BUILD your own ship! EXPLORE space! MEET new and interesting species! You might die, but let's face it: you were probably going to do that anyway. So why not take some recruits, some modular ship parts and an appropriately pragmatic attitude and do something useful before the inevitable occurs? The only important thing to remember is: your training. Or just improvise! Whatever works best, really.
A test ship with a couple of components attached, along with some crew members and some stinkin' aliens.