 The goals of the game include exploration , collection of lifeforms and minerals , and finding habitable colony worlds . Eventually , a larger goal of finding out why stars in the region are flaring dangerously and stopping the process , if possible , comes to the forefront . The main sources of income are selling minerals , artifacts , and lifeforms and recommending planets for colonization . The ship is equipped with a Terrain Vehicle that the crew can use to look for minerals and life @-@ forms . The most lucrative source of income is finding planets suitable for human life . If the science officer 's analysis shows a planet to be within acceptable parameters , the player can have the captain log a planet for colonization . 
