Exploration Crew - Revision history

Kubsius: /* The Bluespace Shuttle */

2026-05-06T21:57:27Z

The Bluespace Shuttle

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:57, 6 May 2026
Line 73:		Line 73:
	**Toggle Autopilot is involved with Autopilot Target - upon selecting a location, the shuttle will automatically adjust the throttle and thrust angle until it reaches the location. Landing will have to be manually done, either at a custom location or at a predefined one, upon reaching the radius of the object.		**Toggle Autopilot is involved with Autopilot Target - upon selecting a location, the shuttle will automatically adjust the throttle and thrust angle until it reaches the location. Landing will have to be manually done, either at a custom location or at a predefined one, upon reaching the radius of the object.
	**The interdictor is useful in the event of a rogue ship piloted by another player - it can be used, upon getting within range of aforementioned ship, too forcefully pull it out of hyperspace and initiate docking procedures. Keep in mind that you must catch up to the ship first.		**The interdictor is useful in the event of a rogue ship piloted by another player - it can be used, upon getting within range of aforementioned ship, too forcefully pull it out of hyperspace and initiate docking procedures. Keep in mind that you must catch up to the ship first.
	The shuttle itself, and more technical aspects such as player built shuttles, is covered in the [[Guide to ~~Shuttles and Shuttle Building~~]].		The shuttle itself, and more technical aspects such as player built shuttles, is covered in the [[Guide to shuttle construction]].

	==Missions==		==Missions==

BotTierPC: Changes the Exploration Page to remove mention of "three hardsuits" Explo isnt so limited to 3 hardsuits lol

2025-10-15T08:34:20Z

Changes the Exploration Page to remove mention of "three hardsuits" Explo isnt so limited to 3 hardsuits lol

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:34, 15 October 2025
Line 52:		Line 52:
	* Lasso		* Lasso
	==Before the Shuttle==		==Before the Shuttle==
	Starting off, you spawn in the Science ~~dock, next to your shuttle - with three~~ hardsuits ~~available~~. ~~In addition~~, ~~you start~~ with -		Starting off, you spawn in the Science Shuttle Dock where you'll find some hardsuits nearby. Afterwards you'll want to find, or get acquainted with other Exploration equipment like;
	* A standard energy pistol, with two firing modes - a cutting mode, and a laser mode. The cutting mode will deal 70 damage to structures, such as windows, and mines rock akin to a plasma cutter, but only 5 damage against mobs, while the laser mode does 30 damage against non-human and non-silicon targets. In addition, it comes with a pre-installed firing pin that only allows for it to be fired when not on station.		* A standard energy pistol, with two firing modes - a cutting mode, and a laser mode. The cutting mode will deal 70 damage to structures, such as windows, and mines rock akin to a plasma cutter, but only 5 damage against mobs, while the laser mode does 30 damage against non-human and non-silicon targets. In addition, it comes with a pre-installed firing pin that only allows for it to be fired when not on station.
	* A full suite of basic medical tools for performing tend wounds, treating burns and other injuries, along with extracting other injured miners. In addition, a handheld crew monitor and pinpointer will be present; useful if an explorer is lost and has max suit sensors.		* A full suite of basic medical tools for performing tend wounds, treating burns and other injuries, along with extracting other injured miners. In addition, a handheld crew monitor and pinpointer will be present; useful if an explorer is lost and has max suit sensors.

Schizocat: /* Missions */ Added the assassination mission type and updated the decommission description

2025-05-19T02:33:48Z

Missions: Added the assassination mission type and updated the decommission description

