Never been more than 500 ly from spawn, but It's finally time to say goodbye to civilization and the bubble. I don't just wanna fly in a straight line though, I'm a space tourist and would like to know if there's any really cool places within that distance. Not just astronomical objects, but tiny pockets of civilization are cool to me too.
As for my ship, it's an Asp Explorer with 44 ly jump range.
I'd also like to try taking the neutron highway but not sure about it. Are they more damaging than white dwarves? And can i get the 25 fragments along the way?
Forget the destination, this goal is about getting 5000 LY away from your point of in-game origin and
that is all! There are no conveniently placed destinations for you to visit that will fulfill that requirement. The best plan is to pick a RANDOM direction and simply fly a fairly straight line for about 6000 (Yup!) LY. This way you are SURE you have exceeded the 5000 LY goal. Or stop and turn around if you get the invite while on route. The reason for picking a RANDOM direction is:
If you go toward any destination someone else tells you about, then you can be reasonably sure other CMDRs have been there before you. You will find a bunch of systems that have already been "discovered". An interesting sideline of this mission and a source of lots of credits is all of the exploration data you will collect on your journey and the possibility of getting system(s) or planet(s) named for your original discovery, the only way to do that is to be the first one to go there. Consider taking an SRV or SLF if your budget allows, just in case you trip over something interesting out there on a planetary surface.
The Palin trip does not really take very long in a ship with decent jump-range, I also used an A-rated (it is what I have) Asp-X with slightly less jump-range. If you are motivated, it can be completed in a few hours (took me about 8 to 10 hours, in 2 hour shifts, after work). I took an AFMS but left it turned off and never needed it (eats resources/materials for fuel, remember the AFMS needs fuel to work), consider leaving it at home unless you like to run into things. Pick a random direction, if possible away from any direction you think other CMDRs might have gone and plot a 700 or 800 LY coursed in that direction, longer than that and the galaxy map might not plot a course. Scoop fuel and use the Advanced Discovery Scanner to "HONK"
every system, check the system map to find "interesting" planets, etc. then use the Detailed Surface Scanner to "
scan da blue ones" or
anything else that looks "interesting" or pretty before jumping to the next system. You will probably find most systems are a collection of brown mud-balls. When you reach the end of your 800 LY plot, plot another 800 LY path in the same direction. I suggest book-marking a system about every 1000 LY for reference, it will help you track your progress on the galaxy map. If you follow this advice you will probably return with the Palin invite, several tens of millions worth of exploration data and when you sell that data you may find you have made an original discovery or two. o7
Tip: Once you are well away from the bubble, turn off systems that are not being used, hangars, AFMS (if fitted), even weapons to increase your available energy budget. The more available energy, the longer your shields will last if the unthinkable happens and you are jumped-on out there. If you are feeling invincible you can even turn off the shields, just remember to turn them back on before returning to the bubble. o7
