Elite Dangerous Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Type-9 Heavy

2017-12-21T00:53:12Z

213.1.227.226: Updated description with details of newer ships.

{{ShipInfobox
| image = Blaze-02.jpg
| manufacturer = Lakon Spaceways
| cost = 76,555,842
| topspeed = 131
| boostspeed = 201
| manoeuvrability = 0
| shields = 88
| armour = 864
| hullmass = 1,000
| cargocapacity = 220
| fuelcapacity = 64
| jumprange = 7.71
| utility = 4
| small = 2
| medium = 3
| large =
| huge =
| size1 =
| size2 = 1
| size3 = 2
| size4 = 2
| size5 = 1
| size6 = 1
| size7 = 1
| size8 = 1
| landingpad = Large
|dimensions = 117.4L - 115.3W - 33.2H|type = Freighter|maxjumprange = 20.36|masslock = 16|maxtopspeed = 150|maxboostspeed = 231}}
{{quote|The Type-9 Heavy is Lakon Spaceways large freighter class. This ship is built to transport large cargos, a job it does very well, but it doesn't stand up well in a fight, although adding a fighter bay improves its combat capability considerably - in the right hands!|In-Game Description}}

The '''Type-9 Heavy''' is a heavy freighter and is the largest of the four freighters manufactured by [[Lakon Spaceways]]. It has a maximum cargo capacity of 532T, the third largest of any ship available, behind only the [[Imperial Cutter]] and the [[Federal Corvette]]. However, as these 2 ships are much harder to acquire due to costs as well as the superpower rankings associated with them, wealthy traders usually have to choose between the Type-9 or the [[Anaconda]]. On paper the Type-9 is better, costing more than 70 million credits less than the Anaconda while having a higher maximum cargo capacity. However, the Anaconda has greater jump range than the Type-9, allowing it to better haul cargo to more distant destinations. Moreover, the Anaconda offers much better defensive and offensive capabilities, since it is significantly more maneuverable, is better armed, has better shield and is harder to be mass locked by other ships.

It is not recommended to engage in combat with the Type-9. It exhibits worse maneuverability and lower speed than any other ship in the game; it has extreme difficulty in shaking smaller [[ships]] from its blind spot (using a [[Fighter_Hangar|fighter hangar]] could help mitigate this shortcoming). It has five weapon [[hardpoint]]s to defend itself. Equipped with turrets, they can force enemy ships to operate with caution and give the Type-9 a chance to escape.

Many pilots have problems fitting through the entrance of [[Station]]s while they're first getting used to the Type 9, and it can, therefore, be very expensive for a new pilot to get used to. A [[Standard Docking Computer]] can be useful for players who have trouble docking this ship. It should also be noted that the type-9 heavy has better manueuverability when stopped; even though it isn't very useful in combat, it's handy for docking.

In December [[3303]], an ugpraded model known as the [[Type-10 Defender]] was released by Lakon Spaceways in a joint [[Alliance]] project to counter the [[Thargoids|Thargoid]] threat. This ship is more expensive though retains most of the Type-9's features, being based on the same frame.

It first appeared in the development diary videos and in some of the live streams done by [[Frontier Developments|Frontier]]. Later it appeared in the early Alpha stages and is one of the four ships that was in the first release of the Premium Beta.

==Purchase Locations==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border="1"
! System
! Station
! Date Seen
!Notes
|-
! LP 158-2 B
! Winne Ring
! Apr 1 2017
!
|-
|Shenich
|Wafer Terminal
|Feb 27, 2017
|10% Discount
|-
|HIP 6978
|Plucker Dock
|July 27, 2016
|15% discount
|-
|44 B Ophiuchi
|Feustel Gateway
|June 12, 2015
|
|-
| Abrog
| Thagard Ring
| Feb 7, 2015
|
|-
|LHS 1547
|Sharrington station
|May 4 2016
|15% discount
|-
| Afli
| Quetelet Dock
| Feb 15, 2015
|
|-
|Andhrimi
|Yurchikhin Station
|Jun 7, 2015
|
|-
| Apala
| Wilson City
| Version 1.03
|
|-
|Aptet
|Torricelli Port
|May 17, 2015
|
|-
|Arque
|Austen Town
|Oct 5, 2015
|
|-
|Asgaa
|Wheeler Horizons
|Apr 20, 2015
|
|-
|BD+11 2673
|Nagata City
|16-11-2015
|
|-
| Belalans
| Boscovish Ring
| Jan 5, 2015
|
|-
| Beta-1 Tucanae
| Adams Orbital
| Jan 3, 2015
|
|-
|Bhritzameno
|Feynman Terminal
|May 17, 2015
|
|-
|Biliri
|Fan City
|Aug 23, 2015
|
|-
|Cemiess
|Meech Dock
|Dez 01, 2015
|
|-
|Cemiess
|Shoemaker City
|Dec 30.2015
|
|-
| Chamunda
| Gidzenko Ring
| Mar 1, 2015
|
|-
|Chona
|Smoot Terminal
|Aug 17, 2015
|
|-
|Cubeo
|Medupe City
|June 27, 2016
|
|-
| Delphin
| Joliot-Curie Dock
| Gamma 1.05
|
|-
|Diaguandri
|Ray Gateway
|Oct 9, 2017
|15% discount
|-
| Dulos
| Wilson Ring
| Feb 15, 2015
|
|-
|Ellri
|Delucas Enterprise
|May 4, 2015
|
|-
|Eravate
|Cleve Hub
|Apr 22, 2015
|
|-
| Fawaol
| Sutter Hub
| Feb 24, 2015
|
|-
| FK5 2550
| Vela Ring
| Gamma 1.04
|
|-
|Freng
|Bear City
|Apr 03, 2016
|
|-
| Gliese 563.1
| Matteucci Ring
| Jul 23, 2015
|
|-
|Heverduduna
|Jacquard Orbital
|04-08-15
|
|-
| I Bootis
| Chango Dock
|
|
|-
|Imantana
|Brongniart Orbital
|Mar 25, 2017
|15% discount
|-
|Kats
|Truman Hub
|2015-08-20
|
|-
|Kaushpoos
|Neville Horizons
|Oct 28, 2015
|
|-
| Leesti
| George Lucas
| Dec 31, 2014
|
|-
| LFT 926
| Meredith City
| Dec 31, 2014
|
|-
| LHS 2764A
| Low Orbital
| Gamma 1.05
|
|-
|LHS 3447
|Dalton Gateway
|Aug 2, 2015
|
|-
| LP 102-320
| Shepard Hub
|
|-
|LTT 15574
|Haxel port
| Feb 4, 2017
|
|-
| LP 445-22
| Trevithick Horizons
| Jul 23, 2015
|
|-
| Mantxe
| De Sousa Ring
| Version 1.03
|
|-
|Okinura
|Fisher Terminal
|Feb 23, 2016
|
|-
| Panoi
| Garan Hub
| Feb 27, 2015
|
|-
|Phracani
|Lippisch Ring
|June 4, 2016
|
|-
|Ququve
|Smirnova Relay
|Oct 17, 2015
|
|-
| Qa'Wakana
| Carpini Terminal
| Feb 27, 2015
|
|-
|Quivira
|Godel Dock
|May 12, 2015
|
|-
|Sisii
|Tyson Gateway
|May 14, 2016
|15% discount
|-
| Sol
| Daedalus
| Mar 7, 2015
|
|-
|Sosolingati
|Murray Refinery
|June 11, 2015
|
|-
|Sugana
|Nowak Dock
|May 24, 2016
|15% discount
|-
| Tanmark
| Cassie-L-Peia
| Jan 2, 2014
|
|-
|Teaka
|Valdes Dock
|Jan 12, 2016
|
|-
|Tiolce
|Vo Terminal
|May 24, 2015
|
|-
|Tolians
|Kuo Dock
|Aug 11, 2015
|
|-
|Ualapalor
|Rochon Ring
|May 2, 2015
|
|-
|Vaka
|Zenbei Oribital
|
|
|-
|Wodiwodi
|Polansky City
|2017-30-08
|15% discount
|-
|Zhao Jin
|Wilson Ring
|Aug 18, 2015
|
|-
|BD+24 543
|Proteus Orbital
|June 20, 2016
|10% discount
|-
|Remines
|Bobko Hub
|November 12, 2016
|15% discount
|-
|HIP 13173
|Ryman Orbital
|July 12 2017
|
|}

=== Outfitting ===
{{main|Outfitting}}

All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Type-9 Heavy.

{| class="article-table" style="text-align: center;" border="1"
! style="text-align: center;" | Category
! style="text-align: center;" | Default System
! style="text-align: center;" | Default Rating
! style="text-align: center;" | Default Class
! style="text-align: center;" | Max Class
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Hardpoint|Small Hardpoint]]
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 1
|-
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 1
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Hardpoint|Medium Hardpoint]]
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 2
|-
| [[Pulse Laser]] (L) || F || 1 || 2
|-
| [[Pulse Laser]] (L) || F || 1 || 2
|-
| rowspan="4" | Utility Mount
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 0
|-
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 0
|-
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 0
|-
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 0
|-
| [[Bulkheads]]
| [[Lightweight Alloys]] || I || 1 || 8
|-
| Reactor Bay
| [[Power Plant]] || E || 6 || 6
|-
| Thrusters Mounting
| [[Thrusters]] || E || 7 || 7
|-
| Frame Shift Drive Housing
| [[Frame Shift Drive]] || E || 6 || 6
|-
| Environment Control
| [[Life Support]] || E || 5 || 5
|-
| Power Coupling
| [[Power Distributor]] || E || 6 || 6
|-
| Sensor Suite
| [[Sensors]] || E || 4 || 4
|-
| Fuel Store
| [[Fuel Tank]] [x64] || C || 6 || 6
|-
| rowspan="9" | [[Internal Compartment]]s
| [[Cargo Rack]] [x128] || E || 7 || 8
|-
| [[Cargo Rack]] [x64] || E || 6 || 7
|-
| [[Shield Generator]] || E || 6 || 6
|-
| [[Cargo Rack]] [x16] || E || 4 || 5
|-
| [[Cargo Rack]] [x8] || E || 3 || 4
|-
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 4
|-
| [[Cargo Rack]] [x4] || E || 2 || 3
|-
| ''Empty'' || -- || -- || 3
|-
| [[Discovery Scanner|BDS]] || E || 1 || 2
|}
*''(L) = Loaned''
*''[x#] = Capacity''
*''BDS = Basic Discovery Scanner''

==Videos==
<gallery>
Ship_Introducing_Type-9_Heavy_-_Elite_Dangerous_Short_cinematic_video
Elite_Dangerous_2.3_Beta_-_The_Grandaddy_Type-9_-_4K
</gallery>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
blaze-03.jpg
stars-02.jpg
145vLjx.jpg|Cockpit view
Peek of the week 26a.jpg|Interior concept
Trader.jpg|Exterior concept
Screenshot_0076.jpg|Type 9 with Tactical Ice paintwork
E-D T9H - Departing (Landing Gear deployed).jpg|T9H - inside Station
E-D T9H - Front Bottom View.jpg|T9H - Front Bottom View
E-D T9H - Front View (in full sunlight).jpg|T9H - Front in full light
E-D T9H - Top View from behind.jpg|T9H - Top down from behind
File:Type_9_door3.jpg
File:Bandicam-2016-03-28-00-28-51-071.jpg
File:Bandicam-2015-11-03-14-21-08-546.png |Type-9 in a nebula
T9onSurface.png|Type-9 Landed on planet surface with rover in foreground
File:Bandicam-2016-02-14-23-22-27-481.jpg
File:Bandicam-2016-03-17-18-06-10-568.jpg
File:Beached-whale.jpg |The rear of a Type-9 that has landed on a planetary body
File:Bandicam-2016-03-27-15-44-12-317.jpg |A Type-9 near a black hole
File:Bandicam-2016-04-23-23-42-38-696.jpg
bp-type9.png|Lakon Type-9 Heavy Blueprint
Type-9-Heavy-Cockpit.png|Type-9 Heavy cockpit
Type-9-Heavy-Walking-Pilot-Scale.png|Type-9 Heavy walking pilot scale
Type-9-Heavy-Cockpit-Top-View.png|Type-9 Heavy cockpit top view
Type-9-Heavy-Cockpit-Front.png|Type-9 Heavy cockpit front
</gallery>

{{ShipNavbox}}
{{ShipTypeNavbox}}
[[ru:Type 9. Heavy]]
[[Category:Freighter]]
[[Category:Lakon Spaceways]]
[[Category:Pilotable]]

Elite Universe

2017-09-29T00:43:56Z

213.1.227.226: Provided example of planetery energy harnessing in Sirius

[[File:Elite-Universe-Logo-Big.png|thumb|250px|Elite Universe logo]]

The '''Elite Universe''' is a term to describe the whole fictional universe of the [[:Category:Elite series|Elite series]]. Every Elite game and media takes place in the same science fiction universe. There are some minor disparities such as timeline events.

== Dystopian Hard Sci-fi ==
The Elite Universe is a plausible extrapolation of what human life would be like in the distant future. Many aspects make it dystopian and hard science fiction, because it has a grounding in science-based fact or theory. It's not an unrealistic depiction of a utopia or near-perfect societies without conflict. The galactic superpowers Federation, Empire and Alliance are portrayed as imperfect. They're all flawed with good and bad aspects. There's not a clear group of "good guys" and "bad guys." It's kept rather ambiguous.

David Braben's core vision for what Elite really is from way back in the day is it's always been about you're a person in a real futuristic setting, not just a ship.<ref>David Braben's Core Vision explained by Sandro Sammarco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhsH5U7tz4A&t=68m04s</ref>

Freedom and the ability to blaze your own trail are fundamental aspect of the Elite Universe. Players can carve their own path in an open [[galaxy]].<ref>''https://www.elitedangerous.com/en/gameplay''</ref> Space is generally lawless with little to no regulations. Since the original [[Elite]] they left what to do and where to go entirely up to the player.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/oct/18/features.weekend</ref> Players can take control of their ship and do all kinds of [[roles]]. Free trade and economic activities are another fundamental aspect, because people need it to improve their socioeconomic status in the galaxy. This is done by players and the economy is simulated by the [[Background simulation]].

The timeline of the Elite Universe is a continuation of real life modern history. The [[Elite Dangerous Timeline]] takes place 1286 years in the future and moves at the same speed as real-life.

There's an emphasis on scientific accuracy which is sometimes subordinate to the gameplay experience. The setting is a full scale depiction of the Milky Way. It has a lot of hard science, with for the first time in gaming history, compose a very consistent model of the Milky Way galaxy and it's rich enough to plot the night sky.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOYhoFYIWmw</ref>

Technologically what sets the Elite Universe apart is the lack of ‘magical’ anti-gravity or [[gravity]] generators. Ships have no anti-gravity, nor do [[Outpost|outposts]] or [[station|stations]]. To move around requires pushing/pulling yourself, use thrusters or electromagnetic boots. Artificial gravity is created by centripetal force from rotation of (for example) a large space station.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/15od2s/i_am_david_braben_cocreator_of_elite_creator_of/c7qds39/</ref> There are no wizards (Jedi) with unscientific, supernatural abilities.

The aliens are truly alien in the Elite Universe. David Braben said "I'm dead-against the stance where the alien is just a human with a slightly wrinkly head, or pointy ears." "Thargoids, they are truly alien. They are based on differently chemistry, and a lot of effort went into making that chemistry right and plausible."<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/elite-dangerous-creator-talks-sci-fi-politics-and-whats-next-w492781</ref>

All these things make the Elite Universe more believable and realistic than other science-fiction universes.

=== Post-Apocalyptic ===
The Elite Universe is post-apocalyptic. World War 3 (2044-2055 AD) was the most destructive war waged on Earth. It brought much destruction and loss of life. The war was abandoned after over a decade. In the after-math, the dominant power was the [[United States of the Americas]]. Governments could not cope with the damage of war. Corporations stepped in and gradually rebuilt human civilization.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x-kaGsHvv0</ref>

In the 34th century, [[country|countries]] are historical entities that don't exist anymore. All remaining countries on [[Earth]] joined and dissolved into the Federation which was formed circa 2240 AD. People find it hard to imagine a time when people existed only on Earth with many disparate countries.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/05-JUL-3301</ref><ref>Tourist Spot 0165 beacon near Earth</ref>

=== Corporations ===
Corporations gained a huge increase in influence and dominance over Earth's political landscape after World War 3. These ideologies influenced the Federation.

There are several super-rich and super-powerful [[corporations]] that sustain the colossal interstellar economies. Other smaller corporations are specialized in specific products and services. The companies and corporations built the galactic community.<ref>https://www.edrpg.co.uk/what-s-in-the-books</ref>

While corporations are not above the law, they have much authority over their employees, planets and star systems. The mega corporations rule unchecked over vast sections of the galaxy. They control countless subsidiary companies which gauge entire planets and star systems for resources and food. They produce goods which are essential for the survival of trillions of people in the galaxy. Corporate governments exist in the Federation, Empire, Alliance and Independent systems.<ref>https://www.edrpg.co.uk/what-s-in-the-books</ref><ref>In-game description</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x-kaGsHvv0</ref>

=== Lore ===
The official lore of the [[Elite Dangerous Role Playing Game]] gives an interesting insight into the Elite Universe. ''"Little has changed for those in the bottom of society since the old-[[Earth]]'s dark ages. The planet-spanning mega corporations employ entire nations and rule unchecked over vast sections of the galaxy. Weapons are readily available and people are inclined to shoot first. The general lawlessness of space, inequality, greed of the galactic elite, navigational hazards and fierce creatures on planets make it a dangerous galaxy."''<ref name=":0">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edrpg/elite-dangerous-role-playing-game</ref><ref>https://www.edrpg.co.uk/</ref>

== Heritage ==
The heritage of the [[Elite Universe]] spans over 30 years. The [[:Category:Elite series|Elite series]] began with the classic [[Elite]] in 1984. It was a genre defining, open world sandbox, space adventure, trading and combat simulator. Elite inspired the creation of many space games and new game genres such as the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series. It spawned the sequels [[Frontier: Elite II]] in 1993 and [[Frontier: First Encounters]] (Elite III) in 1995. These space sims attempted to simulate a realistic Milky Way [[galaxy]] and pioneered technical possibilities. Such as realistic star systems, seamless freeform interplanetary and atmospheric flight, landing on moving planets with realistic orbits and day/night cycles. For [[Elite Dangerous]], the developers have gone to great lengths to map and electronically recreate the Milky Way to scale to make the galaxy as realistic as possible.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_%28video_game%29</ref><ref>http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134644/the_replay_interviews_gary_penn.php</ref>

[[File:Evolution-of-the-Cobra-Ship-Elite-Universe.png|thumb|200px|Evolution of the Cobra in the Elite Universe]]

Many [[ships]] are named after snakes. This came about due to the wireframe models looking like snakeheads in the original [[Elite]]. The ship names have remained similar throughout the [[:Category:Elite series|Elite series]]. In [[Elite Dangerous]] the classic ship models have been updated with lots of details.

The legendary [[:Category:Elite series|Elite series]] has critically acclaimed, groundbreaking, space simulation video games which take place in the Elite Universe.

<gallery widths="140" position="center" columns="4" hideaddbutton="true" navigation="true">
Elite.jpg|[[Elite|Elite]] - 1984|link=Elite
Frontier_elite2_screenshot.gif|[[Frontier:_Elite_II|Frontier: Elite II]] - 1993|link=Frontier:_Elite_II
First encounters1 320.jpg|[[Frontier:_First_Encounters|Frontier: First Encounters]] (Elite III) - 1995|link=Frontier:_First_Encounters
elite_dangerous_beta_2-23.jpg|[[Elite_Dangerous|Elite Dangerous]] - 2014<br /> ⤷ ''[[Elite Dangerous: Horizons|ED: Horizons]] - Q4/2015''|link=Elite Dangerous
</gallery>

== Major Influences ==
[[File:Aulin-Enterprise-Station.png|thumb|200px|Orbis station]]

A major influence on the Elite Universe is the 1968 epic science-fiction film [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film) 2001: A Space Odyssey] produced by Stanley Kubrick. This is evident in the ringed [[Orbis]] station design and the [[Docking Computer|docking computer]] which plays the Blue Danube in the original Elite and Elite Dangerous.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/oct/18/features.weekend</ref> It's representative work of hard science fiction films. 2001 was made to be as scientifically correct as possible. Hence no sound in space, walking in zero-gravity with velcro-equiped shoes etc. The Elite Universe follows that ethos to a degree.

The [[Thargoids|Thargoid]] ships and [[Thargoid Surface Site|surface sites]] share similarities with the 1979 science-fiction horror film [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(film) Alien] directed by Ridley Scott. The style seems to be influenced by the Swiss painter [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._R._Giger Hans Ruedi "H.R." Giger].

The [[Federation]] is an evolution from current Earth, rolled forward into the distant future. Federal politics has a lot of influence from the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution United States Constitution].<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/elite-dangerous-creator-talks-sci-fi-politics-and-whats-next-w492781</ref> The [[United States of the Americas]] is the fictional predecessor of the Federation. The Americas implies that it's the totality of continents of North and South America. The Americas comprises most of the land in the Western Hemisphere on Earth.<ref>Tourist Spot 0165 beacon near Earth</ref>

The [[Empire]] is influenced by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome Ancient Rome]. Slavery in the Empire is similar to slavery in Ancient Rome. Imperial slaves have rights like in Roman times. People would sign up for slavery to pay a debt. Imperial society is based on honor, like the Roman [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignitas_(Roman_concept) Dignitas], or the Japanese [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushido Bushido], even elements of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire British Empire], pre-WWI. It was shaming to do something that put people in a bad state. The poorhouses still happened, but sensibly, people were supposed to look after each other.<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/elite-dangerous-creator-talks-sci-fi-politics-and-whats-next-w492781</ref>

Galactic charts of space agencies like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA NASA] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency ESA] were used to model the Milky Way galaxy.

== Societies ==

[[File:Elite-Dangerous-Official-Powerplay-Banner-Xavier-Henry.png|thumb|200px|Elite Dangerous Powerplay Banner]]

Societies in the Elite Universe can be very diverse, because star systems can have many different government types and customs. This is mostly the case in [[Alliance]] and independent systems where each system is governed independently with their own culture, values and government.

The [[Federation]] is less diverse than the Alliance due to having common values, regulations and government types among all their systems. The [[Empire]] is the least diverse due to having an imperial monarchy with more strict regulations.

=== Federation ===
In the [[Federation]], society is economically and socially corporatist. Social class is only determined by the 'haves' and 'have-nots'. Corruption is not unusual and people defend it shamelessly when caught as 'getting one over the system'. The working-class of the population is kept entranced by mass-entertainment and commercialism.

The Federation has the most densely human settled territories which makes it the biggest power. Its interstellar democracy has trillions of voters and is sustained by ancient bureaus.<ref>[https://www.edrpg.co.uk/what-s-in-the-books</ref>

The corporations are the life-blood and backbone of the Federation.<ref>http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2</ref><ref>https://www.edrpg.co.uk/what-s-in-the-books</ref> They hold a very wide remit as to what they're permitted to do in the name of profit concerns. They control many aspects of life, politics and business within Federal space.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x-kaGsHvv0</ref>

The Constitution enshrines human rights and freedoms. It's the basis of Federal Law.<ref>http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2</ref> The Federation respects human life more than the Empire, but it's not as free as the Alliance.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x-kaGsHvv0</ref>

=== Empire ===
In the [[Empire]], society is based on a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patronage_in_ancient_Rome cliens] system like ancient Rome and strictly stratified. To move between strata requires money, patronage and influence. It has rampant nationalism and people like wealth projection. Wealthy and famous people find it an attractive place to live due to its high living standards, outlandishly wealthy companies, sophisticated technology and design.<ref>https://www.edrpg.co.uk/what-s-in-the-books</ref>

There's a dark underbelly of legalized slavery. Slaves perform work which machines would do in other parts of the universe. It's also a proponent of human-cloning. Few things are illegal, but much is frowned upon like narcotics.<ref>http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2</ref>

Imperials value both status and honour very highly. Whilst it is acceptable to flaunt wealth, treating people well is a question of honour - and this includes slaves. People would sell themselves into slavery to pay for a debt that cannot otherwise be cleared in order to restore their honour.<ref>http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2</ref>

Imperial Law is enforced by [[Senators]] who themselves are above the law. They can order executions or even kill people themselves. They're rarely held accountable by the [[Emperor]].<ref>http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dcbf6b86b4b0c7d1c21b73b1e&id=f72c0f91b2</ref>

=== Alliance ===
The [[Alliance]] consists of independent systems who are militarily allied. It's governed by the Alliance Assembly. Each Alliance member state has a number of Council Members within the Alliance Assembly, based on the size of their respective populations. It functions as an arbitration body to establish common policies and treaties among Alliance systems, but it lacks any law making powers.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R8jZN2_tJU Tourist Spot 0113</ref>

There's much cultural and societal diversity among its members. It's much more diverse than the Federation and Empire. This makes political agreement difficult. Personal freedoms are inscribed in the Bill of Humans Rights.

Alliance systems and planets have the freedom to govern themselves independently.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/5593b9d49657bab1445913c1</ref> The flipside is there are also oppressive regimes on certain planets in Alliance space. Such as "on revolutionary Eranin the population are expected to perform in weekly parades celebrating their independence from the Federation, even while their leaders ‘redistribute’ the people’s wages into their own back pockets."<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edrpg/elite-dangerous-role-playing-game</ref>

== Social Classes ==
Trillions of people live in the Milky Way [[galaxy]]. They can be grouped into hierarchical social categories. This is what it's like in the 34th century:

=== Upper class ===
The vast wealth of the major [[factions]], which was built over centuries of commerce, attracts greed and powerful people who seek more of the same. [[Powers]] are powerful individuals or organizations who form the upper class of galactic society.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edrpg/elite-dangerous-role-playing-game</ref>

The richest people of the 21st century such as Bill Gates pale in comparison to the wealth and influence of Powers in the 34th century. For example [[Zemina Torval]] is preposterously rich due to her controlling stake in [[Mastopolos Mining]] and slavery. She owns many star systems and has a personal fleet of [[Majestic Class Interdictor|Majestic Class Interdictors]].<ref>http://galnetarchive.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-emperor-is-sick-man.html</ref> All the 21st century rich people combined would not come close to Zemina Torval's level of wealth.

=== Middle class ===
People in the middle of the social hierarchy, known as the middle-class, have gained tremendous freedom due to the affordability of space [[ships]] with faster-than-light travel. This has opened a galaxy of opportunities.<ref name=":0" />

=== Working class ===
These are people who generally earn little money with low-skilled manual labour. Little changed for those in the bottom of society since the Old-[[Earth]]'s dark ages. Some governments such as on [[Eranin]] exploit citizens with duties and redistribute people's wealth into their own pockets.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edrpg/elite-dangerous-role-playing-game</ref> On the planet Zaonce, masses trade stocks for the planet-wide [[Bank of Zaonce]], selling high and buying low, but receive nothing of the gains they make.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edrpg/elite-dangerous-role-playing-game</ref>

== Kardashev Scale ==
The '''Kardashev scale''' measures a civilization's level of technological advancement based on the amount of energy a civilization is able to use for communication.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale</ref>
* '''Type I''' - a planetary civilization capable of utilizing all of the energy of a single planet. Earth, circa 2015, sits at 0.724 (circa 1960, 0.7), just under Type I.
* '''Type II''' - a stellar civilization is capable of utilizing all the energy of a star
* '''Type III''' - galactic civilization can control energy on the scale of the entire host galaxy

Type IV and V civilizations are thought to be too advanced by Nikolai Kardashev and may not be possible according to current scientific understanding. Other theorists like Michio Kaku, Robert Zubrin and Carl Sagan think it is possible.

* '''Type IV''' - a civilization that can control or use the entire universe. They can take on gargantuan, superhuman projects such as changing the structure of space-time.
* '''Type V '''- a civilization that can control or use a collection of universes. They are like gods, can jump between multiverses with the knowledge to manipulate the universe as they please.

== Type II Civilizations ==
[[File:Elite-Dangerous-OST-Sound-And-Essence-Art.png|thumb|400px|Elite Dangerous Art]]

Based on the Kardashev scale, we can determine how advanced a civilization really is depending on the amount of energy it uses and how much it could harvest for its own needs.

=== Humans ===
[[human|Humans]] are a Type II civilization in the Elite Universe. It's estimated to be around level 2.5 which is in between Type II and Type III. This is evident in the following human technological abilities and achievements in the 34th century:
* With the [[Frame Shift Drive]] humans can travel many times the speed of light between star systems.
* Humans can travel in a higher dimensional region known as [[Hyperspace]].
* [[corporations|Corporations]] control countless companies which farm, mine and use entire planets and star systems for resources and food. This is done to produce basic goods which trillions of people use for their survival. Corporations have the technological capability and actively harness the energy of entire [[Star Systems|star systems]]. A good example of this is the energy production from planet Lucifer which orbits [[Sirius|Sirius B]].
* With faster than light travel (FTL) being commonly available, Dyson spheres are inefficient compared with harnessing energy (and resource) at a smaller scale over more stars and systems.
* Humans were able to jump across the galaxy and between galaxies with modifications to the original hyperdrive. It used the fuel Quirium in the classic [[Elite]].<ref>https://www.drewwagar.com/lore/elite-dangerous-lore-hyperspace/</ref>
* The Middle-classes can afford spaceships like cars in the 20th century.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edrpg/elite-dangerous-role-playing-game</ref>
* Humans can travel to almost any point in the whole Milky Way galaxy on a mass scale
* Humans have the ability to harness power of thousands of star types in the [[galaxy]].
* Humans have expanded heavily on an interstellar level. Primarily in [[The Bubble]] and some other regions like [[Colonia]]. Human [[Settlement|settlements]] and [[Asteroid Base|asteroid bases]] are scattered in [[Deep Space|deep space]].
* Tens of thousands of systems have been colonized so far. Corporations rule over vast sections of the galaxy, much of that is uninhabited.
* There's the galactic infrastructure [[GalNet]]. It provides news, market pricing and a pilot communication system.
* Humans can use Holo-Me holograms to instantly join other ships with telepresence. This works throughout the galaxy.

Humans don't yet control or use the energy of the entire Milky Way galaxy which is a requirement for being a Type III civilization.

=== Guardians ===
The [[Guardians]] are a Type II civilization. This is based on the recovered knowledge of the [[Ancient Ruins]].

== Type III Civilizations ==

=== Thargoids ===
The alien [[Thargoids]] could be a Type III civilization. They're an intergalactic [[species]] and may exist in a parallel universe or spatial dimension. They've interdicted pilots in Hyperspace which is a higher-dimensional region. Maybe they control energy on the scale of their entire galaxy of origin.

Thargoids are not a Type IV civilization, because they don't control the universe. This is evident by their lack of control over the Milky Way galaxy.

== References ==
<references />[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Elite series]]
[[Category:Lore]]

Thargoid

2017-09-29T00:28:02Z

213.1.227.226: Expanded Technology text with details of Supercruise

[[File:Elite Dangerous Unknown Ship HD.png|thumb|250px|A Thargoid Interceptor in Elite: Dangerous]]
The '''Thargoids''' are an insectoid alien [[species]] who are said to originate outside of known space, perhaps existing in a parallel universe or spatial dimension. They are the one of two known living sapient species in the Milky Way [[galaxy]] (the other being [[Human|humans]]), although ruins and artefacts of [[Guardians|other species]] have been found and much of the galaxy remains unexplored.<ref>http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=38820#post38820</ref> Thargoids are reputed to be highly aggressive and seemingly rebuff all diplomatic overtures with unmitigated hostility.

