Elite in Combat and Trade - What should I do about Exploration?

[mbar]

Amateurs.
Real explorers use Federal Dropships or Corvettes - with military armor and heavy weight mods

(Dolphin is a nice ship, too bad it doesn't like planetary flight. Orca is nice too, and the Beluga. Ships for those who like luxury and don't care about the stuff peasants care about)

The advantage with short jump range is LOTS of star systems to honk. I made most of my exploration rank by going to Colonia in a T-9 with only 14ly max jumps. Seriously, don't be in such a hurry to go 1000lys. Use economical jumps and rake in the cash!

 

[Ian Doncaster]

(Dolphin is a nice ship, too bad it doesn't like planetary flight. Orca is nice too, and the Beluga. Ships for those who like luxury and don't care about the stuff peasants care about)

For style, the FDL is a pretty nice exploration ship, too. Scanners in the two small slots, oversized fuel scoop in the big one, shield and SRV in the mediums. With an engineered FSD and other modules downsized you can still get 30LY range out of it.

Doesn't quite have the internals to carry a shield, SRV and AFMU, so you probably have to decide between planetary exploration and neutron boosting, but otherwise pretty good if you're not going too close to the edge of the galaxy.

 

[rrobes]

If you're in a hurry, be prepared to jump until your eyes burn out and your brain runs out of your ears.

The scenery is nice, for a while.

Make sure you optimize your equipment (long range or quick scan, concentrate on hi-pay systems or bulk, etc).

Get the planet ID guides, after a while, you will start to recognize the ones you want to scan in detail.

Long jump range gets you around quicker, shorter jumps collect more data. I opted for longer because when you are on the return trip, you just want it to END.

If time is of no concern, do like others that are explo pros do, spend a few months out there. Make sure you take a mining lasers, it could come in handy for jumponium.

I used an Anaconda w/ 60+ jump range.

Once I got elite explo, I stripped the Anaconda, sold the lightweight modules, renamed it and set it up as an armed trader. No more exploration for me. It just isn't my idea of fun.

As previously stated, passenger missions count.

 

[Just Call Me Dave]

For style, the FDL is a pretty nice exploration ship, too. Scanners in the two small slots, oversized fuel scoop in the big one, shield and SRV in the mediums. With an engineered FSD and other modules downsized you can still get 30LY range out of it.

Doesn't quite have the internals to carry a shield, SRV and AFMU, so you probably have to decide between planetary exploration and neutron boosting, but otherwise pretty good if you're not going too close to the edge of the galaxy.

Likewise, the T-7 (come on now, hear me out) is surprisingly comfortable as far as non-traditional Exploration ships go. I left the bubble just after 2.4 dropped with a few other guys (including an FDL, he can't stop talking about the great view and how cool it runs) and will be pulling into Beagle Point tonight (The Corvette and Cutter both beat me there this weekend). It has plenty of room (ADS, DSS, Repair Controller and Cargo, AFM, Shielded, 2-pack SRV Bay and a nice big fuel scoop) and manoeuvers decently in supercruise.

I named it the Fat Asp so that I can still take pictures with my Asp in front of things.

 

[Cmdr Tel]

Ummm! Is this a trick question?
Because the simple answer would be just to go explore. You don't need massive jump range or anything.
I personally prefer the Dolphin or Orca. I don't own a Beluga yet but I think that might also be a good choice and having a SLF could be a lot of fun, not to mention that huge fuel tank...nice!
Basically pick a ship you enjoy flying and head out.