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:33, 19 May 2025
Line 78:		Line 78:
	As an exploration member, you have a variety of goals and missions - the most clear cut being from your Station Objective Console. This will allow you too accept an extremely high paying bounty that will be distributed throughout the budget cards of all departments. These missions are varied, and include -		As an exploration member, you have a variety of goals and missions - the most clear cut being from your Station Objective Console. This will allow you too accept an extremely high paying bounty that will be distributed throughout the budget cards of all departments. These missions are varied, and include -
	* Blackbox recovery - Contact with the outpost has been lost and Nanotrasen need answers, and they need them fast. Enter the outpost, locate the blackbox, and return it to the main station's bridge to complete the objective. Has a relatively small payout but is very easy compared to the other objectives and can be completed quickly if you don't mind missing out on finding some extra goodies. The blackbox can be located via its GPS signal.		* Blackbox recovery - Contact with the outpost has been lost and Nanotrasen need answers, and they need them fast. Enter the outpost, locate the blackbox, and return it to the main station's bridge to complete the objective. Has a relatively small payout but is very easy compared to the other objectives and can be completed quickly if you don't mind missing out on finding some extra goodies. The blackbox can be located via its GPS signal.
	* Nuclear Decommission - The press can't get wind of what happened on that outpost. A nuclear bomb will be delivered to the bridge, ~~and~~ the outdated nuclear authentication disk must be located in the ruin. Once inserted into the nuclear bomb, the station will be destroyed, granting an extremely large payout. Both the blackbox and nuclear fission explosive can be located via their GPS signals. The nuclear bomb can only be detonated on the target ruin.		* Nuclear Decommission - The press can't get wind of what happened on that outpost. A nuclear bomb and detonation code will be delivered to the bridge of your station. Once you arrive at the target, the outdated nuclear authentication disk must be located in the ruin. Once inserted into the nuclear bomb, the station will be destroyed, granting an extremely large payout. Both the blackbox and nuclear fission explosive can be located via their GPS signals. The nuclear bomb can only be detonated on the target ruin.
	* VIP Recovery - A VIP has been located on the outpost and must be recovered. The VIP will either spawn as a dead body with a diary, or controlled by another player. If controlled by a player, the mission will fail when they die. Keep in mind enemies can be present on the station. The VIP can potentially be hostile towards the people trying to recover them, and must be non-lethally restrained. On top of that, they do not have a GPS beacon so have to be located manually. Pays out a large sum of money, however the VIP may be extremely difficult to recover at times (or more likely dead from spider venom).		* VIP Recovery - A VIP has been located on the outpost and must be recovered. The VIP will either spawn as a dead body with a diary, or controlled by another player. If controlled by a player, the mission will fail when they die. Keep in mind enemies can be present on the station. The VIP can potentially be hostile towards the people trying to recover them, and must be non-lethally restrained. On top of that, they do not have a GPS beacon so have to be located manually. Pays out a large sum of money, however the VIP may be extremely difficult to recover at times (or more likely dead from spider venom).
			* Assassination - Very similar to a VIP recovery mission but with a key difference: You are under orders to kill your target. All methods are permissable and you will receive the reward for completion as soon as they are dead. Keep in mind that like other VIPs your target may become player-controlled and may be aware/paranoid you're out to kill them.
	* Artifact Recovery - An alien artifact has been located on a ruin in deep space. These artifacts have a variety of different effects some of which can be lethal. It is recommended that you handle the artifact with extreme care, so much as picking it up could give you an eldritch curse. The artifact can be located via its GPS signal and only needs to enter the station level to have the mission complete.		* Artifact Recovery - An alien artifact has been located on a ruin in deep space. These artifacts have a variety of different effects some of which can be lethal. It is recommended that you handle the artifact with extreme care, so much as picking it up could give you an eldritch curse. The artifact can be located via its GPS signal and only needs to enter the station level to have the mission complete.
	These missions may also take place on a variety of different types of outposts - ranging from abandoned stations, lacking anything except a large amount of trash, a station that has been infested by a blob and has blob monsters roaming the halls, a station of great evil with a hellish cult that has summoned entities from the netherworld and left their pylons among the wreckage, and one suffering a good old fashioned xenomorph outbreak. Make sure to keep your energy pistol by your side, and communicate with other members of your exploration team with the .q or .h prefix.		These missions may also take place on a variety of different types of outposts - ranging from abandoned stations, lacking anything except a large amount of trash, a station that has been infested by a blob and has blob monsters roaming the halls, a station of great evil with a hellish cult that has summoned entities from the netherworld and left their pylons among the wreckage, and one suffering a good old fashioned xenomorph outbreak. Make sure to keep your energy pistol by your side, and communicate with other members of your exploration team with the .q or .h prefix.

