After hundreds of hours in jet-black space, it's a strange feeling to see blue skies in Elite Dangerous, and Frontier has released some new in-game footage of the upcoming "Odyssey" expansion that will allow you to land on a planet and walk around on foot. Pilots have been waiting for this since the beginning of the series, so it's great to finally see it in the game.

The new developer diary, which can be seen below, discusses the philosophy behind Odyssey's planetary exploration design. Frontier wants players to have a "Neil Armstrong moment" when they first set foot on an alien planet. Also, some planets have thin atmospheres, and when you look up, the blue sky may be shining back at you.

The planets recreated in the game's Milky Way scale have been improved to look better up close, as evidenced by the screenshots below. There are new rock and ice worlds, some of which are inhabited by strange, otherworldly vegetation. However, Frontier wants to make these alien plants look plausible in order to stay true to the fact that much of "Elite" is rooted in real science.

But these plants are not just for show; Odyssey is adding a new tool to the game. This tool will scan the world's plants and extract their genetic data, which can then be added to a personal codex or traded on Starport for profit. This would add a whole new layer to Elite's simulation and give players a whole new way to make money.

With billions of planets to discover in Elite's galaxy, there is a very good chance that you will be the first commander to land on a planet and mark its surface with your space shoes. If you are a player who loves to explore, you will love this. Unfortunately, there's not much footage on the ground in the development log, but Frontier has released some new screenshots. They look good.