I've started playing the full game after going through the demo. As a matter of policy, every time I blow someone up, I hit B to tractor whatever they've left behind. However, several times while cruising around, I will find stuff floating about unattended, like 457 Nanotech. So, I stop, target it, and hit B. I am always greeted with "Tractor failure." What does this mean and why does it occur?

Also, when they say you can "mine asteroids" how do you do this? I was cruising through the asteroids last night and saw nothing really out there. I could shoot the little tiny rocks and they'd explode and make pretty lights, but that's it

Finally, I purchased the location of a lost patrol from someone. Not to give anything away, but, what do I do with this? I went out there, saw the ships drifiting and couldn't do anything. O would not scan anything, B would not tractor anything and the radiation prevented me from spending too much time out there. Suggestions?