Schizocat: Replaced the exploration job description of 'roles' with rundown of the voucher kits

2025-05-19T02:13:19Z

Replaced the exploration job description of 'roles' with rundown of the voucher kits

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:13, 19 May 2025
Line 7:		Line 7:
	}}		}}

	==Roles==		==Roles and starting equipment==
	At roundstart 3 members of the exploration team will spawn in~~, each~~ with a different ~~role~~.		At roundstart all members of the exploration team will spawn in with a voucher in their bags which can be redeemed at the exploration vendor in their office. This is intended to allow team members to take on specific duties and have tools for the job, which come from different kits similar to the miners and their voucher system. These kits include the following (note that all kits come with a discovery scanner as well):
	~~All exploration crew members start~~ with a discovery scanner ~~which is used to generate discovery research points for science.~~

	===~~Scientist~~===		===== Ghost shift =====
	As the ~~scientist your job~~ is to ~~locate research disks~~. ~~You start with a research disk locator which~~, ~~when used in hand~~, will ~~say a direction and distance~~ to ~~the nearest research disk on the ground. These disks are required for advanced technologies such as combat implants~~ and ~~will unlock the research node when given~~ to ~~a scientist.~~		Ghost shift is a special option which may only be taken when the stations crew total is less than 20. It is intended to allow a solo/understaffed exploration crew fulfill basic needs.
			* Compact first aid kit, stocked
			* Toolbelt, loaded
			* An emergency beacon to assist with recovery
			* A medibot (you will need to ensure your shuttle is warm and pressurised enough that you can take your suit off to use this)
			* A hypospray full of atropine

	~~Tips:~~		===== Engineer =====
	- ~~Make sure you don't forget to use your research disk scanner to fetch research disks.~~		A typical must-have which is critical for exploring and navigating derelicts, also incredibly efficient regarding the exploration point cost of the items in this kit.
	~~- The research disk scanner doesn't~~ point ~~towards the objective, only~~ the ~~research disks. Use your GPS to locate objectives~~.		* Three breaching charges
	~~- If you find a particularly interesting place and you might want to come back to establish a permanent colony~~, ~~deploy your bluespace beacon to prevent the station marker from being deleted.~~		* A breaching charge detonator
			* Toolbelt, loaded

	===Medical ~~Doctor~~===		===== Medical =====
	As the ~~medical doctor you start with: A~~ crew pinpointer~~; a handheld crew monitor; a medical kit that contains vital resources for tending wounds and a roller bed. Your job~~ is ~~to maintain~~ the ~~health of your crew~~ and ~~ensure their survival. It is important you don't forget to take care of yourself, as if you go down there will be nobody to heal you~~.		Useful on a large enough and risk-taking exploration crew, but the crew pinpointer is the noteworthy item for VIP and assassination missions.
			* Crew pinpointer
			* Collapisble rollerbed
			* Full-size first aid kit
			* Health scanner

	~~Tips:~~		===== Scientist =====
	~~- Save~~ the ~~ointment and bruise packs~~ for ~~larger wounds~~, ~~minor full body wounds can be healed by the medical bay on the station.~~		Arguably the most niche of the kits but can pay off well if you're looking for a specific technology disk
	~~- Allow your teammates~~ to ~~go into~~ the ~~line of fire first. It may sound selfish,~~ but ~~you are the only one that can help them!~~		* An emergency beacon to assist with recovery
	~~- Some medical equipment may be found on ruins. have a look around~~		* A disk pinpointer, works similarly to the crew pinpointer but for technology disks

