Skiff

A skiff is a small type of spacecraft designed for moving small amounts of equipment or people in a short range of space. Skiffs are generally no more than 4 m in length and 2 m in diameter. Most skiffs do not have an enclosed compartment, and passengers must wear EVA suits or similar vacuum rated equipment. Skiffs designed for transport may have outboard seats or running boards, as well as straps and harnesses for securing passengers to the vehicle. The lack of an internal compartment drastically reduces the size and mass needed, compared to similar Runabout shuttles. Skiffs often have a main thrust unit consisting of chemical rockets, and a series of gas thrusters on struts away from the body of the vessel to increase maneuverability. The lack of a fusion drive (virtually impossible at this scale in any case) gives skiffs a low rate of acceleration, but do not endanger their passengers from heat or radiation. Skiffs also carry a limited amount of fuel, requiring a "coasting" journey between destinations more than a few dozen kilometers. Skiffs can be remotely controlled or tapped into by any passenger with compatible suit software. Skiffs are rarely armed, except occasionally as improvised weapons platforms (or improvised kinetic weapons in their own right) by pirates and insurgent groups. A few notable examples include Missile Sleds and Special Operations Launches. There are a few subtypes of Skiffs. Sleds are small skiffs without any fixed passenger seats, usually intended to haul a payload of some sort. Sleds can be used to ferry supplies, host construction equipment, or serve as an anchor point for search and recovery operations. Launches are Skiffs specifically designed for short range personnel transport, especially between vessels and stations when direct docking is not an option. Launches are frequently kept aboard military patrol ships for boarding actions, and as supplementary life boats. A few examples of Skiffs: