Expeditions In Elite Dangerous: A Visual History | Printable Tribute Poster

Expeditions In Elite Dangerous: A Visual History


CIRCA December 3300, the very first organized expeditions to local nebulae near Sol opened the door to massive exploration and colonization endeavours. About a year after these debuts and inspired by the pioneering ventures of solitary pilots to the galactic Core and the edges of the Galaxy, a golden age of EXPEDITIONS would arise with the Distant Worlds milestone. From then on, there wouldn’t be a day in the Milky Way without a sightseing tour, a research mission, or a scientific expedition underway somewhere afar.

Yet, in this three-year span, we merely dotted our immense and wonderful Galaxy...



Hey folks,
For the past few weeks, Corbin Moran, Aura Lorell and myself have been working on an exploration tribute poster. After countless hours of scavenging information, designing, and writing, here's the result :)

We did our best to collect and gather all public multi-Cmdrs expeditions since the dawn of long range exploration, and obtain --sometimes exclusive-- info on upcoming expeditions. From touristic excursions to hardcore scientific endeavours, it's a beautiful and fascinating beam of trails crossing the Galaxy in all directions. A testimony to the explorers' eagerness for discovery and knowledge. See below for full size file (the imgur image is half-scale and compressed).


  • Expeditions are sorted by starting date
  • Some of them, too short or too close to the human bubble, couldn't be displayed on the map (orange numbers)
  • Almost all local bubble waypoints were removed, due to lack of room
  • Galactic Mapping Project POIs used as waypoints are named, except for those which only consist of common nebulae
  • Exceptionally, a few expeditions' paths had to be simplified; again, for lack of room

Seeing how well this poster is being received, we will start working on a Galactic Mapping Project poster soon, featuring a hundred of the GMP's most reknown and remarkable POIs :) Hope you like it!




PRINTING THE POSTER

The poster is a standard ISO/DIN A1 format, 594mm x 841mm @300dpi (9,930px x 7,020px). For comparison, the Beagle Landing poster file was half the size and the featured print is A0 (still have it on my wall!). It is imperative, however, that you do not print it using a standard inkjet process, like your regular home printer: the poster is too dark for that. It must be printed on full scale using a poster-apt process (offset or numerical). The best thing to do is to ask your local print service. I ordered a few test prints from different online services, but they haven't arrived yet. I'll update the thread when they do!

N.B.: most online printing services have a file size limit, that's why I link the .jpg file (27MB). For optimum results, it's best to bring the .png in a usb key to your local print service. It's very unlikely, though, that you would see any difference between .jpg and .png on this picture.



ADDENDUM: our full working doc, with link to all expedition pages.

