Find that black box!

[Captain Cook]

Hi all

I accidentally accepted a mission to retrieve a black box... I was grumpy about it but thought OK, I'll do it, some pocket money to fill my brand new beer cooler.
So I went to the target system and combed the witchspace beacon-main station route... Nothing. Um.
Then I remembered that the former owner of the black box had gone sun-skimming, so I combed the main station-sun and witchspace beacon-sun routes... Nothing.

So I'm thinking I must be doing something wrong, is there a particular way to locate a drifting blackbox? I mean, other than wandering through millions of square miles of empty space...

If there isn't, I'll be blasting the next RRS station I meet out of the sky

[cim]

Then I remembered that the former owner of the black box had gone sun-skimming, so I combed the main station-sun and witchspace beacon-sun routes... Nothing.

Right approach - some more key text from that briefing: "... was going sun-skimming in [system] when it was ambushed by pirates in an asteroid field". There should be a dense asteroid field somewhere between the sun and the witchspace beacon. It's in there somewhere, and has a low-power transmitter which you should be able to detect if you get close to it (there are sufficiently many asteroids you'll find it tricky to pick out with the scanner alone).

[Captain Cook]

Thanks!
I actually managed to find the box yesterday I had pretty much given up and was admiring the view from the asteroid field (complete with ice and star jellies) when it went 'ping'...
Nice beer money, but my beer cooler was wrecked on the way back to the RRS station... How about that...

Oh I just realized something. You made this OXP? Thumbs up

[Cody]

... but my beer cooler was wrecked on the way back to the RRS station...

That is the main reason for having a beer-cooler - cannon-fodder!

[onno256]

... but my beer cooler was wrecked on the way back to the RRS station...

That is the main reason for having a beer-cooler - cannon-fodder!

And the victory beer after an intense dogfight!

[Captain Cook]

That is the main reason for having a beer-cooler - cannon-fodder!

We clearly don't have the same relationship to beer

[ozhank]

I thought the beer was for before the fight - I must be mistaken

[Diziet Sma]

I thought the beer was for before the fight - I must be mistaken

You forgot "during" the flight. In outback Australia, distance is measured by how many beers it takes to reach your destination..

[Smivs]

In outback Australia, distance is measured by how many beers it takes to reach your destination..

Even popping next door is a 'Four-tinnie trip'

[Tricky]

In outback Australia, distance is measured by how many beers it takes to reach your destination..

Even popping next door is a 'Four-tinnie trip'

Isn't that just the entrance fee?

[Cpt]

If you want to keep doing mission like that then Long range scanner OXP is the solution, especially if manual searching makes you loose the will to live...

[cinead]

Great expansion idea. Thanks!

I have one small criticism. It seems to be ridiculously easy to destroy the black box by running into it when you are trying to scoop it. This seems silly because a black box is actually designed to withstand all kinds of crazy explosions and collisions in order to preserve the data on board. I mean, it already survived the pirate attack which probably involved an explosion and maybe missiles, right?

Pro tip: For those looking for the black box, if you have the Cargo Spotter installed, it will pick up the black box and help it glow blue if you activate it.

http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/Cargo_Spotter_OXP

[Diziet Sma]

Welcome aboard, cinead!

It seems to be ridiculously easy to destroy the black box by running into it when you are trying to scoop it. This seems silly because a black box is actually designed to withstand all kinds of crazy explosions and collisions in order to preserve the data on board. I mean, it already survived the pirate attack which probably involved an explosion and maybe missiles, right?

Maybe that's the reason.. the poor thing has already undergone a severely traumatic experience.. another one was just too much..