==History==
=== First contact and conflict ===
[[File:Thargoid ship.gif|thumb|200px|A Thargoid ship in Frontier: First Encounters]]
The name "Thargoid" was coined by humans shortly after the first reported encounters with the aliens, which are believed to have occurred in 2849.<ref>Data taken from Tourist Spot Beacon 0184, Lave system</ref><ref name="DW">[https://www.drewwagar.com/lore/elite-dangerous-lore-the-thargoids/ Drewwagar.com: Elite Dangerous Lore: The Thargoids]</ref> In a blurred holo clip of one such encounter, some argued that the term "THARG" was visible on the hull of an alien ship, but this was never conclusively proven. Nevertheless, "Tharg" came to be associated with the aliens, and most commentators extended it to "Thargoid".<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/53se4s/first_thargoid_contact_22_beacon/</ref>

The events surrounding first contact with the Thargoids were mostly suppressed and forgotten, and by the 3300's the Thargoids themselves were generally regarded as fiction. According to [[Alliance]] [[Alliance Prime Minister|Prime Minister]] [[Edmund Mahon]], who is one of the few individuals with access to surviving records, the [[Intergalactic Naval Reserve Arm]], or INRA, fought a war against the Thargoids and eventually secured victory by deploying a bioweapon against the aliens. The Thargoids retreated, and for many years it was believed they had been driven to extinction or even never truly existed at all.<ref name="EDP">[[Elite Dangerous: Premonition]]</ref>

In the course of the war, a number of Thargoid ships were captured by the [[Galactic Cooperative]], and later fell into the possession of the Alliance in the years after Galcop collapsed. By the 3270's, the Alliance was able to reverse-engineer Thargoid technology to produce the single most consequential hyperdrive innovation in centuries: the [[Frame Shift Drive]]. FSDs reduced travel times in [[Hyperspace]] from hours to mere seconds, opening the floodgates for human exploration and expansion. Due to the machinations of [[The Club]], however, the Alliance did not leverage FSD technology to gain superiority over the Federation and Empire; instead, the tech fell into the hands of [[Sirius Corporation]], which monopolized it and distributed it to all the powers and factions, ensuring no one gained an advantage. Afterward, [[The Club]] suppressed information about the Thargoids so that it became a myth among the public.<ref name="EDP"/>

=== Renewed activity ===
In early 3301, [[Unknown Artefact]]s were discovered among the cargoes of secret Federal convoys. Their discovery marked the first indication that Thargoids yet existed in the depths of space, though the Artefacts, as well as the similar [[Unknown Probe]]s that would be found orbiting ammonia worlds in 3302, would not be conclusively linked to the Thargoids until later. Some CMDRs believed that the Artefacts and Probes originated from an entirely unknown alien race, while others asserted that they were examples of experimental human technology. Disputes and speculation over the objects continued for months. [[Alien Structure]]s, or "Barnacles", were also discovered in 3302, but their even more pronounced organic appearance also stymied analysis.

On January 5, 3303, Commander DP Sayre reported the first known encounter with an [[Thargoid Interceptor|Unknown Ship]], which was later confirmed to be a type of Thargoid vessel and officially reclassified as a Thargoid Interceptor. The Unknown Ship interdicted the CMDR from [[hyperspace]] and apparently scanned him before departing to an untraceable destination. The acts of interdicting a target while in hyperspace and leaving an untraceable wake signature were both well beyond the capabilities of human technology. Previously, only the [[Alien Crash Site|wreckage of these ships]] had been documented.

Beginning April 11, 3303, reports surfaced of Unknown Ships apparently attacking [[Federation]] convoys. Upon dropping out of supercruise at the source of certain distress calls, Commanders arrived in a green, gaseous cloud and their ship was disabled. Multiple [[Federal Corvette]] wrecks, bearing luminescent green residue where they were damaged and with their crews apparently dead, were adrift in the cloud, and a single Unknown Ship could be seen jumping away. Presumably, the Unknown Ship destroyed all of the Corvettes on its own in each incident.

On June 2, 3303, CMDR Mobiusetti documented the first known interaction between an Unknown Ship and an [[Alien Structure]] on Pleiades Sector OI-T C3-7 A 6 at coordinates -42.77, -21.7. This confirmed suspicions that they were related.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8S-4Oq9Xvc</ref>

====Identification and escalation====
[[File:Thargoids-Return-Message.png|thumb|200px|CMDR Edward Lewis' message]]
On June 12, 3303, [[Professor Palin]] issued a request for scan and wake signature data from Unknown Ships to be delivered to Orcus Crag in Pleiades Sector OI-T c3-7. Palin compared the collected data to older Thargoid samples and confirmed that Unknown Ships were Thargoid in origin. Shortly afterward, [[Federation]] military forces seized Palin's research for transport to a Federal research facility, but the fleet never arrived at its destination.<ref name="Return">[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/5943ed6837e29c184d38b29b Galactic News: The Thargoids have Returned]</ref>

On June 13, wreckage was found with a transmitter which contained a recorded message:

''"This is an urgent message from Commander Edward Lewis. There are forces out there who do not want you to know the truth, but I have to make this public. I found a ship in HIP 17044. A Federal cap ship, shot to pieces. They were carrying the data the Feds stole from Professor Palin. The crew is dead, but they discovered something important about the Unknown Ships. There is a beacon in the wreckage broadcasting a message, over and over. It proves what we suspected. They are back. And the whole galaxy needs to know. The Thargoids have returned."''

[[File:Thargoid Attack Aftermath.png|thumb|200px|The destroyed Federal fleet]]

Two unnamed [[Farragut Battle Cruiser]]s were located at an [[Unregistered Comms Beacon]] approximately 11,000 ls in the direction of the Asterope system from planet 2 in the HIP 17044 system. The capital ships and an accompanying fleet of smaller Federal ships were all heavily damaged, their crews presumably dead, and adrift in the same green, gaseous cloud noted to be a signature of previous Unknown Ship attacks. A transmitter satellite was found among the debris. One Farragut was also discovered to be broadcasting a recording in Morse code in a small, 30-meter zone around its antenna array: "UNKNOWN VESSELS DETECTED. SERVER PURGE FAILED. SHIP ASSETS LIQUIDATED. PAYLOAD DESTROYED. SHIP STATUS LOST."<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/355713-Alien-archeology-and-other-mysteries-Thread-10-The-Canonn?s=7ddc1608a90a6581ce734397295c8a08&p=5611753&viewfull=1#post5611753 Frontier Forums: Alien archeology and other mysteries: Thread 10 - The Canonn]</ref>

Following the incident, on June 19, the leaders of the Federation, [[Empire]], and [[Alliance]] responded to the news that the aliens encountered in the Pleiades Nebula were Thargoids. President [[Zachary Hudson]] confirmed that the Federal military had been expanding in recent months in preparation for such a possibility. Emperor [[Arissa Lavigny-Duval]] urged calm and reminded the public that humanity had overcome seemingly insurmountable odds in the past. Prime Minister [[Edmund Mahon]] called for caution, arguing that it had not yet been proven that the destroyed Federal ships were the victims of Thargoid attacks, and that much could be learned from an advanced alien race like the Thargoids.<ref name="LeadersRespond">[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/5947bb8ef0522a25d9666976 Galactic News: Galactic Leaders Address Thargoid Discovery]</ref>

==== Thargoid Surface Sites ====
[[File:Thargoid_Surface_Site_above.png|thumb|200px|Thargoid Surface Site]]
Following the incident, CMDRs identified an unknown signal at a listening post in [[Maia]] this lead to heavily guarded relay posts. The final listening post had a Caesar Cypher encrypted location for the "nest". They traced it to planet B 1 C in HIP 19026. There, CMDR Lightningwing of [[The Canonn]] discovered the first known [[Thargoid Surface Site]].<ref name="Mystery">[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/6jmzs7/a_mystery_is_afoot/ /r/EliteDangerous: A mystery is afoot]</ref><ref name="Found">[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/6jnvjf/spoilers_mysterious_structures_found_by_cannon/ /r/EliteDangerous: (SPOILERS) Mysterious Structures Found By Cannon group]</ref>

==== Pleiades buildup and research efforts ====
In the wake of the earlier discoveries concerning the Thargoids, numerous state-sponsored and independent initiatives were launched to expand humanity's presence in the [[Pleiades Nebula]]. The Indra, a Wells-class Carrier [[Megaship]], was built and deployed by the [[Empire]] to HR 1185.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/595e07ff82824f10a91fc919 Galactic News: New Superpower Bases in the Pleiades]</ref> The [[Federation]] established Blackmount Orbital and Blackmount Habitation in HIP 17692 to monitor Thargoid activity.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/595e51e1478524147370660a Community Goal: New Federal Outpost]</ref> The [[Ocellus]] station The Oracle was relocated to Pleiades Sector IR-W d1-55 to serve as an independent hub for scientific research on the Thargoids.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/59675dff6d63ab788e4904da Galactic News: New Research Centre at Thargoid Site]</ref> Abroin Universal Plc led a campaign to establish their own Thargoid research base in the Pleiades.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/5970b899dc4a6940976694d7 Community Goal: Pleiades Research Outpost]</ref> The Federation, Empire, and [[Alliance]] jointly funded the creation of [[Aegis]], a research organization intended to pool the scientific expertise of the three superpowers to coordinate investigations of the Thargoids; Aegis deployed a station named Donar's Oak to Pleiades Sector IR-W d1-55.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/59844fbe301ce614455222a1 Galactic News: Joint Superpower Initiative Announced]</ref> [[Sirius Corporation]] established two outposts in the Merope system, the station Reed's Rest and the surface port Omega Prospect.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/11-AUG-3303 Galactic News: Sirius Corporation Enters Merope]</ref>

On August 11, 3303, the Alliance launched a research initiative to build a range of state-of-the-art instruments to analyze various Thargoid materials, such as Unknown Ship Signatures and other objects recovered from Thargoid Surface Sites.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/598c793e3c5e0e1cf8555859 Community Goal: Alliance Research Initiative]</ref> The campaign was a success, but due to the nature of the research it would take some time for any results to be achieved.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/5995b0d377678f36dc69b72f Galactic News: Alliance Campaign Concludes]</ref>

With events unfolding at a rapid pace, the superpowers had until recently struggled to formulate appropriate responses to the Thargoid situation. While Aegis' establishment suggested that the galaxy's leaders were beginning to address the issue, journalist Kelvin Masters offered a more frank analysis in an Imperial Herald article on August 25, 3303: "The barnacles seem to indicate that the Thargoids were in Maia and Merope long before we were. For all we know, humanity has expanded into what the Thargoids see as their territory. I have no interest in scaremongering, but my belief is that a Thargoid attack could be imminent – their behaviour certainly seems to suggest they are probing us for weaknesses."<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/599e9f98c10d1126640e8902 Galactic News: The Thargoid Situation]</ref>

==== Enemies of the Federation ====
On September 15, 3303, Chief of Federal Security Admiral Aden Tanner announced that another Thargoid attack had recently occurred in Pleiades Sector IR-W D1-55 which resulted in the destruction of multiple Federal vessels, including one Farragut Battle Cruiser. While the motives for this attack were unknown, Admiral Tanner confirmed that the Thargoids were now officially considered enemies of the Federation. President Hudson gave Tanner full authority over the [[Federal Navy]] to deal with the Thargoid threat.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/59bb9793d5777560b7216455 Galactic News: Federal Capital Ship Destroyed by Thargoids]</ref> Amid speculation that Federal forces had provoked the attack, the Federation insisted that black box data from the wreckage indicated no provocation on their part; this was confirmed by Aegis, which had also analyzed data from the attack.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/59c3a0e02468d745a72f97a0 Galactic News: Federation Addresses Rumours]</ref>

The incident spurred all three superpowers to widen Aegis' remit to focus on both research and defence on September 21, 3303. The organization's budget was dramatically increased, and it recruited the [[Engineers]] [[Liz Ryder]] and [[Professor Palin]] to produce a new anti-Thargoid weapon and a scanner for Thargoid ships, respectively.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/59c3a108ced3ff7f807f54b7 Galactic News: Aegis to Widen Remit]</ref><ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/en/galnet/uid/59c3cb9dffff1a05c9770bdd Community Goal: Engineers Appeal for Thargoid Material]</ref>

=== The Return ===
==== Skirmishes and Discoveries ====
On [[Elite Dangerous: Horizons#The Return - v2.4|September 26, 3303]], independent pilots reported being attacked unprovoked by Thargoid Interceptors at Non-Human Signal Sources. At least one of these attacks, in which CMDR Relient Owl was the victim, occurred at a site with wreckage from an Imperial convoy, which was believed to have been destroyed by the Thargoid ship.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/72lzxb/so_i_just_got_killed_by_a_thargoid/ r/EliteDangerous: So I just got killed by a Thargoid]</ref> In addition, Interceptors have demonstrated extreme hostility against any [[Guardians|Guardian]] artefacts jettisoned in their vicinity, using their weapons to destroy them.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/72mjyw/they_seriously_dont_like_guardian_stuff_monkas/ r/EliteDangerous: They seriously don't like Guardian stuff monkaS]</ref> New [[Alien Structure]] sites have also been identified, with a greater concentration of the Structures and an octagonal formation that resembles a nascent [[Thargoid Surface Site]].<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/72wjsi/the_new_barnacle_site_grows_in_a_familiar/ r/EliteDangerous: The new barnacle site grows in a familiar pattern...credit to CMDR PinPiper]</ref>

[[Aegis]] released the [[AX Missile Rack]] and [[AX Xeno Scanner]] on September 28, 3303. These new devices allowed CMDRs to both scan Interceptors and successfully penetrate their defenses for the first time, a major milestone.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/731ex8/psa_ax_missile_rack_and_ax_xeno_scanner_now/ PSA: AX Missile Rack and AX Xeno Scanner Now Available]</ref><ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/731oxn/thargoid_down_sdc/ Thargoid Down! - SDC!]</ref> However, it was also discovered that the Thargoids had begun attacking independent civilian vessels. A heavily-damaged [[Megaship]] identified as a Banner Class Bulk Cargo Ship was found in Pleiades Sector IR-W d1-55, near planet A 5, the victim of Thargoid aggression.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/72zzvw/spoiler_something_new_has_happened_in_pleiades/ Something new has happened in pleiades Sector IR-W D1-55..]</ref> To cap off a day filled with new developments, a [[Thargoid Scout|new type of alien ship]] with apparent links to the Thargoids was also discovered on planet A 3 A in the HIP 17125 system.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/733mmb/elite_dangerous_24_new_unknown_ship_crashed_hip/ r/EliteDangerous: Elite Dangerous 2.4 new Unknown Ship (crashed) Hip 17125 A 3 A -65.8193 | 48.8662]</ref>

== Biology ==
Thargoids are an insectoid species. Little is known about their physical appearance and biology. Their chemistry is carbon-based, but with ammonia as the solvent rather than water.<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/elite-dangerous-creator-talks-sci-fi-politics-and-whats-next-w492781</ref> If the rumors are true that they come from Ammonia-based planets then their physiology is drastically different from humans. For example, ammonia boils at -33 degrees C. Thargoids may well be acclimatised to temperatures far lower than humans.<ref>https://www.drewwagar.com/lore/elite-dangerous-lore-the-thargoids/</ref> They are presumed to be highly intelligent, more than the average human due to their superior technological capabilities. Descriptions based on encounters centuries ago have yet to be verified.

According to [[The Club]], what humans consider to be a singular Thargoid species actually consists of two distinct "dynasties": the Oresrians and the Klaxians. How Oresrians and Klaxians differ biologically, if at all, is unknown.<ref name="EDP"/>

==Society==
Not much information has been obtained about Thargoid society or culture. The only known fact is that the society is hive based, with no sense of close family. It is thought that the society is divided into colonies, possibly along the lines of ant colonies. The Oresrian and Klaxian dynasties may be two such colonies.<ref name="EDP"/>

Thargoids are thought to have a natural affinity with space, and with [[Hyperspace]] in particular. This is due to the fact that Thargoid warriors seem to spend a large amount of time in space. Naval pilots and crews report that the warships in the war zones are encountered on repeated occasions over a period of months often without respite.

Following the initial conflict between humans and Thargoids, the Oresrians and Klaxians apparently became embroiled in a civil war. Sometime before 3303, the Klaxians gained the upper hand and forced the Oresrians into a slow, continuous retreat across the galaxy, a retreat which will take them directly through human space. [[The Club]] has learned that the Oresrians plan to use human civilization as a "bullet shield" to occupy the Klaxians' attention while they escape deeper into space. This poses a potentially apocalyptic threat to humanity's survival.<ref name="EDP"/>

==Politics==
Nothing is known about internal Thargoid politics or government, or why the Oresrians and Klaxians have come into conflict.

Thargoid relations with other species, as far as what is currently known, was frighteningly simple: war. The Thargoid invasions usually seemed to be prompted by the need for either agricultural or mineral resources, rather than a sociological or anthropological need to expand or colonise. In fact, the animal life on an invaded world was largely ignored unless it poses a threat to Thargoids.

==Technology==
[[File:Thargoid-and-Diamondback-Ships.png|thumb|200px|Thargoid ship confronting a Diamondback Scout]]
Thargoid technology is vastly different from existing human technology. Not only are their ships currently invulnerable to conventional weapons, but they possess the ability to interdict human ships that are traveling through hyperspace, a feat previously believed to be impossible, as well as the ability to make untraceable hyperspace jumps and stymie any pursuers. Despite their advanced hyperspace capabilities, there is yet to be evidence of Thargoid ships moving in [[Supercruise]], perhaps suggesting they do not have short-range FTL abilities.

Thargoid weaponry has proven to be very powerful, resulting in numerous destroyed Federal and Imperial vessels, including capital ships. CMDRs who reported being attacked by [[Thargoid Interceptor]]s have noted they lost their ships very quickly under an onslaught of powerful missiles and [[Thargon]] drone swarms.

[[Alien Structure]]s, so-called "barnacles", are known to be related to the Thargoids and their ships. As the structures produce [[Meta-Alloys]], it is possible that Meta-Alloys are an important resource used by Thargoid Interceptors. After September 26, 3303, CMDRs reported sightings of larger fields of Alien Structures in a shape reminiscent of Thargoid Surface Sites, and are also patrolled by [[Scavenger]]s.

[[Thargoid Surface Site]]s demonstrate the Thargoids construct and utilize vast surface installations. Passive drone-like devices called Scavengers were first encountered at these locations.

[[Thargoid Sensor]]s and [[Thargoid Probe]]s were also confirmed to be related to Thargoids after it was discovered that carrying them allowed doors at Thargoid Surface Sites to open. The other functions of these objects remain an enigma, however. Thargoid Interceptors have been witnessed retrieving them after September 26, 3303.

It's unclear whether Thargoids are a Type II or [[Elite Universe#Type III Civilizations|Type III civilization]] based on the Kardashev scale. Their lack of control over the Milky Way galaxy indicates they are Type II. However, since Thargoids may originate from another galaxy, parallel universe, or spatial dimension they could be Type III.

==Notes==
*Initially, it was only confirmed that Thargoids would eventually make an appearance in Elite Dangerous, and the specifics of that encounter were unknown.<ref>http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=160991#post160991</ref><ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous/posts/377497#comment-2014816</ref><ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=77358&p=1262252&viewfull=1#post1262252</ref>
*Frontier Development staff have previously commented that all Thargoids are female.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous/comments?cursor=2332567#comment-2332566</ref>
*David Braben hinted that should peace have ever been found with Thargoids, it would be a temporary measure.<ref>https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous/comments?cursor=1970411#comment-1970410</ref>
*It has been rumoured that Thargoids could be capable of building large artificial structures which could possibly be on a scale with planets, and certainly large enough to negate a ship's warp ability.<ref>http://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=85034#post85034</ref>

==Trivia==
*The name "Thargoid" is believed to have come from the regular skit ''Captain Kremmen'' performed by radio and TV personality Kenny Everett on both his radio shows and, in animated form, on TV.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Kremmen</ref> The animated skits show the Thargoids as a species of tall, transparent creatures who are part of a highly-wealthy monarchical society.<ref>http://youtu.be/pyjKPbkkW9k?t=2m26s</ref> It is assumed that their main source of income is profiting from the sale of natural resources taken from planets they have colonised stretching thousands of light years.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Elite_Dangerous_-_The_Return_2.4
The_Return_2.4_Announcement_-_Elite_Dangerous
Elite Dangerous Unknown Ship HD.png|A Thargoid Interceptor in Elite Dangerous
Thargoids-Return-Message.png|Thargoids Return message
Thargoid-and-Diamondback-Ships.png|Thargoid and Diamondback ships
Thargoid Attack Aftermath.png|The destroyed Federal fleet
Elite_Dangerous_-_Where_are_the_Thargoids?_(And_what_are_they?)
Unknown-Ships-Group-Thargoids.png|Thargoid Interceptors
Thargoid Surface Site above.png|A Thargoid Surface Site
Thargoid-Surface-Site.png|Thargoid Surface Site
Thargoid Surface Site Scavenger close.png|A Scavenger
The_Return_(Elite_Dangerous)
DISTANT STORMS - Does Humanity Now Stand On The Brink Of A 2nd Thargoid War?
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

{{Thargoids}}
[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:Alien life]]
[[Category:Thargoids]]
[[Category:Species]]

Thargoid Sensor

2015-09-07T08:11:30Z

213.1.249.253: /* Places where they have not been taken or tests not done - feel free to try! */

{{CommodityInfobox
|image = Unknown artefact 001.png
|type = Salvage
|gap = 242,485
|classification = Commodity}}
{{Quote|Only recently discovered, these mysterious artefacts currently have no designation. Despite much conjecture as to the nature of these objects, it appears that the scientific community is unwilling or unable to openly identify the artefacts' origins. Such mystery only serves to make these objects more widely sought after by wealthy individuals and organisations alike, no matter that their unidentified status automatically prohibits them form being sold on any legal market.|In-game description}}
The '''Unknown Artefacts''' ('''UA''') have been reported to look like a form of sentient life, far beyond what we humans are capable of creating. It is still unknown what the UA is meant for, some people are speculating that this is the work of [[Thargoids]], and there have been lots of other theories. To date, none of these theories have been proven, it is 'exceedingly rare' and only a few pilots have been able to see one themselves, making it extremely challenging to carry out tests and theories.

== What does it do? ==
As far as current tests and analysis show, it appears that the UA does a sort of [[Wikipedia:Side-scan sonar|sonar scan]] of the closest celestial object or station and then sends out (chittering) sounds which are a highly distorted [[Wikipedia:Morse code|Morse code]] which represents that body.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175726&p=2701750&viewfull=1#post2701750 UA Mystery Thread 3: The Canonn], Arcanonn, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-08-16, 19:58</ref>

== UA Features ==
It seems probable that the UA is non-human in origin, and was first discovered some 720 years ago (see 2280s entry in the Timeline below), although at the start of the Elite Dangerous game (3300) its origins are still unknown.
However, the following aspects have been tested and are known:[[File:Elite Dangerous UA Features|thumb|right|335 px]]
*In terms of size, it is roughly the same size as a human, and not much bigger.
*From a distance away it makes a loud whale like sound with some muttering and can be spotted by some sparkling and some purple/green gas-like colours.
*It seems to be made of three parts, the head (it looks like a giant egg with an place at the top where it seems like it can open up but some parts glow when the whale noise happens), the stork or spine (it seems to have four parts to it and lights up too to the whale noise), the pods or capsules (there are twelve of these).
*When close to it you can clearly see it giving off a distortion field of some kind which has sparks appearing and disappearing in it with a gas in the entire area, either green or purple. However in the debug camera you can get close enough to the point where the field isn't in the way and you can get a clear view of the UA.
*You can hear the sounds it gives off best when closest. You can hear a whale noise (honk/wail), followed by chittering and purring.
**Honk/wail: There seem to be two types, these alternate through the UA deployment
**Chittering: Has been found to be a garbled morse code, tapping out the name of the closest celestial body or station. The purpose, if there is one, of the other noises are yet to be determined.
**Purrs: There seems to be two types, a low and a high purr. The low purr seems to stay the same through the deployment while the high purr increases in pitch inverse proportionally to the integrity of the UA.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175726&p=2702300&viewfull=1#post2702300 UA Mystery Thread 3: The Canonn], bitstorm, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-08-16 20:34 GMT</ref> With a degrading UA the pitch will slowly increase until the UA is scooped or decays. With an non-degrading 100% UA, the high purr will not change in pitch.
*While inside your ship's cargo hold the UA acts like [[Toxic Waste]] by doing corrosion damage to ALL your ship modules.
*They are illegal salvage, so if you have it in your ship and a NPC System Authority scans you, you get a fine of 55,000cr. If stolen, your fine jumps to at least 161,000cr.
*They can be sold for up to 250k cr, though 180-220k cr is an average figure.
*The UA 'Spores' or 'glitter' don't appear to do any damage
* Occasionally they 'explode' sending a cloud of particulates out around them. Extremely slowed down video reveals a strange graphical glitch when this happens (or a tear in the space time continuum)
* Having a refinery fitted with a UA in the hold does nothing
* No new missions or contacts appear with one in the hold
* They are quite delicate and behave similarly to normal canisters in some ways
** They degrade over time in space (while ejected) and have a life of about 5 minutes max outside the ship, but reset to 100% health when back inside the cargo hold.
** Like toxic waste, they degrade ship's modules over time randomly while in the hold
== Finding them ==
These Unknown Artefacts can be found in [[System Signal Sources|Strong Signal Sources]]. There are several systems (see below) where they spawn, Timocani and 109 Virginis are the two systems where they have most recently been found and [[Michael Brookes]] has stated that they are 'exceedingly rare' and that they are only available in certain regions of the galaxy,<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&page=71&p=2179457#post2179457 Soontill Relics, the Regor Permit Sector and DB's cryptic hints....], Michael Brookes, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-02 10:28 GMT</ref> which would suggest that they are in other systems too. Since v1.3 the number of UA discoveries were low but as of August they seem to have increased significantly.

CMDR Wishblend, one of the original UA finders, gives this advice:
[[File:Ua-chat-text.png|thumb|239x239px|Example of the kind of chat you will see when you have jumped into a UA Strong Signal Source]]
{{Quote|In 109 VIRGINIS, jump in at the big white A class star, go out (away from the star) around 100ls until the locater in the bottom left hand side of your screen says 'Deep Space'.

Put supercruise speed to minimum and wait for the 'SSS' (Strong Signal Sources) to appear. Some will be ambushes, others nothing that good, so be prepared to run or fight.

What you are looking for is one Type 9 Transport being escorted by a few anacondas. Sometimes there are two, sometimes four and sometimes there are other ships as well. The main tell is this: if you have a Type 9 being escorted by Anacondas, check the local chat window. If it is correct then the Type 9 and the Anacondas will be talking to each other about systems malfunctioning.|CMDR Wishblend}}
There are at least Three known Strong Signal Source instances that contain UA's.

The first kind is made up of numerous ships and includes a Vulture, two Anacondas, the Type-9 and other ships. If you get this one, bear in mind that the Type-9 will probably charge its FSD and jump out of the system on its own. You can either choose to follow it (using a wake scanner) or attack it.
[[File:Ua-convoyA.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the first kind of AU carrying convoy. The Type-9 will eventually jump out of the system]]
The second is made up of four anacondas and the Type-9. This convoy will stop in space and the Anacondas will do a dance around the Type-9. It may be the case that the Type-9 is not a part of the Anaconda wing. It has been reported as the one where the Unknown Artefact will eat its way out of the Type-9's cargo hold without you firing a shot, but this has yet to be corroborated by other commanders.

The third kind was discovered by redditor /u/Boblit67 on the Xbox One in HR 1185 after entering a Strong Signal Source. This historic discovery was not only the first publicly confirmed UA to be found on the Xbox, but also marks the first time a UA had been documented being found floating in normal space, alone, with no convoy. The UA did not degrade, behaving like 'normal' salvage that can be found in signal sources.<ref>[http://xboxdvr.com/gamer/Boblit67/video/6970550 Unknown Artefact], Boblit67, XboxDVR, 2015-08-15 01:51 GMT</ref>

While most sightings and recoveries have been in Federation space, similar convoys carrying UAs have been sighted in Imperial space on one or two occasions.

Systems where they have been found or spotted
* Timocani (confirmed) - convoy UA{{Cite}}
* 109 Virginis (confirmed) - convoy UA{{Cite}}
* Krisha (confirmed){{Cite}}
* Tanmark (confirmed) - convoy UA<ref name="reddit.com">[http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/ Thargoid transport in Tanmark?], elgraf, Reddit, 2015-03-14 15:14 GMT</ref>
* HIP 102128 (confirmed) - convoy UA<ref>[http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/363y6k/unknown_artifact_found_in_imperial_convoy/ Unknown Artifact found in Imperial Convoy], montiofwhitehat, Reddit 2015-05-16 22:27 GMT</ref>
* Reshas (20.05.3301 confirmed) - convoy UA<ref>[http://www.01nk.com/EDPics/UA_Convoy.jpg UA_Convoy.jpg]</ref>
* Blatrimpe (08.05.3301 confirmed) - convoy UA<ref name="imgur.com">[http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg Find convoi Blatrimpe 08.05.3301], Imgur, 2015-07-04 09:00 GMT</ref>
* UN NO MYOIN (confirmed)
* Bast (Confirmed) - convoy UA<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2663506&viewfull=1#post2663506 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], ilmostro, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-08-08 08:05 GMT</ref>
* Wolf 289 (confirmed) - convoy UA{{Cite}}
* HR 1185 (confirmed) - salvage UA{{Cite}}
* HR 1172 (confirmed) - salvage UA{{Cite}}
* LHS 3006 (confirmed) - convoy UA<ref>[http://i.imgur.com/bdUbbJM.jpg bdUbbJM.jpg], Imgur, 2015-08-15 09:00 GMT</ref>
* Bolg (confirmed) - convoy UA<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175726&p=2706770&viewfull=1#post2706770 UA Mystery Thread 3: The Canonn], Serenus, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-08-17 08:22 GMT</ref>
* Pleiades Sector IR-W D1-34 (confirmed) - salvage UA{{Cite}}
* Pleiades LC-V C2-9 (confirmed) - salvage UA{{Cite}}
* Pleiades Sector RO-Q B5-1 (confirmed) - salvage UA{{Cite}}
* Pleione (confirmed) - salvage UA{{Cite}}
* Chamunda (unconfirmed)
* Geawenki (unconfirmed)
* Delphin (unconfirmed)
* Siren (unconfirmed)
[[File:Ua-convoyB.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the second version of the UA carrying convey. This one will hang around and conveniently drop the UA off for you to pick up]]

== Capturing the Unknown Artefact ==
So you found a convoy with the Unknown Artefact onboard, what now?

The best strategy to capture the artefact seems to be the following:
* Wing up, three or four commanders
* Set hyperspace destination to another system. This will help you bail out without the Anacondas mass-lock interfering
* Wait for the first group of escorts to jump out. You should be left with the Type-9 and two Anacondas
* One commander prepares [[Hatch Breaker Drone]]s and gets ready to scoop the UA
* Another commanders takes down the shield on the Type-9. This will trigger immediate response from the Anacondas
* While the scooper tries to get the hatch on the Type-9, the other commanders distract the Anacondas. Hit and run tactics, draw them away from the Type-9
* As soon as the T-9 is bagged, jump out. Keep in mind you are now wanted in the system and the UA carrier will get a fine whenever scanned

== The mystery of the Unknown Artefact ==
There is apparently some kind of mystery to be solved around these items, and certain people close to Frontier Developments have said that there are clues in the game, but nobody has spotted them yet. They even went as far to say that they are so obvious that to give any more clues would make it too easy. Despite this, no one has solved the mystery to date. During the period after the first find, some commanders created GalNet content related to the UA which was published, and these are included below but marked with ''[player submitted]''.

