JOURNEY OF A COMMANDER PART 27
14 Nov 2022Ni6h70wl
For a better understanding of the various scanners used on the Novara during the voyage, here is an explanation of them:The different Scanners
The Exploration Scanner is an integrated scanner module used to instantly identify all astronomical objects within an unknown star system. When activated in normal space or supercruise, the Exploration Scanner catalogues stars and marks the positions of planets and moons.
The Full Spectrum System Scanner can then be used to catalogue planetary celestial bodies and reveal the positions of any signal sources, while the Detailed Surface Scanner collects detailed data on the composition of planetary bodies and maps their surfaces.
The exploration scanner is one of the most important tools for an explorer. It can be activated and used to scan an entire system at once from anywhere within the system. However, while it will reveal all stars in an unexplored system and display them on the system map, the discovery of planets, moons or asteroid belts requires the separate full-spectrum system scanner.
The exploration scanner must be assigned to a fire group and can be activated in both supercruise and normal space. The assigned control to trigger the scanner must be held down to charge the unit until the scan is completed. When the scan is complete, all stars in the system will be revealed and identified, but all planets, moons and asteroid belts will remain unidentified and will be marked as 'Unexplored' in the navigation panel. If you use the Full Spectrum System Scanner on these bodies or fly the ship near them in Supercruise, you will receive identification data. Identified planets and moons can then be mapped with a third device, the detailed surface scanner.
Data obtained with the exploration scanner only can be sold to Universal Cartographics for credits, but the value of the data can be increased by using the full spectrum system scanner and the detailed surface scanner. There is a bonus if a pilot is the first to discover and/or map a corresponding body.
The Full Spectrum System Scanner (FSS) is a powerful scanning device included in all ships that is used to identify signal sources and astronomical objects such as planets, moons and asteroid clusters within a star system. This generates exploration data that can be sold to Universal Cartographics and completes the system map for the user. To prepare to use the FSS, first switch to analysis mode and activate the exploration scanner to capture the system's structure and plot the orbital plane. Note that large objects such as stars can obscure smaller bodies. It is therefore advisable to move a few light seconds away from a star before throttling down to reduce the need for repositioning later. Once the ship's speed has reached its lowest point, the FSS can be activated.
The FSS interface is based on three main controls: horizontal and vertical movement of the crosshairs, magnification of the crosshairs and adjustment of the filtered signal analysis bar at the bottom of the display to adjust to different frequencies. The VSS automatically emits a regular pulse of energy that briefly highlights points of interest that are emitting signals. Simply move the crosshairs to these highlighted areas and adjust the spectrum bar until a scannable target is displayed for analysis of the filtered signal. Then zoom in until the FSS can pick up and analyse a clear, unobstructed signal. Note that most bodies can be found along the orbital plane of the system, but some bodies have unusual orbits and may require careful searching in deep space.
Adjusting the spectral bar for analysis of the filtered signal, is essential for correct and efficient use of the FSS. Not only does the bar show exactly what types of signals and bodies to expect in a system, with low frequencies indicating fleeting signals or smaller objects and high frequencies indicating large objects such as gas giants, but it also filters out signals that have already been scanned and no longer appear on the bar. A completely empty bar means that all available objects within the system have been scanned.
The crosshairs can be used to find signal sources that are not immediately detectable, such as objects that are not in the orbital plane of the system. When the FSS is set to a certain frequency, arrow symbols appear around it when it is close to a signal source with a similar frequency. If the arrows are clustered and arranged in a symmetrical pattern, the FSS is set to the correct frequency for scanning the signal. If the arrows are scattered asymmetrically across the crosshairs, the tuning must be adjusted. The signal sources themselves also give a visual indication of whether the tuning is correct: when the FSS is tuned to the frequency of the signal, a broken circle appears marking the point of origin of the signal. When the exact frequency is reached, the circle becomes a continuous ring indicating that the point of origin can finally be sampled.
Only all planets and moons in a system need to be scanned to receive the message "System Scan Complete", so other signal sources can be left alone. The ratio of scanned to detected bodies is displayed in the upper right corner of the FSS interface.
In addition to system scanning, the FSS at full magnification also provides a wealth of detail about the celestial bodies in the system, including:
- Resources - The elemental composition of the surface of the body, indicating what raw materials can be mined there.
- Locations - The presence of points of interest.
- The mass, radius, gravity, surface temperature, atmospheric composition and astronometric details of the celestial body
- The name(s) of the commander(s) who previously scanned and mapped the body, if any.
The first pilot to detect an object with the VSS and submit the data to Universal Cartographics will receive the 'First Discovered By' award, which will be displayed when the object is selected on the system map.
The Detailed Surface Scanner is an optional internal module that fires one-way probes at a planet, moon or planetary ring system to collect detailed cartographic and compositional data. This information is displayed on the system map.
To use the detailed surface scanner, a reconnaissance scanner and a full-spectrum system scanner must first be used to identify the planets and moons within a system. Next, the pilot must travel to the object he wants to investigate with the DSS. This may mean getting to within a few light seconds of a larger object, such as a gas giant, or to within a few thousand kilometres of a smaller object, such as an icy body. The DSS is activated only when the ship is within range of the target object and has decelerated to a low or minimum supercruise thrust (30 km/s). The closer the pilot's ship is to the object he wants to map with the DSS, the more accurately he can align the probes.
When the DSS is activated, a special interface opens through which probes can be fired at the target object. The aim is to fire several probes at different angles so that they hit and scan at least 90% of the surface of the target object. Probes can be fired directly at an object to map the side the ship is facing, or at a wider angle to arc and hit the opposite side. If fired at too wide an angle, the probe will miss the object completely. The DSS has an ammunition limit of three probes, but automatically makes replacements in a few seconds, so the supply of probes is virtually unlimited. Pilots do not have to wait for a fired probe to arrive before firing another.
Once the 90% threshold is reached, the DSS automatically fills in the remaining gaps on the object, granting 100% completeness. If the number of probes fired is equal to or less than the specified "efficiency target", which can range from 2 to 22 probes depending on the mass of the object, a financial bonus is also credited. The most valuable object types to map are worlds with high metal content, water worlds, ammonia worlds and Earth-like worlds, which usually require 6 or 7 probes each.
Mapping a planet with the DSS permanently displays all major points of interest on its surface, including all settlements, shipwrecks, Guardian sites and Thargoid sites. These locations are highlighted by markers that can be selected for landings on the planet. Probes can also be fired at planetary ring systems orbiting an object to mark resource-rich areas. Regardless of the size of the rings, only a single probe is required to map them.
The first pilot to fully map an object and submit the data to Universal Cartographics receives the "First Mapped By" designation, which is displayed when the object is selected on the system map.