A ship may have any of three configurations – standard (a wedge, cone, sphere or cylinder), streamlined (a wing, disc or other lifting body allowing it to enter the atmosphere easily) or distributed (made up of several sections, and incapable of entering an atmosphere or maintaining its shape under gravity).
Streamlining a ship increases the cost of the hull by 10%. This streamlining includes fuel scoops which allow the skimming of unrefined fuel from gas giants or the gathering of water from open lakes or oceans. Streamlining may not be retrofitted; it must be included at the time of construction.
A distributed ship reduces the cost of its hull by 10%.
A standard-hull ship may still enter atmosphere, but is very ungainly and ponderous, capable of only non-lift generating powered flight. A standard hull ship may have scoops for gathering fuel from a Gas giant, but the process will be much more difficult, and less efficient. Larger ships of this type will often carry a specialized sub-craft (such as a lighter) to perform the actual atmospheric skimming. See Atmospheric Operations, page XX.
