Jimmidii

Individual Biome multipliers for science returns could help with that, if a micro-biome (or hotspot) had high science returns, it'd be worth trying to pinpoint it with a rover. It'd give something else for satellites to do as well, indicating the general area for something interesting from orbit. It could add a bit of replayability to the game as well, if some of the hotspots are randomly scattered at the start of the game. (And something to do in the endgame, after you've unlocked the science tree, tracking down the hotspots you haven't found yet.) They could act as targets for missions as well (Building up infrastructure around them, tourist destinations, etc.)

Sounds like you're looking for a game like Empyrion, or maybe Space Engineers, since they added planets.

I like this idea, but I'd adjust it slightly to abstract it away from Snacks directly being the life support resource. Each Kerbal could have its own 'Energy' resource, depleted at a flat rate normally, with functions such as a pilot's heading hold, or a scientist's experiment reset or an engineer's repair depleting it faster. Energy could be replenished by Snacks, or by breathing air (as if Laythe wasn't already awesome enough...) with Snacks stored on a ship like any other resource and perhaps replenished by an Electricity consuming module (improving the efficiency of that could perhaps give Scientists something else to do). I love the idea of Kerbals going into hibernation, it'd stop the life support game play being too punishing, and make rescue missions possible (and stop the fridge horror of what happens to the Kerbals from all the rescue contracts you don't take...). Oh, and hi everyone! Long time player/lurker here!