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 | NAME | ROSTER | ORGANIZER | STATUS | LINK | DESCRIPTION |
| 1 | DEC 3300 - FEB 3301 | NEBULAE RESEARCH VOYAGES | 50 | FIRST GREAT EXPEDITION | COMPLETED | LINK | Excursions 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. |
| 2 | APR 3301 | REGOR BORDER MAPPING | 100 | FIRST GREAT EXPEDITION | COMPLETED | LINK | REGOR 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. |
| 3 | AUG 3301 - PRESENT | SAGITTARIUS-CARINA MISSION | 175 | FIRST GREAT EXPEDITION, CORBIN MORAN | ON-GOING | LINK | The 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. |
| 4 | AUG 3301 - PRESENT | DUMBBELL PROJECT | ? | ALLIANCE ELITE DIPLOMATIC CORPS | ON-GOING | LINK | The 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. |
| 5 | JAN 3302 - JUN 3302 | DISTANT WORLDS 3302 | 1,153 | ERIMUS, DR KAII | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 6 | APR 3302 - JUN 3302 | FORMIDINE RIFT SURVEY | 202 | THE RIFTERS | COMPLETED | LINK | When 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. |
| 7 | MAY 3302 | MEET & GREET EXPEDITION | 63 | AIZRIA, SHWINKY, ATOMICB0MB639 | COMPLETED | LINK | Two 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. |
| 8 | JUN 3302 - JUL 3302 | CRAB NEBULA EXPEDITION | 485 | ATOMICB0MB639 | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 9 | JUN 3302 - OCT 3302 | BORDERLANDS VENTURE | 9 | QOHEN LETH, EFILONE | UNCOMPLETED | LINK | Having 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. |
| 10 | JUN 3302 - ? | WESTERN EXPEDITION | ? | ROBBYP | ? | LINK | An 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... |
| 11 | JUL 3302 - AUG 3302 | AUGUST EXODUS - A JAUNT TO JAQUES | 562 | TREESONG, UNREAL, ERIMUS | COMPLETED | LINK | Following 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. |
| 12 | AUG 3302 - NOV 3302 | LOST STARS - DWE XBOX | 47 | JUMPSTART57 | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 13 | AUG 3302 - NOV 3302 | FORMIDINE RIFT EXPEDITION | 90 | CHILDREN OF RAXXLA | COMPLETED | LINK | New 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. |
| 14 | SEP 3302 - OCT 3302 | THE SMALL WORLDS EXPEDITION | 302 | XCNUSE | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 15 | SEP 3302 - NOV 3302 | GALACTIC NEBULA EXPEDITION | 340 | TEA_REX | COMPLETED | LINK | This 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. |
| 16 | OOC 3302 | GO WEST | 35 | DELL TARRANT | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 17 | NOV 3302 - DEC 3302 | COLONIA CORE CIRCUIT 3302 | 99 | SATSUMA, FGE, CCN | COMPLETED | LINK | The 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. |
| 18 | NOV 3302 - DEC 3302 | THE CASSIOPEIA PROJECT | 33 | JAITOU | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 19 | NOV 3302 - MAY 3303 | THE S.H.E.P.A.R.D. MISSION | 62 | MTT9999 | COMPLETED | LINK | In 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. |
| 20 | DEC 3302 - JAN 3303 | CHRISTMAS CARRIERS CONVOY | 493 | QOHEN LETH, CCN | COMPLETED | LINK | Possibly 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. |
| 21 | JAN 3303 | DISTANT STARS - UNKNOWN ORIGINS | 364 | DR KAII, ERIMUS, VIRGIL KYLE | COMPLETED | LINK | With 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. |
| 22 | JAN 3303 | MEET & GREET EXPEDITION 2 | 41 | ATOMICBOMB639 | COMPLETED | LINK | See original M&G for description |
| 23 | JAN 3303 - FEB 3303 | HWC CIRCUIT 3303 | 44 | XCNUSE | COMPLETED | LINK | The 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. |
| 24 | JAN 3303 - MAR 3303 | LA GRANDE EXPEDITION REMLOK | 18 | NICOU | COMPLETED | LINK | Starting 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. |