===Timeline of events===
'''2280s''' Discovery of first non-human relic in space. Origin still unknown in 3300. The original timeline stated "Origin still unknown in 3200", and has been updated by Frontier to match the Unknown Artefact storyline in Elite Dangerous, which begins in the year 3300. In Lave Radio Allen Stroud discussed alien life within the Elite: Dangerous universe and specifically mentions the Unknown Artefact and its links to Frontier: Elite II's lore.<ref>[https://www.frontier.co.uk/games/older/frontier_elite_ii/ Frontier: Elite II], Frontier Developments</ref><ref>[http://lotf.co.uk/fe2_gazetteer.html Frontier: Elite II - Gazetteer], Ian Bell, David Braben, Kathy Dickinson, David Massey, 1992</ref><ref>[http://laveradio.com/writers-interview-3-dave-hughes/ Writers Interview 3 – Dave Hughes], Event occurs at 41min, Lave Radio, 2013-03-20</ref>

'''3300'''

'''12 January''': Federal Vice President Dies in swimming pool.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/e8558c8760bc9fcf63b8892393c7d60922f29db0 Federal Vice President Dies in Swimming Accident], GalNet News, 3301-01-12</ref>

'''13 January''': Federal Vice President Smeaton's death does not appear to be as straight forward as it first appeared.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/e095e1e0e64706a971fb14cab954d855c49890fd Suspicions raised over VP Death], GalNet News, 3301-01-13</ref>

'''16 January''': Smeaton's widow accuses the military industrial complex of involvement in her husbands death.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/90b5e9034afbc2e731a8b4213e3ba454b0014cc6 Investigation in to VP Death Inconclusive], GalNet News, 3301-01-16</ref>

'''28 January''': Federal Congressman George Fallside is revealed to have sent condolences to Smeaton's family 30 minutes before his death was announced.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/75ed632ad84c5abb08d6d6ec717104b90218fcdd Congressman Had Early Knowledge of VP’s Death?], GalNet News, 3301-01-28</ref>

'''10 February''': Soontill Alien Artefacts are mentioned in GalNet. Subsequently confirmed by FD that these Artefacts are not Unknown Artefacts.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/e3650db48fcce4488905b3e13763eebad65735b8 Soontill Alien Artefacts to be Auctioned at Ngurii], GalNet News, 3301-02-10</ref>

'''10 March''': v1.2 is released. Includes "- Adding valuable salvage convoys to three permitted systems: LFT 509, Isinor, Witch's Reach".{{Cite}}

'''13 March''': The UA appeared for the first time as cargo on board the ship in the official 1.2 Wings trailer.<ref name=":3">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GEX4pYL9w Elite: Dangerous Wings Trailer], Frontier Developments, YouTube, 2015-03-13</ref>

'''14 March''': Strange chatter in a Federal Convoy in the Tanmark system reported on Reddit.<ref name="reddit.com" />

'''28 April''': Arcannon innocently asks a simple question and starts the longest thread in Elite Dangerous Forums' history (now closed) which reached almost 10k posts and has had to be redirected to a new thread.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2160913#post2160913 Soontill Relics, the Regor Permit Sector and DB's cryptic hints....], Michael Brookes, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-04-28 11:30 GMT</ref><ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-02 6:28 GMT</ref>

'''28 April''': Michael Brookes comes into the forum thread and says "Have you listened to them? Garbled morse code has since been discovered to be in the 'Chittering' part of the sound;<ref name=":1">[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2507590&viewfull=1#post2507590 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Jmanis, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-07 10:48 GMT</ref> A [[/List of recordings/]] (video and audio) has been compiled.

'''29 April''': MB confirms later in the same thread that [[Soontill Relics]] are not the same thing as UA's, and that UAs cannot be bought.{{Cite}}

'''30 April''': Strange parasite that attaches to a nervous system is reported in GalNet, but seems to have been subsequently removed.<ref name=":0">[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2176849&viewfull=1#post2176849], X2Eliah, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-01 17:08 GMT</ref>

'''30 April''': YouTube video posted by a user who had recently posted another UA hoax, so nobody believed it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bAKBADBzC8 Unknown Artifact], Elite Mystery Solver, YouTube, 2015-04-30</ref>

'''02 May''': MB says that they are "exceedingly rare [sic] and can only be found within a certain region of space - that does include multiple systems though." and then later clarifies that they can only be found in "certain regions in the galaxy".{{Cite}}

'''2 May''': Minos discovers an entry in the [[Elite Timeline|Elite Dangerous Pilots Guide]]:<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2181189&viewfull=1#post2181189 Soontill Relics, the Regor Permit Sector and DB's cryptic hints....], Minos, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-02 18:13 GMT</ref>
{{Quote|3276 - A strange object of unknown origin is discovered in the vicinity of Liazeda (-12,3). Named the LRA (Liazeda RadioAnomoly), the Alliance research ship, the Lion, is sent toinvestigate. The LRA and the ship disappears and its fate is still unknown in 3296. Only a handful of crew, who were deploying probes from two Explorer-class vessels return.|Elite: Dangerous Pilots Guide}}

'''4 May''': Wishblend finds the first UA in 109 Virginis, but unfortunately doesn't get it.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187286&viewfull=1#post2187286], Wishblend, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-04 12:08 GMT</ref> Henceforth officially celebrated as UA Day across the galaxy, and the official title of UA Seeker was born. That afternoon, a further number were spotted but RedWizzard finally managed to actually grab one in [[Timocani]].<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187567&viewfull=1#post2187567 Soontill Relics, the Regor Permit Sector and DB's cryptic hints....], RedWizzard, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-04 13:10 GMT</ref> Due to a bug a couple more were accidentally duplicated (bug reported).{{Cite}}

'''4 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' GalNet reports baffled 'scientists' (players involved in the search and recovery UAs) having found an Unknown Artefact.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/86f2081368ff47d51ff9239e8b2f75bc16e34af8 Scientists Baffled by Mysterious Artefacts], GalNet News, 3301-05-04</ref>

'''6 May''': [[President Halsey]]'s tour of the frontier announced.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/fbfb919f69da401c72e062a8165c8e6fcc348180 Tour of Frontier Systems Set to Begin Shortly], GalNet News, 3301-05-06</ref>

'''7 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn challenges Halsey about UAs <ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/e4997791212280957af91846c238aef9b78d15d8 Arcanonn Challenges Halsey], GalNet News, 3301-05-07</ref>

'''8 May''': Two sightings of UA Convoys by CMDR Nilreb in [[Blahtrimpe]].<ref name="imgur.com" /><ref>[http://imgur.com/a/oKNja UA_hunt_#2], Imgur, 2015-07-04 09:21 GMT</ref>

'''13 May''': President Halsey sets off from [[Sol]].<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/05536c768f3cc2432a738c08ad198530bd7c2e88 President Halsey Sets Out from Sol], GalNet News, 3301-05-13</ref>

'''15 May''': [[78 Ursae Majoris]] prepares for Halsey's visit.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/877702415867841e4f8820b1a9830cf6991eb911 78 Ursae Majoris Increases Security Ahead of Presidential Visit], GalNet News, 3301-05-15</ref>

'''15 May''': Another UA Convoy sighting, this time in [[HIP 102128]].<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/363y6k/unknown_artifact_found_in_imperial_convoy/ Unknown Artifact found in Imperial Convoy], montiofwhitehat, Reddit, 2015-05-16 22:28 GMT</ref>

'''17 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn accuses [[Federation]] a cover-up about the UAs.<ref name="community.elitedangerous.com">[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/c07072d20059e82cfa731acf8469dd104a7f88fc Federation Accused of Cover-up], GalNet News, 3301-05-17</ref>

'''18 May''': Subsequent report on Soontill Relics in [[GalNet]].<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/2ff0af566b06e051c2af52cd02a467351b449535 Soontill Relics Test Results Queried], GalNet News, 3301-05-18</ref>

'''20 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' Tonnes of [[Biowaste]] dropped at 78 Ursae Majoris in protest against Federal cover-up of the UA, Dr Arcanonn denies links with the action.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/32edcb230646f31c35f0edc87880b5f692f33452 Anti-Federation Terrorists Linked to Artefact Research], GalNet News, 3301-05-20</ref>

'''23 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' A weird message is broadcast from someone somewhere trying to say something negative about the 'scientists' efforts.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/a817ba0a6348b4d65e6ca77a171aa300d2998ef9 Extraordinary Transmission Contesting Dr Arcanonn], GalNet News, 3301-05-23</ref>

'''26 May''': Halsey's [[Starship One]] goes missing, official initial report, [[Felicia Winters]] steps up as [[Wikipedia:Acting president|interim president]].<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/5fab077eca21595b79f8b53c3de2f845e8e0f086 President Misses Meeting], GalNet News, 3301-05-26</ref><ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/1b3fc5f41e1d45346b3efc3b5babbfb87f14cd48 Federal State of Emergency: Winters Declared Acting President], GalNet News, 3301-05-26</ref>

'''27 May''': Secondary report on what happened to Starship One.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/d4300ee6719838070a297fe1fd28006021a1587b Federal Search Efforts Continue], GalNet News, 3301-05-27</ref><ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/2d0472c6f8e7eee1966acb1f542cfb6a6689f379 Shades of the Antares Incident], GalNet News, 3301-05-27</ref>

'''28/29 May''': Conspiracy theories abound.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/8b77b16c574e3d023419b49c2a0a662d6bcc7cea The Truth is Out There], GalNet News, 3301-05-28</ref>

'''2 June''': [[Zachary Hudson]] becomes [[Federal president]].<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/556ddd259657ba047533fa1c Zachary Hudson Becomes the New President of the Federation], GalNet News, 3301-06-02</ref>

'''5 June''': Strange cannisters called [[Sap 8 Core Container]] appears in the game with launch of v1.3.{{Cite}} No evidence that these are linked to UAs so far.

'''22 June''': CMDR MahdDogg publishes his panel discussion about Powerplay, in which CMDR Kerrash mentions that "about the whole UA thing, there ''is'' something behind that, but no one has figured it out yet" (29m 30s) and that "[Frontier] have put some really obvious [clues] in there and we don't want to put anything else in" for fear of spoiling what is to come in the future.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYWolEEM_e0 State of the Game - Elite: Dangerous Panel Discussion], Mahd Dogg, YouTube, 2015-06-22</ref>

'''27 June''': CMDR Kerrash talks about various things, including Thargoid conjecture ("They are coming"), and that the UA and confirms there is something to it, and that "if any people watching have got in with the UA thing and got halfway in and not looked into it anymore, please pleeease carry on looking, there is something there, there is an interesting secret there, please look, and the SAP 8 containers as well, there is something going on, dont give up!".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RD6rmO_28s?t=10m53s Elite: Dangerous - Kerrash Landing #110 - 2/2], Kerrash Landing, YouTube, 2015-06-27</ref>

'''5 July''': CMDR Kerrash comes into the new thread, asks "Has anybody cracked it yet?", when gently prodded follows up with "Frontier did not spend all this effort in making a wild goose chase, I would imagine quite the fanfare when the truth is uncovered. BTW Are we even sure it is morse code?" and "Yes there is more to it, I will see if I can get FD to drop another hint".<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502255&viewfull=1#post2502255 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Kerrash, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-05 18:33 GMT</ref><ref name=":2">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502284&viewfull=1#post2502284</ref>

'''6 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2503739&viewfull=1#post2503739 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], mrtree, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-06 04:22 GMT</ref>

'''10 July''': [player submitted] UA Scientists claim a breakthrough that the UA broadcasts its closest celestial body (or station) in a form of morse code.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/559fde649657ba225a47e853 Breakthrough in Artefact Research?], GalNet News, 3301-07-10</ref>

'''14 July''': CMDR Patau82 spots another convoy in Timocani, but unfortunately fails to grab it.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542242&viewfull=1#post2542242 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Patau82, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-15 23:57 GMT</ref>

'''14 July''': Reports of a [[Cerberus Plague|'Cerberus' Plague]] "beyond BD-02 4304" which mentions "an unusual three-pronged structure at the ‘head’ of the phage-like organism."<ref name=":4">[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/55a52e349657baab7e3de738 Reports of the Cerberus Plague beyond BD-02 4304], GalNet News, 3301-07-14</ref> which led to the Phage Theory (see below). Later lead to six Community Goals in three different systems, three anti piracy and three bring medicines ("Debilitating disease devastating 20 Opiuchi / Dajoar / Eleu" and "Movement For Dajoar Independants / Social Eleu Progressive Party / Workers of 20 Opiuchi Values Party Pay for Protection").

'''17 July''': CMDR Lurius spots another UA Convoy in Timocani but unfortunately destroyed the UA during scooping. Extra information derived the route the convoy took was Timocani -> Yggdrajang -> Breksta (System jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space -> system jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space). Also, the strange chat (pictured above) continued through [[supercruise]].{{Cite}}

'''17 July''': CMDR Kerrash briefly mentions the UA hunt again in his stream.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaNKzXqZHg4#t=1289 Elite: Dangerous - Kerrash Landing #112], Kerrash Landing, YouTube, 2015-07-17</ref>

'''19 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, the first known commander to retrieve two. This replaced one he had loaned to CMDR Zenith, which was lost to a player killer (not pirate).<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2561730&viewfull=1#post2561730 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], mrtree, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-19 07:20 GMT</ref>

'''20 July''': CMDR Branch loses his second UA through a scooping incident by another commander.{{Cite}}

'''23 July''': CMDR Britain finds an Unknown Artefact.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=279&p=2583760#post2583760], bitstorm, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-23 22:57 GMT</ref>

'''25 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, bringing the known possessed count back up to 3. This is also the third UA Branch has recovered.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2593742&viewfull=1#post2593742 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], mrtree, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-26 03:05 GMT</ref>

'''28 July:''' CMDR Blain Crighton & his wing manage to obtain two Unknown Artefacts from the same convoy.<ref group="nb">Obtaining two Unknown Artefacts from the same convoy may be the result of a P2P bug</ref> One of theirs was accidentally crushed after being released in a station, the other was sold at Leonard Nimoy Memorial Station.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_J6apLfs1I Selling UA at LNS], Blain Crighton, YouTube, 2015-07-28</ref>

=== Theories proposed ===
* The Sound (When Michael Brookes said "Have you listened to them", this was taken as a most significant clue')
** The UAs do indeed make an unusual sound. It appears to be made up of three main elements: The Honk (sounds like a whale noise), The Chitter (recently discovered to be a garbled morse code of the closest celestial body or station) and The Purr (When sped up x3 sounds like a trombone).<ref name=":1" /> '''There is a fourth element''', a constant buzzing noise which has yet to be analysed fully, but also appears to have morse code embedded ...- .. -.. ---.. (VID8).<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=202&p=2563545&viewfull=1#post2563545 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], rizal72, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-19 19:31 GMT</ref> Another "4th signal" theory based on an examination of the audio proposes that there is a continuous S.O.S. signal being emitted by the probe that can be heard on most recordings.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175726&p=2707702&viewfull=1#post2707702], Fractux, Elite Dangerous Forums, 2015-08-19 00:53 GMT</ref>
*** ''However'', this "4th signal" is ''not present'' when the UA was recorded in HR1185 (Free floating UA) & HIP63835D (UA Deployed & degrading), for reasons unknown.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdS3U2j1c9Y Elite: Dangerous - Unknown Artefact @ HR 1185 B (15 Aug)], Cmdr Zenith Ddraiglas, YouTube, 2015-08-15</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb7fM6FRyrU?t=8m37s Elite: Dangerous Testing UA with black hole nearby Part 2], Ratking15, YouTube, 2015-05-24</ref>
** The UAs do sound very similar to the in-ship basic discovery scanner, along with some other strange noises that could be similar to galactic noises heard in the galactic map or in space.
** The sound changed noticeably from v1.2 to v1.3. Similar but different. Tests ongoing.
** Various sound recordings from different locations and pilots were fed into a Slow Scan TV decoder, no coherent images were produced. If there is SSTV data stored within the sound it is distorted beyond easy recovery.
* Advanced Scanner device
** The sounds the UA makes are very similar to those made by the basic discovery scanner, and it has been recently proven <ref name=":2" /> that the UA produces a 'stylised Morse code' of the name of the closest celestial body during the 'chittering' section of the sound. The purpose of the whale noise and the purrs are yet to be determined.
** The sounds the UA makes have also been compared to the sounds planetary bodies make in the system map.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=144782 GUIDE: Planet sounds and how to know everything from System Map.], CMDR AKIRA MASAKARI, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-13 16:27 GMT</ref>
* The Colour Pulse Theory
** The UA pulses purple and green, apparently randomly. There is a new theory that the green pulses increase in number the closer it is to its origin (or destination).<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2510274&viewfull=1#post2510274 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Wishblend, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-07 15:22 GMT</ref>
** Currently, the tests are non-conclusive, as multiple tests in the same system give different results. This suggests a random rather than deliberate distribution.
* The Mayan Numbers Theory
** The markings on the UA look similar to the ancient Mayan number system (base 20) and it has been discussed at length in the forums.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542602&viewfull=1#post2542602 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], mrtree, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-15 03:08 GMT</ref> No real breakthrough as yet.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2538363&viewfull=1#post2538363 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Kulin, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-14 08:13 GMT</ref>
* Price Triangulation Theory
** This theory proposes that, with regular rare goods, the selling price for the UA should reduce the closer it gets to its origin.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142906 UNKNOWN ARTIFACT: the rare commodity price angle], nikos, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-05 16:31 GMT</ref>

* Thargoids
** Many people think that the UA is of Thargoid origin. The only evidence for this is that it looks quite alien.
** There is a theory that it is some form of Thargoid revenge for the Mycoid Virus, sent to kill all the humans.<ref>[http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA INRA], Elite Wiki, 2015-09-04 13:35 GMT</ref> Suggestions were made of links to the [[He Bo]] virus outbreak.<ref name=":0" />
** There was a suggestion that it was a Thargoid Escape Pod, possibly from events which occurred at Peregrina at the end of, part of the new ED lore. [http://www.tjames.info/#!outofthedarkness/c1tpn T. James Elite: Out of the Darkness]
** There was an idea that it looks like an egg/seeding pod, the beginning of a invasion.
* A tiny space station
** A recent poster suggested that it might be a miniature space station and the little flecks of light are its tiny ships.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2519619&viewfull=1#post2519619 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], bitstorm, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-09 15:58 GMT</ref> Further speculation included ejecting gold nearby to tempt the Leprechauns out of hiding, suggesting an Irish origin. These theories have yet to be disproved.
* The Leviathan Theory
** Influenced by possible clues in the Wings 1.2 Trailer, this theory picks up many references which appear to point towards the word 'Leviathan' and whales.<ref name=":3" /><ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2568833&viewfull=1#post2568833 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Han_Zen, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-20 21:48 GMT</ref> In Frontier First Encounters, The Leviathan was a 200 metre long fish or whale which inhabited the planet New California in the Liaququ system, and could travel in space as a ship. Unfortunately, that system doesn't appear to exist in the game. Another version of this theory involves Junior the intelligent dolphin and his companion, also from Frontier First Encounters.{{Cite}}
* The Phage Theory
** On 14 July a Galnet article mentioned an outbreak of disease, which mentioned a three pronged 'phage like' organism' which led people to make the connection that the UA could be a Phage of some sorts, as it looks similar in some ways.<ref name=":4" /><ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551422&viewfull=1#post2551422 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Cmdr Clade, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-16 09:11 GMT</ref><ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2569753&viewfull=1#post2569753 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], simulacrae, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-21 04:24 GMT</ref> Earth Phages are microscopic organisms, so the UA's host would have to be enormous, which is a scary thought.
* Discharge upon final decay
** Once a UA reaches 0% in open space, it explosively discharges green sparks from the 12 "pods" while emitting a screaming howl, and fires what appears to be an energy or plasma pulse rapidly away from the "head" of the artefact.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpdLsLgsWc Unknown Artifact Oddity], SetaX9, YouTube, 2015-05-04</ref> What is the purpose of this explosive ending?<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvUqVgAcY0 Elite Dangerous Unknown Artifact], Trent Gman, YouTube, 2015-07-18</ref> Is the UA going off like a bomb? Is it delivering a payload of some kind? Some speculate that the UAs might be used to counter the so-called "Cerberus Plague" in some manner. Others speculate that the Cerberus Plague is being spread by the UAs. Further research is needed to determine the nature and character of a UA's decay and demise.
* The Decoy Beacon Theory
** Along the lines of President Halsey's mysterious disappearance, her ship jumped and never arrived at the point it was expected. This theory proposes that the UA acts as a decoy nav beacon, drawing its unlucky victim into a waiting ambush instead of the usual arrival point.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2611454&viewfull=1#post2611454 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Grumbleweed, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-30 08:18 GMT</ref>
* The [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA INRA]/[http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/The_Dark_Wheel Dark Wheel/] CEIP theory
** Based on consistent lore from [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/And_Here_The_Wheel John Harper's And Here the Wheel] and in-game [[:Category:Events|Events]], as well as [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/FFE/Journals from Frontier First Encounters], this theory posits that the UAs are being used to generate fear of aliens, via propaganda linking them to such events as the Cerberus Plague and the disappearance of Starship One. [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA INRA], or a breakaway faction of [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/The_Dark_Wheel the Dark Wheel,] the Circle of Elite Independent Pilots, or "Ceepers", would be behind the appearance of the UAs and the propaganda, and the assassination of the Federation President and linking that event to the UAs and aliens, in order to force a war between the Federation and Empire so that humanity would unite under the winner against the purported alien threat. It is possible that the crystal at the heart of the SAP-8 Core Container is a data crystal from a Ceeper Base containing information related to Soontill, Raxxla, and aliens.
* The Alien Probe or Alien Terraformer theory
** Similar to the scanner theory above, the idea here is that the alien race behind the UA have encountered one or both of the Voyagers (which were believed to have gone missing in the game, but voyager 2 has recently been found),<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175726&p=2720590&viewfull=1#post2720590 UA Mystery Thread 3: The Canonn], Panzartard, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-08-20</ref> from which they learnt to communicate via the stylized Morse and the whale sounds and dolphin or sea turtle chittering and honks that are similar to their own language. Find a Voyager, and with it and the UA together, communication can occur with the aliens, somehow.
** Or, the probe is looking for something, like a suitable planet for terraforming, and transmitting its coordinates using the stylized Morse. Once it has found what it is looking for, this message will change.
** Neither hold a lot of water as it deteriorates over time in space. Although the probe could be damaged.

=== Theories Disproved===
* The Formidine Rift
** In Drew Wagar's book "[[Elite: Reclamation]]" one of the characters mentions a hard-to-reach place in the galaxy called the Formidine Rift, where there is something 'worse than the Thargoids'.<ref>[https://fantasticbooksstore.com/store/paperback/elite-reclamation-pb/ Elite: Reclamation – Paperback], Drew Wagar, ASIN B00KUY2MX4, 2015-06-07</ref> In true sci-fi thriller/horror tradition, dozens of players immediately went in search of what that might be.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=135529 Formidine Rift... what is it?], Ascaelus Thorn, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-04-08 03:42 GMT</ref> Drew was quite active in the forum thread and a connection was suggested that this might have something to do with the UA mystery, but this connection has since been disproved. There is no connection between Senator [[Kahina Tijani Loren]] and the UA, as indicated by the author himself.
* A Special System Permit
** There are systems in game which require an 'unknown permit'. So far, no access has been granted to anyone carrying a UA in their hold to one of these systems.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLomc-hLtq4 Outfitting], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-08</ref>
* Advanced Frameshift Drive
** There is lore involving a Thargoid Hyperspace Drive and some suspect that it might be one of these. There hasn't been any evidence that it can be fitted to a ship in the normal way.
* A Compass
** The theory that the UA points either where it came from or where it wants to go has been disproven. When ejected they point in no particular direction
* Halsey's Tour
** The theory is that President Halsey's ship was carrying an Unknown Artefact, which caused the complex multiple-system failure.<ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/c2955e4406913906e65a0a519c91e0b1eb477572 Malfunction or Malice?], GalNet News, 3301-05-30</ref><ref>[https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/556da9049657bae92433fa1c The Loss of Starship One Linked to Mechanical Failure], GalNet News, 3301-06-02</ref>
** Her tour locations were listed twice on GalNet (with additional destinations the second time).
** Following the stops in order (up to/including the Azaleach detour) with the UA on-board was tested and nothing extraordinary happened, including checking stations along the way.
* Limited Number Theory
** It was proposed that there are only a limited number of UA's available in the game in total and that the next step will only be accessible if we let them all expire. Since then confirmed sightings of more UA's have been reported and the possibility of additional UAs in the possession of commanders who don't know of the main research group or who have left the game, the limited number theory has been refuted. It seems unlikely that FD would rely on the destruction of all UAs as a trigger for the next stage as its impossible to tell when that has actually happened. In addition, similarly to the 'Sell It' theory and the 'let them finish' theory, consensus between the UA custodians was that there is still much research work to do before we risk their sacrifice in the name of a hunch.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2537143&viewfull=1#post2537143 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], daygobay, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-14 00:08 GMT</ref>
* Let them finish what they are designed to do (unverifiable)
** The theory suggests that the UA tends to want to destroy itself and the ship that carries it, and therefore taking it long distances would seem the opposite of what its designed to do. The suggestion is that it would be interesting to see in detail, closeup, what happens when they expire. The theory is that they seem to scan an area and then explode from the bottom of the structure toward the head/node. During this, there apppears to be a burst of energy in the vector of the explosion a strange space field type pulse, spacial distortion, dimensional rift or a graphical glitch of the shadow effect of the UA's own silhouette.<ref>[http://i.imgur.com/X6FjMwf.gifv Elite Dangerous - Unknown Artefact Spore Explosion], Imgur, 2015-05-04 20:47 GMT</ref> The theory further suggests that the UAs either explode, travel to a new location or go home. The UA has already been filmed expiring on a couple of occasions and nothing dramatic happened, and unfortunately this theory requires the sacrifice of an exceedingly rare object.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2541462&viewfull=1#post2541462 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Dr.Evanzan, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-14 20:39 GMT</ref>
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [[Wikipedia:Whales Alive]], where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. Listening to it, a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found.<ref name=":6">[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], rizal72, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-23 12:55 GMT</ref>{{Cite}}
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her.<ref name=":6" />
** CMDR Blain Crighton sold a UA at Leonard Nimoy station on 28/07/15. No effect.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2603802&viewfull=1#post2603802 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Vasious, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-28 17:26 GMT</ref>
=== Tests done ===
* Audio recordings have (mostly) been done in '[[Debug Camera|debug camera]]' mode, so as to eliminate ship sounds and with systems disabled (including life support).{{Cite}}
* Tests are usually performed with two pilots present.{{Cite}}
* Tests are done in normal space.{{Cite}}
* Tests with the UA next to other items are tested both in normal space and in cargo holds.{{Cite}}
* Location tests are done both in the cargo hold and in normal space if possible.{{Cite}}
* In the case of Polaris, having a UA in your hold will not allow you to make the jump in-system.{{Cite}}
* They have been allowed to 'expire' in space.{{Cite}}
* They have been ejected inside a station.{{Cite}}
* They have been ejected into an outpost (accidentally).{{Cite}}
* They have been ejected during supercruise (accidentally).{{Cite}}
* They do not degrade the ship while docked.{{Cite}}
* UA and ship have been at overheating temperatures and freezing temperatures.{{Cite}}
* Tried to see if they can be put in a module slot in Outfitting. They can't.{{Cite}}
* Tried use it in place of other modules along with trying to turn off FSD when fully charged so the UA takes over.{{Cite}}
* Replaced a nav beacon with a UA, nothing happened.{{Cite}}
* Tried flashing ship lights along with the UA's light (Morse). Nothing happened.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDgljhFWa8I Lights / Chat], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-09</ref>
* Tried communicating with the UA over local chat comms. Nothing happened.{{Cite}}
* Test with the UA next to hafnium, painite and SAP 8 core container.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNlNDULuuA Elite Dangerous - Unknown Artefact testing], Cmdr Zenith Ddraiglas, YouTube, 2015-07-10</ref>
** Every sound sequence had 3 purrs in this recording. That means SAP8, Hafnium 178 and/or Painite can't be discounted as an influence.{{Cite}}
* Tests with the UA next to 8, 6, 4 SAP 8 core containers <ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551696&viewfull=1#post2551696 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], Zenith, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-16 21:19 GMT</ref>
** '''Interesting result:''' the number of purrs (after the howl, after the morse chitter sequence) changes from 5 to 3 purrs with 8 SAP 8 Canisters nearby. More tests required to verify if this is an effect of SAP 8 specifically, or canisters of any kind? Will 12 have more of an effect? etc.{{Cite}}
* Tests with the UA next to 12 SAP 8 core container.{{Cite}}
* Tried to go into witchspace through the orginal Elite way (pitch and roll at maximum).{{Cite}}
* Tests with the UA being in the darkness of a planet.{{Cite}}
* Checked for bulletin board missions relating to it at many stations and outposts including Leonard Nimoy several times over.{{Cite}}
* Ship carrying the UA has been interdicted several times - and has interdicted others while carrying the UA.{{Cite}}
* UA has been taken to many systems and has found to produce morse code of the nearest celestial object (or station - the first decoding of the Morse was SEEGA PORT).{{Cite}}
* Two UA's in one ship has done nothing except made the corrosion damage done to the cargo hatch double, it was attempted to get 3 into the ship but could not get the two ships into the right instance to hand over a UA.{{Cite}}
* UA has been dropped by it'self and with a SAP 8 container at the same area.{{Cite}}
* UA has been taken to a capital ship, both in the cargo hold & free-floating in space. No comms or interest from the capital ship at all.{{Cite}}
* Has been taken to Themiscrya, it can be found on galaxy map by searching for "them" (as in have you tried listening to them), in mythology this was the capital of the nation of all-female warriors called Amazons.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Themiscyra_(mythology)|Themiscyra (mythology)]], Wikipedia, 2015-09-04 22:55 GMT</ref> The Thargoids are also an all female race.<ref>[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous/comments?cursor=2332567#comment-2332566 Elite: Dangerous by Frontier Developments — Kickstarter], Frontier Developments, Kickstarter, 2013-02-28</ref>
** The result of the audio tests were peculiar but inconclusive. The UA made 3 purrs during the first audio sequence, then 5/6 purrs for every sequence afterward.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB8DR0a23Nw?t=42s Elite: Dangerous - Unknown Artefact research - 22 Jul (1)], Cmdr Zenith Ddraiglas, YouTube, 2015-07-22</ref> This test was repeated again with the same result.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GgCcaN7Nyo?t=34s Elite: Dangerous - Unknown Artefact research - 22 Jul (2)], Cmdr Zenith Ddraiglas, YouTube, 2015-07-22</ref> CMDR Ratking15 was looking at the UA towards the planet, Zenith was looking from the side of the UA outward into space.
* Tested with fish, the theory being it wants fish! No response.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2591462&viewfull=1#post2591462 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], bitstorm, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-25</ref>
* Tested with Baltah'sine Vacuum Krill (a space-born delicacy) in the ring they supposedly spawned in, theory being the UA has expensive taste = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo-vaZOmGL4 Baltah'sine 4b], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-31</ref>
* Tested with HIP Proto-Squid = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCEQIpjZRMQ HIP Proto-Squid], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-01</ref>
* Attempted to send it Morse over local comms (the current stellar body, "Thargoid", "Raxxla") = Nothing.<ref name=":5">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBLa2T0itxk Saga, Morse, Life Support, Zudov], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-01</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrC7MxiveN0 Thargoid, Raxxla, LNMS News], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-01</ref>
* Attempted shutting off Life Support to see if it would affect the toxic corrosion (w/o O2 in the cargo hold) = Nothing <ref name=":5" />
* CMDR's have jumped systems or into supercruise while near a UA or into a system with the UA being deployed to no effect. This has been done in a Wing as well, with part of the Wing in one system and the UA and the rest of the Wing in an adjacent system, with the UA dropped in normal space to see if it would work as some sort of system to system jump beacon for a Wing, to no effect.
* Taken to Hippoc Bioceuticals Research Station in 51 Arietis, an odd system where it says it needs a permit but I think's bugged so any can enter. Could see nothing in contact/missions/commodites.
* Listened to inside and outside an ORCA = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Hit with mining laser no effect.{{Cite}}
* Tested with the miraculous, plague-curing Heike Tea = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEBRobD9qr4 Heike Tea], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-16</ref>
* Had 5 UA's together in close proximity.{{Cite}}
==== Pinged with various devices ====
* Normal Ship Sensors = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Ship Lights = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Frameshift wake scanner = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Cargo scanner = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Kill warrant scanner = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Discovery Scanner = Nothing <ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2188219&viewfull=1#post2188219 Soontill Relics, the Regor Permit Sector and DB's cryptic hints....], King Sancho, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-05-04 14:26 GMT</ref>
* Detailed Surface Scanner = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Shooting = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* ECM = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Chaff Launcher = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0NQw0RoVbw Chaff], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-17</ref>

==== Ejected and observed / listened to next to other items and places ====
* Various commodities.{{Cite}}
* Hafnium = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* AI relic = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Soontill Relic = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Ancient Artefact = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Painite = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* NAV beacon (250 meters) = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Black Box = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* In-place of a destroyed NAV beacon = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Leonard Nimoy station = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Earth = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Black Hole = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Sol = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* HE BO = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Peregrina = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Polaris = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Toxic waste = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Sap 8 Core Containers = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Alien Artefacts = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Close to Ammonia Planets = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Dropped near various stars = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Another Unknown Artefact = Nothing.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2474851&viewfull=1#post2474851 Soontill Relics, the Regor Permit Sector and DB's cryptic hints....], Ratking15, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-06-29</ref>
* Azaleach = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Quiness (planet Quy mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Ross 154 (planet Merlin mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing. Morse reads Merlin.{{Cite}}
* BD-02 4304 (in GalNet & mentioned by Kerrash) = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Soontill (system, not the relic) = Nothing, chitter present w/ no nav beacon.<ref>[https://youtu.be/C2xM5o7YyqM?t=43m35s UA "Passenger" Tour HD 720p], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-07</ref>
* Guinna = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Canopus = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Exphiay = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* HIP 53688 = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Furuhjelm I-695 (gas giant w/ ammonia-life) = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Jaque's Station = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Lave = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* In station with a blown-out canopy (all modules off).{{Cite}}
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off).{{Cite}}
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off except thrusters) trying to get the UA inside a Cobra through the canopy.{{Cite}}
* Voyager. Specifically to location where currently (24/07/15) missing Voyager probe would be expected, UA reported "SOL".<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2588909&viewfull=1#post2588909], bitstorm, YouTube, 2015-07-24 20:39 GMT</ref>
* Delphin (a Halsey tour stop) = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwKtYcloExE Delphin], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-25</ref>
* Shinrarta Dezhra = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDolCImgKC8 Shinrarta Dezhra], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-25</ref>
* LTT 4550 (other Shinrarta system, maybe Dark Wheel?) = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu7pyQ2_xF8 LTT 4550 (other Shinrarta system)], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-25</ref>
* Tau Ceti (star, Taylors Colony, station) = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN4kXNcuNlI Tau Ceti], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-26</ref>
* Fawaol (star, Tracy, station) = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMclnV098Rg Fawaol], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-26</ref>
* Sleipnir (trying to reproduce the 3-purr scenario) = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uIXjmnKWp0 Sleipnir], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-27</ref>
* Pareco = Nothing.{{Cite}}
* Quator = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETA9z8miJ4 Quator], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-28</ref>
* Riedquat = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU2KE_mXaDs Riedquat], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-28</ref>
* Ross 780 = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mEC0ArKMQw Ross 780], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-28</ref>
* I Bootis = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1iiqtgctH8 I Bootis], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-30</ref>
* Dustball = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EriGJFMQxY Dustball], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-30</ref>
* HIP 35900 = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNnzkK9d3MI HIP 35900], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-31</ref>
* Heike 8 = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrwRBzApRA4 Heike 8], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-07-31</ref>
* Sirius = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybdkc_2mSkg Sirius], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-02</ref>
* Lucifer (around Sirius B) = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPhQ5h7CQ1M Lucifer], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-02</ref>
* Eta Cassiopeiae (military system) = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXcliFeb7pw Eta Cassiopeiae], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-04</ref>
* In the fuel scoop zone of a scoopable star (Hip 32916, class G).{{Cite}}
* Next to the aerial of a civilian outpost (Zindell Enterprise, Waikino).{{Cite}}
* Near a military outpost (Bethke Station, Bacamadia).<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-007SfLEm0 Bacamadia], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-01</ref>
* California Nebula (according Wings 1.2 trailer) = Nothing.<ref>[http://imgur.com/a/6Xw72 UA: California Nebula Test], Imgur, 2015-08-12 11:38 GMT</ref>{{Cite}}
* Moon = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT5Z35ppWCc Moon], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-15</ref>
* Europa = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYC4yClIsnQ Europa], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-15</ref>
* Titan = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F53I727go1c Titan], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-15</ref>
* Bast = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pcqPNamGqg Bast], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-16</ref>
* Argent's Claim = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHt5du0iXww Argent's Claim], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-16</ref>
* Antares = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH6otkxPzTs Antares], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-17</ref>
* Imentet = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV8XWgJ7IDg Imentet], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-17</ref>
* Khepera = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-XzGLqSeFE Khepera], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-17</ref>
* Planet Lave = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9P5iCAUio4 Planet Lave], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-17</ref>
* Sagittarius A* = Nothing.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/3iucpe/unknown_artefact_brought_to_sagittarius_a_done/cujoyky Unknown Artefact brought to Sagittarius A! Done with one Anaconda, no repair breaks, no passing of the UA. Experiments have commenced and we are dumping the UA into the core of our galaxy as a sacrifice to the Thargods!], E-C_C-O, Reddit, 2015-08-29 13:22 GMT</ref>

==== Places where they have not been taken or tests not done - feel free to try! ====

* Polaris
** As the UA degrades modules quite rapidly, it would a challenging task to take it anywhere of great distance, even with a wing and plenty of [[Auto Field-Maintenance Unit]]s, with the additional challenge that its a permit protected system. (Note that a UA ''has'' been taken to the nearest system to Polaris in 1.2 and 1.3 without any observable differences).
* The Formidine Rift
** Same reasons as above. The Formidine Rift is around 13,000 light years from human space, between the Outer Arm and the Perseus Arm in the eastern end of the galaxy.

