Video killed the radio star: the death knell of the DBX has sounded
25 Jun 2024Currahee 23
Yes, I said it. The Diamondback Explorer is dead as an exploration vessel. Why, might you ask? Before I get into why, let’s go into a little background. I like to think I know what I’m doing as an explorer. I’m no Arcanic, Griff Rogers or Julian Ford, but I was the first CDMR in ACE Exploration to reach Elite V in exploration and am a modest Elite II in exobiology. I’ve been to Star One, Isham’s Reach, Magellan’s Star and have a trip planned to Erickson’s Star and Manifest Destiny this Winter. So bottom line, I have some light years under my belt.
The new Super Cruise Overdrive (SCO) has changed Elite to its core. Planets that were 10 minutes away can now be reached in two. Getting away from a planet and up to speed is routine now. Looking at exploration in particular the implications are staggering. After you have mapped a planet, just hitting the SCO for a moment brings you up to 3 or 4 times the speed of light. Have to go all the way across the system to the next planet? No worries…done. But all this comes at a cost: massive fuel usage. The AspX, Phantom and Anaconda all have a size 6 or 7 slot that you can drop your fuel scoop in. The DBX with its woeful size 4 fuel scoop and size 5 fuel tank has always had issues.
The SCO is going to kill the DBX, at least in its current form. Maybe there will be a new version of this ship?