#DATES

NAMEROSTERORGANIZERSTATUS LINK DESCRIPTION
1DEC 3300 - FEB 3301NEBULAE RESEARCH VOYAGES50FIRST GREAT EXPEDITIONCOMPLETEDLINKExcursions to many local nebulae and the first group exploration effort since the Pilots Federation
lifted the restrictions to deep space travel in December 3300. The recommended minimum jump
range to take part was 12 LY, to account for the limited technology available for the many new
pilots graduating at the time.
2APR 3301REGOR BORDER MAPPING100FIRST GREAT EXPEDITIONCOMPLETEDLINKREGOR was one of the first restricted sectors in the galaxy to be discovered by pioneer explorers.
For reasons unknown, hyperdrives refuse to lock on to the stars in this area of space, but this
expedition successfully mapped the borders of the region using the ground-breaking new
technologies of EDDiscovery and EDSM.
3AUG 3301 - PRESENTSAGITTARIUS-CARINA MISSION175FIRST GREAT EXPEDITION, CORBIN MORANON-GOINGLINKThe first extreme-range community expedition - following the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm from
its root at the galactic core to its tip at Beagle Point (a route of more than 180,000 LYs). In
August 3303 the mission celebrated two years of continuous survey operations to explore and
chart noteworthy features of the spiral arm.
4AUG 3301 - PRESENTDUMBBELL PROJECT?ALLIANCE ELITE DIPLOMATIC CORPSON-GOINGLINKThe Dumbbell Project started after the Alliance of Independent Systems announced their
colonization programme. The initial scope of the project was to provide good colonization targets
within the Dumbbell Sector, but over time it grew into a complete survey of the sector.
5JAN 3302 - JUN 3302DISTANT WORLDS 33021,153ERIMUS, DR KAIICOMPLETEDLINKA journey beyond the Abyss to the far galactic rim at Beagle Point. The system was then the
furthest reachable and was named after the first ship that reached it in 3301. Distant Worlds
drew hundreds of pilots into group exploration and cooperation, becoming the most prominent
expedition to date and a milestone in community effort.
6APR 3302 - JUN 3302FORMIDINE RIFT SURVEY202THE RIFTERSCOMPLETEDLINKWhen rumors of a mysterious cover-up in the Formidine Rift began to circulate, hundreds of
explorers picked up on the clue to "take a line from Reorte to Riedquat to the edge of the arm
and keep going". This initial survey did not unravel the mystery but compiled crucial data for
later explorers navigating the region.
7MAY 3302MEET & GREET EXPEDITION63AIZRIA, SHWINKY, ATOMICB0MB639COMPLETEDLINKTwo week-long expeditions to popular nebulae, including Pencil, Ghost of Jupiter, Spiral, and
Coalsack. The second expedition was organised eight months after the first Meet & Greet,
revisiting the same waypoints for nostalgia and to see how they had changed since the original trip.
8JUN 3302 - JUL 3302CRAB NEBULA EXPEDITION485ATOMICB0MB639COMPLETEDLINKA feast of impressive vistas awaited the hundreds of pilots taking part in this expedition. Visits to
the iconic nebulae situated along the route to the outer edge of the Perseus Arm were
supplemented with spectacular mass jumps that were organized along the way.
9JUN 3302 - OCT 3302BORDERLANDS VENTURE9QOHEN LETH, EFILONEUNCOMPLETEDLINKHaving gathered data on nearly 1,600 systems and more than 16,000 astronomical bodies, this
ambitious venture ended with only one out of several objectives completed. The sheer amount
of data soon drove the scientists into "space madness" and a few of them were never to be heard
from again.
10JUN 3302 - ?WESTERN EXPEDITION?ROBBYP?LINKAn informal expedition to the far west side of the galaxy for members of the Distant Worlds
Expedition returning home to the bubble. Deep-space transmissions indicate that participants
succesfully crossed the Abyssal Plain and Mare Desperationis where new discoveries where made.
Then transmissions ceased...
11JUL 3302 - AUG 3302AUGUST EXODUS - A JAUNT TO JAQUES562TREESONG, UNREAL, ERIMUSCOMPLETEDLINKFollowing the rediscovery of Jaques Station (June 3302), members of the exploration community
immediately began logistic operations to help repair the damaged station. This massive effort
played an important part in creating the colonial identity that would eventually come to define
Colonia and the Colonia Citizens Network.
12AUG 3302 - NOV 3302LOST STARS - DWE XBOX47JUMPSTART57COMPLETEDLINKA retracing of the Distant Worlds Expedition for those pilots who had been unable to take part in
the original voyage due to the nature of their starship console. The expedition faced many difficult
challenges before eventually reaching Beagle Point.