* Raxxla
** Because nobody knows where it is. Except the Thargoids.
* LFT 509
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Isinor
** permit is currently not obtainable as a different minor faction has taken control of the system
** UA Has been taken to Isinor and no SS or Mission variants were seen. Was not dropped and recorded (CMDR Dommaarraa)
* Witch's Reach
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Regor Sector - Still Permit Unknown Required with a UA
* Voyagers
** Voyager 2 has been found on 21-08-15, and some tests are currently being carried out by Commander J Stoutbeard.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=175726&p=2720590&viewfull=1#post2720590 UA Mystery Thread 3: The Canonn], Panzertard, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-08-20 20:42 GMT</ref> Tests have been performed where the Voyagers are expected to be (see above), but not when Voyager is present.<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=74&p=2528722&highlight=voyager#post2528722 Unknown Artefact (or artifact) Community Thread - The Canonn], mrtree, Elite: Dangerous Forums, 2015-07-11 19:13 GMT</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-coArFEuX3Y Voyager Attempt / System List], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-16</ref>

== Proposed Testing Regimen==
The number of theories under consideration means that it will take a fixed number of UAs to test each outcome. Each of these tests is destructive, ie. we lose the UA during the test conditions.

The prefix numbers are simply for enumerating and indentifying each test, they do not refer to priority, sequence or ranking. This list isn't exahaustive, and "The Canonn" group investigating the UAs may create or remove tests at any time.

# '''<s>Sell a UA on the Black Market at Newton Dock, BD-02 4304</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA, gain of 180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Sell a UA on the Black Market at a plague CG station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA, gain of ~180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a shutdown plague station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA provides a cure for the station.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay inside a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# <s>Release UA in the Fuel scooping zone of a star. Turn your ship so its ejected away from the star.</s>

#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>:The UA looks like it might have 12 fuel scoops. Perhaps if it gets extra fuel it might trigger something.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: UA will get hotter</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome:</s>'''
* <s>Sell an UA on the Black Market at Li Qing Jao, Sol</s>

** '''<s>Purpose: </s>'''<s>Selling the UA will "unlock" its secret. Location chosen because the sounds emitted by the UA, whale, dolphin, etc. points to the only planet known in the galaxy to have these animals, i.e. Earth.</s>
** '''<s>Expected outcome: </s>'''<s>Secret unlocked.</s>
** '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>: Cmdr Macros Black.</s>
** '''<s>Actual outcome</s>'''<s>: No secret unlocked.</s>
* <s>Take an UA to Jaques Station</s>

** '''<s>Purpose: </s>'''<s>Entering Jaques Station carrying an UA will trigger Jaques station's true purpose as a gateway to Raxxla.</s>
** '''<s>Expected outcome</s>'''<s>: Ship will be transported to Raxxla.</s>
** '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>: Cmdr Macros Black.</s>
** '''<s>Actual outcome</s>'''<s>: Ship not transported to Raxxla.</s>
# (Non Destructive) Check if a deployed UA appears on the nav panel of a ship in nearby Supercruise or effects the jump-in point of a system.
#* '''Purpose''': To see if the UA was directly used as a Decoy Beacon in the disappearance of President Halsey, suggested steps as follows:
#*# CMDR 1 deploys a UA in System X (normal space)
#*# CMDR 2 flies in Supercruise in same system, Advanced scanning and checking nav panel
#*# CMDR 1 scoops UA and jumps to System Y, re-deploys UA in normal space (away from Nav Beacon)
#*# CMDR 2 Jumps from System X to System Y
#*# Repeat as wingmen.
#* '''Expected Outcome''': No extra information on Nav Panel, even after advanced scanning in Supercruise, no change in the entry point to a system.
#* '''Taken on by''': CMDR Byker and CMDR Britain
#* '''Actual Outcome:''' Nothing happened in either the supercruise (wing beacon) test.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad20R22RsnA Elite Dangerous Test 1 - UA Supercruise beacon], whirlygigster, YouTube, 2015-07-31</ref> nor the hyperspace (nav beacon) test.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCdkOU99Pik Elite Dangerous Test 2 - UA Hyperspace beacon], whirlygigster, YouTube, 2015-07-31</ref>
# Release a UA inside a station
#* '''Purpose''': Check rate of decay - is it different than in open space?
#* '''Expected Outcome''': No difference inside or outside a station
#* '''Taken on by''': Blain Crighton
#* '''Actual Outcome:''' No apparent difference although squeezing one between the nose of a Python and the sttion walls accelerates degradation dramatically.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axZz6ZY5-sQ Ops with UA], Blain Crighton, YouTube, 2015-07-28</ref>
# Replay the same Morse back to the UA in Local Comms
#* '''Purpose:''' Try to communicate
#* '''Expected Outcome:''' UA will reply with different Morse other than closest celestial object name
#* '''Taken on by: '''CMDR Branch
#* '''Actual Outcome: '''Tried in Saga. Did both "Saga" & "Saga A" in Morse.<ref name=":5" /> No apparent change in behavior or sound.
# Take a UA to the planet Quy in Quiness system
#* '''Purpose:''' See if behaviour changes in a system with a known Thargoid presence from FFE (and possibly in ED given description of the planet)
#* '''Expected Outcome:''' Unknown
#* '''Taken on by: '''CMDR Branch
#* '''Actual outcome: '''Unclear. Standard UA sounds,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSZraNJSjac Quy], CMDR Branch, YouTube, 2015-08-02</ref> a forum user did confirm that Morse was "Quy".
# Reproduce a mis-jump in an identical convoy of a T9 carrying a UA in a wing with 2 Anacondas.
#* '''Purpose:''' See if a mis-jump occurs either in the Anacondas or the T9
#* '''Expected outcome:''' A mis-jump
#* '''Taken on by:'''
#* '''Actual outcome:'''
# Find Voyager 1 or 2 and take a UA to it
#* '''Purpose:''' See if changes in Morse or whale sounds occur
#* '''Expected outcome:''' Communication!
#* '''Taken on by: '''Cmdr John Stoutbeard
#* '''Actual outcome: '''No direct communication.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trnmYldyNyU Elite:Dangerous - Voyager 2 found again! Includes a UA sound test.], Panzertard, YouTube, 2015-08-20</ref>
# Take a UA to Regor Sector
#* '''Purpose:''' See if having UA aboard allows ship to jump to permitted sector systems. Likely would require a Wing and multiple AMUs on each ship.
#* '''Expected outcome:''' Ability to enter Regor Sector
#* '''Taken on by:'''
#* '''Actual outcome:'''
# Jettison UA in witch-space
#* '''Purpose:''' Check if witch-space really is completely non-interactive, by pressing jettison with a UA on board, while jumping in witch-space
#* '''Expected outcome:''' Thargoids
#* '''Taken on by:'''
#* '''Actual outcome:'''
# Bring an UA in contact with Biowaste
#* '''Purpose: '''To test whether or not "feeding" the UA will help it transform (metamorphosis)
#* '''Expected outcome''': UA will turn into a pretty butterfly
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual outcome''':
# Bring an UA to Khepera System
#* '''Purpose: '''To test if bringing the UA near the planet does anything - also to see if bringing it to the station Very Horizons brings up any missions. Or interesting NPC chatter.
#* '''Expected outcome''': UA will open us to new horizons
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual outcome''':
# Homing Beacon
#* '''Purpose: '''Test to see if the location of the system in which the UA is deployed changes the volume of the 4th sound. If the sound increases, decreases, or disappears completely dependant on where it is located on the galactic grid. EX.: Start in Alioth, and head towards the Pleiades. deploying the UA to check if there is any discernible change to the 4th signals' intensity.
#* '''Expected outcome''': Unknown
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* A'''ctual outcome''':

== Who has a UA?==
There are currently eight known UAs in game, these are in the possession of CMDR Ratking15 (longest UA Bearer, the old crony), CMDR Britain, CMDR RiZ@L (second one), CMDR Nicolas Powell, CMDR Fulsamee(2 UA's) CMDR Branch, and CMDR Sirkh. UAs have been found as early as the 1.2.06 patch and as recently as the 1.3.06 patch.

Ratking15 have streamed several times the UA on his [http://www.twitch.tv/ratking15 twitch stream] before attempting to upload them to [https://www.youtube.com/user/Ratking15ofmc Youtube], you can find his highlights of the streams (which are all of the stream mostly) on his channel with sound.

Branch does not have a (working) Twitch stream, but recordings & posts videos on a [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr4nvzYqVcAr3DUQRl1rRBM1cKBGIV3YN YouTube UA-specific playlist].

Cmdr Britain (Bitstorm) has a [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQfBposm2scv8P5NL-t-fAiZjjBL9ghEd Youtube playlist] and a [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B8ck-2ELKOuLfnFxR21rcGxWRzRpMWxPMGxsOXhrUTZzUExXbl9JRmtMVElQLUFYWWhvYms Google Drive] with various images/audio.

CMDR RiZ@L has a [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHm585QsuovjKs3ExUzrY24HzChlX-pyW Youtube Playlist].

==Who had a UA?==

Various commanders had originally acquired UA-s during the first "rush", but those have been lost to various accidents since. Of them, commanders Digitalscream, Glyn-ie, Marx, Murp have posted recordings of the UA's audio: see the list of their files [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142912&p=2193391&viewfull=1#post2193391 here].

Like Ratking15, Wishblend also has streamed several times with UA tests as well as casual gameplay though more often than Ratking15 who would rather not risk losing his UA when it might still be required.

However tragically during a trip to a testing zone Wishblend accidentally lost her UA......however her streams of the UA are still up and might be helpful for those who are looking for experience. Also Wishblend's streams are usually just in-game sounds as she prefers this, you can find her previous streams and highlights here: http://www.twitch.tv/wishblend/profile

CMDR Branch has managed to lose two UAs prior to the (current) third one. The first was during a loan to another commander. The second was lost in a scooping accident while trying to have another commander hold the UA to allow for switching ships.

CMDR Delmonte & Cmd Outspan have had 3 UA's 1st was destroyed during testing see here https://www.dropbox.com/s/mocyqytpxdbfi5y/Death%20of%20A%20UA.mp4?dl=0
2nd one was given to Nicholas Powell for testing 3rd was found free floating in HR1185 and given to Rizal72 for testing

==Care and feeding of your UA==
[[File:UADegradation.png|thumb|275x275px|Unknown Artefact degradation over time. A UA can survive 6m40s before exploding.]]

Congratulations! All your hard work has finally paid off, you're now the proud owner of an Unknown Artefact!

UAs can be quite delicate, it would be a terrible shame if you lost it the very same day wouldn't it?

This section is intended as a short user's guide to UA ownership. Read, take note and together we can ensure your UA has a long, happy and fruitful life.

There are many ways UAs can be inadvertently lost, some more obvious than others :

*Testing can be repetitive, and it's easy to become distracted. Pay attention when jettisoning, it is possible to jettison in supercruise. This is a lost UA.
*There's been one report of a CMDR backing 800-900m from a UA and it disappearing from the instance despite the CMDR having A class scanners, it makes no sense but it's happened at least once.
*A UA stored in cargo will cause a toxic corrosion event, this event will occur once every 30 seconds or so, each event will result in 1-2% damage to a random module.
*Multiple UAs or UAs plus toxic items increase the rate of module degradation.
*Watch cargo hatch degradation like a hawk. The cargo hatch has been seen to fail and eject cargo when as high as 84%. In supercruise this would be an unrecoverable UA. Keep it above 90%.
*Ensure landing gear is up before scooping, some ship models have the front landing gear blocking the cargo hatch.
*The UA can make you a target for other CMDR/player groups!
*Watch closly each "blip" on radar while testing. Don't forget how good NPC's can be now and how hard it was to gain the UA. Guarding CMDR's are a great option also when they stay 3 km away!
*When testing make sure you are keeping at very low speeds and never pointing at the UA as it's very easy to crash into one and blow it up, this also goes for anyone else with you as destructions by that has happened.

== Notes ==
<references group="nb" />

== References ==
<references />
{{Stub}}
[[Category:Commodities]]

Thargoid Sensor

2015-08-03T14:40:23Z

213.1.249.253: /* Theories Disproved */

'''''Disclaimer''': The information contained in this article is the combined work of several Commanders in good faith and by no means represents the full pool of knowledge around these fascinating items. You are advised not to take any of this information as fact, because it is after all, a wiki. It should also be noted that if you find anything that you know to be inaccurate or a misrepresentation, or you have extra knowledge to add, then you should do so because, after all, its a wiki. However, this is not the place for conjecture or personal opinions, please [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998 use the forum] for that.''
=== In game description ===
{{CommodityInfobox
|image = Unknown artefact 001.png
|type = Salvage
|gap = 242,485
}}{{Quote|Only recently discovered, these mysterious artefacts currently have no designation. Despite much conjecture as to the nature of these objects, it appears that the scientific community is unwilling or unable to openly identify the artefacts' origins. Such mystery only serves to make these objects more widely sought after by wealthy individuals and organisations alike, no matter that their unidentified status automatically prohibits them form being sold on any legal market.|In-game description}}
==What does it do?==
As far as current tests and analysis show, it appears that the UA does a sort of sonar scan of the closest celestial object or station and then sends out (chittering) sounds which are a highly distorted morse code which represents that body.
==UA Features==
The '''Unknown Artefacts''' ('''UA''') have been reported to look like a form of sentient life, far beyond what we humans are capable of creating. It is still unknown what the UA is meant for, some people are speculating that this is the work of [[Thargoids]], and there have been lots of other theories. To date, none of these theories have been proven, it is 'exceedingly rare' and only a few pilots have been able to see one themselves, making it extremely challenging to carry out tests and theories.
However, the following aspects have been tested and are known:[[File:Elite Dangerous UA Features|thumb|right|335 px]]
*In terms of size, it is roughly the same size as a human, and not much bigger.
*From a distance away it makes a loud whale like sound with some muttering and can be spotted by some sparkling and some purple/green gas-like colours.
*It seems to be made of three parts, the head (it looks like a giant egg with an place at the top where it seems like it can open up but some parts glow when the whale noise happens), the stork or spine (it seems to have four parts to it and lights up too to the whale noise), the pods or capsules (there are twelve of these).
*When close to it you can clearly see it giving off a distortion field of some kind which has sparks appearing and disappearing in it with a gas in the entire area, either green or purple. However in the debug camera you can get close enough to the point where the field isn't in the way and you can get a clear view of the UA.
*You can hear the sounds it gives off best when closest. You can hear a whale noise, followed by chittering and purring. The chittering has been found to be a garbled morse code, tapping out the name of the closest celestial body or station. The purpose, if there is one, of the other noises are yet to be determined.
*While inside your ship's cargo hold the UA acts like [[Toxic Waste]] by doing corrosion damage to ALL your ship modules.
*They are illegal salvage, so if you have it in your ship and a NPC System Authority scans you, you get a fine of 55,000cr. If stolen, your fine jumps to at least 161,000cr.
*They can be sold for up to 250k cr, though 180-220k cr is an average figure.
*The UA 'Spores' or 'glitter' don't appear to do any damage
* Occasionally they 'explode' sending a cloud of particulates out around them. Extremely slowed down video reveals a strange graphical glitch when this happens (or a tear in the space time continuum)
* Having a refinery fitted with a UA in the hold does nothing
* No new missions or contacts appear with one in the hold
* They are quite delicate and behave similarly to normal canisters in some ways
** They degrade over time in space (while ejected) and have a life of about 5 minutes max outside the ship, but reset to 100% health when back inside the cargo hold.
** Like toxic waste, they degrade ship's modules over time randomly while in the hold
== Finding them ==
These Unknown Artefacts can be found in [[System Signal Sources|Strong Signal Sources]]. There are at least seven systems (see below) where they spawn, Timocani and 109 Virginis are the two systems where they have most recently been found and [[Michael Brookes]] has stated that they are 'exceedingly rare' and that they are only available in certain regions of the galaxy, which would suggest that they are in other systems too. Since v1.3 very few UA discoveries have been reported.

CMDR Wishblend, one of the original UA finders, gives this advice:
[[File:Ua-chat-text.png|thumb|239x239px|Example of the kind of chat you will see when you have jumped into a UA Strong Signal Source]]
{{Quote|In 109 VIRGINIS, jump in at the big white A class star, go out (away from the star) around 100ls until the locater in the bottom left hand side of your screen says 'Deep Space'.

Put supercruise speed to minimum and wait for the 'SSS' (Strong Signal Sources) to appear. Some will be ambushes, others nothing that good, so be prepared to run or fight.

What you are looking for is one Type 9 Transport being escorted by a few anacondas. Sometimes there are two, sometimes four and sometimes there are other ships as well. The main tell is this: if you have a Type 9 being escorted by Anacondas, check the local chat window. If it is correct then the Type 9 and the Anacondas will be talking to each other about systems malfunctioning.|CMDR Wishblend}}
There are at least two known Strong Signal Source instances that contain UA's.

The first kind is made up of numerous ships and includes a Vulture, two Anacondas, the Type-9 and other ships. If you get this one, bear in mind that the Type-9 will probably charge its FSD and jump out of the system on its own. You can either choose to follow it (using a wake scanner) or attack it.
[[File:Ua-convoyA.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the first kind of AU carrying convoy. The Type-9 will eventually jump out of the system]]
The second is made up of four anacondas and the Type-9. This convoy will stop in space and the Anacondas will do a dance around the Type-9. It may be the case that the Type-9 is not a part of the Anaconda wing. It has been reported as the one where the Unknown Artefact will eat its way out of the Type-9's cargo hold without you firing a shot, but this has yet to be corroborated by other commanders.

While most sightings and recoveries have been in Federation space, similar convoys carrying UAs have been sighted in Imperial space on one or two occasions.

Systems where they have been found or spotted
* Timocani (confirmed)
* 109 Virginis (confirmed)
* Tanmark <ref name="reddit.com">http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/</ref> (confirmed)
* HIP 102128 <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/363y6k/unknown_artifact_found_in_imperial_convoy/</ref> (confirmed)
* Reshas <ref>http://www.01nk.com/EDPics/UA_Convoy.jpg</ref> (20.05.3301 confirmed)
* Blatrimpe <ref name="imgur.com">http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg</ref> (08.05.3301 confirmed)
* UN NO MYOIN 78 -95 -61 (confirmed)
* Chamunda (unconfirmed)
* Geawenki (unconfirmed)
* Delphin (unconfirmed)
* Siren (unconfirmed)
[[File:Ua-convoyB.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the second version of the UA carrying convey. This one will hang around and conveniently drop the UA off for you to pick up]]

== The mystery of the Unknown Artefact ==
There is apparently some kind of mystery to be solved around these items, and certain people close to Frontier Developments have said that there are clues in the game, but nobody has spotted them yet. They even went as far to say that they are so obvious that to give any more clues would make it too easy. Despite this, no one has solved the mystery to date. During the period after the first find, some commanders created GalNet content related to the UA which was published, and these are included below but marked with ''[player submitted]''.

===Timeline of events===
'''12 January''': Federal Vice President Dies in swimming pool.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/12-JAN-3301</ref>

'''13 January''': Federal Vice President Smeaton's death does not appear to be as straight forward as it first appeared.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/13-JAN-3301</ref>

'''16 January''': Smeaton's widow accuses the military industrial complex of involvement in her husbands death.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/16-JAN-3301</ref>

'''28 January''': Federal Congressman George Fallside is revealed to have sent condolences to Smeaton's family 30 minutes before his death was announced.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-JAN-3301</ref>

'''10 February''': Soontill Alien Artefacts are mentioned in GalNet.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-FEB-3301</ref> Subsequently confirmed by FD that these Artefacts are not Unknown Artefacts.

'''10 March''': v1.2 is released. Includes "- Adding valuable salvage convoys to three permitted systems: LFT 509, Isinor, Witch's Reach"

'''13 March''': The UA appeared for the first time as cargo on board the ship in the official 1.2 Wings trailer <ref name=":3">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GEX4pYL9w</ref>

'''14 March''': Strange chatter in a Federal Convoy in the Tanmark system reported on Reddit <ref name="reddit.com"/>

'''28 April''': Arcannon innocently asks a simple question and starts the longest thread in Elite Dangerous Forums' history <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2160913#post2160913</ref> (now closed) which reached almost 10k posts and has had to be redirected to a new thread <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998</ref>

'''28 April''': Michael Brookes comes into the forum thread and says "Have you listened to them? Garbled morse code has since been discovered <ref name=":1">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2507590&viewfull=1#post2507590</ref> to be in the 'Chittering' part of the sound. A [[/List of recordings/]] (video and audio) has been compiled.

'''29 April''': MB confirms later in the same thread that [[Soontill Relics]] are not the same thing as UA's, and that UAs cannot be bought

'''30 April''': Strange parasite that attaches to a nervous system is reported in GalNet, but seems to have been subsequently removed <ref name=":0">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2176849&viewfull=1#post2176849</ref>

'''30 April''': YouTube video <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bAKBADBzC8&feature=youtu.be</ref> posted by a user who had recently posted another UA hoax, so nobody believed it. See 'The boy who cried wolf'.<ref>https://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/boy.html</ref>

'''02 May''': MB says that they are "exceedingly rare [sic] and can only be found within a certain region of space - that does include multiple systems though." and then later clarifies that they can only be found in "certain regions in the galaxy"

'''02 May''': Minos <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2181189&viewfull=1#post2181189</ref> discovers an entry in the [[Elite Timeline|Elite Dangerous Pilots Guide]]:

<blockquote>"3276 - A strange object of unknown origin is discovered in the vicinity of Liazeda (-12,3). Named the LRA (Liazeda RadioAnomoly), the Alliance research ship, the Lion, is sent toinvestigate. The LRA and the ship disappears and its fate is still unknown in 3296. Only a handful of crew, who were deploying probes from two Explorer-class vessels return."</blockquote>

'''04 May''': Wishblend finds the first UA in 109 Virginis,<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187286&viewfull=1#post2187286</ref> but unfortunately doesn't get it. Henceforth officially celebrated as UA Day across the galaxy, and the official title of UA Seeker was born. That afternoon, a further number were spotted but RedWizzard finally managed to actually grab one in Timocani.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187567&viewfull=1#post2187567</ref> Due to a bug a couple more were accidentally duplicated (bug reported). They were spawning a lot that day, for sure.

'''04 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' GalNet reports baffled 'scientists' (players involved in the search and recovery UAs) having found an Unknown Artefact.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/04-MAY-3301</ref>

'''06 May''': President Halsey's tour of the frontier announced <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/06-MAY-3301</ref>

'''07 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn challenges Halsey about UAs <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/07-MAY-3301</ref>

'''08 May''': Two sightings of UA Convoys by CMDR Nilreb in Blahtrimpe <ref name="imgur.com"/><ref>http://imgur.com/a/oKNja</ref>

'''13 May''': President Halsey sets off from Sol <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/13-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': 78 Ursae Majoris prepares for Halsey's visit <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/15-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': Another UA Convoy sighting, this time in HIP 102128 <ref>http://redd.it/363y6k</ref>

'''17 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn accuses Federation a cover-up about the UAs <ref name="community.elitedangerous.com">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/17-MAY-3301</ref>

'''18 May''': Subsequent report on Soontill Relics in GalNet <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/18-MAY-3301</ref>

'''20 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' Tonnes of [[Biowaste]] dropped at 78 Ursae Majoris in protest against Federal cover-up of the UA, Dr Arcanonn denies links with the action <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/20-MAY-3301</ref>

'''23 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' A weird message is broadcast from someone somewhere trying to say something negative about the 'scientists' efforts <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/23-MAY-3301</ref>

'''26 May''': Halsey's Starship One goes missing, official initial report, Felicia Winters steps up as interim president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/26-MAY-3301</ref>

'''27 May''': Secondary report on what happened to SSOne <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/27-MAY-3301</ref>

'''28/29 May''': Conspiracy theories abound <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-MAY-3301</ref>

'''02 June''': Hudson becomes president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/02-JUN-3301</ref>

'''05 June''': Strange cannisters called [[Sap 8 Core Container]] appears in the game with launch of v1.3. No evidence that these are linked to UAs so far

'''22 June''': Mahddogg publishes his panel discussion about Powerplay,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYWolEEM_e0</ref> in which CMDR Kerrash mentions that "about the whole UA thing, there ''is'' something behind that, but no one has figured it out yet" (29m 30s) and that "[Frontier] have put some really obvious [clues] in there and we don't want to put anything else in" for fear of spoiling what is to come in the future.

'''27 June''': CMDR Kerrash talks about various things, including Thargoid conjecture ("They are coming"), and that the UA and confirms there is something to it, and that 'if any people watching have got in with the UA thing and got halfway in and not looked into it anymore, please pleeease carry on looking, there is something there, there is an interesting secret there, please look, and the SAP 8 containers as well, there is something going on, dont give up!' <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RD6rmO_28s</ref> (from ~11 minutes in)

'''05 July''': CMDR Kerrash comes into the new thread, asks "Has anybody cracked it yet?", when gently prodded follows up with "Frontier did not spend all this effort in making a wild goose chase, I would imagine quite the fanfare when the truth is uncovered. BTW Are we even sure it is morse code?" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502255&viewfull=1#post2502255</ref> and "Yes there is more to it, I will see if I can get FD to drop another hint" <ref name=":2">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502284&viewfull=1#post2502284</ref>

'''06 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2503739&viewfull=1#post2503739</ref>

'''10 July''': [player submitted] UA Scientists claim a breakthrough that the UA broadcasts its closest celestial body (or station) in a form of morse code.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-JUL-3301</ref>

'''14 July''': CMDR Patau82 spots another convoy in Timocani, but unfortunately fails to grab it.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542242&viewfull=1#post2542242</ref> They are still spawning.

'''14 July''': Reports of a 'Cerberus' plague "beyond BD-02 4304" <ref name=":4">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/14-JUL-3301</ref> which mentions "an unusual three-pronged structure at the ‘head’ of the phage-like organism." which led to the Phage Theory (see below). Later lead to six Community Goals in three different systems, three anti piracy and three bring medicines ("Debilitating disease devastating 20 Opiuchi / Dajoar / Eleu" and "Movement For Dajoar Independants / Social Eleu Progressive Party / Workers of 20 Opiuchi Values Party Pay for Protection").

'''17 July''': CMDR Lurius spots another UA Convoy in Timocani but unfortunately destroyed the UA during scooping. Extra information derived the route the convoy took was Timocani -> Yggdrajang -> Breksta (System jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space -> system jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space). Also, the strange chat (pictured above) continued through supercruise.

'''17 July''': CMDR Kerrash briefly mentions the UA hunt again in his stream <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaNKzXqZHg4#t=1289</ref> @ 20:35

'''19 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, the first known commander to retrieve two. This replaced one he had loaned to CMDR Zenith, which was lost to a player killer (not pirate) <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2561730&viewfull=1#post2561730</ref>

'''20 July''': CMDR Branch loses his second UA through a scooping incident by another commander.

'''23 July''': CMDR Britain finds an Unknown Artefact.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=279&p=2583760#post2583760</ref>

'''25 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, bringing the known possessed count back up to 3. This is also the third UA Branch has recovered.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2593742&viewfull=1#post2593742</ref>

'''28 July:''' CMDR Blain Crighton & his wing manage to obtain TWO Unknown Artefacts (may be the result of a P2P bug?) from the same convoy. One of theirs was accidentally crushed after being released in a station, the other was sold at Leonard Nimoy Memorial Station <ref>https://youtu.be/O_J6apLfs1I</ref> (to no obvious effect).