	===~~Engineer~~===		===== Gunslinger =====
	As the ~~engineer you start with 3 breaching charges and~~ a ~~detonator. The detonator can be linked to the breaching charges and activated when not on the station.~~		One of the two combat-oriented kits, a bit of a gimmick but fun for messing around
	~~You are in charge~~ of ~~getting the crew into the ruins and fixing any issues that arise with the exploration shuttle~~ (~~of which there will be many~~).		* lever-action rifle
			* Box of ammo (.38)
	~~Tips:~~		* Bandolier
	~~- It is not recommended you connect a power cable to the SMES terminal on the corg shuttle. This can cause issues with charging.~~		* Cowboy hat
	~~- Use the breaching charges to destroy the harder to deconstruct walls or doors that you can't access.~~		* Lasso
	~~- You can purchase more breaching charges from the exploration vendor, however consider your teammates as points are shared.~~		* Emergency oxygen tank

			===== Laser Repeater =====
			The other combat-oriented kits, more reliable in the long-term
			* Laser repeater
			* Sombrero
			* Emergency oxygen tank
			* Lasso
	==Before the Shuttle==		==Before the Shuttle==
	Starting off, you spawn in the Science dock, next to your shuttle - with three hardsuits available. In addition, you start with -		Starting off, you spawn in the Science dock, next to your shuttle - with three hardsuits available. In addition, you start with -

Williamcll at 15:09, 20 September 2021

2021-09-20T15:09:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:09, 20 September 2021
Line 76:		Line 76:
	==Intergalactic Saboteur==		==Intergalactic Saboteur==
	So, you're a traitor. You have a variety of tools at your disposal - the shuttle can fly around the station z-level, your gun can be emagged to work on station, albeit with a greatly reduced ammo capacity, and your mobility and escape potential is second to none. The first few tips would be to throw away your GPS tools, and to get rid of your other explorers. All they will do is call you out, unless they themselves are on your side. Gibtonite can be obtained from lavaland or asteroids, your science access means you can get any gear they can get, and if you get creative, you could even revive the simplemob xenomorphs using xenobiology, to create an army of them and give people a real scare, diverting attention away from you. The possibilities are endless, and the stars are yours.		So, you're a traitor. You have a variety of tools at your disposal - the shuttle can fly around the station z-level, your gun can be emagged to work on station, albeit with a greatly reduced ammo capacity, and your mobility and escape potential is second to none. The first few tips would be to throw away your GPS tools, and to get rid of your other explorers. All they will do is call you out, unless they themselves are on your side. Gibtonite can be obtained from lavaland or asteroids, your science access means you can get any gear they can get, and if you get creative, you could even revive the simplemob xenomorphs using xenobiology, to create an army of them and give people a real scare, diverting attention away from you. The possibilities are endless, and the stars are yours.

			Oh and don't forget all the guns you get in ruins. The vortex gun while slow can hit multiple targets, and on average you would find at least one laser weapon on a ruin. Alternatively bait the pandora into the station and watch everyone else panic.

	==&E#P ! A% L0$7==		==&E#P ! A% L0$7==

PowerfulBacon: /* &E#P ! A% L0$7 */

2021-08-31T19:28:07Z

&E#P ! A% L0$7

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:28, 31 August 2021
Line 78:		Line 78:

	==&E#P ! A% L0$7==		==&E#P ! A% L0$7==
	Where the hell am I?...		Where the hell am I?...<br>
	[[File:WTFISTHAT.png~~\|thumb~~]]
			[[File:WTFISTHAT.png]]

PowerfulBacon at 19:27, 31 August 2021

2021-08-31T19:27:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:27, 31 August 2021
Line 76:		Line 76:
	==Intergalactic Saboteur==		==Intergalactic Saboteur==
	So, you're a traitor. You have a variety of tools at your disposal - the shuttle can fly around the station z-level, your gun can be emagged to work on station, albeit with a greatly reduced ammo capacity, and your mobility and escape potential is second to none. The first few tips would be to throw away your GPS tools, and to get rid of your other explorers. All they will do is call you out, unless they themselves are on your side. Gibtonite can be obtained from lavaland or asteroids, your science access means you can get any gear they can get, and if you get creative, you could even revive the simplemob xenomorphs using xenobiology, to create an army of them and give people a real scare, diverting attention away from you. The possibilities are endless, and the stars are yours.		So, you're a traitor. You have a variety of tools at your disposal - the shuttle can fly around the station z-level, your gun can be emagged to work on station, albeit with a greatly reduced ammo capacity, and your mobility and escape potential is second to none. The first few tips would be to throw away your GPS tools, and to get rid of your other explorers. All they will do is call you out, unless they themselves are on your side. Gibtonite can be obtained from lavaland or asteroids, your science access means you can get any gear they can get, and if you get creative, you could even revive the simplemob xenomorphs using xenobiology, to create an army of them and give people a real scare, diverting attention away from you. The possibilities are endless, and the stars are yours.