13AUG 3302 - NOV 3302FORMIDINE RIFT EXPEDITION90CHILDREN OF RAXXLACOMPLETEDLINKNew clues pointing towards the EAFOTS sector of space and Salomé’s directive that it was
imperative to locate whatever was hidden out there, rekindled the interest in the Formidine Rift.
The efforts of this expedition grew into a community goal by the CoR that eventually led to the
discovery of abandoned settlements in the Rift.
14SEP 3302 - OCT 3302THE SMALL WORLDS EXPEDITION302XCNUSECOMPLETEDLINKA venture to allow new and casual players to learn the ropes of exploration without too much
worry. The expedition focused on visiting interesting sights not too far from the inhabited bubble
and also encouraged its participants to fly in smaller and atypical exploration vessels, such as
eagles and haulers.
15SEP 3302 - NOV 3302GALACTIC NEBULA EXPEDITION340TEA_REXCOMPLETEDLINKThis expedition visited many nebulae in the Orion Arm and Galactic Core Regions – most still
unexplored at the time – before reaching its final destination at Sagittarius A*. The survey
gathered valuable new data for the Galactic Mapping Project and other cartographic agencies.
16OOC 3302GO WEST35DELL TARRANTCOMPLETEDLINKA long-range deep exploration and survey mission, targeting the western galactic rim. The first
stage of the expedition ended at Jaques Station in Colonia and the second stage took the
participants to Myoangooe nebula around 44,000 LY away from the human bubble, where they
conducted extensive surveys.
17NOV 3302 - DEC 3302COLONIA CORE CIRCUIT 330299SATSUMA, FGE, CCNCOMPLETEDLINKThe expedition begun at Jaques Station, traversed 33,000 LY to Sagittarius A*, rendezvoused
with the Galactic Nebula Expedition, then returned back to Colonia through a similar route. This
was the first expedition that didn’t start from the human bubble or pass through it, and
rendezvoused with another major expedition in deep space.
18NOV 3302 - DEC 3302THE CASSIOPEIA PROJECT33JAITOUCOMPLETEDLINKA scientific mission seeking to discover the Cassiopeia A and Tycho supernovae, reported by
early astronomers but with currently unknown locations. The expedition moved past the Perseus
Arm and into the Formidine Rift, but after a long search it ended without any success in locating them.
19NOV 3302 - MAY 3303THE S.H.E.P.A.R.D. MISSION62MTT9999COMPLETEDLINKIn honour of Alan Shepard, the second human being to enter space, the expedition aimed to
document three types of stellar phenomena: star composition and clustering, unknown supernova
remnants, and star triangulation and migration. The six-month long expedition covered 37 waypoints
from the Centaurus Reach to Scutum-Centaurus Arm and the galactic core.
20DEC 3302 - JAN 3303CHRISTMAS CARRIERS CONVOY493QOHEN LETH, CCNCOMPLETEDLINKPossibly the largest merchant fleet in history, bringing the next influx of colonists to Colonia together
with much needed equipment and commodities. The convoy of passenger liners, freighters, and
fighter escorts faced multiple interceptions as they left the inhabited bubble but persevered through
well organized team work.
21JAN 3303DISTANT STARS - UNKNOWN ORIGINS364DR KAII, ERIMUS, VIRGIL KYLECOMPLETEDLINKWith the advent of neutron star supercharge technology, a group of explorers and scientists travelled
to star cluster M67, also known as Cancri cluster. The trip was one way, as the cluster had no neutron
stars for a return journey. After transmitting their findings, the explorers became settlers, waiting for
technology advancements that would allow them to return.
22JAN 3303MEET & GREET EXPEDITION 241ATOMICBOMB639COMPLETEDLINKSee original M&G for description
23JAN 3303 - FEB 3303HWC CIRCUIT 330344XCNUSECOMPLETEDLINKThe Heavyweight Champions Circuit waypoints consisted of planets with high gravity – the lowest at
2.11G and the highest at 9.77G. The challenge of the expedition was for all participants to land on the
planets safely without taking any damage, while having fun and testing their skills in a competitive
atmosphere.
24JAN 3303 - MAR 3303LA GRANDE EXPEDITION REMLOK18NICOUCOMPLETEDLINKStarting from Tellus, the Great Remlok Expedition moved in the direction of the Orion-Cygnus minor
spiral arm, proceeding to the Orion-Persean Conflux for another 25,000 LY before transitioning into
the Orion Spur. The expedition lasted for eleven weeks.
25JAN 3303 - MAR 3303MIND THE GAP35JT442COMPLETEDLINKA heavily armed expedition that aimed to explore the region named Hawking’s Gap, after Salomé
revealed the relevant information before her arrest by Imperial Forces. Two teams worked separately
on each side of the area, mapping the borders before meeting and delving into the area itself.