=== Theories proposed ===
* The Sound (When MB said "Have you listened to them", this was taken as a most significant clue')
** The UAs do indeed make an unusual sound. It appears to be made up of three main elements: The Honk (sounds like a whale noise), The Chitter (recently discovered <ref name=":1" /> to be a garbled morse code of the closest celestial body or station) and The Purr (When sped up x3 sounds like a trombone). There is a fourth element, a constant buzzing noise which has yet to be analysed fully, but also appears to have morse code embedded ...- .. -.. ---.. (VID8).<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=202&p=2563545&viewfull=1#post2563545</ref>
** The UAs do sound very similar to the in-ship basic discovery scanner, along with some other strange noises that could be similar to galactic noises heard in the galactic map or in space.
** The sound changed noticeably from v1.2 to v1.3. Similar but different. Tests ongoing.
* Advanced Scanner device
** The sounds the UA makes are very similar to those made by the basic discovery scanner, and it has been recently proven <ref name=":2" /> that the UA produces a 'stylised Morse code' of the name of the closest celestial body during the 'chittering' section of the sound. The purpose of the whale noise and the purrs are yet to be determined.
** The sounds the UA makes have also been compared to the sounds planetary bodies make in the system map <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=144782</ref>
* The Colour Pulse Theory
** The UA pulses purple and green, apparently randomly. There is a new theory that the green pulses increase in number the closer it is to its origin (or destination).<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2510274&viewfull=1#post2510274</ref>
* The Mayan Numbers Theory
** The markings on the UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542602&viewfull=1#post2542602</ref> look similar to the ancient Mayan number system (base 20) and it has been discussed at length in the forums. No real breakthrough as yet.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2538363&viewfull=1#post2538363</ref>
* Price Triangulation Theory
** This theory proposes that, with regular rare goods, the selling price for the UA should reduce the closer it gets to its origin.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142906</ref>

* Thargoids
** Many people think that the UA is of Thargoid origin. The only evidence for this is that it looks quite alien.
** There is a theory that it is some form of Thargoid revenge for the Mycoid Virus,<ref>http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA</ref> sent to kill all the humans. Suggestions were made of links to the He Bo virus outbreak.<ref name=":0" />
** There was a suggestion that it was a Thargoid Escape Pod, possibly from events which occurred at Peregrina at the end of [http://www.tjames.info/#!outofthedarkness/c1tpn T. James book Out of the Darkness], part of the new ED lore.
** There was an idea that it looks like an egg/seeding pod, the beginning of a invasion.
* A tiny space station
** A recent poster <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2519619&viewfull=1#post2519619</ref> suggested that it might be a miniature space station and the little flecks of light are its tiny ships. Further speculation included ejecting gold nearby to tempt the Leprechauns out of hiding, suggesting an Irish origin. These theories have yet to be disproven.
* The Leviathan Theory
** Influenced by possible clues in the Wings 1.2 Trailer,<ref name=":3" /> this theory picks up many references which appear to point towards the word 'Leviathan' and whales.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2568833&viewfull=1#post2568833</ref> In Frontier First Encounters, The Leviathan was a 200 metre long fish or whale which inhabited the planet New California in the Liaququ system, and could travel in space as a ship. Unfortunately, that system doesn't appear to exist in the game. Another version of this theory involves Junior the intelligent dolphin and his companion, also from Frontier First Encounters.
* The Phage Theory
** On 14 July a Galnet article mentioned an outbreak of disease, which mentioned a three pronged 'phage like' organism' <ref name=":4" /> which led people to make the connection that the UA could be a Phage of some sorts, as it looks similar in some ways.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551422&viewfull=1#post2551422</ref><ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2569753&viewfull=1#post2569753</ref> Earth Phages are microscopic organisms, so the UA's host would have to be enormous, which is a scary thought.
* Discharge upon final decay
** Once a UA reaches 0% in open space, it explosively discharges green sparks from the 12 "pods" while emitting a screaming howl, and fires what appears to be an energy or plasma pulse rapidly away from the "head" of the artefact.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpdLsLgsWc</ref> What is the purpose of this explosive ending?<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvUqVgAcY0</ref> Is the UA going off like a bomb? Is it delivering a payload of some kind? Some speculate that the UAs might be used to counter the so-called "Cerberus Plague" in some manner. Others speculate that the Cerberus Plague is being spread by the UAs. Further research is needed to determine the nature and character of a UA's decay and demise.
* The Decoy Beacon Theory
** Along the lines of President Halsey's mysterious disappearance, her ship jumped and never arrived at the point it was expected. This theory proposes that the UA acts as a decoy nav beacon, drawing its unlucky victim into a waiting ambush instead of the usual arrival point.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2611454&viewfull=1#post2611454</ref>
* The [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA INRA]/[http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/The_Dark_Wheel Dark Wheel/]CEIP theory
** Based on consistent lore from [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/And_Here_The_Wheel John Harper's And Here the Wheel] and in-game events, as well as [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/FFE/Journals from Frontier First Encounters], this theory posits that the UAs are being used to generate fear of aliens, via propaganda linking them to such events as the Cerberus Plague and the disappearance of Starship One. [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA INRA,] or a breakaway faction of [http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/The_Dark_Wheel the Dark Wheel,] the Circle of Elite Independent Pilots, or "Ceepers", would be behind the appearance of the UAs and the propaganda, and the assassination of the Federation President and linking that event to the UAs and aliens, in order to force a war between the Federation and Empire so that humanity would unite under the winner against the purported alien threat. It is possible that the crystal at the heart of the SAP-8 Core Container is a data crystal from a Ceeper Base containing information related to Soontill, Raxxla, and aliens.
* The Alien Probe or Alien Terraformer theory
** Similar to the scanner theory above, the idea here is that the alien race behind the UA have encountered one or both of the Voyagers (which have currently gone missing in the game, and FD have not acknowledged this as a bug), from which they learnt to communicate via the stylized Morse and the whale sounds and dolphin or sea turtle chittering and honks that are similar to their own language. Find a Voyager, and with it and the UA together, communication can occur with the aliens, somehow.
** Or, the probe is looking for something, like a suitable planet for terraforming, and transmitting its coordinates using the stylized Morse. Once it has found what it is looking for, this message will change.
** Neither hold a lot of water (pun intended) as it deteriorates over time in space. Although the probe could be damaged.

=== Theories Disproved===
* The Formidine Rift
** In Drew Wagar's book "[[Elite: Reclamation]]"<ref>https://fantasticbooksstore.com/store/paperback/elite-reclamation-pb/</ref> one of the characters mentions a hard-to-reach place in the galaxy called the Formidine Rift, where there is something 'worse than the Thargoids'. In true sci-fi thriller/horror tradition, dozens of players immediately went in search of what that might be.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=135529</ref> Drew was quite active in the forum thread and a connection was suggested that this might have something to do with the UA mystery, but this connection has since been disproved. There is no connection between Senator Kahina Tijani Loren and the UA, as indicated by the author himself.
* A Special System Permit
** There are systems in game which require an 'unknown permit'. So far, no access has been granted to anyone carrying a UA in their hold to one of these systems.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLomc-hLtq4</ref>
* Advanced Frameshift Drive
** There is lore involving a Thargoid Hyperspace Drive and some suspect that it might be one of these. There hasn't been any evidence that it can be fitted to a ship in the normal way.
* A Compass
** The theory that the UA points either where it came from or where it wants to go has been disproven. When ejected they point in no particular direction
* Halsey's Tour
** The theory is that President Halsey's ship was carrying an Unknown Artefact, which caused the complex multiple-system failure.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/c2955e4406913906e65a0a519c91e0b1eb477572</ref><ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/556da9049657bae92433fa1c</ref>
** Her tour locations were listed twice on GalNet (with additional destinations the second time).
** Following the stops in order (up to/including the Azaleach detour) with the UA on-board was tested and nothing extraordinary happened, including checking stations along the way.
* Limited Number Theory
** It was proposed that there are only a limited number of UA's available in the game in total and that the next step will only be accessible if we let them all expire. Since then confirmed sightings of more UA's have been reported and the possibility of additional UAs in the possession of commanders who don't know of the main research group or who have left the game, the limited number theory has been refuted. It seems unlikely that FD would rely on the destruction of all UAs as a trigger for the next stage as its impossible to tell when that has actually happened. In addition, similarly to the 'Sell It' theory and the 'let them finish' theory, consensus between the UA custodians was that there is still much research work to do before we risk their sacrifice in the name of a hunch.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2537143&viewfull=1#post2537143</ref>
* Let them finish what they are designed to do (unverifiable)
** The theory suggests that the UA tends to want to destroy itself and the ship that carries it, and therefore taking it long distances would seem the opposite of what its designed to do. The suggestion is that it would be interesting to see in detail, closeup, what happens when they expire. The theory is that they seem to scan an area and then explode from the bottom of the structure toward the head/node. During this, there apppears to be a burst of energy in the vector of the explosion a strange space field type pulse, spacial distortion, dimensional rift or a graphical glitch of the shadow effect of the UA's own silhouette.<ref>http://i.imgur.com/X6FjMwf.gifv</ref> The theory further suggests that the UAs either explode, travel to a new location or go home. The UA has already been filmed expiring on a couple of occasions <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2541462&viewfull=1#post2541462</ref> and nothing dramatic happened, and unfortunately this theory requires the sacrifice of an exceedingly rare object.
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whales_Alive Whales Alive] , where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm7f0j7JVo&list=PL9S22cFnPMpBrCxWu5lq2P7lcErD-HtP8&index=7 Listening to it], a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found.<ref name=":6">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her.<ref name=":6"/>
** CMDR Blain Crighton sold a UA at Leonard Nimoy station on 28/07/15. No effect.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2603802&viewfull=1#post2603802</ref>
=== Tests done ===
* Audio recordings have (mostly) been done in '[[Debug Camera|debug camera]]' mode, so as to eliminate ship sounds and with systems disabled (including life support)
* Tests are usually performed with two pilots present.
* Tests are done in normal space.
* Tests with the UA next to other items are tested both in normal space and in cargo holds.
* Location tests are done both in the cargo hold and in normal space if possible.
* In the case of Polaris, having a UA in your hold will not allow you to make the jump in-system.
* They have been allowed to 'expire' in space
* They have been ejected inside a station
* They have been ejected into an outpost (accidentally)
* They have been ejected during supercruise (accidentally)
* They do not degrade the ship while docked
* UA and ship have been at overheating temperatures and freezing temperatures.
* Tried to see if they can be put in a module slot in Outfitting. They can't.
* Tried use it in place of other modules along with trying to turn off FSD when fully charged so the UA takes over.
* Replaced a nav beacon with a UA, nothing happened.
* Tried flashing ship lights along with the UA's light. Nothing happened.
* Tried communicating with the UA over local chat comms. Nothing happened.
* Test with the UA next to hafnium, painite and SAP 8 core container <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNlNDULuuA</ref>
** Every sound sequence had 3 purrs in this recording. That means SAP8, Hafnium 178 and/or Painite can't be discounted as an influence.
* Tests with the UA next to 8, 6, 4 SAP 8 core containers <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551696&viewfull=1#post2551696</ref>
** I'''nteresting result:''' the number of purrs (after the howl, after the morse chitter sequence) changes from 5 to 3 purrs with 8 SAP 8 Canisters nearby. More tests required to verify if this is an effect of SAP 8 specifically, or canisters of any kind? Will 12 have more of an effect? etc.
* Tests with the UA next to 12 SAP 8 core container
* Tried to go into witchspace through the orginal Elite way (pitch and roll at maximum)
* Tests with the UA being in the darkness of a planet
* Checked for bulletin board missions relating to it at many stations and outposts including Leonard Nimoy several times over
* Ship carrying the UA has been interdicted several times - and has interdicted others while carrying the UA
* UA has been taken to many systems and has found to produce morse code of the nearest celestial object (or station - the first decoding of the Morse was SEEGA PORT)
* Two UA's in one ship has done nothing except made the corrosion damage done to the cargo hatch double, it was attempted to get 3 into the ship but could not get the two ships into the right instance to hand over a UA
* UA has been dropped by it'self and with a SAP 8 container at the same area
* UA has been taken to a capital ship, both in the cargo hold & free-floating in space. No comms or interest from the capital ship at all.
* Has been taken to Themiscrya, it can be found on galaxy map by searching for "them" (as in have you tried listening to them), in mythology this was the capital of the nation of all-female warriors called Amazons.<ref>http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CGYQmhMwC2oVChMIg9HDg_rixgIVylcUCh1OhQbk&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThemiscyra_(mythology)&ei=pV6pVcPqHsqvUc6KmqAO&usg=AFQjCNGhtj83dGpYLsfF9pyrgtjgx_2H3w</ref> Apparently the Thargoids are also an all female race.<ref>http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Thargoids</ref>
** The result of the audio tests were peculiar but inconclusive. The UA made 3 purrs during the first audio sequence, then 5/6 purrs for every sequence afterward.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB8DR0a23Nw?t=42s</ref> This test was repeated again with the same result.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GgCcaN7Nyo?t=34s</ref> Ratking15 was looking at the UA towards the planet, Zenith was looking from the side of the UA outward into space.
* Tested with fish, the theory being it wants fish! No response.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2591462&viewfull=1#post2591462</ref>
* Tested with Baltah'sine Vacuum Krill (a space-born delicacy) in the ring they supposedly spawned in, theory being the UA has expensive taste = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo-vaZOmGL4</ref>
* Tested with HIP Proto-Squid = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCEQIpjZRMQ</ref>
* Attempted to send it Morse over local comms (the current stellar body, "Thargoid", "Raxxla") = Nothing <ref name=":5">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBLa2T0itxk</ref> <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrC7MxiveN0</ref>
* Attempted shutting off Life Support to see if it would affect the toxic corrosion (w/o O2 in the cargo hold) = Nothing <ref name=":5" />
* CMDR's have jumped systems or into supercruise while near a UA or into a system with the UA being deployed to not effect
* Taken to Hippoc Bioceuticals Research Station in 51 Arietis, an odd system where it says it needs a permit but I think's bugged so any can enter. Could see nothing in contact/missions/commodites.

==== Pinged with various devices ====
* Normal Ship Sensors = Nothing
* Ship Lights = Nothing
* Frameshift wake scanner = Nothing
* Cargo scanner = Nothing
* Kill warrant scanner = Nothing
* Discovery Scanner = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2188219&viewfull=1#post2188219</ref>
* Detailed Surface Scanner = Nothing
* Shooting = Nothing
* ECM = Nothing

==== Ejected and observed / listened to next to other items and places ====
* Hafnium = Nothing
* AI relic = Nothing
* Soontill Relic = Nothing
* Ancient Artefact = Nothing
* Painite = Nothing
* NAV beacon (250 meters) = Nothing
* In-place of a destroyed NAV beacon = Nothing
* Leonard Nimoy station = Nothing
* Earth = Nothing
* Black Hole = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLA1CITXE4</ref>
* Sol = Nothing
* HE BO = Nothing
* Peregrina = Nothing
* Polaris = Nothing
* Toxic waste = Nothing
* Sap 8 Core Containers = Nothing
* Alien Artefacts = Nothing
* Close to Ammonia Planets = Nothing
* Dropped near various stars = Nothing
* Another Unknown Artefact = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2474851&viewfull=1#post2474851</ref>
* Azaleach = Nothing
* Quiness (planet Quy mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing
* Ross 154 (planet Merlin mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing. Morse reads Merlin.
* BD-02 4304 (in GalNet & mentioned by Kerrash) = Nothing
* Soontill (system, not the relic) = Nothing, chitter present w/ no nav beacon <ref>https://youtu.be/C2xM5o7YyqM?t=43m35s</ref>
* Guinna = Nothing
* Canopus = Nothing
* Exphiay = Nothing
* HIP 53688 = Nothing
* Furuhjelm I-695 (gas giant w/ ammonia-life) = Nothing
* Jaque's Station = Nothing
* Lave = Nothing
* In station with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off except thrusters) trying to get the UA inside a Cobra through the canopy
* Voyager. Specifically to location where currently (24/07/15) missing Voyager probe would be expected, UA reported "SOL" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2588909&viewfull=1#post2588909</ref>
* Delphin (a Halsey tour stop) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/hwKtYcloExE</ref>
* Shinrarta Dezhra = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/rDolCImgKC8</ref>
* LTT 4550 (other Shinrarta system, maybe Dark Wheel?) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/gu7pyQ2_xF8</ref>
* Tau Ceti (star, Taylors Colony, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/SN4kXNcuNlI</ref>
* Fawaol (star, Tracy, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/wMclnV098Rg</ref>
* Sleipnir (trying to reproduce the 3-purr scenario) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/1uIXjmnKWp0</ref>
* Pareco = Nothing
* Quator = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/9ETA9z8miJ4</ref>
* Riedquat = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/CU2KE_mXaDs</ref>
* Ross 780 = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/2mEC0ArKMQw</ref>
* I Bootis = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1iiqtgctH8</ref>
* Dustball = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EriGJFMQxY</ref>
* HIP 35900 = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNnzkK9d3MI</ref>
* Heike 8 = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrwRBzApRA4</ref>
* In the fuel scoop zone of a scoopable star (Hip 32916, class G) <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBoIxdlNxeU</ref>
* Next to the aerial of a civilian outpost (Zindell Enterprise, Waikino) <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de6uw_Vyhvs</ref>
* Near a military outpost (Bethke Station, Bacamadia) <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-007SfLEm0</ref>

==== Places where they have not been taken or tests not done - feel free to try! ====
* Sagitarius A (The Galactic Centre)
** As the UA degrades modules quite rapidly, it would a challenging task to take it anywhere of great distance, even with a wing and plenty of [[Auto Field-Maintenance Unit|Auto Field Maintenance Units]].
* Polaris
** For the same reason as above, with the additional challenge that its a permit protected system. (Note that a UA ''has'' been taken to the nearest system to Polaris in 1.2 without any observable differences).
* Raxxla
** Because nobody knows where it is. Except the Thargoids.
* LFT 509
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Isinor
** permit is currently not obtainable as a different minor faction has taken control of the system
* Witch's Reach
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Regor Sector - Still Permit Unknown Required with a UA
* Voyager
** Voyager is currently missing. Tests have been performed where Voyager is expected to be (see above), but not when Voyager is present.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=74&p=2528722&highlight=voyager#post2528722</ref>

== Proposed Testing Regimen==
The number of theories under consideration means that it will take a fixed number of UAs to test each outcome. Each of these tests is destructive, ie. we lose the UA during the test conditions.

The prefix numbers are simply for enumerating and indentifying each test, they do not refer to priority, sequence or ranking. This list isn't exahaustive, and "The Canonn" group investigating the UAs may create or remove tests at any time.

# '''<s>Sell a UA on the Black Market at Newton Dock, BD-02 4304</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA, gain of 180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Sell a UA on the Black Market at a plague CG station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA, gain of ~180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a shutdown plague station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA provides a cure for the station.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay inside a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# <s>Release UA in the Fuel scooping zone of a star. Turn your ship so its ejected away from the star.</s>

#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>:The UA looks like it might have 12 fuel scoops. Perhaps if it gets extra fuel it might trigger something.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: UA will get hotter</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome:</s>'''
# (Non Destructive) Check if a deployed UA appears on the nav panel of a ship in nearby Supercruise or effects the jump-in point of a system.
#* '''Purpose''': To see if the UA was directly used as a Decoy Beacon in the disappearance of President Halsey, suggested steps as follows:
#*# CMDR 1 deploys a UA in System X (normal space)
#*# CMDR 2 flies in Supercruise in same system, Advanced scanning and checking nav panel
#*# CMDR 1 scoops UA and jumps to System Y, re-deploys UA in normal space (away from Nav Beacon)
#*# CMDR 2 Jumps from System X to System Y
#*# Repeat as wingmen.
#* '''Expected Outcome''': No extra information on Nav Panel, even after advanced scanning in Supercruise, no change in the entry point to a system.
#* '''Taken on by''': CMDR Byker and CMDR Britain
#* '''Actual Outcome:''' Nothing happened in either the supercruise (wing beacon) test <ref>http://youtu.be/ad20R22RsnA</ref> nor the hyperspace (nav beacon) test <ref>http://youtu.be/VCdkOU99Pik</ref>
# Release a UA inside a station
#* '''Purpose''': Check rate of decay - is it different than in open space?
#* '''Expected Outcome''': No difference inside or outside a station
#* '''Taken on by''': Blain Crighton
#* '''Actual Outcome:''' No apparent difference <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axZz6ZY5-sQ&feature=youtu.be</ref> although squeezing one between the nose of a Python and the sttion walls accelerates degradation dramatically.
# Replay the same Morse back to the UA in Local Comms
#* '''Purpose:''' Try to communicate
#* '''Expected Outcome:''' UA will reply with different Morse other than closest celestial object name
#* '''Taken on by:'''
#* '''Actual Outcome:'''
# Take a UA to the planet Quy in Quiness system
#* '''Purpose:''' See if behaviour changes in a system with a known Thargoid presence from FFE (and possibly in ED given description of the planet)
#* '''Expected Outcome:''' Unknown
#* '''Taken on by:'''
#* '''Actual outcome:'''
# Reproduce a mis-jump in an identical convoy of a T9 carrying a UA in a wing with 2 Anacondas.
#* '''Purpose:''' See if a mis-jump occurs either in the Anacondas or the T9
#* '''Expected outcome:''' A mis-jump
#* '''Taken on by:'''
#* '''Actual outcome:'''

== Who has a UA?==
There are currently three known UAs in game, these are in the possession of CMDRs Ratking15, CMDR Britain, and CMDR Branch. UAs have been found as early as the 1.2.06 patch and as recently as the 1.3.06 patch.

Ratking15 have streamed several times the UA on his [http://www.twitch.tv/ratking15 twitch stream] before attempting to upload them to Youtube, you can find his highlights of the streams (which are all of the stream mostly) on his channel with sound.

Branch does not have a (working) Twitch stream, but recordings & posts videos on a [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr4nvzYqVcAr3DUQRl1rRBM1cKBGIV3YN YouTube UA-specific playlist].

Cmdr Britain (Bitstorm) has a [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy-mbUPgozaeAorHjQQ7DhHJ10OV7ROc4 Youtube playlist] and a [https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B_Ozdb8mTFWzfk5EMnBXdnNDRDJ6dUY2RTBZdlVnbWgxWW9abWUtR1B4eDlVaTFNY2RpOEk Google Drive] with various images/audio.

==Who had a UA?==

Various commanders had originally acquired UA-s during the first "rush", but those have been lost to various accidents since. Of them, commanders Digitalscream, Glyn-ie, Marx, Murp have posted recordings of the UA's audio: see the list of their files [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142912&p=2193391&viewfull=1#post2193391 here].

Like Ratking15, Wishblend also has streamed several times with UA tests as well as casual gameplay though more often than Ratking15 who would rather not risk losing his UA when it might still be required.

However tragically during a trip to a testing zone Wishblend accidentally lost her UA......however her streams of the UA are still up and might be helpful for those who are looking for experience. Also Wishblend's streams are usually just in-game sounds as she prefers this, you can find her previous streams and highlights here: http://www.twitch.tv/wishblend/profile

CMDR Branch has managed to lose two UAs prior to the (current) third one. The first was during a loan to another commander. The second was lost in a scooping accident while trying to have another commander hold the UA to allow for switching ships.

==Care and feeding of your UA==
[[File:UADegradation.png|thumb|275x275px|Unknown Artefact degradation over time. A UA can survive 6m40s before exploding.]]

Congratulations! All your hard work has finally paid off, you're now the proud owner of an Unknown Artefact!

UAs can be quite delicate, it would be a terrible shame if you lost it the very same day wouldn't it?

This section is intended as a short user's guide to UA ownership. Read, take note and together we can ensure your UA has a long, happy and fruitful life.

There are many ways UAs can be inadvertently lost, some more obvious than others :

*Testing can be repetitive, and it's easy to become distracted. Pay attention when jettisoning, it is possible to jettison in supercruise. This is a lost UA.
*There's been one report of a CMDR backing 800-900m from a UA and it disappearing from the instance despite the CMDR having A class scanners, it makes no sense but it's happened at least once.
*A UA stored in cargo will cause a toxic corrosion event, this event will occur once every 30 seconds or so, each event will result in 1-2% damage to a random module.
*Multiple UAs or UAs plus toxic items increase the rate of module degradation.
*Watch cargo hatch degradation like a hawk. The cargo hatch has been seen to fail and eject cargo when as high as 84%. In supercruise this would be an unrecoverable UA. Keep it above 90%.
*Ensure landing gear is up before scooping, some ship models have the front landing gear blocking the cargo hatch.
*The UA can make you a target for other CMDR/player groups!
*Watch closly each "blip" on radar while testing. Don't forget how good NPC's can be now and how hard it was to gain the UA. Guarding CMDR's are a great option also when they stay 3 km away!
*When testing make sure you are keeping at very low speeds and never pointing at the UA as it's very easy to crash into one and blow it up, this also goes for anyone else with you as destructions by that has happened.

== References ==
<references />

{{Stub}}
[[Category:Commodities]]

Thargoid Sensor

2015-07-30T12:16:05Z

213.1.249.253: /* Proposed Testing Regimen */

'''''Disclaimer''': The information contained in this article is the combined work of several Commanders in good faith and by no means represents the full pool of knowledge around these fascinating items. You are advised not to take any of this information as fact, because it is after all, a wiki. It should also be noted that if you find anything that you know to be inaccurate or a misrepresentation, or you have extra knowledge to add, then you should do so because, after all, its a wiki. However, this is not the place for conjecture or personal opinions, please use the forum for that.''
=== In game description ===
{{CommodityInfobox
|image = Unknown artefact 001.png
|type = Salvage
|gap = 242,485
}}{{Quote|Only recently discovered, these mysterious artefacts currently have no designation. Despite much conjecture as to the nature of these objects, it appears that the scientific community is unwilling or unable to openly identify the artefacts' origins. Such mystery only serves to make these objects more widely sought after by wealthy individuals and organisations alike, no matter that their unidentified status automatically prohibits them form being sold on any legal market.|In-game description}}
==What does it do?==
As far as current tests and analysis show, it appears that the UA does a sort of sonar scan of the closest celestial object or station and then sends out (chittering) sounds which are a highly distorted morse code which represents that body.
==UA Features==
The '''Unknown Artefacts''' ('''UA''') have been reported to look like a form of sentient life, far beyond what we humans are capable of creating. It is still unknown what the UA is meant for, some people are speculating that this is the work of [[Thargoids]], and there have been lots of other theories. To date, none of these theories have been proven, it is 'exceedingly rare' and only a few pilots have been able to see one themselves, making it extremely challenging to carry out tests and theories.
However, the following aspects have been tested and are known:[[File:Elite Dangerous UA Features|thumb|right|335 px]]
*From a distance away it makes a loud whale like sound with some muttering and can be spotted by some sparkling and some purple/green gas-like colours.
*It seems to be made of three parts, the head (it looks like a giant egg with an place at the top where it seems like it can open up but some parts glow when the whale noise happens), the stork or spine (it seems to have four parts to it and lights up too to the whale noise), the pods or capsules (there are twelve of these).
*When close to it you can clearly see it giving off a distortion field of some kind which has sparks appearing and disappearing in it with a gas in the entire area, either green or purple. However in the debug camera you can get close enough to the point where the field isn't in the way and you can get a clear view of the UA.
*You can hear the sounds it gives off best when closest. You can hear a whale noise, followed by chittering and purring. The chittering has been found to be a garbled morse code, tapping out the name of the closest celestial body or station. The purpose, if there is one, of the other noises are yet to be determined.
*While inside your ship's cargo hold the UA acts like [[Toxic Waste]] by doing corrosion damage to ALL your ship modules.
*They are illegal salvage, so if you have it in your ship and a NPC System Authority scans you, you get a fine of 55,000cr. If stolen, your fine jumps to at least 161,000cr.
*They can be sold for up to 250k cr, though 180-220k cr is an average figure.
*The UA 'Spores' or 'glitter' don't appear to do any damage
* Occasionally they 'explode' sending a cloud of particulates out around them. Extremely slowed down video reveals a strange graphical glitch when this happens (or a tear in the space time continuum)
* Having a refinery fitted with a UA in the hold does nothing
* No new missions or contacts appear with one in the hold
* They are quite delicate and behave similarly to normal canisters in some ways
** They degrade over time in space (while ejected) and have a life of about 5 minutes max outside the ship, but reset to 100% health when back inside the cargo hold.
** Like toxic waste, they degrade ship's modules over time randomly while in the hold
== Finding them ==
These Unknown Artefacts can be found in [[System Signal Sources|Strong Signal Sources]]. There are at least seven systems (see below) where they spawn, Timocani and 109 Virginis are the two systems where they have most recently been found and [[Michael Brookes]] has stated that they are 'exceedingly rare' and that they are only available in certain regions of the galaxy, which would suggest that they are in other systems too. Since v1.3 very few UA discoveries have been reported.

CMDR Wishblend, one of the original UA finders, gives this advice:
[[File:Ua-chat-text.png|thumb|239x239px|Example of the kind of chat you will see when you have jumped into a UA Strong Signal Source]]
{{Quote|In 109 VIRGINIS, jump in at the big white A class star, go out (away from the star) around 100ls until the locater in the bottom left hand side of your screen says 'Deep Space'.

Put supercruise speed to minimum and wait for the 'SSS' (Strong Signal Sources) to appear. Some will be ambushes, others nothing that good, so be prepared to run or fight.

What you are looking for is one Type 9 Transport being escorted by a few anacondas. Sometimes there are two, sometimes four and sometimes there are other ships as well. The main tell is this: if you have a Type 9 being escorted by Anacondas, check the local chat window. If it is correct then the Type 9 and the Anacondas will be talking to each other about systems malfunctioning.|CMDR Wishblend}}
There are at least two known Strong Signal Source instances that contain UA's.

The first kind is made up of numerous ships and includes a Vulture, two Anacondas, the Type-9 and other ships. If you get this one, bear in mind that the Type-9 will probably charge its FSD and jump out of the system on its own. You can either choose to follow it (using a wake scanner) or attack it.
[[File:Ua-convoyA.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the first kind of AU carrying convoy. The Type-9 will eventually jump out of the system]]
The second is made up of four anacondas and the Type-9. This convoy will stop in space and the Anacondas will do a dance around the Type-9. It may be the case that the Type-9 is not a part of the Anaconda wing. It has been reported as the one where the Unknown Artefact will eat its way out of the Type-9's cargo hold without you firing a shot, but this has yet to be corroborated by other commanders.

Systems where they have been found or spotted
* Timocani (confirmed)
* 109 Virginis (confirmed)
* Tanmark <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/</ref> (confirmed)
* HIP 102128 <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/363y6k/unknown_artifact_found_in_imperial_convoy/</ref> (confirmed)
* Reshas <ref>http://www.01nk.com/EDPics/UA_Convoy.jpg</ref> (20.05.3301 confirmed)
* Blatrimpe <ref>http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg</ref> (08.05.3301 confirmed)
* UN NO MYOIN 78 -95 -61 (confirmed)
* Chamunda (unconfirmed)
* Geawenki (unconfirmed)
* Delphin (unconfirmed)
* Siren (unconfirmed)
[[File:Ua-convoyB.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the second version of the UA carrying convey. This one will hang around and conveniently drop the UA off for you to pick up]]

== The mystery of the Unknown Artefact ==
There is apparently some kind of mystery to be solved around these items, and certain people close to Frontier Developments have said that there are clues in the game, but nobody has spotted them yet. They even went as far to say that they are so obvious that to give any more clues would make it too easy. Despite this, no one has solved the mystery to date. During the period after the first find, some commanders created GalNet content related to the UA which was published, and these are included below but marked with ''[player submitted]''.

===Timeline of events===
'''12 January''': Federal Vice President Dies in swimming pool.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/12-JAN-3301</ref>

'''13 January''': Federal Vice President Smeaton's death does not appear to be as straight forward as it first appeared.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/13-JAN-3301</ref>

'''16 January''': Smeaton's widow accuses the military industrial complex of involvement in her husbands death.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/16-JAN-3301</ref>

'''28 January''': Federal Congressman George Fallside is revealed to have sent condolences to Smeaton's family 30 minutes before his death was announced.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-JAN-3301</ref>

'''10 February''': Soontill Alien Artefacts are mentioned in GalNet.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-FEB-3301</ref> Subsequently confirmed by FD that these Artefacts are not Unknown Artefacts.

'''10 March''': v1.2 is released. Includes "- Adding valuable salvage convoys to three permitted systems: LFT 509, Isinor, Witch's Reach"

'''13 March''': The UA appeared for the first time as cargo on board the ship in the official 1.2 Wings trailer <ref name=":3">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GEX4pYL9w</ref>

'''14 March''': Strange chatter in a Federal Convoy in the Tanmark system reported on Reddit <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/</ref>

'''28 April''': Arcannon innocently asks a simple question and starts the longest thread in Elite Dangerous Forums' history <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2160913#post2160913</ref> (now closed) which reached almost 10k posts and has had to be redirected to a new thread <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998</ref>

'''28 April''': Michael Brookes comes into the forum thread and says "Have you listened to them? Garbled morse code has since been discovered <ref name=":1">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2507590&viewfull=1#post2507590</ref> to be in the 'Chittering' part of the sound. A [[/List of recordings/]] (video and audio) has been compiled.

