The Mendel was a Federation shuttlecraft attached to the Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E. It was a small craft capable of carrying 3-4 passengers in two rows of seats, plus two flight crew in the cockpit. It did not possess an airlock, only an aft exit hatch. In July 2384, the unarmed Mendel transported an away team consisting of Worf, Taurik, Dina Elfiki, T'Ryssa Chen and Peter Davila to the Machine. (TNG - Cold Equations novel: The Body Electric)