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There are two keys you can use which change how planets are shown. The first is the cloud filter (Press 'c' to toggle it). Your stardrifter scans the planet to get an idea of the surface terrain. When the cloud filter is on, the drifter will display the planet with the clouds filtered out, by using the information from its scan. The other key is the terrain-filter (Press 'x' to toggle it). When the terrain filter is active, your stardrifter does a detailed scan of the surface, and actually displays the planet's terrain using different colors to represent different terrain types. If you're using the "Deploy Surface Capsule" screen, it should also tell you the terrain type of the point you've selected.