26FEB 3303SILLY SHIPS EXPEDITION52AGONY AUNTCOMPLETEDLINKThe expedition focused on ships that are not traditionally apt for exploration due to limitations or low
jump range, with the organisers insisting that the sillier the ship the better suited. Their route took
them to areas relatively close to the human bubble, where they searched for interesting systems and
beautiful vistas.
27FEB 3303 - APR 3303PIONEERS AND EXPLORER
Die Expedition (PaX-DE)
32LARGO ORMAND, PAX-DECOMPLETEDLINKA German-speaking expedition that aimed at two goals. The first was to reach the newly created
Colonia and let a number of the participants permanently settle there, away from the original human
bubble. The second was to continue past Colonia, turn into the Fallows and work their way towards
Rho Cassiopeiae.
28MAR 3303 - JUN 3303MERCURY 7 EXPEDITION84CCN, YANICKCOMPLETEDLINKAn expedition that paid tribute to the first American astronauts of Old Earth known as Mercury 7. The
expedition surveyed the less explored western areas of the galaxy including the Zephyrus/Ishtar region
where the Sagittarius stellar stream pierces the galactic disc of the Milky Way.
29APR 3303 - PRESENTHELIUM HUNT4REDFOX, ETHEREALCEREALUNDERWAYLINKA scientific expedition by four commanders, aiming to study the little understood Helium-Rich gas
giants. Their coordinated effort involves survey for systems with the elusive gas giants, study them,
gather data, try to form theories as to their distribution, and finally work to prove or disprove
those theories.
30MAY 3303 - JUN 3303HELICON'S PEAK EXPEDITION46PEGASI SECTOR COMMONWEALTHCOMPLETEDLINKAfter the dramatic events that led to the discovery of the derelict Zurara megaship in the Formidine
Rift, the various recovered ship logs moved the spotlight to the cover-up and the infamous Dynasty
Expedition. The expedition reached the Zurara and followed a path based on recovered POIs trying
to uncover as much information as possible about the past events.
31MAY 3303 - JUN 3303THE LOCAL SIGHT SEEING TOUR83MATTHIAS0608COMPLETEDLINKA sightseeing tour around the human bubble targeting the most popular and scenic nebulae and
views, aiming to get new pilots engaged with exploration, as well as veteran explorers to help out
during the trip. The beginning of the expedition was delayed because of the dramatic events leading
to Salomé’s death.
32MAY 3303 - JUL 3303THE AZOPHI EXPEDITION99SNOWYPOUTINE, EXPLORER'S CONSORTIUMCOMPLETEDLINKDedicated to the Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi who made the first known observation
of stellar groups outside our galaxy – and more specifically the Andromeda galaxy – this expedition
aimed to explore the Formidine Rift and the Heisenberg Bridge seeking scenic vistas and a more
detailed understanding of those areas.
33MAY 3303SILLY SHIPS EXPEDITION 232AGONY AUNTCOMPLETEDLINKA continuation of the Silly Ships Expedition, it focused on a silly theme about Cetaceans rather than
silly ships. The duration was longer than the first expedition while the only ship classes allowed were
Orca, Dolphin, and Beluga. The participants reached the far side of the Orion Spur scouting for
Earth-like and water world planets.
34MAY 3303 - JUL 3303SUMMER GREAT EXPEDITION73KAZAHNN DRAHNN, LOSPCOMPLETEDLINKInspired by Distant Worlds 3302 the expedition catered for two separate groups after the second
waypoint: the first group targeted Beagle Point while the second went to Sagittarius A*. The pilots
were able to use the new technological advances the Engineers provided, making the trip easier
and less dangerous.
35JUN 3303 - JUL 3303THE SMALL WORLDS EXPEDITION 2408XCNUSECOMPLETEDLINKAn expedition aiming to provide new pilots with exploration skills while using ships that could fit in
small landing pads only. Together with the skill development for new pilots, it aimed to suggest to
veteran pilots an alternative to the commonly used medium and large pad exploration ships.
36JUN 3303THE MONOCEROS MISSION32CHILDREN OF RAXXLACOMPLETEDLINKThe Galactic Mapping Project commissioned a Children of Raxxla team to survey a part of the
Perseus Transit where the Monoceros Ring – a ringlike filament of stars that wraps around the
Milky Way – intersects the galactic arm. The team also conducted border surveys of the
NGC 2286 restricted region.
37JUL 3303 - AUG 3303LAND OF GIANTS80ALESIA, CCNCOMPLETEDLINKOrganised by CCN and starting from Colonia, the route moved through the Festival Grounds to the
Orion-Cygnus Arm, and from there to the far edge of the Fallows. The expedition focused on large
bodies – from Carbon Stars to Supergiants – aiming to explore previously unseen regions housing
