The hydrogen scoop field is a technology with which Terran and Kilrathi spaceships are equipped. Its primary role is pulling in the stray hydrogen atoms (that are collected for fuel); at the same time it provides an artificial drag, that causes the ship to turn and maneuver as if it flies inside a planet's atmosphere, providing a more intuitive and "realistic" piloting experience for the pilot, for example go into a "dive".
While a scoop field is activated however, delays the movements of bigger ships, like frigates; turning around a Targu-class usually took a couple of minutes, but by the time of the Kilrathi crisis it seems that the Kilrathi overcame that limitation.
A captain or pilot could shut down the scoops of a ship at will in order to make some maneuvers; for example a ship would not go into a dive but simply tumble over on its x-axis and make a 180° turn.[1] Template:Refs
- ↑ William R. Forstchen, Action Stations, Chapter 3