The USS Earickson was a galactic survey cruiser that explored the Tellar system, in the Cygnus cluster, under the command of Captain Harland Anders.
During the Earickson mission, Capt. Anders and his crew made first contact with the Tellarite monarch Gartov, and together downplayed the 61 Cygni V panic that ensued with the inhabitants. This early incident of high tensions during a contact mission was cited as an early example of the need for a Prime Directive. (ST reference: The Worlds of the Federation)