'''29 April''': MB confirms later in the same thread that [[Soontill Relics]] are not the same thing as UA's, and that UAs cannot be bought

'''30 April''': Strange parasite that attaches to a nervous system is reported in GalNet, but seems to have been subsequently removed <ref name=":0">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2176849&viewfull=1#post2176849</ref>

'''30 April''': YouTube video <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bAKBADBzC8&feature=youtu.be</ref> posted by a user who had recently posted another UA hoax, so nobody believed it. See 'The boy who cried wolf'.<ref>https://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/boy.html</ref>

'''02 May''': MB says that they are "exceedingly rare [sic] and can only be found within a certain region of space - that does include multiple systems though." and then later clarifies that they can only be found in "certain regions in the galaxy"

'''02 May''': Minos <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2181189&viewfull=1#post2181189</ref> discovers an entry in the [[Elite Timeline|Elite Dangerous Pilots Guide]]:

<blockquote>"3276 - A strange object of unknown origin is discovered in the vicinity of Liazeda (-12,3). Named the LRA (Liazeda RadioAnomoly), the Alliance research ship, the Lion, is sent toinvestigate. The LRA and the ship disappears and its fate is still unknown in 3296. Only a handful of crew, who were deploying probes from two Explorer-class vessels return."</blockquote>

'''04 May''': Wishblend finds the first UA in 109 Virginis,<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187286&viewfull=1#post2187286</ref> but unfortunately doesn't get it. Henceforth officially celebrated as UA Day across the galaxy, and the official title of UA Seeker was born. That afternoon, a further number were spotted but RedWizzard finally managed to actually grab one in Timocani.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187567&viewfull=1#post2187567</ref> Due to a bug a couple more were accidentally duplicated (bug reported). They were spawning a lot that day, for sure.

'''04 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' GalNet reports baffled 'scientists' (players involved in the search and recovery UAs) having found an Unknown Artefact.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/04-MAY-3301</ref>

'''06 May''': President Halsey's tour of the frontier announced <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/06-MAY-3301</ref>

'''07 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn challenges Halsey about UAs <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/07-MAY-3301</ref>

'''08 May''': Two sightings of UA Convoys by CMDR Nilreb in Blahtrimpe <ref>http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg</ref> <ref>http://imgur.com/a/oKNja</ref>

'''13 May''': President Halsey sets off from Sol <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/13-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': 78 Ursae Majoris prepares for Halsey's visit <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/15-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': Another UA Convoy sighting, this time in HIP 102128 <ref>http://redd.it/363y6k</ref>

'''17 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn accuses Federation a cover-up about the UAs <ref name="community.elitedangerous.com">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/17-MAY-3301</ref>

'''18 May''': Subsequent report on Soontill Relics in GalNet <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/18-MAY-3301</ref>

'''20 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' Tonnes of [[Biowaste]] dropped at 78 Ursae Majoris in protest against Federal cover-up of the UA, Dr Arcanonn denies links with the action <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/20-MAY-3301</ref>

'''23 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' A weird message is broadcast from someone somewhere trying to say something negative about the 'scientists' efforts <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/23-MAY-3301</ref>

'''26 May''': Halsey's Starship One goes missing, official initial report, Felicia Winters steps up as interim president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/26-MAY-3301</ref>

'''27 May''': Secondary report on what happened to SSOne <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/27-MAY-3301</ref>

'''28/29 May''': Conspiracy theories abound <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-MAY-3301</ref>

'''02 June''': Hudson becomes president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/02-JUN-3301</ref>

'''05 June''': Strange cannisters called [[Sap 8 Core Container]] appears in the game with launch of v1.3. No evidence that these are linked to UAs so far

'''22 June''': Mahddogg publishes his panel discussion about Powerplay,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYWolEEM_e0</ref> in which CMDR Kerrash mentions that "about the whole UA thing, there ''is'' something behind that, but no one has figured it out yet" (29m 30s) and that "[Frontier] have put some really obvious [clues] in there and we don't want to put anything else in" for fear of spoiling what is come in the future.

'''27 June''': CMDR Kerrash talks about various things, including Thargoid conjecture ("They are coming"), and that the UA and confirms there is something to it, and that 'if any people watching have got in with the UA thing and got halfway in and not looked into it anymore, please pleeease carry on looking, there is something there, there is an interesting secret there, please look, and the SAP 8 containers as well, there is something going on, dont give up!' <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RD6rmO_28s</ref> (from ~11 minutes in)

'''05 July''': CMDR Kerrash comes into the new thread, asks "Has anybody cracked it yet?", when gently prodded follows up with "Frontier did not spend all this effort in making a wild goose chase, I would imagine quite the fanfare when the truth is uncovered. BTW Are we even sure it is morse code?" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502255&viewfull=1#post2502255</ref> and "Yes there is more to it, I will see if I can get FD to drop another hint" <ref name=":2">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502284&viewfull=1#post2502284</ref>

'''06 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2503739&viewfull=1#post2503739</ref>

'''10 July''': [player submitted] UA Scientists claim a breakthrough that the UA broadcasts its closest celestial body (or station) in a form of morse code. <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-JUL-3301</ref>

'''14 July''': CMDR Patau82 spots another convoy in Timocani, but unfortunately fails to grab it. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542242&viewfull=1#post2542242</ref> They are still spawning.

'''14 July''': Reports of a 'Cerberus' plague "beyond BD-02 4304" <ref name=":4">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/14-JUL-3301</ref> which mentions "an unusual three-pronged structure at the ‘head’ of the phage-like organism." which led to the Phage Theory (see below). Later lead to six Community Goals in three different systems, three anti piracy and three bring medicines ("Debilitating disease devastating 20 Opiuchi / Dajoar / Eleu" and "Movement For Dajoar Independants / Social Eleu Progressive Party / Workers of 20 Opiuchi Values Party Pay for Protection").

'''17 July''': CMDR Lurius spots another UA Convoy in Timocani but unfortunately destroyed the UA during scooping. Extra information derived the route the convoy took was Timocani -> Yggdrajang -> Breksta (System jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space -> system jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space). Also, the strange chat (pictured above) continued through supercruise.

'''17 July''': CMDR Kerrash briefly mentions the UA hunt again in his stream <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaNKzXqZHg4#t=1289</ref> @ 20:35

'''19 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, the first known commander to retrieve two. This replaced one he had loaned to CMDR Zenith, which was lost to a player killer (not pirate) <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2561730&viewfull=1#post2561730</ref>

'''20 July''': CMDR Branch loses his second UA through a scooping incident by another commander.

'''23 July''': CMDR Britain finds an Unknown Artefact. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=279&p=2583760#post2583760</ref>

'''25 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, bringing the known possessed count back up to 3. This is also the third UA Branch has recovered. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2593742&viewfull=1#post2593742</ref>

'''28 July:''' CMDR Blain Crighton & his wing manage to obtain TWO Unknown Artefacts (may be the result of a P2P bug?) from the same convoy. One of theirs was accidentally crushed after being released in a station, the other was sold at Leonard Nimoy Memorial Station <ref>https://youtu.be/O_J6apLfs1I</ref> (to no obvious effect).

=== Theories proposed ===
* The Sound (When MB said "Have you listened to them", this was taken as a most significant clue')
** The UAs do indeed make an unusual sound. It appears to be made up of three main elements: The Honk (sounds like a whale noise), The Chitter (recently discovered <ref name=":1" /> to be a garbled morse code of the closest celestial body or station) and The Purr (When sped up x3 sounds like a trombone). There is a fourth element, a constant buzzing noise which has yet to be analysed fully, but also appears to have morse code embedded ...- .. -.. ---.. (VID8).<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=202&p=2563545&viewfull=1#post2563545</ref>
** The UAs do sound very similar to the in-ship basic discovery scanner, along with some other strange noises that could be similar to galactic noises heard in the galactic map or in space.
** The sound changed noticeably from v1.2 to v1.3. Similar but different. Tests ongoing.
* Advanced Scanner device
** The sounds the UA makes are very similar to those made by the basic discovery scanner, and it has been recently proven <ref name=":2" /> that the UA produces a 'stylised Morse code' of the name of the closest celestial body during the 'chittering' section of the sound. The purpose of the whale noise and the purrs are yet to be determined.
** The sounds the UA makes have also been compared to the sounds planetary bodies make in the system map <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=144782</ref>
* The Colour Pulse Theory
** The UA pulses purple and green, apparently randomly. There is a new theory that the green pulses increase in number the closer it is to its origin (or destination). <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2510274&viewfull=1#post2510274</ref>
* The Mayan Numbers Theory
** The markings on the UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542602&viewfull=1#post2542602</ref> look similar to the ancient Mayan number system (base 20) and it has been discussed at length in the forums. No real breakthrough as yet. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2538363&viewfull=1#post2538363</ref>
* Price Triangulation Theory
** This theory proposes that, with regular rare goods, the selling price for the UA should reduce the closer it gets to its origin. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142906</ref>

* Thargoids
** Many people think that the UA is of Thargoid origin. The only evidence for this is that it looks quite alien.
** There is a theory that it is some form of Thargoid revenge for the Mycoid Virus,<ref>http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA</ref> sent to kill all the humans. Suggestions were made of links to the He Bo virus outbreak.<ref name=":0" />
** There was a suggestion that it was a Thargoid Escape Pod.
** There was an idea that it looks like an egg/seeding pod, the beginning of a invasion.
* A tiny space station
** A recent poster <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2519619&viewfull=1#post2519619</ref> suggested that it might be a miniature space station and the little flecks of light are its tiny ships. Further speculation included ejecting gold nearby to tempt the Leprechauns out of hiding, suggesting an Irish origin. These theories have yet to be disproven.
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whales_Alive Whales Alive] , where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm7f0j7JVo&list=PL9S22cFnPMpBrCxWu5lq2P7lcErD-HtP8&index=7 Listening to it], a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found. <ref name=":5">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her. <ref name=":6">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
* The Leviathon Theory
** Influenced by possible clues in the Wings 1.2 Trailer <ref name=":3" />, this theory picks up many references which appear to point towards the word 'Leviathon' <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2568833&viewfull=1#post2568833</ref>. The Leviathon was a 200 metre long fish which inhabited the planet New California in the Laiququ system. Unfortunately, that system doesn't appear to exist in the game.
* The Phage Theory
** On 14 July a Galnet article mentioned an outbreak of disease, which mentioned a three pronged 'phage like' organism' <ref name=":4" /> which led people to make the connection that the UA could be a Phage of some sorts, as it looks similar in some ways <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551422&viewfull=1#post2551422</ref> <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2569753&viewfull=1#post2569753</ref> . Earth Phages are microscopic organisms, so the UA's host would have to be enormous, which is a scary thought.
* Discharge upon final decay
** Once a UA reaches 0% in open space, it explosively discharges green sparks from the 12 "pods" while emitting a screaming howl, and fires what appears to be an energy or plasma pulse rapidly away from the "head" of the artefact <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpdLsLgsWc</ref>. What is the purpose of this explosive ending <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvUqVgAcY0</ref>? Is the UA going off like a bomb? Is it delivering a payload of some kind? Some speculate that the UAs might be used to counter the so-called "Cerberus Plague" in some manner. Others speculate that the Cerberus Plague is being spread by the UAs. Further research is needed to determine the nature and character of a UA's decay and demise.

=== Theories Disproved===
* The Formidine Rift
** In Drew Wagar's book "[[Elite: Reclamation]]"<ref>https://fantasticbooksstore.com/store/paperback/elite-reclamation-pb/</ref> one of the characters mentions a hard-to-reach place in the galaxy called the Formidine Rift, where there is something 'worse than the Thargoids'. In true sci-fi thriller/horror tradition, dozens of players immediately went in search of what that might be.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=135529</ref> Drew was quite active in the forum thread and a connection was suggested that this might have something to do with the UA mystery, but this connection has since been disproved. There is no connection between Senator Kahina Tijani Loren and the UA, as indicated by the author himself.
* A Special System Permit
** There are systems in game which require an 'unknown permit'. So far, no access has been granted to anyone carrying a UA in their hold to one of these systems.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLomc-hLtq4</ref>
* Advanced Frameshift Drive
** There is lore involving a Thargoid Hyperspace Drive and some suspect that it might be one of these. There hasn't been any evidence that it can be fitted to a ship in the normal way.
* A Compass
** The theory that the UA points either where it came from or where it wants to go has been disproven. When ejected they point in no particular direction
* Halsey's Tour
** The theory is that President Halsey's ship was carrying an Unknown Artefact, which caused the complex multiple-system failure.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/c2955e4406913906e65a0a519c91e0b1eb477572</ref><ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/556da9049657bae92433fa1c</ref>
** Her tour locations were listed twice on GalNet (with additional destinations the second time).
** Following the stops in order (up to/including the Azaleach detour) with the UA on-board was tested and nothing extraordinary happened, including checking stations along the way.
* Limited Number Theory
** It was proposed that there are only a limited number of UA's available in the game in total and that the next step will only be accessible if we let them all expire. Since then confirmed sightings of more UA's have been reported and the possibility of additional UAs in the possession of commanders who don't know of the main research group or who have left the game, the limited number theory has been refuted. It seems unlikely that FD would rely on the destruction of all UAs as a trigger for the next stage as its impossible to tell when that has actually happened. In addition, similarly to the 'Sell It' theory and the 'let them finish' theory, consensus between the UA custodians was that there is still much research work to do before we risk their sacrifice in the name of a hunch.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2537143&viewfull=1#post2537143</ref>
* Let them finish what they are designed to do (unverifiable)
** The theory suggests that the UA tends to want to destroy itself and the ship that carries it, and therefore taking it long distances would seem the opposite of what its designed to do. The suggestion is that it would be interesting to see in detail, closeup, what happens when they expire. The theory is that they seem to scan an area and then explode from the bottom of the structure toward the head/node. During this, there apppears to be a burst of energy in the vector of the explosion a strange space field type pulse, spacial distortion, dimensional rift or a graphical glitch of the shadow effect of the UA's own silhouette <ref>http://i.imgur.com/X6FjMwf.gifv</ref>. The theory further suggests that the UAs either explode, travel to a new location or go home. The UA has already been filmed expiring on a couple of occasions <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2541462&viewfull=1#post2541462</ref> and nothing dramatic happened, and unfortunately this theory requires the sacrifice of an exceedingly rare object.
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whales_Alive Whales Alive] , where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm7f0j7JVo&list=PL9S22cFnPMpBrCxWu5lq2P7lcErD-HtP8&index=7 Listening to it], a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found. <ref name=":5">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her. <ref name=":6">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** CMDR Blain Crighton sold a UA at Leonard Nimoy station on 28/07/15. No effect. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2603802&viewfull=1#post2603802</ref>
=== Tests done ===
* Audio recordings have (mostly) been done in '[[Debug Camera|debug camera]]' mode, so as to eliminate ship sounds and with systems disabled (including life support)
* Tests are usually performed with two pilots present.
* Tests are done in normal space.
* Tests with the UA next to other items are tested both in normal space and in cargo holds.
* Location tests are done both in the cargo hold and in normal space if possible.
* In the case of Polaris, having a UA in your hold will not allow you to make the jump in-system.
* They have been allowed to 'expire' in space
* They have been ejected inside a station
* They have been ejected into an outpost (accidentally)
* They have been ejected during supercruise (accidentally)
* They do not degrade the ship while docked
* UA and ship have been at overheating temperatures and freezing temperatures.
* Tried to see if they can be put in a module slot in Outfitting. They can't.
* Replaced a nav beacon with a UA, nothing happened.
* Tried flashing ship lights along with the UA's light. Nothing happened.
* Tried communicating with the UA over local chat comms. Nothing happened.
* Test with the UA next to hafnium, painite and SAP 8 core container <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNlNDULuuA</ref>
** Every sound sequence had 3 purrs in this recording. That means SAP8, Hafnium 178 and/or Painite can't be discounted as an influence.
* Tests with the UA next to 8, 6, 4 SAP 8 core containers <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551696&viewfull=1#post2551696</ref>
** I'''nteresting result:''' the number of purrs (after the howl, after the morse chitter sequence) changes from 5 to 3 purrs with 8 SAP 8 Canisters nearby. More tests required to verify if this is an effect of SAP 8 specifically, or canisters of any kind? Will 12 have more of an effect? etc.
* Tests with the UA next to 12 SAP 8 core container
* Tried to go into witchspace through the orginal Elite way (pitch and roll at maximum)
* Tests with the UA being in the darkness of a planet
* Checked for bulletin board missions relating to it at many stations and outposts including Leonard Nimoy several times over
* Ship carrying the UA has been interdicted several times - and has interdicted others while carrying the UA
* UA has been taken to many systems and has found to produce morse code of the nearest celestial object (or station - the first decoding of the Morse was SEEGA PORT)
* Two UA's in one ship has done nothing except made the corrosion damage done to the cargo hatch double, it was attempted to get 3 into the ship but could not get the two ships into the right instance to hand over a UA
* UA has been dropped by it'self and with a SAP 8 container at the same area
* UA has been taken to a capital ship, both in the cargo hold & free-floating in space. No comms or interest from the capital ship at all.
* Has been taken to Themiscrya, it can be found on galaxy map by searching for "them" (as in have you tried listening to them), in mythology this was the capital of the nation of all-female warriors called Amazons<ref>http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CGYQmhMwC2oVChMIg9HDg_rixgIVylcUCh1OhQbk&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThemiscyra_(mythology)&ei=pV6pVcPqHsqvUc6KmqAO&usg=AFQjCNGhtj83dGpYLsfF9pyrgtjgx_2H3w</ref>. Apparently the Thargoids are also an all female race<ref>http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Thargoids</ref>.
** The result of the audio tests were peculiar but inconclusive. The UA made 3 purrs during the first audio sequence, then 5/6 purrs for every sequence afterward <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB8DR0a23Nw?t=42s</ref>. This test was repeated again with the same result <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GgCcaN7Nyo?t=34s</ref>. Ratking15 was looking at the UA towards the planet, Zenith was looking from the side of the UA outward into space.
* Tested with fish, the theory being it wants fish! No response. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2591462&viewfull=1#post2591462</ref>

==== Pinged with various devices ====
* Normal Ship Sensors = Nothing
* Ship Lights = Nothing
* Frameshift wake scanner = Nothing
* Cargo scanner = Nothing
* Kill warrant scanner = Nothing
* Discovery Scanner = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2188219&viewfull=1#post2188219</ref>
* Detailed Surface Scanner = Nothing
* Shooting = Nothing
* ECM = Nothing

==== Ejected and observed / listened to next to other items and places ====
* Hafnium = Nothing
* AI relic = Nothing
* Soontill Relic = Nothing
* Ancient Artefact = Nothing
* Painite = Nothing
* NAV beacon (250 meters) = Nothing
* In-place of a destroyed NAV beacon = Nothing
* Leonard Nimoy station = Nothing
* Earth = Nothing
* Black Hole = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLA1CITXE4</ref>
* Sol = Nothing
* HE BO = Nothing
* Peregrina = Nothing
* Polaris = Nothing
* Toxic waste = Nothing
* Sap 8 Core Containers = Nothing
* Alien Artefacts = Nothing
* Close to Ammonia Planets = Nothing
* Dropped near various stars = Nothing
* Another Unknown Artefact = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2474851&viewfull=1#post2474851</ref>
* Azaleach = Nothing
* Quiness (planet Quy mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing
* Ross 154 (planet Merlin mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing. Morse reads Merlin.
* BD-02 4304 (in GalNet & mentioned by Kerrash) = Nothing
* Soontill (system, not the relic) = Nothing, chitter present w/ no nav beacon <ref>https://youtu.be/C2xM5o7YyqM?t=43m35s</ref>
* Guinna = Nothing
* Canopus = Nothing
* Exphiay = Nothing
* HIP 53688 = Nothing
* Furuhjelm I-695 (gas giant w/ ammonia-life) = Nothing
* Jaque's Station = Nothing
* Lave = Nothing
* In station with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off except thrusters) trying to get the UA inside a Cobra through the canopy
* Voyager. Specifically to location where currently (24/07/15) missing Voyager probe would be expected, UA reported "SOL" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2588909&viewfull=1#post2588909</ref>
* Delphin (a Halsey tour stop) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/hwKtYcloExE</ref>
* Shinrarta Dezhra = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/rDolCImgKC8</ref>
* LTT 4550 (other Shinrarta system, maybe Dark Wheel?) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/gu7pyQ2_xF8</ref>
* Tau Ceti (star, Taylors Colony, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/SN4kXNcuNlI</ref>
* Fawaol (star, Tracy, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/wMclnV098Rg</ref>
* Sleipnir (trying to reproduce the 3-purr scenario) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/1uIXjmnKWp0</ref>
* Pareco = Nothing
* Quator = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/9ETA9z8miJ4</ref>
* Riedquat = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/CU2KE_mXaDs</ref>
* Ross 780 = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/2mEC0ArKMQw</ref>

==== Places where they have not been taken or tests not done - feel free to try! ====
* Sagitarius A (The Galactic Centre)
** As the UA degrades modules quite rapidly, it would a challenging task to take it anywhere of great distance, even with a wing and plenty of [[Auto Field-Maintenance Unit|Auto Field Maintenance Units]].
* Polaris
** For the same reason as above, with the additional challenge that its a permit protected system. (Note that a UA ''has'' been taken to the nearest system to Polaris in 1.2 without any observable differences).
* Raxxla
** Because nobody knows where it is. Except the Thargoids.
* LFT 509
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Isinor
** permit is currently not obtainable as a different minor faction has taken control of the system
* Witch's Reach
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Sold at Leonard Nimoy Station
** As per the destination of the Wings Trailer, the UA was being taken there to 'see how much this thing is worth'. Understandably, due to the unbelievably rare nature of the UA, nobody wants to sell it.
* Voyager
** Voyager is currently missing. Tests have been performed where Voyager is expected to be (see above), but not when Voyager is present. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=74&p=2528722&highlight=voyager#post2528722</ref>

== Proposed Testing Regimen==
The number of theories under consideration means that it will take a fixed number of UAs to test each outcome. Each of these tests is destructive, ie. we lose the UA during the test conditions.

The prefix numbers are simply for enumerating and indentifying each test, they do not refer to priority, sequence or ranking. This list isn't exahaustive, and "The Canonn" group investigating the UAs may create or remove tests at any time.

# '''<s>Sell a UA on the Black Market at Newton Dock, BD-02 4304</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA, gain of 180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Sell a UA on the Black Market at a plague CG station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA, gain of ~180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a shutdown plague station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA provides a cure for the station.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay inside a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# Release a Ua in the Fuel scooping zone of a star. Turn your ship so its ejected away from the star. The UA looks like it might have 12 fuel scoops. Perhaps if it gets extra fuel it might trigger something.

== Who has a UA?==
There are currently three known UAs in game, these are in the possession of CMDRs Ratking15, CMDR Britain, and CMDR Branch. UAs have been found as early as the 1.2.06 patch and as recently as the 1.3.06 patch.

Ratking15 have streamed several times the UA on his twitch stream before attempting to upload them to Youtube, you can find his highlights of the streams (which are all of the stream mostly) on his channel with sound which is at: http://www.twitch.tv/ratking15 (it should be noted though that he does stream other games)

Branch does not have a (working) Twitch stream, but recordings & posts videos on YouTube (UA-specific playlist is at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr4nvzYqVcAr3DUQRl1rRBM1cKBGIV3YN).

==Who had a UA?==

Various commanders had originally acquired UA-s during the first "rush", but those have been lost to various accidents since. Of them, commanders Digitalscream, Glyn-ie, Marx, Murp have posted recordings of the UA's audio: see the list of their files [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142912&p=2193391&viewfull=1#post2193391 here].

Like Ratking15, Wishblend also has streamed several times with UA tests as well as casual gameplay though more often than Ratking15 who would rather not risk losing his UA when it might still be required.

However tragically during a trip to a testing zone Wishblend accidentally lost her UA......however her streams of the UA are still up and might be helpful for those who are looking for experience. Also Wishblend's streams are usually just in-game sounds as she prefers this, you can find her previous streams and highlights here: http://www.twitch.tv/wishblend/profile

CMDR Branch has managed to lose two UAs prior to the (current) third one. The first was during a loan to another commander. The second was lost in a scooping accident while trying to have another commander hold the UA to allow for switching ships.

==Taking care of your UA==
[[File:UADegradation.png|thumb|275x275px|Unknown Artefact degradation over time. A UA can survive 6m40s before exploding.]]

Congratulations! All your hard work has finally paid off, you're now the proud owner of an Unknown Artefact!

UAs can be quite delicate, it would be a terrible shame if you lost it the very same day wouldn't it?

This section is intended as a short user's guide to UA ownership. Read, take note and together we can ensure your UA has a long, happy and fruitful life.

There are many ways UAs can be inadvertently lost, some more obvious than others :

*Testing can be repetitive, and it's easy to become distracted. Pay attention when jettisoning, it is possible to jettison in supercruise. This is a lost UA.
*There's been one report of a CMDR backing 800-900m from a UA and it disappearing from the instance despite the CMDR having A class scanners, it makes no sense but it's happened at least once.
*A UA stored in cargo will cause a toxic corrosion event, this event will occur once every 30 seconds or so, each event will result in 1-2% damage to a random module.
*Multiple UAs or UAs plus toxic items increase the rate of module degradation.
*Watch cargo hatch degradation like a hawk. The cargo hatch has been seen to fail and eject cargo when as high as 84%. In supercruise this would be an unrecoverable UA. Keep it above 90%.
*Ensure landing gear is up before scooping, some ship models have the front landing gear blocking the cargo hatch.
*The UA can make you a target for other CMDR/player groups!
*Watch closly each "blip" on radar while testing. Don't forget how good NPC's can be now and how hard it was to gain the UA. Guarding CMDR's are a great option also when they stay 3 km away!
*When testing make sure you are keeping at very low speeds and never pointing at the UA as it's very easy to crash into one and blow it up, this also goes for anyone else with you as destructions by that has happened.

== References ==
<references />
{{Stub}}
[[Category:Commodities]]

Thargoid Sensor

2015-07-30T09:26:16Z

213.1.249.253: /* Proposed Testing Regimen */ Cure CG not currently considered relevant UA

'''''Disclaimer''': The information contained in this article is the combined work of several Commanders in good faith and by no means represents the full pool of knowledge around these fascinating items. You are advised not to take any of this information as fact, because it is after all, a wiki. It should also be noted that if you find anything that you know to be inaccurate or a misrepresentation, or you have extra knowledge to add, then you should do so because, after all, its a wiki. However, this is not the place for conjecture or personal opinions, please use the forum for that.''
=== In game description ===
{{CommodityInfobox
|image = Unknown artefact 001.png
|type = Salvage
|gap = 242,485
}}{{Quote|Only recently discovered, these mysterious artefacts currently have no designation. Despite much conjecture as to the nature of these objects, it appears that the scientific community is unwilling or unable to openly identify the artefacts' origins. Such mystery only serves to make these objects more widely sought after by wealthy individuals and organisations alike, no matter that their unidentified status automatically prohibits them form being sold on any legal market.|In-game description}}
==What does it do?==
As far as current tests and analysis show, it appears that the UA does a sort of sonar scan of the closest celestial object or station and then sends out (chittering) sounds which are a highly distorted morse code which represents that body.
==UA Features==
The '''Unknown Artefacts''' ('''UA''') have been reported to look like a form of sentient life, far beyond what we humans are capable of creating. It is still unknown what the UA is meant for, some people are speculating that this is the work of [[Thargoids]], and there have been lots of other theories. To date, none of these theories have been proven, it is 'exceedingly rare' and only a few pilots have been able to see one themselves, making it extremely challenging to carry out tests and theories.
However, the following aspects have been tested and are known:[[File:Elite Dangerous UA Features|thumb|right|335 px]]
*From a distance away it makes a loud whale like sound with some muttering and can be spotted by some sparkling and some purple/green gas-like colours.
*It seems to be made of three parts, the head (it looks like a giant egg with an place at the top where it seems like it can open up but some parts glow when the whale noise happens), the stork or spine (it seems to have four parts to it and lights up too to the whale noise), the pods or capsules (there are twelve of these).
*When close to it you can clearly see it giving off a distortion field of some kind which has sparks appearing and disappearing in it with a gas in the entire area, either green or purple. However in the debug camera you can get close enough to the point where the field isn't in the way and you can get a clear view of the UA.
*You can hear the sounds it gives off best when closest. You can hear a whale noise, followed by chittering and purring. The chittering has been found to be a garbled morse code, tapping out the name of the closest celestial body or station. The purpose, if there is one, of the other noises are yet to be determined.
*While inside your ship's cargo hold the UA acts like [[Toxic Waste]] by doing corrosion damage to ALL your ship modules.
*They are illegal salvage, so if you have it in your ship and a NPC System Authority scans you, you get a fine of 55,000cr. If stolen, your fine jumps to at least 161,000cr.
*They can be sold for up to 250k cr, though 180-220k cr is an average figure.
*The UA 'Spores' or 'glitter' don't appear to do any damage
* Occasionally they 'explode' sending a cloud of particulates out around them. Extremely slowed down video reveals a strange graphical glitch when this happens (or a tear in the space time continuum)
* Having a refinery fitted with a UA in the hold does nothing
* No new missions or contacts appear with one in the hold
* They are quite delicate and behave similarly to normal canisters in some ways
** They degrade over time in space (while ejected) and have a life of about 5 minutes max outside the ship, but reset to 100% health when back inside the cargo hold.
** Like toxic waste, they degrade ship's modules over time randomly while in the hold
== Finding them ==
These Unknown Artefacts can be found in [[System Signal Sources|Strong Signal Sources]]. There are at least seven systems (see below) where they spawn, Timocani and 109 Virginis are the two systems where they have most recently been found and [[Michael Brookes]] has stated that they are 'exceedingly rare' and that they are only available in certain regions of the galaxy, which would suggest that they are in other systems too. Since v1.3 very few UA discoveries have been reported.

CMDR Wishblend, one of the original UA finders, gives this advice:
[[File:Ua-chat-text.png|thumb|239x239px|Example of the kind of chat you will see when you have jumped into a UA Strong Signal Source]]
{{Quote|In 109 VIRGINIS, jump in at the big white A class star, go out (away from the star) around 100ls until the locater in the bottom left hand side of your screen says 'Deep Space'.

Put supercruise speed to minimum and wait for the 'SSS' (Strong Signal Sources) to appear. Some will be ambushes, others nothing that good, so be prepared to run or fight.

What you are looking for is one Type 9 Transport being escorted by a few anacondas. Sometimes there are two, sometimes four and sometimes there are other ships as well. The main tell is this: if you have a Type 9 being escorted by Anacondas, check the local chat window. If it is correct then the Type 9 and the Anacondas will be talking to each other about systems malfunctioning.|CMDR Wishblend}}
There are at least two known Strong Signal Source instances that contain UA's.

The first kind is made up of numerous ships and includes a Vulture, two Anacondas, the Type-9 and other ships. If you get this one, bear in mind that the Type-9 will probably charge its FSD and jump out of the system on its own. You can either choose to follow it (using a wake scanner) or attack it.
[[File:Ua-convoyA.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the first kind of AU carrying convoy. The Type-9 will eventually jump out of the system]]
The second is made up of four anacondas and the Type-9. This convoy will stop in space and the Anacondas will do a dance around the Type-9. It may be the case that the Type-9 is not a part of the Anaconda wing. It has been reported as the one where the Unknown Artefact will eat its way out of the Type-9's cargo hold without you firing a shot, but this has yet to be corroborated by other commanders.