			==&E#P ! A% L0$7==
			Where the hell am I?...
			[[File:WTFISTHAT.png\|thumb]]

PowerfulBacon at 19:21, 31 August 2021

2021-08-31T19:21:07Z

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |image=[[File:Explorer.png|80px|right]]
 }}
 ==Before the Shuttle==
 Starting off, you spawn in the Science dock, next to your shuttle - with three hardsuits available. In addition, you start with -
@@ Line 13: / Line 43: @@
 * A GPS in your first pocket.
 All of these are extremely useful tools, and you should familiarize yourself with all of them if at all possible. You may think this is all, but wait - before boarding the shuttle, take note of the two consoles before it. This is the supply bounty console, and the shuttle control console on station, allowing you to check for what work you will have to do before boarding, and allowing people too recall the shuttle if needed through autopilot or manual control.
 ==The Bluespace Shuttle==
 The bread and butter of your job - the most important part of it all. It comes equipped with three bluespace engines, an airlock, a spare shuttle control console board, a navigation and bounty console, and most importantly of all, a PACMAN generator and plasma tank. Before you do anything, grab the mechanical toolbox in the cockpit of the shuttle and wrench the PACMAN on top of the exposed wire knot, along with the plasma canister on to the connector. A nearby crate contains five plasma sheets, useful for emergency fuel or to generate power in aforementioned PACMAN.
@@ Line 28: / Line 59: @@
 **The interdictor is useful in the event of a rogue ship piloted by another player - it can be used, upon getting within range of aforementioned ship, too forcefully pull it out of hyperspace and initiate docking procedures. Keep in mind that you must catch up to the ship first.
 The shuttle itself, and more technical aspects such as player built shuttles, is covered in the [[Guide to Shuttles and Shuttle Building]].
-==What do we do, Master Silkwind? There are too many of them!==
 As an exploration member, you have a variety of goals and missions - the most clear cut being from your Station Objective Console. This will allow you too accept an extremely high paying bounty that will be distributed throughout the budget cards of all departments. These missions are varied, and include -
-* Blackbox recovery - Contact with the outpost has been lost and Nanotrasen need answers, and they need them fast. Enter the outpost, locate the blackbox, and return it to the main station's bridge to complete the objective. Pays out between 50000 and 100000 credits between departments.
+* Blackbox recovery - Contact with the outpost has been lost and Nanotrasen need answers, and they need them fast. Enter the outpost, locate the blackbox, and return it to the main station's bridge to complete the objective. Has a relatively small payout but is very easy compared to the other objectives and can be completed quickly if you don't mind missing out on finding some extra goodies. The blackbox can be located via its GPS signal.
-* Nuclear Decommission - The press can't get wind of what happened on that outpost. A nuclear bomb will be delivered to the bridge, and the outdated nuclear authentication disk must be located in the ruin. Once inserted into the nuclear bomb, the station will be destroyed, granting a payout of between 80000 and 200000 credits.
+* Nuclear Decommission - The press can't get wind of what happened on that outpost. A nuclear bomb will be delivered to the bridge, and the outdated nuclear authentication disk must be located in the ruin. Once inserted into the nuclear bomb, the station will be destroyed, granting an extremely large payout. Both the blackbox and nuclear fission explosive can be located via their GPS signals. The nuclear bomb can only be detonated on the target ruin.