those star types.
38JUL 3303 - AUG 3303GRAND DAY OUT152JT442, DEEP RECON XCOMPLETEDLINKAn expedition aiming at commanders not familiar with exploration. The route remained close to the
human bubble and included asteroid bases, Thargoid hives, and Guardian ruins. The pilots also
practiced route plotting around restricted sectors of space.
39JUL 3303 - SEP 3303DEVOS EXPEDITION PROGRAM #130DEVOS_ESPCOMPLETEDLINKAn expedition focusing on commanders not familiar with exploration, organised by the Devos
Expedition Program. The short route was designed to take the participants to nebulae around
the human bubble, points of interest, exotic systems with indigenous life, and asteroid bases,
all while familiarising them with the basics of exploration.
40AUG 3303CCN SHORT EXPEDITION7YANICK, CCNCOMPLETEDLINKA short expedition organised by CCN, aiming to visit two nebulae near Colonia, allowing pilots who
had never been there to appreciate the views first hand for the first time. The route consisted of
just five waypoints and the expedition was open to all pilots and classes of ships.
41AUG 3303 - MAR 3304MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY
GALACTIC EXPEDITION
34LCU NO FOOL LIKE ONEON-GOINGLINKAn expedition in honour of the famous writer H.P. Lovecraft, searching among the stars for clues to
an old and obscure mythology from Humanity's cradle. The participants are searching for artefacts
that might be connected to ancient tales of beings from outer space seeking influence on Earth.
42SEP 3303 - AUG 3304THE DEAD END'S
CIRCUMNAVIGATION
EXPEDITION
50
(Sep 3303)
MACROS BLACKPLANNINGLINKA galactic circumnavigation that started as one commander’s plan for a trip and evolved into a
popular expedition. Its aim is to reach all the significant POIs at the edge of the galaxy following
a clockwise route, at a leisurely pace, for a duration of ten to twelve months.
43OCT 3303 - DEC 3303DSN LUXURY TOUR70
(Sep 3303)
ALISTAIR HOPE, DSNPLANNINGLINKA bilingual French/English expedition, organised by the Deep Space Network and allowing only
Saud Kruger ships. Its aim is to visit all twenty-one asteroid bases located at the periphery of the
human bubble. All the main waypoints of the 44,000 LY route are on asteroid bases.
44NOV 3303 - JAN 3304VOYAGER EXPEDITION?IAMBOB224PLANNINGLINKA scientific expedition aiming to reach and study the lesser known parts of the Perseus Arm, which
tends to be underexplored. The route begins in Pencil sector, moves through the arm, and almost
reaches its final systems, at the Chanoa sector. The expedition is expected to last two months
before returning back to the bubble.
45NOV 3303 - MAR 3304MINERVA CENTAURUS EXPEDITION30
(Sep 3303)
YANICK, CCNPLANNINGLINKThe expedition is named after the Roman goddess of wisdom, heroic endeavours, battle, and
civilisation – the Roman version of the Greek goddess Athena. The aim of the expedition is to
explore the lesser known aspects of the Scutum-Centaurus galactic arm, especially at the eastern side.
46JAN 3304 - SEP 3304BEAGLE POINT EXPEDITION50
(Sep 3303)
KING_INF3RNO, WISHBLENDPLANNINGLINKAn expedition to Beagle Point with a route that is friendly to pilots with low jump ranges. It starts
at Jaques Station in Colonia and traverses the galactic core past the Scutum-Centaurus Arm and
through the Sagittarius-Carina Arm to Beagle Point.
473304ELDER SUNS EXPEDITION?JAIOTUPLANNINGLINKAn Astronomy-oriented expedition that attempts to locate the oldest stars in the Milky Way galaxy
with ages well over 13 billion years and thus, older than the galaxy itself. Due to the nature of this
expedition, it has no specific route or target.



Credits:
Corbin Moran and Finwen for the background map
Corbin Moran and Aura Lorell for the texts
Post_M for spellchecking
Erimus for the Expedition Hub
Players and organizers for archive info
Anthor for EDSM
Qohen Leth for the graphical composition
 
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That has to surpass any work that's been done for this game so far. Simply Awesome and has me itching to get out exploring again ( he says, staring out of the cockpit a few jumps out from Sagittarius A!) ;)
 
Thank you all! Work of love from us 3, so we're very happy you like it :)

Oh God it was. From the first waypoints dispatching using EDSM to the literary struggles of putting an Oxford comma there or not, it was...

Hey! Oxford commas are always correct! :p

And thanks everyone. For me it was a labour of love as the exploration community is an extended family. Happy I could contribute a little bit.
 
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