Systems where they have been found or spotted
* Timocani (confirmed)
* 109 Virginis (confirmed)
* Tanmark <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/</ref> (confirmed)
* HIP 102128 <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/363y6k/unknown_artifact_found_in_imperial_convoy/</ref> (confirmed)
* Reshas <ref>http://www.01nk.com/EDPics/UA_Convoy.jpg</ref> (20.05.3301 confirmed)
* Blatrimpe <ref>http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg</ref> (08.05.3301 confirmed)
* UN NO MYOIN 78 -95 -61 (confirmed)
* Chamunda (unconfirmed)
* Geawenki (unconfirmed)
* Delphin (unconfirmed)
* Siren (unconfirmed)
[[File:Ua-convoyB.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the second version of the UA carrying convey. This one will hang around and conveniently drop the UA off for you to pick up]]

== The mystery of the Unknown Artefact ==
There is apparently some kind of mystery to be solved around these items, and certain people close to Frontier Developments have said that there are clues in the game, but nobody has spotted them yet. They even went as far to say that they are so obvious that to give any more clues would make it too easy. Despite this, no one has solved the mystery to date. During the period after the first find, some commanders created GalNet content related to the UA which was published, and these are included below but marked with ''[player submitted]''.

===Timeline of events===
'''12 January''': Federal Vice President Dies in swimming pool.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/12-JAN-3301</ref>

'''13 January''': Federal Vice President Smeaton's death does not appear to be as straight forward as it first appeared.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/13-JAN-3301</ref>

'''16 January''': Smeaton's widow accuses the military industrial complex of involvement in her husbands death.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/16-JAN-3301</ref>

'''28 January''': Federal Congressman George Fallside is revealed to have sent condolences to Smeaton's family 30 minutes before his death was announced.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-JAN-3301</ref>

'''10 February''': Soontill Alien Artefacts are mentioned in GalNet.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-FEB-3301</ref> Subsequently confirmed by FD that these Artefacts are not Unknown Artefacts.

'''10 March''': v1.2 is released. Includes "- Adding valuable salvage convoys to three permitted systems: LFT 509, Isinor, Witch's Reach"

'''13 March''': The UA appeared for the first time as cargo on board the ship in the official 1.2 Wings trailer <ref name=":3">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GEX4pYL9w</ref>

'''14 March''': Strange chatter in a Federal Convoy in the Tanmark system reported on Reddit <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/</ref>

'''28 April''': Arcannon innocently asks a simple question and starts the longest thread in Elite Dangerous Forums' history <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2160913#post2160913</ref> (now closed) which reached almost 10k posts and has had to be redirected to a new thread <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998</ref>

'''28 April''': Michael Brookes comes into the forum thread and says "Have you listened to them? Garbled morse code has since been discovered <ref name=":1">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2507590&viewfull=1#post2507590</ref> to be in the 'Chittering' part of the sound. A [[/List of recordings/]] (video and audio) has been compiled.

'''29 April''': MB confirms later in the same thread that [[Soontill Relics]] are not the same thing as UA's, and that UAs cannot be bought

'''30 April''': Strange parasite that attaches to a nervous system is reported in GalNet, but seems to have been subsequently removed <ref name=":0">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2176849&viewfull=1#post2176849</ref>

'''30 April''': YouTube video <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bAKBADBzC8&feature=youtu.be</ref> posted by a user who had recently posted another UA hoax, so nobody believed it. See 'The boy who cried wolf'.<ref>https://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/boy.html</ref>

'''02 May''': MB says that they are "exceedingly rare [sic] and can only be found within a certain region of space - that does include multiple systems though." and then later clarifies that they can only be found in "certain regions in the galaxy"

'''02 May''': Minos <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2181189&viewfull=1#post2181189</ref> discovers an entry in the [[Elite Timeline|Elite Dangerous Pilots Guide]]:

<blockquote>"3276 - A strange object of unknown origin is discovered in the vicinity of Liazeda (-12,3). Named the LRA (Liazeda RadioAnomoly), the Alliance research ship, the Lion, is sent toinvestigate. The LRA and the ship disappears and its fate is still unknown in 3296. Only a handful of crew, who were deploying probes from two Explorer-class vessels return."</blockquote>

'''04 May''': Wishblend finds the first UA in 109 Virginis,<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187286&viewfull=1#post2187286</ref> but unfortunately doesn't get it. Henceforth officially celebrated as UA Day across the galaxy, and the official title of UA Seeker was born. That afternoon, a further number were spotted but RedWizzard finally managed to actually grab one in Timocani.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187567&viewfull=1#post2187567</ref> Due to a bug a couple more were accidentally duplicated (bug reported). They were spawning a lot that day, for sure.

'''04 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' GalNet reports baffled 'scientists' (players involved in the search and recovery UAs) having found an Unknown Artefact.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/04-MAY-3301</ref>

'''06 May''': President Halsey's tour of the frontier announced <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/06-MAY-3301</ref>

'''07 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn challenges Halsey about UAs <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/07-MAY-3301</ref>

'''08 May''': Two sightings of UA Convoys by CMDR Nilreb in Blahtrimpe <ref>http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg</ref> <ref>http://imgur.com/a/oKNja</ref>

'''13 May''': President Halsey sets off from Sol <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/13-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': 78 Ursae Majoris prepares for Halsey's visit <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/15-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': Another UA Convoy sighting, this time in HIP 102128 <ref>http://redd.it/363y6k</ref>

'''17 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn accuses Federation a cover-up about the UAs <ref name="community.elitedangerous.com">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/17-MAY-3301</ref>

'''18 May''': Subsequent report on Soontill Relics in GalNet <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/18-MAY-3301</ref>

'''20 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' Tonnes of [[Biowaste]] dropped at 78 Ursae Majoris in protest against Federal cover-up of the UA, Dr Arcanonn denies links with the action <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/20-MAY-3301</ref>

'''23 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' A weird message is broadcast from someone somewhere trying to say something negative about the 'scientists' efforts <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/23-MAY-3301</ref>

'''26 May''': Halsey's Starship One goes missing, official initial report, Felicia Winters steps up as interim president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/26-MAY-3301</ref>

'''27 May''': Secondary report on what happened to SSOne <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/27-MAY-3301</ref>

'''28/29 May''': Conspiracy theories abound <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-MAY-3301</ref>

'''02 June''': Hudson becomes president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/02-JUN-3301</ref>

'''05 June''': Strange cannisters called [[Sap 8 Core Container]] appears in the game with launch of v1.3. No evidence that these are linked to UAs so far

'''22 June''': Mahddogg publishes his panel discussion about Powerplay,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYWolEEM_e0</ref> in which CMDR Kerrash mentions that "about the whole UA thing, there ''is'' something behind that, but no one has figured it out yet" (29m 30s) and that "[Frontier] have put some really obvious [clues] in there and we don't want to put anything else in" for fear of spoiling what is come in the future.

'''27 June''': CMDR Kerrash talks about various things, including Thargoid conjecture ("They are coming"), and that the UA and confirms there is something to it, and that 'if any people watching have got in with the UA thing and got halfway in and not looked into it anymore, please pleeease carry on looking, there is something there, there is an interesting secret there, please look, and the SAP 8 containers as well, there is something going on, dont give up!' <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RD6rmO_28s</ref> (from ~11 minutes in)

'''05 July''': CMDR Kerrash comes into the new thread, asks "Has anybody cracked it yet?", when gently prodded follows up with "Frontier did not spend all this effort in making a wild goose chase, I would imagine quite the fanfare when the truth is uncovered. BTW Are we even sure it is morse code?" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502255&viewfull=1#post2502255</ref> and "Yes there is more to it, I will see if I can get FD to drop another hint" <ref name=":2">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502284&viewfull=1#post2502284</ref>

'''06 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2503739&viewfull=1#post2503739</ref>

'''10 July''': [player submitted] UA Scientists claim a breakthrough that the UA broadcasts its closest celestial body (or station) in a form of morse code. <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-JUL-3301</ref>

'''14 July''': CMDR Patau82 spots another convoy in Timocani, but unfortunately fails to grab it. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542242&viewfull=1#post2542242</ref> They are still spawning.

'''14 July''': Reports of a 'Cerberus' plague "beyond BD-02 4304" <ref name=":4">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/14-JUL-3301</ref> which mentions "an unusual three-pronged structure at the ‘head’ of the phage-like organism." which led to the Phage Theory (see below). Later lead to six Community Goals in three different systems, three anti piracy and three bring medicines ("Debilitating disease devastating 20 Opiuchi / Dajoar / Eleu" and "Movement For Dajoar Independants / Social Eleu Progressive Party / Workers of 20 Opiuchi Values Party Pay for Protection").

'''17 July''': CMDR Lurius spots another UA Convoy in Timocani but unfortunately destroyed the UA during scooping. Extra information derived the route the convoy took was Timocani -> Yggdrajang -> Breksta (System jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space -> system jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space). Also, the strange chat (pictured above) continued through supercruise.

'''17 July''': CMDR Kerrash briefly mentions the UA hunt again in his stream <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaNKzXqZHg4#t=1289</ref> @ 20:35

'''19 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, the first known commander to retrieve two. This replaced one he had loaned to CMDR Zenith, which was lost to a player killer (not pirate) <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2561730&viewfull=1#post2561730</ref>

'''20 July''': CMDR Branch loses his second UA through a scooping incident by another commander.

'''23 July''': CMDR Britain finds an Unknown Artefact. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=279&p=2583760#post2583760</ref>

'''25 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, bringing the known possessed count back up to 3. This is also the third UA Branch has recovered. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2593742&viewfull=1#post2593742</ref>

'''28 July:''' CMDR Blain Crighton & his wing manage to obtain TWO Unknown Artefacts (may be the result of a P2P bug?) from the same convoy. One of theirs was accidentally crushed after being released in a station, the other was sold at Leonard Nimoy Memorial Station <ref>https://youtu.be/O_J6apLfs1I</ref> (to no obvious effect).

=== Theories proposed ===
* The Sound (When MB said "Have you listened to them", this was taken as a most significant clue')
** The UAs do indeed make an unusual sound. It appears to be made up of three main elements: The Honk (sounds like a whale noise), The Chitter (recently discovered <ref name=":1" /> to be a garbled morse code of the closest celestial body or station) and The Purr (When sped up x3 sounds like a trombone). There is a fourth element, a constant buzzing noise which has yet to be analysed fully, but also appears to have morse code embedded ...- .. -.. ---.. (VID8).<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=202&p=2563545&viewfull=1#post2563545</ref>
** The UAs do sound very similar to the in-ship basic discovery scanner, along with some other strange noises that could be similar to galactic noises heard in the galactic map or in space.
** The sound changed noticeably from v1.2 to v1.3. Similar but different. Tests ongoing.
* Advanced Scanner device
** The sounds the UA makes are very similar to those made by the basic discovery scanner, and it has been recently proven <ref name=":2" /> that the UA produces a 'stylised Morse code' of the name of the closest celestial body during the 'chittering' section of the sound. The purpose of the whale noise and the purrs are yet to be determined.
** The sounds the UA makes have also been compared to the sounds planetary bodies make in the system map <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=144782</ref>
* The Colour Pulse Theory
** The UA pulses purple and green, apparently randomly. There is a new theory that the green pulses increase in number the closer it is to its origin (or destination). <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2510274&viewfull=1#post2510274</ref>
* The Mayan Numbers Theory
** The markings on the UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542602&viewfull=1#post2542602</ref> look similar to the ancient Mayan number system (base 20) and it has been discussed at length in the forums. No real breakthrough as yet. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2538363&viewfull=1#post2538363</ref>
* Price Triangulation Theory
** This theory proposes that, with regular rare goods, the selling price for the UA should reduce the closer it gets to its origin. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142906</ref>

* Thargoids
** Many people think that the UA is of Thargoid origin. The only evidence for this is that it looks quite alien.
** There is a theory that it is some form of Thargoid revenge for the Mycoid Virus,<ref>http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA</ref> sent to kill all the humans. Suggestions were made of links to the He Bo virus outbreak.<ref name=":0" />
** There was a suggestion that it was a Thargoid Escape Pod.
** There was an idea that it looks like an egg/seeding pod, the beginning of a invasion.
* A tiny space station
** A recent poster <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2519619&viewfull=1#post2519619</ref> suggested that it might be a miniature space station and the little flecks of light are its tiny ships. Further speculation included ejecting gold nearby to tempt the Leprechauns out of hiding, suggesting an Irish origin. These theories have yet to be disproven.
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whales_Alive Whales Alive] , where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm7f0j7JVo&list=PL9S22cFnPMpBrCxWu5lq2P7lcErD-HtP8&index=7 Listening to it], a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found. <ref name=":5">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her. <ref name=":6">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
* The Leviathon Theory
** Influenced by possible clues in the Wings 1.2 Trailer <ref name=":3" />, this theory picks up many references which appear to point towards the word 'Leviathon' <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2568833&viewfull=1#post2568833</ref>. The Leviathon was a 200 metre long fish which inhabited the planet New California in the Laiququ system. Unfortunately, that system doesn't appear to exist in the game.
* The Phage Theory
** On 14 July a Galnet article mentioned an outbreak of disease, which mentioned a three pronged 'phage like' organism' <ref name=":4" /> which led people to make the connection that the UA could be a Phage of some sorts, as it looks similar in some ways <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551422&viewfull=1#post2551422</ref> <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2569753&viewfull=1#post2569753</ref> . Earth Phages are microscopic organisms, so the UA's host would have to be enormous, which is a scary thought.
* Discharge upon final decay
** Once a UA reaches 0% in open space, it explosively discharges green sparks from the 12 "pods" while emitting a screaming howl, and fires what appears to be an energy or plasma pulse rapidly away from the "head" of the artefact <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpdLsLgsWc</ref>. What is the purpose of this explosive ending <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvUqVgAcY0</ref>? Is the UA going off like a bomb? Is it delivering a payload of some kind? Some speculate that the UAs might be used to counter the so-called "Cerberus Plague" in some manner. Others speculate that the Cerberus Plague is being spread by the UAs. Further research is needed to determine the nature and character of a UA's decay and demise.

=== Theories Disproved===
* The Formidine Rift
** In Drew Wagar's book "[[Elite: Reclamation]]"<ref>https://fantasticbooksstore.com/store/paperback/elite-reclamation-pb/</ref> one of the characters mentions a hard-to-reach place in the galaxy called the Formidine Rift, where there is something 'worse than the Thargoids'. In true sci-fi thriller/horror tradition, dozens of players immediately went in search of what that might be.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=135529</ref> Drew was quite active in the forum thread and a connection was suggested that this might have something to do with the UA mystery, but this connection has since been disproved. There is no connection between Senator Kahina Tijani Loren and the UA, as indicated by the author himself.
* A Special System Permit
** There are systems in game which require an 'unknown permit'. So far, no access has been granted to anyone carrying a UA in their hold to one of these systems.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLomc-hLtq4</ref>
* Advanced Frameshift Drive
** There is lore involving a Thargoid Hyperspace Drive and some suspect that it might be one of these. There hasn't been any evidence that it can be fitted to a ship in the normal way.
* A Compass
** The theory that the UA points either where it came from or where it wants to go has been disproven. When ejected they point in no particular direction
* Halsey's Tour
** The theory is that President Halsey's ship was carrying an Unknown Artefact, which caused the complex multiple-system failure.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/c2955e4406913906e65a0a519c91e0b1eb477572</ref><ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/556da9049657bae92433fa1c</ref>
** Her tour locations were listed twice on GalNet (with additional destinations the second time).
** Following the stops in order (up to/including the Azaleach detour) with the UA on-board was tested and nothing extraordinary happened, including checking stations along the way.
* Limited Number Theory
** It was proposed that there are only a limited number of UA's available in the game in total and that the next step will only be accessible if we let them all expire. Since then confirmed sightings of more UA's have been reported and the possibility of additional UAs in the possession of commanders who don't know of the main research group or who have left the game, the limited number theory has been refuted. It seems unlikely that FD would rely on the destruction of all UAs as a trigger for the next stage as its impossible to tell when that has actually happened. In addition, similarly to the 'Sell It' theory and the 'let them finish' theory, consensus between the UA custodians was that there is still much research work to do before we risk their sacrifice in the name of a hunch.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2537143&viewfull=1#post2537143</ref>
* Let them finish what they are designed to do (unverifiable)
** The theory suggests that the UA tends to want to destroy itself and the ship that carries it, and therefore taking it long distances would seem the opposite of what its designed to do. The suggestion is that it would be interesting to see in detail, closeup, what happens when they expire. The theory is that they seem to scan an area and then explode from the bottom of the structure toward the head/node. During this, there apppears to be a burst of energy in the vector of the explosion a strange space field type pulse, spacial distortion, dimensional rift or a graphical glitch of the shadow effect of the UA's own silhouette <ref>http://i.imgur.com/X6FjMwf.gifv</ref>. The theory further suggests that the UAs either explode, travel to a new location or go home. The UA has already been filmed expiring on a couple of occasions <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2541462&viewfull=1#post2541462</ref> and nothing dramatic happened, and unfortunately this theory requires the sacrifice of an exceedingly rare object.
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whales_Alive Whales Alive] , where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm7f0j7JVo&list=PL9S22cFnPMpBrCxWu5lq2P7lcErD-HtP8&index=7 Listening to it], a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found. <ref name=":5">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her. <ref name=":6">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** CMDR Blain Crighton sold a UA at Leonard Nimoy station on 28/07/15. No effect. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2603802&viewfull=1#post2603802</ref>
=== Tests done ===
* Audio recordings have (mostly) been done in '[[Debug Camera|debug camera]]' mode, so as to eliminate ship sounds and with systems disabled (including life support)
* Tests are usually performed with two pilots present.
* Tests are done in normal space.
* Tests with the UA next to other items are tested both in normal space and in cargo holds.
* Location tests are done both in the cargo hold and in normal space if possible.
* In the case of Polaris, having a UA in your hold will not allow you to make the jump in-system.
* They have been allowed to 'expire' in space
* They have been ejected inside a station
* They have been ejected into an outpost (accidentally)
* They have been ejected during supercruise (accidentally)
* They do not degrade the ship while docked
* UA and ship have been at overheating temperatures and freezing temperatures.
* Tried to see if they can be put in a module slot in Outfitting. They can't.
* Replaced a nav beacon with a UA, nothing happened.
* Tried flashing ship lights along with the UA's light. Nothing happened.
* Tried communicating with the UA over local chat comms. Nothing happened.
* Test with the UA next to hafnium, painite and SAP 8 core container <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNlNDULuuA</ref>
** Every sound sequence had 3 purrs in this recording. That means SAP8, Hafnium 178 and/or Painite can't be discounted as an influence.
* Tests with the UA next to 8, 6, 4 SAP 8 core containers <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551696&viewfull=1#post2551696</ref>
** I'''nteresting result:''' the number of purrs (after the howl, after the morse chitter sequence) changes from 5 to 3 purrs with 8 SAP 8 Canisters nearby. More tests required to verify if this is an effect of SAP 8 specifically, or canisters of any kind? Will 12 have more of an effect? etc.
* Tests with the UA next to 12 SAP 8 core container
* Tried to go into witchspace through the orginal Elite way (pitch and roll at maximum)
* Tests with the UA being in the darkness of a planet
* Checked for bulletin board missions relating to it at many stations and outposts including Leonard Nimoy several times over
* Ship carrying the UA has been interdicted several times - and has interdicted others while carrying the UA
* UA has been taken to many systems and has found to produce morse code of the nearest celestial object (or station - the first decoding of the Morse was SEEGA PORT)
* Two UA's in one ship has done nothing except made the corrosion damage done to the cargo hatch double, it was attempted to get 3 into the ship but could not get the two ships into the right instance to hand over a UA
* UA has been dropped by it'self and with a SAP 8 container at the same area
* UA has been taken to a capital ship, both in the cargo hold & free-floating in space. No comms or interest from the capital ship at all.
* Has been taken to Themiscrya, it can be found on galaxy map by searching for "them" (as in have you tried listening to them), in mythology this was the capital of the nation of all-female warriors called Amazons<ref>http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CGYQmhMwC2oVChMIg9HDg_rixgIVylcUCh1OhQbk&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThemiscyra_(mythology)&ei=pV6pVcPqHsqvUc6KmqAO&usg=AFQjCNGhtj83dGpYLsfF9pyrgtjgx_2H3w</ref>. Apparently the Thargoids are also an all female race<ref>http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Thargoids</ref>.
** The result of the audio tests were peculiar but inconclusive. The UA made 3 purrs during the first audio sequence, then 5/6 purrs for every sequence afterward <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB8DR0a23Nw?t=42s</ref>. This test was repeated again with the same result <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GgCcaN7Nyo?t=34s</ref>. Ratking15 was looking at the UA towards the planet, Zenith was looking from the side of the UA outward into space.
* Tested with fish, the theory being it wants fish! No response. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2591462&viewfull=1#post2591462</ref>

==== Pinged with various devices ====
* Normal Ship Sensors = Nothing
* Ship Lights = Nothing
* Frameshift wake scanner = Nothing
* Cargo scanner = Nothing
* Kill warrant scanner = Nothing
* Discovery Scanner = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2188219&viewfull=1#post2188219</ref>
* Detailed Surface Scanner = Nothing
* Shooting = Nothing
* ECM = Nothing

==== Ejected and observed / listened to next to other items and places ====
* Hafnium = Nothing
* AI relic = Nothing
* Soontill Relic = Nothing
* Ancient Artefact = Nothing
* Painite = Nothing
* NAV beacon (250 meters) = Nothing
* In-place of a destroyed NAV beacon = Nothing
* Leonard Nimoy station = Nothing
* Earth = Nothing
* Black Hole = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLA1CITXE4</ref>
* Sol = Nothing
* HE BO = Nothing
* Peregrina = Nothing
* Polaris = Nothing
* Toxic waste = Nothing
* Sap 8 Core Containers = Nothing
* Alien Artefacts = Nothing
* Close to Ammonia Planets = Nothing
* Dropped near various stars = Nothing
* Another Unknown Artefact = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2474851&viewfull=1#post2474851</ref>
* Azaleach = Nothing
* Quiness (planet Quy mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing
* Ross 154 (planet Merlin mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing. Morse reads Merlin.
* BD-02 4304 (in GalNet & mentioned by Kerrash) = Nothing
* Soontill (system, not the relic) = Nothing, chitter present w/ no nav beacon <ref>https://youtu.be/C2xM5o7YyqM?t=43m35s</ref>
* Guinna = Nothing
* Canopus = Nothing
* Exphiay = Nothing
* HIP 53688 = Nothing
* Furuhjelm I-695 (gas giant w/ ammonia-life) = Nothing
* Jaque's Station = Nothing
* Lave = Nothing
* In station with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off except thrusters) trying to get the UA inside a Cobra through the canopy
* Voyager. Specifically to location where currently (24/07/15) missing Voyager probe would be expected, UA reported "SOL" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2588909&viewfull=1#post2588909</ref>
* Delphin (a Halsey tour stop) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/hwKtYcloExE</ref>
* Shinrarta Dezhra = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/rDolCImgKC8</ref>
* LTT 4550 (other Shinrarta system, maybe Dark Wheel?) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/gu7pyQ2_xF8</ref>
* Tau Ceti (star, Taylors Colony, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/SN4kXNcuNlI</ref>
* Fawaol (star, Tracy, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/wMclnV098Rg</ref>
* Sleipnir (trying to reproduce the 3-purr scenario) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/1uIXjmnKWp0</ref>
* Pareco = Nothing
* Quator = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/9ETA9z8miJ4</ref>
* Riedquat = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/CU2KE_mXaDs</ref>
* Ross 780 = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/2mEC0ArKMQw</ref>

==== Places where they have not been taken or tests not done - feel free to try! ====
* Sagitarius A (The Galactic Centre)
** As the UA degrades modules quite rapidly, it would a challenging task to take it anywhere of great distance, even with a wing and plenty of [[Auto Field-Maintenance Unit|Auto Field Maintenance Units]].
* Polaris
** For the same reason as above, with the additional challenge that its a permit protected system. (Note that a UA ''has'' been taken to the nearest system to Polaris in 1.2 without any observable differences).
* Raxxla
** Because nobody knows where it is. Except the Thargoids.
* LFT 509
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Isinor
** permit is currently not obtainable as a different minor faction has taken control of the system
* Witch's Reach
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Sold at Leonard Nimoy Station
** As per the destination of the Wings Trailer, the UA was being taken there to 'see how much this thing is worth'. Understandably, due to the unbelievably rare nature of the UA, nobody wants to sell it.
* Voyager
** Voyager is currently missing. Tests have been performed where Voyager is expected to be (see above), but not when Voyager is present. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=74&p=2528722&highlight=voyager#post2528722</ref>

== Proposed Testing Regimen==
The number of theories under consideration means that it will take a fixed number of UAs to test each outcome. Each of these tests is destructive, ie. we lose the UA during the test conditions.

The prefix numbers are simply for enumerating and indentifying each test, they do not refer to priority, sequence or ranking. This list isn't exahaustive, and "The Canonn" group investigating the UAs may create or remove tests at any time.

# '''Sell a UA on the Black Market at Newton Dock, BD-02 4304'''
#* '''Purpose''': To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA
#* '''Expected Outcome''': Loss of the UA, gain of 180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual Outcome''':
# '''<s>Sell a UA on the Black Market at a plague CG station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA, gain of ~180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a shutdown plague station</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA provides a cure for the station.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# '''<s>Allow a UA to decay inside a plague station with an active CG.</s>'''
#* '''<s>Purpose</s>'''<s>: To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.</s>
#* '''<s>Addendum</s>'''<s>: Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.</s>
#* '''<s>Expected Outcome</s>'''<s>: Loss of the UA</s>
#* '''<s>Taken on by</s>'''<s>:</s>
#* '''<s>Actual Outcome</s>'''<s>:</s>
# Release a Ua in the Fuel scooping zone of a star. Turn your ship so its ejected away from the star. The UA looks like it might have 12 fuel scoops. Perhaps if it gets extra fuel it might trigger something.

== Who has a UA?==
There are currently three known UAs in game, these are in the possession of CMDRs Ratking15, CMDR Britain, and CMDR Branch. UAs have been found as early as the 1.2.06 patch and as recently as the 1.3.06 patch.

Ratking15 have streamed several times the UA on his twitch stream before attempting to upload them to Youtube, you can find his highlights of the streams (which are all of the stream mostly) on his channel with sound which is at: http://www.twitch.tv/ratking15 (it should be noted though that he does stream other games)

Branch does not have a (working) Twitch stream, but recordings & posts videos on YouTube (UA-specific playlist is at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr4nvzYqVcAr3DUQRl1rRBM1cKBGIV3YN).

==Who had a UA?==

Various commanders had originally acquired UA-s during the first "rush", but those have been lost to various accidents since. Of them, commanders Digitalscream, Glyn-ie, Marx, Murp have posted recordings of the UA's audio: see the list of their files [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142912&p=2193391&viewfull=1#post2193391 here].

Like Ratking15, Wishblend also has streamed several times with UA tests as well as casual gameplay though more often than Ratking15 who would rather not risk losing his UA when it might still be required.

However tragically during a trip to a testing zone Wishblend accidentally lost her UA......however her streams of the UA are still up and might be helpful for those who are looking for experience. Also Wishblend's streams are usually just in-game sounds as she prefers this, you can find her previous streams and highlights here: http://www.twitch.tv/wishblend/profile

CMDR Branch has managed to lose two UAs prior to the (current) third one. The first was during a loan to another commander. The second was lost in a scooping accident while trying to have another commander hold the UA to allow for switching ships.

==Taking care of your UA==
[[File:UADegradation.png|thumb|275x275px|Unknown Artefact degradation over time. A UA can survive 6m40s before exploding.]]

Congratulations! All your hard work has finally paid off, you're now the proud owner of an Unknown Artefact!

UAs can be quite delicate, it would be a terrible shame if you lost it the very same day wouldn't it?

This section is intended as a short user's guide to UA ownership. Read, take note and together we can ensure your UA has a long, happy and fruitful life.

There are many ways UAs can be inadvertently lost, some more obvious than others :

*Testing can be repetitive, and it's easy to become distracted. Pay attention when jettisoning, it is possible to jettison in supercruise. This is a lost UA.
*There's been one report of a CMDR backing 800-900m from a UA and it disappearing from the instance despite the CMDR having A class scanners, it makes no sense but it's happened at least once.
*A UA stored in cargo will cause a toxic corrosion event, this event will occur once every 30 seconds or so, each event will result in 1-2% damage to a random module.
*Multiple UAs or UAs plus toxic items increase the rate of module degradation.
*Watch cargo hatch degradation like a hawk. The cargo hatch has been seen to fail and eject cargo when as high as 84%. In supercruise this would be an unrecoverable UA. Keep it above 90%.
*Ensure landing gear is up before scooping, some ship models have the front landing gear blocking the cargo hatch.
*The UA can make you a target for other CMDR/player groups!
*Watch closly each "blip" on radar while testing. Don't forget how good NPC's can be now and how hard it was to gain the UA. Guarding CMDR's are a great option also when they stay 3 km away!
*When testing make sure you are keeping at very low speeds and never pointing at the UA as it's very easy to crash into one and blow it up, this also goes for anyone else with you as destructions by that has happened.

== References ==
<references />
{{Stub}}
[[Category:Commodities]]

Thargoid Sensor

2015-07-29T13:09:24Z

213.1.249.253:

'''''Disclaimer''': The information contained in this article is the combined work of several Commanders in good faith and by no means represents the full pool of knowledge around these fascinating items. You are advised not to take any of this information as fact, because it is after all, a wiki. It should also be noted that if you find anything that you know to be inaccurate or a misrepresentation, or you have extra knowledge to add, then you should do so because, after all, its a wiki. However, this is not the place for conjecture or personal opinions, please use the forum for that.''
=== In game description ===
{{CommodityInfobox
|image = Unknown artefact 001.png
|type = Salvage
|gap = 242,485
}}{{Quote|Only recently discovered, these mysterious artefacts currently have no designation. Despite much conjecture as to the nature of these objects, it appears that the scientific community is unwilling or unable to openly identify the artefacts' origins. Such mystery only serves to make these objects more widely sought after by wealthy individuals and organisations alike, no matter that their unidentified status automatically prohibits them form being sold on any legal market.|In-game description}}
==What does it do?==
As far as current tests and analysis show, it appears that the UA does a sort of sonar scan of the closest celestial object or station and then sends out (chittering) sounds which are a highly distorted morse code which represents that body.
==UA Features==
The '''Unknown Artefacts''' ('''UA''') have been reported to look like a form of sentient life, far beyond what we humans are capable of creating. It is still unknown what the UA is meant for, some people are speculating that this is the work of [[Thargoids]], and there have been lots of other theories. To date, none of these theories have been proven, it is 'exceedingly rare' and only a few pilots have been able to see one themselves, making it extremely challenging to carry out tests and theories.
However, the following aspects have been tested and are known:[[File:Elite Dangerous UA Features|thumb|right|335 px]]
*From a distance away it makes a loud whale like sound with some muttering and can be spotted by some sparkling and some purple/green gas-like colours.
*It seems to be made of three parts, the head (it looks like a giant egg with an place at the top where it seems like it can open up but some parts glow when the whale noise happens), the stork or spine (it seems to have four parts to it and lights up too to the whale noise), the pods or capsules (there are twelve of these).
*When close to it you can clearly see it giving off a distortion field of some kind which has sparks appearing and disappearing in it with a gas in the entire area, either green or purple. However in the debug camera you can get close enough to the point where the field isn't in the way and you can get a clear view of the UA.
*You can hear the sounds it gives off best when closest. You can hear a whale noise, followed by chittering and purring. The chittering has been found to be a garbled morse code, tapping out the name of the closest celestial body or station. The purpose, if there is one, of the other noises are yet to be determined.
*While inside your ship's cargo hold the UA acts like [[Toxic Waste]] by doing corrosion damage to ALL your ship modules.
*They are illegal salvage, so if you have it in your ship and a NPC System Authority scans you, you get a fine of 55,000cr. If stolen, your fine jumps to at least 161,000cr.
*They can be sold for up to 250k cr, though 180-220k cr is an average figure.
*The UA 'Spores' or 'glitter' don't appear to do any damage
* Occasionally they 'explode' sending a cloud of particulates out around them. Extremely slowed down video reveals a strange graphical glitch when this happens (or a tear in the space time continuum)
* Having a refinery fitted with a UA in the hold does nothing
* No new missions or contacts appear with one in the hold
* They are quite delicate and behave similarly to normal canisters in some ways
** They degrade over time in space (while ejected) and have a life of about 5 minutes max outside the ship, but reset to 100% health when back inside the cargo hold.
** Like toxic waste, they degrade ship's modules over time randomly while in the hold
== Finding them ==
These Unknown Artefacts can be found in [[System Signal Sources|Strong Signal Sources]]. There are at least six systems (see below) where they spawn, Timocani and 109 Virginis are the two systems where they have most recently been found and [[Michael Brookes]] has stated that they are 'exceedingly rare' and that they are only available in certain regions of the galaxy, which would suggest that they are in other systems too. Since v1.3 very few UA discoveries have been reported.

