So I went off on my own a bit and, using some of what I learned from the previous course, I managed to get my ship to die and respawn when it hits an obstacle. Feeling pretty pleased with myself so I wanted to show it here. 
Here’s the code:
void OnCollisionEnter(Collision collision)
{
switch (collision.gameObject.tag)
{
case "Safe":
print("We're safe!");
break;
default:
print("We're dead!");
gameObject.SetActive(false);
Invoke("Respawn", 2f);
break;
}
}
private void Respawn()
{
gameObject.transform.position = new Vector3(0, 2, 0);
gameObject.transform.rotation = Quaternion.identity;
gameObject.SetActive(true);
}