-* VIP Recovery - A VIP has been located on the outpost and must be recovered. The VIP will either spawn as a dead body with a diary, or controlled by another player. If controlled by a player, the mission will fail when they die. Keep in mind enemies can be present on the station. The VIP can potentially be hostile towards the people trying to recover them, and must be non-lethally restrained. On top of that, they do not have a GPS beacon so have to be located manually. Pays out between 100000 to 250000 credits.
+* VIP Recovery - A VIP has been located on the outpost and must be recovered. The VIP will either spawn as a dead body with a diary, or controlled by another player. If controlled by a player, the mission will fail when they die. Keep in mind enemies can be present on the station. The VIP can potentially be hostile towards the people trying to recover them, and must be non-lethally restrained. On top of that, they do not have a GPS beacon so have to be located manually. Pays out a large sum of money, however the VIP may be extremely difficult to recover at times (or more likely dead from spider venom).
 These missions may also take place on a variety of different types of outposts - ranging from abandoned stations, lacking anything except a large amount of trash, a station that has been infested by a blob and has blob monsters roaming the halls, a station of great evil with a hellish cult that has summoned entities from the netherworld and left their pylons among the wreckage, and one suffering a good old fashioned xenomorph outbreak. Make sure to keep your energy pistol by your side, and communicate with other members of your exploration team with the .q or .h prefix.
 ===Research Opportunities===
 In addition too the myriad of money-making opportunities, you also have uses to science; more use than to your parents, anyway. It is relatively common, spawning in derelict loot rooms, which are present on all derelict stations, and having a small chance to spawn on any given tile within the ruin. Who knows, though? Some things beyond the know may exist; those that fall more within the realm of xenoarcheology than within the realm of science, and something the Curator may take great interest in.
@@ Line 39: / Line 73: @@
 ==In Case of Emergency==
 Oh no! The shuttle ran out of fuel, and has fallen out of the skies! Upon running out of fuel, the shuttle will randomly dock at an asteroid - generating it. In the event this occurs, run down back to the cargo hold and open the grey crate, and retrieve the mining scanner. The primary thing you will be looking for is plasma - this can be refined in to plasma sheets with your gun, or it can be placed directly in the plasma refiner for 50 mols of fuel. While not the most efficient, it is useful in case of a jam. Your energy gun in CUTTING mode possesses the ability to cut through rock and ore, akin to a plasma cutter, so make use of it if possible, or the pickaxe if the shuttle has no power. You will get around 20 shots out of it in this mode, compared to only 15 in the lethal LASER mode.
-==Becoming Jacques Cousteau==
 So, you're a traitor. You have a variety of tools at your disposal - the shuttle can fly around the station z-level, your gun can be emagged to work on station, albeit with a greatly reduced ammo capacity, and your mobility and escape potential is second to none. The first few tips would be to throw away your GPS tools, and to get rid of your other explorers. All they will do is call you out, unless they themselves are on your side. Gibtonite can be obtained from lavaland or asteroids, your science access means you can get any gear they can get, and if you get creative, you could even revive the simplemob xenomorphs using xenobiology, to create an army of them and give people a real scare, diverting attention away from you. The possibilities are endless, and the stars are yours.

