Editing SWADE Atomic Rockets Pulp! (section)

===Rocket Ship Basics===
The core component of a rocket ship is the rocket engine, without this the vessel is just a silver spear floating through space. Rocket engines work by accelerating radium (or other elements) to a higher energy state, and then expelling these atomic and sub-atomic particles out the back end, thus providing thrust. By altering the flow rate out the nozzle or the mix ratio in the acceleration chamber, the velocity of the ship can be increased or decreased. It should be noted that rocket ship exhaust is hot, both in temperature and radioactivity, and a person caught in the blast of a landing or take-off will likely die.

A rocket engine without some sort of control would just be a missile launched into the void, never to return. In an atmosphere, normal aviation control surfaces, such as wings and rudders, can be used, but this is not an option in the void between planets. While travelling through a vacuum, adjusting the angel of thrust controls rocket ships, basically the nozzle or nozzles at the end of a rocket engine are angled, directing the thrust in a different direction and the ship on the opposite vector. This is not as fine a control system as aviation rudders and flaps, but allows for maneuvers. Fine control outside of an atmosphere relies on a series of thruster plates, small conventional rocket engines spaced around the outside of the hull. These thruster plates are not powerful enough to launch the vessel out of atmosphere and break a gravity well, but are more than capable of creating small course and attitude alterations.

Beyond the systems need to move and maneuver the vessel, there is a great deal of diversity with regards to rocket ship design. All have some kind of life support system, as well as landing gear, communications equipment, and a hull.

Many have armor or weaponry for the Solar System is a dangerous place and far out among the planets there is little or no law. Mining ships have specialized compartments for cargo as well as processing facilities. Merchant ships have a lot of cargo space, though most of the cargo that is profitable to transport by rocket ship is of the small, but expensive variety, bulk shipments being generally limited to rare ores such as radium. Warships have more weapons and armor, but also more crew, as well as redundant systems in case of damage. Finally, the broad class of personal rocket ships, the kind used by freebooters, private explorers, and the idle rich, knows no limits to the variety of components installed.