet Charter. It was primarily for this reason that the other members of the Local Group looked to Terra for leadership in matters regarding the advancement of space technology. It is a practice that continues to this day.

This work is designed for use in conjunction with other Academy texts for the instruction of fourth-year midshipmen in space flight history. Serious students of starship history should augment this knowledge with other reference works, such as the online edition of the Federation Encyclopedia of Spacecraft, edited by April and April. Students wishing to focus their studies on the military vessels of Star Fleet should consult Ships of the Star Fleet, edited by Mastercom / SFHQ. Other recommended civilian works include the Starship Recognition Handbook by Interstellar Associates, Jaynz' Ships of Star Fleet from Memory Alpha, and the Jackill's Reference Series by Jackill Publications. This work is divided into twelve sections dealing with selected periods of human space flight development from its earliest inception to the present day. It closes with speculations about what the future may hold for Star Fleet and Federation civilian starship development. Each section is comprised of an overview of the period, a listing of major starship types, major alien vessels encountered, significant planetary surveys or alien cultural encounters, and finally a series of articles dealing with important historical topics as they relate to human space flight development. Also included at the end of this work is a chart of all the key spacecraft types covered in this work.

The reason this format was chosen is to facilitate its use during a normal 16-week Academy semester on Terra. The intended pattern of study is to take one module a week, with the fourth week reserved for reviewing and testing of the material covered in the prior three weeks. Instructors may at their option include comprehensive six-module reviews on the eighth and sixteenth weeks respectively.

The history of human space flight has without a doubt changed the course of history and shaped galactic events as we know them. It will continue to do so in the future. As long as mankind retains and fuels the drive to explore and broaden his horizons, space will always remain the most interesting of places. The final frontier is not an end, but merely a beginning. Mankind has taken but the first few steps down the path. His future in the stars still lies ahead for him to claim.

RADM Charles Westerfield, Commandant
Star Fleet Academy Terran campus, San Francisco, 2295