[image
align
left] The
Enterprise NX-01 was one of the first true interstellar vessels of Earth's
Starfleet, launched nearly 100 years before the Enterprise of James T.
Kirk. Designed by warp drive inventor Zefram Cochrane and the father of the
ship's first captain, Jonathan Archer, this Enterprise had a revolutionary
warp propulsion system. It had a maximum speed of warp 5, an amazing feat for
the time period. This shortened most travel times and allowed humanity to stretch
further into the stars. The vessel served with distinction from the day of its
first mission, when it was called into service during Earth's first encounter
with the Klingons. 
[Image
align
right] The Enterprise had a number of earthly predecessors, including a wooden
sailing ship, a US Aircraft carrier, and a space shuttle, all given the same
name
[image
align top] In
the various Star Trek television programs and movies, the Enterprise was blasted
and destroyed numerous times. In Star Trek, The Original Series, the
vessel was given the designation NCC-1701. In Star Trek: The Next Generation is
was called NCC-1701D.
