Antimatter pod

An antimatter pod is a device that stores antimatter fuel for Federation starships.

Features

• Each pod generates an electromagnetic force field to contain the antimatter, preventing the fuel from contacting the normal matter of the vessel wall. Naturally, the failure of this force field would cause a catastrophic explosion.
• Antimatter pods have ejection systems that can be used to launch them clear of the ship in the event of an imminent containment failure.
• The pods have electronic systems that connect to the starship's main computer, allowing the engineering staff to monitor the health of the pods' systems.

Flaws

Real engineers have criticized Starfleet's antimatter pod design for not having a failsafe system to eject the pod automatically in the event of an imminent containment failure; the existing ejection system must be activated manually by a crew member. One suggestion was a system of electromagnets to hold the pod in place against some kind of gas or spring pressure, tied into the power grid of the force field generator. With a capacitor to sustain the force field for a short time in the event of power loss, the electromagnet would lose power first, allowing the constant gas or spring pressure to launch the pod away from the ship before the force field collapsed.