Last week has been good.
I've fleshed out the mission a bit and got the basics working. One mission type, the rescue type is basically missing completely as this needs some significant additional mechanics to pull off so I'll come back to that once I've tuned the core mechanic.
I've also fixed the mission duration code and updated how other orbital objects are generated. I've adjusted out the ring-screen is presented and enabled crew swapping to happen in that screen too. I also added the start of the crew and module upgrade mechanic. Every level that you research gives you one upgrade token to spend on a crew member or a module on your ship. Spending it on a crew member increases their skill and slightly extends their contract. Spending on your ship improves the effect of that module. Each level takes double the science points to achieve.
This, silent, video shows some of the mechanics in action, but I died before I could complete a mission, or get to the first science level.
Next week I will be focusing on sorting out the modules - i.e. re-building how they work, and implementing the crew conversions.