When we talk about certain Star Trek shows, you may tend to associate certain concepts or ideas with each series. Star Trek: Voyager could be seen as 'lonely' due to the ship being lost in the Delta Quadrant. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could be 'chaotic' due to the hustle and bustle of the space station. Star Trek: The Next Generation could illicit any number of feelings or ideas, but claustrophobia usually wouldn't be it.
While it's true some people wouldn't do well on a spaceship of any degree, we'd like to think that even the people with the most severe bouts would find the U.S.S. Enterprise-D to be open and inviting. After all, it's believed that many of the decks on the ship are sparsely populated. After all, it's a massive floating city. A giant hotel with photon torpedos.
Yes, it's a floating tin can in space, but it's pretty spacish as far as Federation ships. So there's a grandeur and enormity that often gets associated with the Enterprise-D. Yet, what if I were to tell you that the show the ship was on, wasn't always so big on space?
The Enterprise-D may have the worst-built, most uncomfortable vehicle in the history of space travel; the Type 15 Shuttlepod. It's a shuttle pod that is among the worst we can imagine. Why it may sound spacish when we tell you that up to four people could fit in it, it's actually not a good thing. With limited seating and absolutely no headroom to stand, the shuttle pod feels more like a 1960s Volkswagon Beatle than anything else.
It's a cramped space, best suited for one person at a time. It's barely got the power needed to do any real exploring and unlike shuttle pods on ships like Voyager, it doesn't contain any type of transporter.
It's underpowered for even a (at the time) modern shuttle pod. Being underpowered isn't the worst thing in the world. You can easily find other attributes, but its tight design makes it impossible for this to be any type of long-term use. Some shuttle pods can actually be used for days if not weeks at a time. Complete with plenty of storage in the rear, and a defense enough defensive system to survive most encounters.
Not to mention most are warp-capable. The Type-15 has the capability to be warp-capable, but you likely aren't going to get anywhere too fast. Still, despite its capability to be warp-capable, few actually have the parts to be such.
With it being so cramped for space, no real defenses to brag about, no real warp-capability to be seen, and little storage space, it makes this type of shuttle pod not only impractical but difficult to use.