| 25 | JAN 3303 - MAR 3303 | MIND THE GAP | 35 | JT442 | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 26 | FEB 3303 | SILLY SHIPS EXPEDITION | 52 | AGONY AUNT | COMPLETED | LINK | The 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. |
| 27 | FEB 3303 - APR 3303 | PIONEERS AND EXPLORER Die Expedition (PaX-DE) | 32 | LARGO ORMAND, PAX-DE | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 28 | MAR 3303 - JUN 3303 | MERCURY 7 EXPEDITION | 84 | CCN, YANICK | COMPLETED | LINK | An 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. |
| 29 | APR 3303 - PRESENT | HELIUM HUNT | 4 | REDFOX, ETHEREALCEREAL | UNDERWAY | LINK | A 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. |
| 30 | MAY 3303 - JUN 3303 | HELICON'S PEAK EXPEDITION | 46 | PEGASI SECTOR COMMONWEALTH | COMPLETED | LINK | After 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. |
| 31 | MAY 3303 - JUN 3303 | THE LOCAL SIGHT SEEING TOUR | 83 | MATTHIAS0608 | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 32 | MAY 3303 - JUL 3303 | THE AZOPHI EXPEDITION | 99 | SNOWYPOUTINE, EXPLORER'S CONSORTIUM | COMPLETED | LINK | Dedicated 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. |
| 33 | MAY 3303 | SILLY SHIPS EXPEDITION 2 | 32 | AGONY AUNT | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 34 | MAY 3303 - JUL 3303 | SUMMER GREAT EXPEDITION | 73 | KAZAHNN DRAHNN, LOSP | COMPLETED | LINK | Inspired 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. |
| 35 | JUN 3303 - JUL 3303 | THE SMALL WORLDS EXPEDITION 2 | 408 | XCNUSE | COMPLETED | LINK | An 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. |
| 36 | JUN 3303 | THE MONOCEROS MISSION | 32 | CHILDREN OF RAXXLA | COMPLETED | LINK | The 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. |
| 37 | JUL 3303 - AUG 3303 | LAND OF GIANTS | 80 | ALESIA, CCN | COMPLETED | LINK | Organised 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. |
| 38 | JUL 3303 - AUG 3303 | GRAND DAY OUT | 152 | JT442, DEEP RECON X | COMPLETED | LINK | An 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. |
| 39 | JUL 3303 - SEP 3303 | DEVOS EXPEDITION PROGRAM #1 | 30 | DEVOS_ESP | COMPLETED | LINK | An 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. |
| 40 | AUG 3303 | CCN SHORT EXPEDITION | 7 | YANICK, CCN | COMPLETED | LINK | A 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. |
| 41 | AUG 3303 - MAR 3304 | MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY GALACTIC EXPEDITION | 34 | LCU NO FOOL LIKE ONE | ON-GOING | LINK | An 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. |
| 42 | SEP 3303 - AUG 3304 | THE DEAD END'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION EXPEDITION | 50 (Sep 3303) | MACROS BLACK | PLANNING | LINK | A 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. |
| 43 | OCT 3303 - DEC 3303 | DSN LUXURY TOUR | 70 (Sep 3303) | ALISTAIR HOPE, DSN | PLANNING | LINK | A 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. |
| 44 | NOV 3303 - JAN 3304 | VOYAGER EXPEDITION | ? | IAMBOB224 | PLANNING | LINK | A 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. |
| 45 | NOV 3303 - MAR 3304 | MINERVA CENTAURUS EXPEDITION | 30 (Sep 3303) | YANICK, CCN | PLANNING | LINK | The 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. |
| 46 | JAN 3304 - SEP 3304 | BEAGLE POINT EXPEDITION | 50 (Sep 3303) | KING_INF3RNO, WISHBLEND | PLANNING | LINK | An 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. |
| 47 | 3304 | ELDER SUNS EXPEDITION | ? | JAIOTU | PLANNING | LINK | An 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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