PowerfulBacon: Created page with "{{Speech |name=Burnard Silkwind, Explorer Extraordinaire |text=The Nanotrasen Exploration team welcomes you, hallowed employee; down the dangerous and prestigious path of expl..."

2021-08-31T19:08:56Z

Created page with "{{Speech |name=Burnard Silkwind, Explorer Extraordinaire |text=The Nanotrasen Exploration team welcomes you, hallowed employee; down the dangerous and prestigious path of expl..."

New page

{{Speech
|name=Burnard Silkwind, Explorer Extraordinaire
|text=The Nanotrasen Exploration team welcomes you, hallowed employee; down the dangerous and prestigious path of exploration, to explore a bold new frontier that none have before.

''Hold on, though - before you go down that path, there's a few important things to remember. That each and every misstep, every misaligned entry, and every miscalculation, could be the difference between you living, or sliding in too the void. This'll help you make sure to avoid those mistakes. And remember - you'll rethink exploitation of natural reserves, and extinction of species, when your neck is on the blockchain.
|image=[[File:Explorer.png|80px|right]]
}}
==Before the Shuttle==
Starting off, you spawn in the Science dock, next to your shuttle - with three hardsuits available. In addition, you start with -
* A standard energy pistol, with two firing modes - a cutting mode, and a laser mode. The cutting mode will deal 70 damage to structures, such as windows, and mines rock akin to a plasma cutter, but only 5 damage against mobs, while the laser mode does 30 damage against non-human and non-silicon targets. In addition, it comes with a pre-installed firing pin that only allows for it to be fired when not on station.
* A full suite of basic medical tools for performing tend wounds, treating burns and other injuries, along with extracting other injured miners. In addition, a handheld crew monitor and pinpointer will be present; useful if an explorer is lost and has max suit sensors.
* A survival knife in your bag, for close range hostile encounters.
* A GPS in your first pocket.
All of these are extremely useful tools, and you should familiarize yourself with all of them if at all possible. You may think this is all, but wait - before boarding the shuttle, take note of the two consoles before it. This is the supply bounty console, and the shuttle control console on station, allowing you to check for what work you will have to do before boarding, and allowing people too recall the shuttle if needed through autopilot or manual control.
==The Bluespace Shuttle==
The bread and butter of your job - the most important part of it all. It comes equipped with three bluespace engines, an airlock, a spare shuttle control console board, a navigation and bounty console, and most importantly of all, a PACMAN generator and plasma tank. Before you do anything, grab the mechanical toolbox in the cockpit of the shuttle and wrench the PACMAN on top of the exposed wire knot, along with the plasma canister on to the connector. A nearby crate contains five plasma sheets, useful for emergency fuel or to generate power in aforementioned PACMAN.

One whole canister will give you around 1245 mols of plasma fuel, and the shuttle will consume around 0.72 mol's per second - although this is subject to change depending on the size of your shuttle, and how quickly it is accelerating. Now that your fuel and engines are set up, head back to the cockpit and take a seat at the shuttle control console, your primary way of getting around. Upon opening it, you will be greeted with an interface - a variety of grid squares filling your screen, an array of coordinates, and a bunch of buttons.
* The orbital body tracking panel will provide information in regards too the tracked orbital body - telling you what it is tracking first, before providing its X and Y coordinates in space, which you can use as a means of locating it, and its current velocity along these vectors. An object at the position of X and Y 0, 0, with a velocity of 1, 1, will move at a diagonal angle - at a unit of one X and Y coordinate per second. Its radius is the area that you have to be in, within a set speed, to be able to land or dock at it.
** To change the tracked object, click the grey box and, in the dropdown menu, select the body you wish to track, or GPS.

