Explorer's log - Thylek Shran - Orion Arm expedition

[CMDR_Thylek_Shran]

(This thread is where I will post progress reports, log entries, and screenshots from an extreme long-haul exploration trip discussed and explained in more detail in my previous thread, found here https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=208342 .) Tl;dr: Starting from leesti, I will fly down the orion arm into and through the core, and fly back to Leesti.
Log entry, December 6, 2015
I departed George Lucas Station in Leesti, in the tip of the Orion arm, on December 6th, 2015, at 6:35 PM, piloting my Asp Explorer, the Kumari. As of this writing, I do not expect to return to Leesti before spring and possibly early summer of 2016 due to real life concerns, specifically that I'm a junior in high school and I barely have time for my life without also worrying about exploring the galaxy. That being said, I will post progress reports when possible.
My ship carried no weapons or shields, and was outfitted with long haul exploration equipment internally. The specifics of her equipment included: An A2 power plant, D4 thrusters, an A5 Frame Shift Drive, D4 Life support system, D2 Power coupling, D5 sensors, a C5 fuel scoop, a C3 AFMU, A C1 Advanced Discovery Scanner, and a C1 detailed surface scanner. My ship also carried triple the fuel capacity of a stock asp, at 96 tons instead of 32 tons. The first 1,000 lightyear waypoint on my planned expedition was Stock 1 Sector FB-X D1-56, at a distance of 999.98 lightyears from Leesti. The nav computer calculated that I would need to refuel 545.52 lightyears into my calculated route, in the system Col 359 Sector DV-W CZ-10. My plan upon reaching my first 1,000 lightyear waypoint is to plot a course to a star approximately 1,000 lightyears above the galactic plane, where I will resume level course down the Orion Arm to the core.
End log entry, December 6, 2015.
Edit:
Log entry, December 8, 2015.
No progress made, but I've decided that past my first 1,000 LY waypoint, I will no longer post the specific points along my route, just the sector I'm currently in and my distance from home. This is partially because I'm paranoid(I do have a friend who once said he would hunt me down and kill me in-game) and also because I do not want to be followed or to be beaten to anything by someone stealing my route idea and flying it while I'm busy with real life.
End log entry, December 8, 2015.
Update log entry, December 8, 2015.
Flew 683.68 LY out of Leesti. Refueled, stopped for the night.
End log entry, December 8, 2015.

 

[iain666]

Godspeed, Cmdr

 

[CMDR_Thylek_Shran]

Well... Bump

 

[Arnoldo]

Dude, fly safe and enjoy your trip.

We're not ignorant - just not used to human company or conversation

Cmdr Arnoldo

 

[CMDR_Thylek_Shran]

Dude, fly safe and enjoy your trip.

We're not ignorant - just not used to human company or conversation

Cmdr Arnoldo

I've been toying with the idea of doing some parts of it(starting once I get out of school for summer) on economical routes only. Even with fastest routes I doubt my trip will be anywhere near complete at the end of my school year, and if I'm still out there when summer starts, I figure I'll have all the time in the world so I might as well take my time while I have it. I doubt I'll make much progress at all until after I get out for christmas break next week though. I'm about to play a little bit right now but only because I'm braindead and need a rest before homework.

 

[Arnoldo]

if you have no time limits (self or externally imposed) then why not. I did it on my way to and from Sag A, had mixed results, on some stretches I hit more shiny things, on other eco stretches nada.

Have to admit that the crazy paving canopy meant I stuck with fast mode way more than eco on the way back

 

[CMDR_Thylek_Shran]

if you have no time limits (self or externally imposed) then why not. I did it on my way to and from Sag A, had mixed results, on some stretches I hit more shiny things, on other eco stretches nada.

Have to admit that the crazy paving canopy meant I stuck with fast mode way more than eco on the way back

To arnoldo: Another bonus to flying on econ routes, at least with my ship, is that I can fly an entire 1000 LY route on one tank of fuel. My ship is outfitted like a flying gas tank. I have triple the fuel capacity of a stock asp, at 96 tons instead of 32. Now, whether I'll be able to fly econ at all with the stars as widely spaced as they are that high above the galactic plane is another question.
Logbook:
Log entry, December 9, 2015. First 1,000 LY waypoint reached. I charted course to a star as high above the galactic plane as my nav computer and fuel load would allow, which in the end was an 876 lightyear course roughly straight up. Said star isn't quite as high above plane as I'd like, at approximately 900 LY above instead of 1,000, but my jump range wasn't quite enough to plot a route to anything higher up. I may take a more gently sloping course up toward 1,000 LY above plane once I reach the star at about 900 above.
On another note, I had an interesting thought as I was zipping along on my way to the first waypoint of my trip. I was looking at all the discoverer names in systems I passed through while still under 1,000 LY from Leesti, and realized that any systems that close to the bubble must have been discovered by some of the very first players in the game, possibly in the first few hours or days of beta testing, assuming there has been no server wipe. It makes me wonder if those earliest explorers are still in the game and still exploring. I would love to talk to some of them. By this point they've likely seen things farther away than any of us.
End log entry, December 9, 2015.

 

[iain666]

There was a wipe after beta but not since then (so stuff we did in gamma - when I started - stands).

There are certainly some of those earliest explorers still around, Erimus is the name that springs most immediately to mind.

Although if you were to start searching systematically you'll still find thousands of systems within a kylie of Leesti that remain untagged.

 

[CMDR_Thylek_Shran]

There was a wipe after beta but not since then (so stuff we did in gamma - when I started - stands).

There are certainly some of those earliest explorers still around, Erimus is the name that springs most immediately to mind.

Although if you were to start searching systematically you'll still find thousands of systems within a kylie of Leesti that remain untagged.

That's hard to believe, even when you know how big the game is. Stuff right in our backyard that's completely unknown. Amazing.

 

[CMDR_Thylek_Shran]

Log entry, December 14, 2015.
It's amazing how apparently unexplored this path is. I'm barely even 1,000 LY out and I'm already making first discoveries, something I didn't do with regularity for 2,500 or 3,000 LY on my last trip.
End log entry, December 14, 2015.