Gathering

From Starport: Galactic Empires

Over time, most Planets in the galaxy generate Resources which appear on their surface. By Entering a planet, you can fly around on its surface and collect these resources by defeating the aliens who guard them. The resources will be added to any empty Cargo holds on your ship. You can later sell these resources at a starport that is buying that type of resource.

Planets with colonies on them do not generate surface resources because the resources are harvested by the colonists first.

Some players consider gathering to be a very slow and inefficient method of making money; the time taken to clear a planet is considerable compared to trading.