CMDR Wishblend, one of the original UA finders, gives this advice:
[[File:Ua-chat-text.png|thumb|239x239px|Example of the kind of chat you will see when you have jumped into a UA Strong Signal Source]]
{{Quote|In 109 VIRGINIS, jump in at the big white A class star, go out (away from the star) around 100ls until the locater in the bottom left hand side of your screen says 'Deep Space'.

Put supercruise speed to minimum and wait for the 'SSS' (Strong Signal Sources) to appear. Some will be ambushes, others nothing that good, so be prepared to run or fight.

What you are looking for is one Type 9 Transport being escorted by a few anacondas. Sometimes there are two, sometimes four and sometimes there are other ships as well. The main tell is this: if you have a Type 9 being escorted by Anacondas, check the local chat window. If it is correct then the Type 9 and the Anacondas will be talking to each other about systems malfunctioning.|CMDR Wishblend}}
There are at least two known Strong Signal Source instances that contain UA's.

The first kind is made up of numerous ships and includes a Vulture, two Anacondas, the Type-9 and other ships. If you get this one, bear in mind that the Type-9 will probably charge its FSD and jump out of the system on its own. You can either choose to follow it (using a wake scanner) or attack it.
[[File:Ua-convoyA.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the first kind of AU carrying convoy. The Type-9 will eventually jump out of the system]]
The second is made up of four anacondas and the Type-9. This convoy will stop in space and the Anacondas will do a dance around the Type-9. It may be the case that the Type-9 is not a part of the Anaconda wing. It has been reported as the one where the Unknown Artefact will eat its way out of the Type-9's cargo hold without you firing a shot, but this has yet to be corroborated by other commanders.

Systems where they have been found or spotted
* Timocani (confirmed)
* 109 Virginis (confirmed)
* Tanmark <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/</ref> (confirmed)
* HIP 102128 <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/363y6k/unknown_artifact_found_in_imperial_convoy/</ref> (confirmed)
* Reshas <ref>http://www.01nk.com/EDPics/UA_Convoy.jpg</ref> (20.05.3301 confirmed)
* Blatrimpe <ref>http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg</ref> (08.05.3301 confirmed)
* UN NO MYOIN 78 -95 -61 (confirmed)
* Chamunda (unconfirmed)
* Geawenki (unconfirmed)
* Delphin (unconfirmed)
* Siren (unconfirmed)
[[File:Ua-convoyB.jpg|thumb|220x220px|This is the second version of the UA carrying convey. This one will hang around and conveniently drop the UA off for you to pick up]]

== The mystery of the Unknown Artefact ==
There is apparently some kind of mystery to be solved around these items, and certain people close to Frontier Developments have said that there are clues in the game, but nobody has spotted them yet. They even went as far to say that they are so obvious that to give any more clues would make it too easy. Despite this, no one has solved the mystery to date. During the period after the first find, some commanders created GalNet content related to the UA which was published, and these are included below but marked with ''[player submitted]''.

===Timeline of events===
'''10 February''': Soontill Alien Artefacts are mentioned in GalNet.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-FEB-3301</ref> Subsequently confirmed by FD that these Artefacts are not Unknown Artefacts.

'''10 March''': v1.2 is released. Includes "- Adding valuable salvage convoys to three permitted systems: LFT 509, Isinor, Witch's Reach"

'''13 March''': The UA appeared for the first time as cargo on board the ship in the official 1.2 Wings trailer <ref name=":3">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23GEX4pYL9w</ref>

'''14 March''': Strange chatter in a Federal Convoy in the Tanmark system reported on Reddit <ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/2z0w6g/thargoid_transport_in_tanmark/</ref>

'''28 April''': Arcannon innocently asks a simple question and starts the longest thread in Elite Dangerous Forums' history <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2160913#post2160913</ref> (now closed) which reached almost 10k posts and has had to be redirected to a new thread <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998</ref>

'''28 April''': Michael Brookes comes into the forum thread and says "Have you listened to them? Garbled morse code has since been discovered <ref name=":1">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2507590&viewfull=1#post2507590</ref> to be in the 'Chittering' part of the sound. A [[/List of recordings/]] (video and audio) has been compiled.

'''29 April''': MB confirms later in the same thread that [[Soontill Relics]] are not the same thing as UA's, and that UAs cannot be bought

'''30 April''': Strange parasite that attaches to a nervous system is reported in GalNet, but seems to have been subsequently removed <ref name=":0">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2176849&viewfull=1#post2176849</ref>

'''30 April''': YouTube video <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bAKBADBzC8&feature=youtu.be</ref> posted by a user who had recently posted another UA hoax, so nobody believed it. See 'The boy who cried wolf'.<ref>https://www.storyarts.org/library/aesops/stories/boy.html</ref>

'''02 May''': MB says that they are "exceedingly rare [sic] and can only be found within a certain region of space - that does include multiple systems though." and then later clarifies that they can only be found in "certain regions in the galaxy"

'''02 May''': Minos <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2181189&viewfull=1#post2181189</ref> discovers an entry in the [[Elite Timeline|Elite Dangerous Pilots Guide]]:

<blockquote>"3276 - A strange object of unknown origin is discovered in the vicinity of Liazeda (-12,3). Named the LRA (Liazeda RadioAnomoly), the Alliance research ship, the Lion, is sent toinvestigate. The LRA and the ship disappears and its fate is still unknown in 3296. Only a handful of crew, who were deploying probes from two Explorer-class vessels return."</blockquote>

'''04 May''': Wishblend finds the first UA in 109 Virginis,<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187286&viewfull=1#post2187286</ref> but unfortunately doesn't get it. Henceforth officially celebrated as UA Day across the galaxy, and the official title of UA Seeker was born. That afternoon, a further number were spotted but RedWizzard finally managed to actually grab one in Timocani.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2187567&viewfull=1#post2187567</ref> Due to a bug a couple more were accidentally duplicated (bug reported). They were spawning a lot that day, for sure.

'''04 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' GalNet reports baffled 'scientists' (players involved in the search and recovery UAs) having found an Unknown Artefact.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/04-MAY-3301</ref>

'''06 May''': President Halsey's tour of the frontier announced <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/06-MAY-3301</ref>

'''07 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn challenges Halsey about UAs <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/07-MAY-3301</ref>

'''08 May''': Two sightings of UA Convoys by CMDR Nilreb in Blahtrimpe <ref>http://imgur.com/a/dDJrg</ref> <ref>http://imgur.com/a/oKNja</ref>

'''13 May''': President Halsey sets off from Sol <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/13-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': 78 Ursae Majoris prepares for Halsey's visit <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/15-MAY-3301</ref>

'''15 May''': Another UA Convoy sighting, this time in HIP 102128 <ref>http://redd.it/363y6k</ref>

'''17 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' 'Dr' Arcanonn accuses Federation a cover-up about the UAs <ref name="community.elitedangerous.com">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/17-MAY-3301</ref>

'''18 May''': Subsequent report on Soontill Relics in GalNet <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/18-MAY-3301</ref>

'''20 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' Tonnes of [[Biowaste]] dropped at 78 Ursae Majoris in protest against Federal cover-up of the UA, Dr Arcanonn denies links with the action <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/20-MAY-3301</ref>

'''23 May''': ''[Player Submitted]'' A weird message is broadcast from someone somewhere trying to say something negative about the 'scientists' efforts <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/23-MAY-3301</ref>

'''26 May''': Halsey's Starship One goes missing, official initial report, Felicia Winters steps up as interim president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/26-MAY-3301</ref>

'''27 May''': Secondary report on what happened to SSOne <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/27-MAY-3301</ref>

'''28/29 May''': Conspiracy theories abound <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/28-MAY-3301</ref>

'''02 June''': Hudson becomes president <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/02-JUN-3301</ref>

'''05 June''': Strange cannisters called [[Sap 8 Core Container]] appears in the game with launch of v1.3. No evidence that these are linked to UAs so far

'''22 June''': Mahddogg publishes his panel discussion about Powerplay,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYWolEEM_e0</ref> in which CMDR Kerrash mentions that "about the whole UA thing, there ''is'' something behind that, but no one has figured it out yet" (29m 30s) and that "[Frontier] have put some really obvious [clues] in there and we don't want to put anything else in" for fear of spoiling what is come in the future.

'''27 June''': CMDR Kerrash talks about various things, including Thargoid conjecture ("They are coming"), and that the UA and confirms there is something to it, and that 'if any people watching have got in with the UA thing and got halfway in and not looked into it anymore, please pleeease carry on looking, there is something there, there is an interesting secret there, please look, and the SAP 8 containers as well, there is something going on, dont give up!' <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RD6rmO_28s</ref> (from ~11 minutes in)

'''05 July''': CMDR Kerrash comes into the new thread, asks "Has anybody cracked it yet?", when gently prodded follows up with "Frontier did not spend all this effort in making a wild goose chase, I would imagine quite the fanfare when the truth is uncovered. BTW Are we even sure it is morse code?" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502255&viewfull=1#post2502255</ref> and "Yes there is more to it, I will see if I can get FD to drop another hint" <ref name=":2">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2502284&viewfull=1#post2502284</ref>

'''06 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2503739&viewfull=1#post2503739</ref>

'''10 July''': [player submitted] UA Scientists claim a breakthrough that the UA broadcasts its closest celestial body (or station) in a form of morse code. <ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/10-JUL-3301</ref>

'''14 July''': CMDR Patau82 spots another convoy in Timocani, but unfortunately fails to grab it. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542242&viewfull=1#post2542242</ref> They are still spawning.

'''14 July''': Reports of a 'Cerberus' plague "beyond BD-02 4304" <ref name=":4">https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/14-JUL-3301</ref> which mentions "an unusual three-pronged structure at the ‘head’ of the phage-like organism." which led to the Phage Theory (see below). Later lead to six Community Goals in three different systems, three anti piracy and three bring medicines ("Debilitating disease devastating 20 Opiuchi / Dajoar / Eleu" and "Movement For Dajoar Independants / Social Eleu Progressive Party / Workers of 20 Opiuchi Values Party Pay for Protection").

'''17 July''': CMDR Lurius spots another UA Convoy in Timocani but unfortunately destroyed the UA during scooping. Extra information derived the route the convoy took was Timocani -> Yggdrajang -> Breksta (System jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space -> system jump -> cruising -> dropping into station space). Also, the strange chat (pictured above) continued through supercruise.

'''17 July''': CMDR Kerrash briefly mentions the UA hunt again in his stream <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaNKzXqZHg4#t=1289</ref> @ 20:35

'''19 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, the first known commander to retrieve two. This replaced one he had loaned to CMDR Zenith, which was lost to a player killer (not pirate) <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2561730&viewfull=1#post2561730</ref>

'''20 July''': CMDR Branch loses his second UA through a scooping incident by another commander.

'''23 July''': CMDR Britain finds an Unknown Artefact. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=279&p=2583760#post2583760</ref>

'''25 July''': CMDR Branch finds another UA, bringing the known possessed count back up to 3. This is also the third UA Branch has recovered. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2593742&viewfull=1#post2593742</ref>

'''28 July:''' CMDR Blain Crighton & his wing manage to obtain TWO Unknown Artefacts (may be the result of a P2P bug?) from the same convoy. One of theirs was accidentally crushed after being released in a station, the other was sold at Leonard Nimoy Memorial Station <ref>https://youtu.be/O_J6apLfs1I</ref> (to no obvious effect).

=== Theories proposed ===
* The Sound (When MB said "Have you listened to them", this was taken as a most significant clue')
** The UAs do indeed make an unusual sound. It appears to be made up of three main elements: The Honk (sounds like a whale noise), The Chitter (recently discovered <ref name=":1" /> to be a garbled morse code of the closest celestial body or station) and The Purr (When sped up x3 sounds like a trombone). There is a fourth element, a constant buzzing noise which has yet to be analysed fully, but also appears to have morse code embedded ...- .. -.. ---.. (VID8).<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=202&p=2563545&viewfull=1#post2563545</ref>
** The UAs do sound very similar to the in-ship basic discovery scanner, along with some other strange noises that could be similar to galactic noises heard in the galactic map or in space.
** The sound changed noticeably from v1.2 to v1.3. Similar but different. Tests ongoing.
* Advanced Scanner device
** The sounds the UA makes are very similar to those made by the basic discovery scanner, and it has been recently proven <ref name=":2" /> that the UA produces a 'stylised Morse code' of the name of the closest celestial body during the 'chittering' section of the sound. The purpose of the whale noise and the purrs are yet to be determined.
** The sounds the UA makes have also been compared to the sounds planetary bodies make in the system map <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=144782</ref>
* The Colour Pulse Theory
** The UA pulses purple and green, apparently randomly. There is a new theory that the green pulses increase in number the closer it is to its origin (or destination). <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2510274&viewfull=1#post2510274</ref>
* The Mayan Numbers Theory
** The markings on the UA <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2542602&viewfull=1#post2542602</ref> look similar to the ancient Mayan number system (base 20) and it has been discussed at length in the forums. No real breakthrough as yet. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2538363&viewfull=1#post2538363</ref>
* Price Triangulation Theory
** This theory proposes that, with regular rare goods, the selling price for the UA should reduce the closer it gets to its origin. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142906</ref>

* Thargoids
** Many people think that the UA is of Thargoid origin. The only evidence for this is that it looks quite alien.
** There is a theory that it is some form of Thargoid revenge for the Mycoid Virus,<ref>http://wiki.alioth.net/index.php/INRA</ref> sent to kill all the humans. Suggestions were made of links to the He Bo virus outbreak.<ref name=":0" />
** There was a suggestion that it was a Thargoid Escape Pod.
** There was an idea that it looks like an egg/seeding pod, the beginning of a invasion.
* A tiny space station
** A recent poster <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2519619&viewfull=1#post2519619</ref> suggested that it might be a miniature space station and the little flecks of light are its tiny ships. Further speculation included ejecting gold nearby to tempt the Leprechauns out of hiding, suggesting an Irish origin. These theories have yet to be disproven.
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whales_Alive Whales Alive] , where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm7f0j7JVo&list=PL9S22cFnPMpBrCxWu5lq2P7lcErD-HtP8&index=7 Listening to it], a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found. <ref name=":5">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her. <ref name=":6">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
* The Leviathon Theory
** Influenced by possible clues in the Wings 1.2 Trailer <ref name=":3" />, this theory picks up many references which appear to point towards the word 'Leviathon' <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2568833&viewfull=1#post2568833</ref>. The Leviathon was a 200 metre long fish which inhabited the planet New California in the Laiququ system. Unfortunately, that system doesn't appear to exist in the game.
* The Phage Theory
** On 14 July a Galnet article mentioned an outbreak of disease, which mentioned a three pronged 'phage like' organism' <ref name=":4" /> which led people to make the connection that the UA could be a Phage of some sorts, as it looks similar in some ways <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551422&viewfull=1#post2551422</ref> <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2569753&viewfull=1#post2569753</ref> . Earth Phages are microscopic organisms, so the UA's host would have to be enormous, which is a scary thought.
* Discharge upon final decay
** Once a UA reaches 0% in open space, it explosively discharges green sparks from the 12 "pods" while emitting a screaming howl, and fires what appears to be an energy or plasma pulse rapidly away from the "head" of the artefact <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpdLsLgsWc</ref>. What is the purpose of this explosive ending <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvUqVgAcY0</ref>? Is the UA going off like a bomb? Is it delivering a payload of some kind? Some speculate that the UAs might be used to counter the so-called "Cerberus Plague" in some manner. Others speculate that the Cerberus Plague is being spread by the UAs. Further research is needed to determine the nature and character of a UA's decay and demise.

=== Theories Disproved===
* The Formidine Rift
** In Drew Wagar's book "[[Elite: Reclamation]]"<ref>https://fantasticbooksstore.com/store/paperback/elite-reclamation-pb/</ref> one of the characters mentions a hard-to-reach place in the galaxy called the Formidine Rift, where there is something 'worse than the Thargoids'. In true sci-fi thriller/horror tradition, dozens of players immediately went in search of what that might be.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=135529</ref> Drew was quite active in the forum thread and a connection was suggested that this might have something to do with the UA mystery, but this connection has since been disproved. There is no connection between Senator Kahina Tijani Loren and the UA, as indicated by the author himself.
* A Special System Permit
** There are systems in game which require an 'unknown permit'. So far, no access has been granted to anyone carrying a UA in their hold to one of these systems.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLomc-hLtq4</ref>
* Advanced Frameshift Drive
** There is lore involving a Thargoid Hyperspace Drive and some suspect that it might be one of these. There hasn't been any evidence that it can be fitted to a ship in the normal way.
* A Compass
** The theory that the UA points either where it came from or where it wants to go has been disproven. When ejected they point in no particular direction
* Halsey's Tour
** The theory is that President Halsey's ship was carrying an Unknown Artefact, which caused the complex multiple-system failure.<ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/c2955e4406913906e65a0a519c91e0b1eb477572</ref><ref>https://community.elitedangerous.com/galnet/uid/556da9049657bae92433fa1c</ref>
** Her tour locations were listed twice on GalNet (with additional destinations the second time).
** Following the stops in order (up to/including the Azaleach detour) with the UA on-board was tested and nothing extraordinary happened, including checking stations along the way.
* Limited Number Theory
** It was proposed that there are only a limited number of UA's available in the game in total and that the next step will only be accessible if we let them all expire. Since then confirmed sightings of more UA's have been reported and the possibility of additional UAs in the possession of commanders who don't know of the main research group or who have left the game, the limited number theory has been refuted. It seems unlikely that FD would rely on the destruction of all UAs as a trigger for the next stage as its impossible to tell when that has actually happened. In addition, similarly to the 'Sell It' theory and the 'let them finish' theory, consensus between the UA custodians was that there is still much research work to do before we risk their sacrifice in the name of a hunch.<ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2537143&viewfull=1#post2537143</ref>
* Let them finish what they are designed to do (unverifiable)
** The theory suggests that the UA tends to want to destroy itself and the ship that carries it, and therefore taking it long distances would seem the opposite of what its designed to do. The suggestion is that it would be interesting to see in detail, closeup, what happens when they expire. The theory is that they seem to scan an area and then explode from the bottom of the structure toward the head/node. During this, there apppears to be a burst of energy in the vector of the explosion a strange space field type pulse, spacial distortion, dimensional rift or a graphical glitch of the shadow effect of the UA's own silhouette <ref>http://i.imgur.com/X6FjMwf.gifv</ref>. The theory further suggests that the UAs either explode, travel to a new location or go home. The UA has already been filmed expiring on a couple of occasions <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2541462&viewfull=1#post2541462</ref> and nothing dramatic happened, and unfortunately this theory requires the sacrifice of an exceedingly rare object.
* Sell it at Leonard Nimoy Station
** The first sighting of the UA in the 1.2 Wings Trailer <ref name=":3" /> had the carriers heading to Leonard Nimoy Station to sell it. Unfortunately, the UA spawn is so rare that understandably none of the custodians want to sell theirs.
** Further researches about Leonard Nimoy, brought to our attention a record he contributed to, named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whales_Alive Whales Alive] , where he reads poems about the sea and Whales. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbm7f0j7JVo&list=PL9S22cFnPMpBrCxWu5lq2P7lcErD-HtP8&index=7 Listening to it], a lot of similarities to the sounds the UA emits, can be found. <ref name=":5">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** In Start Trek IV movie, Leonard Nimoy is able to communicate with a Whale, and to understand her. <ref name=":6">https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=265&p=2580919&viewfull=1#post2580919</ref>
** CMDR Blain Crighton sold a UA at Leonard Nimoy station on 28/07/15. No effect. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2603802&viewfull=1#post2603802</ref>
=== Tests done ===
* Audio recordings have (mostly) been done in '[[Debug Camera|debug camera]]' mode, so as to eliminate ship sounds and with systems disabled (including life support)
* Tests are usually performed with two pilots present.
* Tests are done in normal space.
* Tests with the UA next to other items are tested both in normal space and in cargo holds.
* Location tests are done both in the cargo hold and in normal space if possible.
* In the case of Polaris, having a UA in your hold will not allow you to make the jump in-system.
* They have been allowed to 'expire' in space
* They have been ejected inside a station
* They have been ejected into an outpost (accidentally)
* They have been ejected during supercruise (accidentally)
* They do not degrade the ship while docked
* UA and ship have been at overheating temperatures and freezing temperatures.
* Tried to see if they can be put in a module slot in Outfitting. They can't.
* Replaced a nav beacon with a UA, nothing happened.
* Tried flashing ship lights along with the UA's light. Nothing happened.
* Tried communicating with the UA over local chat comms. Nothing happened.
* Test with the UA next to hafnium, painite and SAP 8 core container <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNlNDULuuA</ref>
** Every sound sequence had 3 purrs in this recording. That means SAP8, Hafnium 178 and/or Painite can't be discounted as an influence.
* Tests with the UA next to 8, 6, 4 SAP 8 core containers <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2551696&viewfull=1#post2551696</ref>
** I'''nteresting result:''' the number of purrs (after the howl, after the morse chitter sequence) changes from 5 to 3 purrs with 8 SAP 8 Canisters nearby. More tests required to verify if this is an effect of SAP 8 specifically, or canisters of any kind? Will 12 have more of an effect? etc.
* Tests with the UA next to 12 SAP 8 core container
* Tried to go into witchspace through the orginal Elite way (pitch and roll at maximum)
* Tests with the UA being in the darkness of a planet
* Checked for bulletin board missions relating to it at many stations and outposts including Leonard Nimoy several times over
* Ship carrying the UA has been interdicted several times - and has interdicted others while carrying the UA
* UA has been taken to many systems and has found to produce morse code of the nearest celestial object (or station - the first decoding of the Morse was SEEGA PORT)
* Two UA's in one ship has done nothing except made the corrosion damage done to the cargo hatch double, it was attempted to get 3 into the ship but could not get the two ships into the right instance to hand over a UA
* UA has been dropped by it'self and with a SAP 8 container at the same area
* UA has been taken to a capital ship, both in the cargo hold & free-floating in space. No comms or interest from the capital ship at all.
* Has been taken to Themiscrya, it can be found on galaxy map by searching for "them" (as in have you tried listening to them), in mythology this was the capital of the nation of all-female warriors called Amazons<ref>http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CGYQmhMwC2oVChMIg9HDg_rixgIVylcUCh1OhQbk&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FThemiscyra_(mythology)&ei=pV6pVcPqHsqvUc6KmqAO&usg=AFQjCNGhtj83dGpYLsfF9pyrgtjgx_2H3w</ref>. Apparently the Thargoids are also an all female race<ref>http://elite-dangerous.wikia.com/wiki/Thargoids</ref>.
** The result of the audio tests were peculiar but inconclusive. The UA made 3 purrs during the first audio sequence, then 5/6 purrs for every sequence afterward <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB8DR0a23Nw?t=42s</ref>. This test was repeated again with the same result <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GgCcaN7Nyo?t=34s</ref>. Ratking15 was looking at the UA towards the planet, Zenith was looking from the side of the UA outward into space.
* Tested with fish, the theory being it wants fish! No response. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2591462&viewfull=1#post2591462</ref>

==== Pinged with various devices ====
* Normal Ship Sensors = Nothing
* Ship Lights = Nothing
* Frameshift wake scanner = Nothing
* Cargo scanner = Nothing
* Kill warrant scanner = Nothing
* Discovery Scanner = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2188219&viewfull=1#post2188219</ref>
* Detailed Surface Scanner = Nothing
* Shooting = Nothing
* ECM = Nothing

==== Ejected and observed / listened to next to other items and places ====
* Hafnium = Nothing
* AI relic = Nothing
* Soontill Relic = Nothing
* Ancient Artefact = Nothing
* Painite = Nothing
* NAV beacon (250 meters) = Nothing
* In-place of a destroyed NAV beacon = Nothing
* Leonard Nimoy station = Nothing
* Earth = Nothing
* Black Hole = Nothing <ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLA1CITXE4</ref>
* Sol = Nothing
* HE BO = Nothing
* Peregrina = Nothing
* Polaris = Nothing
* Toxic waste = Nothing
* Sap 8 Core Containers = Nothing
* Alien Artefacts = Nothing
* Close to Ammonia Planets = Nothing
* Dropped near various stars = Nothing
* Another Unknown Artefact = Nothing <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=141038&p=2474851&viewfull=1#post2474851</ref>
* Azaleach = Nothing
* Quiness (planet Quy mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing
* Ross 154 (planet Merlin mentioned in F:FE) = Nothing. Morse reads Merlin.
* BD-02 4304 (in GalNet & mentioned by Kerrash) = Nothing
* Soontill (system, not the relic) = Nothing, chitter present w/ no nav beacon <ref>https://youtu.be/C2xM5o7YyqM?t=43m35s</ref>
* Guinna = Nothing
* Canopus = Nothing
* Exphiay = Nothing
* HIP 53688 = Nothing
* Furuhjelm I-695 (gas giant w/ ammonia-life) = Nothing
* Jaque's Station = Nothing
* Lave = Nothing
* In station with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off)
* In space with a blown-out canopy (all modules off except thrusters) trying to get the UA inside a Cobra through the canopy
* Voyager. Specifically to location where currently (24/07/15) missing Voyager probe would be expected, UA reported "SOL" <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&p=2588909&viewfull=1#post2588909</ref>
* Delphin (a Halsey tour stop) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/hwKtYcloExE</ref>
* Shinrarta Dezhra = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/rDolCImgKC8</ref>
* LTT 4550 (other Shinrarta system, maybe Dark Wheel?) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/gu7pyQ2_xF8</ref>
* Tau Ceti (star, Taylors Colony, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/SN4kXNcuNlI</ref>
* Fawaol (star, Tracy, station) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/wMclnV098Rg</ref>
* Sleipnir (trying to reproduce the 3-purr scenario) = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/1uIXjmnKWp0</ref>
* Pareco = Nothing
* Quator = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/9ETA9z8miJ4</ref>
* Riedquat = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/CU2KE_mXaDs</ref>
* Ross 780 = Nothing <ref>https://youtu.be/2mEC0ArKMQw</ref>

==== Places where they have not been taken or tests not done - feel free to try! ====
* Sagitarius A (The Galactic Centre)
** As the UA degrades modules quite rapidly, it would a challenging task to take it anywhere of great distance, even with a wing and plenty of [[Auto Field-Maintenance Unit|Auto Field Maintenance Units]].
* Polaris
** For the same reason as above, with the additional challenge that its a permit protected system. (Note that a UA ''has'' been taken to the nearest system to Polaris in 1.2 without any observable differences).
* Raxxla
** Because nobody knows where it is. Except the Thargoids.
* LFT 509
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Isinor
** permit is currently not obtainable as a different minor faction has taken control of the system
* Witch's Reach
** how to get the permit is unknown
* Sold at Leonard Nimoy Station
** As per the destination of the Wings Trailer, the UA was being taken there to 'see how much this thing is worth'. Understandably, due to the unbelievably rare nature of the UA, nobody wants to sell it.
* Voyager
** Voyager is currently missing. Tests have been performed where Voyager is expected to be (see above), but not when Voyager is present. <ref>https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=162998&page=74&p=2528722&highlight=voyager#post2528722</ref>

== Proposed Testing Regimen==
The number of theories under consideration means that it will take a fixed number of UAs to test each outcome. Each of these tests is destructive, ie. we lose the UA during the test conditions.

The prefix numbers are simply for enumerating and indentifying each test, they do not refer to priority, sequence or ranking. This list isn't exahaustive, and "The Canonn" group investigating the UAs may create or remove tests at any time.

# '''Sell a UA on the Black Market at Newton Dock, BD-02 4304'''
#* '''Purpose''': To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA
#* '''Expected Outcome''': Loss of the UA, gain of 180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual Outcome''':
# '''Sell a UA on the Black Market at a plague CG station'''
#* '''Purpose''': To see if a cure for the Cerberus Plague appears soon after selling the UA.
#* '''Expected Outcome''': Loss of the UA, gain of ~180KCr to the Cmdr selling it.
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual Outcome''':
# '''Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a shutdown plague station'''
#* '''Purpose''': To see if the explosive "death" of the UA provides a cure for the station.
#* '''Addendum''': Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.
#* '''Expected Outcome''': Loss of the UA
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual Outcome''':
# '''Allow a UA to decay in open space in front of a plague station with an active CG.'''
#* '''Purpose''': To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.
#* '''Addendum''': Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.
#* '''Expected Outcome''': Loss of the UA
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual Outcome''':
# '''Allow a UA to decay inside a plague station with an active CG.'''
#* '''Purpose''': To see if the explosive "death" of the UA affects the outcome of the CG.
#* '''Addendum''': Position a ship very close to the head's "mouth" of the expiring UA, to see if some Time/Space related event could happen.
#* '''Expected Outcome''': Loss of the UA
#* '''Taken on by''':
#* '''Actual Outcome''':
# Release a Ua in the Fuel scooping zone of a star. Turn your ship so its ejected away from the star. The UA looks like it might have 12 fuel scoops. Perhaps if it gets extra fuel it might trigger something.

== Who has a UA?==
There are currently three known UAs in game, these are in the possession of CMDRs Ratking15, CMDR Britain, and CMDR Branch. UAs have been found as early as the 1.2.06 patch and as recently as the 1.3.06 patch.

Ratking15 have streamed several times the UA on his twitch stream before attempting to upload them to Youtube, you can find his highlights of the streams (which are all of the stream mostly) on his channel with sound which is at: http://www.twitch.tv/ratking15 (it should be noted though that he does stream other games)

Branch does not have a (working) Twitch stream, but recordings & posts videos on YouTube (UA-specific playlist is at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr4nvzYqVcAr3DUQRl1rRBM1cKBGIV3YN).

==Who had a UA?==

Various commanders had originally acquired UA-s during the first "rush", but those have been lost to various accidents since. Of them, commanders Digitalscream, Glyn-ie, Marx, Murp have posted recordings of the UA's audio: see the list of their files [https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=142912&p=2193391&viewfull=1#post2193391 here].

Like Ratking15, Wishblend also has streamed several times with UA tests as well as casual gameplay though more often than Ratking15 who would rather not risk losing his UA when it might still be required.

However tragically during a trip to a testing zone Wishblend accidentally lost her UA......however her streams of the UA are still up and might be helpful for those who are looking for experience. Also Wishblend's streams are usually just in-game sounds as she prefers this, you can find her previous streams and highlights here: http://www.twitch.tv/wishblend/profile

CMDR Branch has managed to lose two UAs prior to the (current) third one. The first was during a loan to another commander. The second was lost in a scooping accident while trying to have another commander hold the UA to allow for switching ships.

==Taking care of your UA==
[[File:UADegradation.png|thumb|275x275px|Unknown Artefact degradation over time. A UA can survive 6m40s before exploding.]]

Congratulations! All your hard work has finally paid off, you're now the proud owner of an Unknown Artefact!

UAs can be quite delicate, it would be a terrible shame if you lost it the very same day wouldn't it?

This section is intended as a short user's guide to UA ownership. Read, take note and together we can ensure your UA has a long, happy and fruitful life.

There are many ways UAs can be inadvertently lost, some more obvious than others :

*Testing can be repetitive, and it's easy to become distracted. Pay attention when jettisoning, it is possible to jettison in supercruise. This is a lost UA.
*There's been one report of a CMDR backing 800-900m from a UA and it disappearing from the instance despite the CMDR having A class scanners, it makes no sense but it's happened at least once.
*A UA stored in cargo will cause a toxic corrosion event, this event will occur once every 30 seconds or so, each event will result in 1-2% damage to a random module.
*Multiple UAs or UAs plus toxic items increase the rate of module degradation.
*Watch cargo hatch degradation like a hawk. The cargo hatch has been seen to fail and eject cargo when as high as 84%. In supercruise this would be an unrecoverable UA. Keep it above 90%.
*Ensure landing gear is up before scooping, some ship models have the front landing gear blocking the cargo hatch.
*The UA can make you a target for other CMDR/player groups!
*Watch closly each "blip" on radar while testing. Don't forget how good NPC's can be now and how hard it was to gain the UA. Guarding CMDR's are a great option also when they stay 3 km away!
*When testing make sure you are keeping at very low speeds and never pointing at the UA as it's very easy to crash into one and blow it up, this also goes for anyone else with you as destructions by that has happened.

== References ==
<references />
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[[Category:Commodities]]