DED, I was thinking when I built Ridge Runner that in 1201 that the few ships that existed would be pressed into use for tasks that they were not designed for. As for Ridge Runner I was thinking of an independent ship's crew turning to mining to make ends meet or a small mining company that is using their one ship as a prospector, then miner, then ore hauler.
During the contest I had to go on a road trip and I drove by a construction site and I saw a portable generator. Handy, instant electricity, just tow it with a pickup truck where ever you needed electricity. It got me to thinking (always a bad idea), the Coalition is desperately short of ships, so why not turn every ship in to a potential mining vessel. Design a portable ore processor about the size of a 10 D Ton container. This along with a couple of excavating vehicles and you have a mining ship.
I enjoyed the contest and hope you will come up with others, this one forced me to work within set parameters, usually I just build. Here is a few ideas for more contests: Wilds Trader, Small Arms, Intelligence gathering ship, Small Explorers.