* Present below that is Flight Controls - starting off as the Initiate Launch button. To begin your flight, press the Initiate Launch button, during which it will be replaced with a myriad of other, complex buttons to allow for flight.
**Autopilot Target will provide a body to be tracked by the autopilot function of the ship - useful for locating marked areas, such as the station itself, Phobos, or Lavaland. When used in conjunction with autopilot, it will automatically fly the shuttle and land it for you, along with managing angling.
**Throttle will enable the control of the ships thrusters, and they will accelerate at a given speed - be careful, however, as at max thrust you will rapidly consume fuel and, in order too land, you will have to burn just as much energy to get a low enough velocity to land.
**Thrust Angle will enable the vectoring of the engines, and thus directional control of the thrust - this will be your primary way of navigating towards targeted bodies, along with slowing down or accelerating. The smaller grid below the Autopilot Target area will provide a visual gauge towards the angle that the ship is moving along the map. The range available goes from -180 to 180, and the shuttle will slew itself to face towards the area - this can be seen on the primary map by the line coming out from the middle of the exploration shuttle, denoting its velocity and direction. It is drawn relative to the velocity of the object being tracked.
**Fuel remaining will document how much mols of plasma fuel is left, and can be refuelled with plasma sheets in the plasma refinery, or by adding another plasma tank to the connector.
**Toggle Autopilot is involved with Autopilot Target - upon selecting a location, the shuttle will automatically adjust the throttle and thrust angle until it reaches the location. Landing will have to be manually done, either at a custom location or at a predefined one, upon reaching the radius of the object.
**The interdictor is useful in the event of a rogue ship piloted by another player - it can be used, upon getting within range of aforementioned ship, too forcefully pull it out of hyperspace and initiate docking procedures. Keep in mind that you must catch up to the ship first.
The shuttle itself, and more technical aspects such as player built shuttles, is covered in the [[Guide to Shuttles and Shuttle Building]].
==What do we do, Master Silkwind? There are too many of them!==
As an exploration member, you have a variety of goals and missions - the most clear cut being from your Station Objective Console. This will allow you too accept an extremely high paying bounty that will be distributed throughout the budget cards of all departments. These missions are varied, and include -
* Blackbox recovery - Contact with the outpost has been lost and Nanotrasen need answers, and they need them fast. Enter the outpost, locate the blackbox, and return it to the main station's bridge to complete the objective. Pays out between 50000 and 100000 credits between departments.
* Nuclear Decommission - The press can't get wind of what happened on that outpost. A nuclear bomb will be delivered to the bridge, and the outdated nuclear authentication disk must be located in the ruin. Once inserted into the nuclear bomb, the station will be destroyed, granting a payout of between 80000 and 200000 credits.
* VIP Recovery - A VIP has been located on the outpost and must be recovered. The VIP will either spawn as a dead body with a diary, or controlled by another player. If controlled by a player, the mission will fail when they die. Keep in mind enemies can be present on the station. The VIP can potentially be hostile towards the people trying to recover them, and must be non-lethally restrained. On top of that, they do not have a GPS beacon so have to be located manually. Pays out between 100000 to 250000 credits.
These missions may also take place on a variety of different types of outposts - ranging from abandoned stations, lacking anything except a large amount of trash, a station that has been infested by a blob and has blob monsters roaming the halls, a station of great evil with a hellish cult that has summoned entities from the netherworld and left their pylons among the wreckage, and one suffering a good old fashioned xenomorph outbreak. Make sure to keep your energy pistol by your side, and communicate with other members of your exploration team with the .q or .h prefix.
===Research Opportunities===
In addition too the myriad of money-making opportunities, you also have uses to science; more use than to your parents, anyway. It is relatively common, spawning in derelict loot rooms, which are present on all derelict stations, and having a small chance to spawn on any given tile within the ruin. Who knows, though? Some things beyond the know may exist; those that fall more within the realm of xenoarcheology than within the realm of science, and something the Curator may take great interest in.

==In Case of Emergency==
Oh no! The shuttle ran out of fuel, and has fallen out of the skies! Upon running out of fuel, the shuttle will randomly dock at an asteroid - generating it. In the event this occurs, run down back to the cargo hold and open the grey crate, and retrieve the mining scanner. The primary thing you will be looking for is plasma - this can be refined in to plasma sheets with your gun, or it can be placed directly in the plasma refiner for 50 mols of fuel. While not the most efficient, it is useful in case of a jam. Your energy gun in CUTTING mode possesses the ability to cut through rock and ore, akin to a plasma cutter, so make use of it if possible, or the pickaxe if the shuttle has no power. You will get around 20 shots out of it in this mode, compared to only 15 in the lethal LASER mode.
==Becoming Jacques Cousteau==
So, you're a traitor. You have a variety of tools at your disposal - the shuttle can fly around the station z-level, your gun can be emagged to work on station, albeit with a greatly reduced ammo capacity, and your mobility and escape potential is second to none. The first few tips would be to throw away your GPS tools, and to get rid of your other explorers. All they will do is call you out, unless they themselves are on your side. Gibtonite can be obtained from lavaland or asteroids, your science access means you can get any gear they can get, and if you get creative, you could even revive the simplemob xenomorphs using xenobiology, to create an army of them and give people a real scare, diverting attention away from you. The possibilities are endless, and the stars are yours.