Questions about upgrading

[Parnassus]

So, I just stumbled on this little gem on Steam the other day and I'm absolutely loving it, however I have a few questions:

1) How do you "upgrade your hull"? This is something that every walkthrough seems to recommend but I can't figure out how to do it. At science stations you can upgrade equipment but my ship is never available as an option in that list.

2) In stations you have the option to "take part in the development of your station", I haven't gathered enough money to do it yet, what does this actually do?

[Starcleaver]

1) By upgrading your hull, they could be referring to two things.
A. They may just mean purchase a new one altogether. In which case, you buy the hull out of the store screen where other items are sold. It goes into the warehouse storage of that planet or station (that's the list on the left side of the equipment screen, underneath the menu where you choose your ship's repairs). Once you buy it, you simply goto your equipment screen, click the new hull in the warehouse to pick it up, and drop it on the portrait of your own ship. That will switch out the hulls.
B. They may mean what you mentioned; improving it at a science station. That can only be done to a hull that has no previous upgrades. You can tell by the color of the numbers in your hull's tooltip. When you hover your mouse over the picture of your ship in your equipment screen, the tooltip shows it's structural size, and armor rating. If the numbers are in yellow, then the ship has no enhancements, and can be upgraded by you. If any of the numbers show as green, then it has already been upgraded. Some ships come that way to start, and some purchased ship hulls, or ship equipment, also come upgraded, with green numbers. Equipment and hulls for sale at a science station, for example, will have green numbers, because they're are enhanced versions of normal stuff.

2) Taking part in the development of a station, or sponsoring its development, gives you the opportunity to upgrade that station. You will be shown an equipment screen for the station, that looks just like your own. You can add weapons, and other equipment, to it from there. You can even spend your experience points, to increase the skill levels of the station's crew, making it better in combat.