The habitat ring is the inner ring of
the station's structure, intended
primarily for the housing of most of the
station's semi-permanent residents.
Spaced along the ring are also six
landing pads, used by Starfleet's
runabouts and other small craft.
Also mounted along the ring are three
large protrusions, upon which a large
portion of the station's armaments are
mounted, as well as its' tractor beams.
Docking Ring
The docking ring is the outer ring of
the station's structure, and is used
primarily for moving and storing goods
and for starship docking facilities.
Twelve large docking ports are
distributed around the perimeter, and
numerous cargo bays are connected to
these facilities. In addition, a series
of six thrusters are mounted on the edge
of the ring. These thrusters are
intended mainly for maintaining orbital
position.
Three large, sweeping docking pylons
emerge from the dorsal and ventral
surfaces of the docking ring to give DS9
its characteristic spindly shape. At the
extreme end of each pylon is an
additional docking port (for a total of
six on the pylons), which can
accommodate larger starships up to those
approximately the size of the Galaxy-class.
The majority of the pylons' internal
structure is used up by ore processing
facilities.