Elite: Dangerous How to Plan an Exploration Trip (Plus Ship Builds & Locations)

Here's out I go about outfitting my ship and planning an exploration trip. There's a lot to see out there including nebula, black holes, the galactic core, Earth-like planets, ammonia worlds and much, much more. -------- Ship Builds: -------- [Adder] U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy RB: 3D Power Plant TM: 3D Thrusters FH: 3A Frame Shift Drive EC: 1D Life Support PC: 2D Power Distributor SS: 3D Sensors FS: 3C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 8) 3: 3A Fuel Scoop 3: 3D Shield Generator 2: 2A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit 2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner 1: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner -------- [Asp] U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy RB: 5D Power Plant TM: 5D Thrusters FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive EC: 4D Life Support PC: 4D Power Distributor SS: 5D Sensors FS: 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32) 6: 6B Fuel Scoop 5: 5A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit 3: 3A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit 3: 3A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit 3: 3A Shield Generator 2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner 2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner -------- [Cobra Mk III] U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy RB: 4D Power Plant TM: 4D Thrusters FH: 4A Frame Shift Drive EC: 3D Life Support PC: 3D Power Distributor SS: 3D Sensors FS: 4C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 16) 4: 4D Shield Generator 4: 4A Fuel Scoop 4: 4A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit 2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner 2: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner -------- [Diamondback Explorer] U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher U: 0I Heat Sink Launcher BH: 1I Lightweight Alloy RB: 4D Power Plant TM: 4D Thrusters FH: 5A Frame Shift Drive EC: 3D Life Support PC: 4D Power Distributor SS: 3D Sensors FS: 5C Fuel Tank (Capacity: 32) 4: 4A Fuel Scoop 4: 4A Auto Field-Maintenance Unit 3: 3A Shield Generator 3: 1C Advanced Discovery Scanner 2: 1C Detailed Surface Scanner These builds are by no means the "perfect" exploration builds, but they are what I would personally use. Change and swap the Auto Field-Maintenance Units to suit your needs. And of course swap any other models for something you may prefer. For me, these are the builds that balance jump distance well with fuel scooping as well as long exploration journeys and the ability to be self-sufficient.