A Space Engineer Story: Stranded - Day 2

This is my second day on this desolate planet. I still haven't received any signals from the command ship and I couldn't find any signs of life in the area around the lander ship.

In the meantime I was able to take a closer look at the ice field near the lander ship and even though I only have a very basic mining drill with me, it proved sufficient to get at least some more ice to the ship. This should cover the oxygen needs for a few days, but I'd better prepare for a longer stay on this world. I'll need better ways to mine ice, and maybe even ore. In the worst case I will have to build a new ship if I want to leave this planet.

The lander damage is not as bad as it looked like. Apart from the broken upwards thruster, at least one navigating thruster seems to be damaged as well. I've given up on getting that ship flying again so I can probably salvage all the remaining thrusters for additional parts anyway.
The good news is that the hull is still intact and airtight so I can pressurize it using the venting system. This makes breathing much more comfortable than just using my space suits and constantly refilling my oxygen bottles.

Although the batteries are more than 50% filled and the reactor still has some fuel left, power won't last forever. Luckily I was assigned to the supplies engineering team, so my lander cargo hold contains some basic solar panel and battery parts.

I've successfully attached 2 large solar panels to the ship which should generate enough power to keep the oxygen generator running. There should even be enough electricity to also support the refinery and assembling facilities built into this ship.

With those issues covered, I've begun constructing a landing platform. I will have to build a small atmospheric exploration ship if I want to survey the area or look for signs of life. Maybe even attach a mining drill in case I'll need to gather more resources. But first things first. Without the possibility to use fission reactors, any ship I want to build has to rely on batteries.
If I want to use this landing platform for ship construction and charging, I better get it operational ASAP.

Update : But that might not be necessary after all! I just detected a friendly ID signal just about 2 km from the landing site! I'll have to investigate immediately.... it's not that far away so I can easily make it on foot. The whole situation might not be as bleak after all!

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I'm a computer gamer.
I like sandbox games.

Sandbox games often don't have much of a storyline. But you can always invent your own.
This is the story of an engineer and his journey.
This is my story of playing Space Engineers.
It is a diary and it is a game walkthrough. But most of all it is meant to be fun.
I hope you will like it.

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Previous journal entries:
Day 1