How does the new (1.0) orbital science stuf works??

[ManuxKerb]

Hi

I just started playing 1.0 recently and now wonder how science is generated in space in labs. I remeber they said that labs would generate more sience out of data but where does the data come from etc.

The Wiki is really outdated about this GRR Also google did turn up nothing...

Thanks!

[Callmedave]

I have not yet got a Lab producing science, but my understanding is: the lab can hold up to 500 'data' (next time you run an experiment, you will see it has a data value also) the lab will generate science points at a rate depending on the amount of data it has stored, it need 2 scientists and electric to operate. The amount of science point it can hold has a cap and you need to check back occasionally to transfer the science back to base.

[Juicy]

Every time you do an experiment which generates science points, you get an icon to "process" the data in the lab. This basically takes a bunch of electricity (depending on the data size of the experiment's results) to add the science to the lab, after which the experiment window for the part re-opens, and you get the option to reset/keep/send the experiment data as usual. (subject to change, I bet, but currently, there's no cost other than electricity for adding the data to the lab, it's basically just your lab getting a copy of the data)

Depending on the amount of scientists you have on your lab, and the amount of data stored in the lab, it starts to generate science points. Very little at first, like 0.03 to 0.1, but I figure a full data storage could generate somewhere between 3 and 10 science points a day.

The science points are stored in the lab, so once every few days, you'll want the lab to send the data back to Kerbal, where they get added to your usable pool of science points.

It also uses up stored data while generating science points, so a full storage of data won't last indefinitely. But it will take a while to drain a lab with full data storage.

Getting your lab full of data takes a LOT of experiments though. More experiments than a satelite in orbit would generate by itself from just orbitting, so I figure the trick is to have a lab in orbit, and have other ships/satelites collect experiment data but not transmit any of it, then dock them to the lab, and THEN process the experiment data. After that, they can send/retrieve/whatever the experiment data.

Processing an experiment to add it to the lab can take a LOT of electricity as well. A small experiment will hardly make an impact on your batteries, but a 200 data experiment can easily drain the smaller and medium batteries while processing. Processing fails when this happens, and you can retry again some other time (for example, when your batteries are full, or when you have more solar panels aimed directly at the sun)

[Ape_Descendant]

Processing an experiment to add it to the lab can take a LOT of electricity as well.

OMG this! I put a simple processing lab/station into orbit just to fulfil a contract. It only has the little solar panels on it. I went EVA and stored the data and then kicked off the processing, then i realised that the solar panels were not pointing at the sun (as in the entire station was pointing the wrong way!) but the scientists on board were so busy sciencing that they paid no attention to future power requirements. I realised too late and now there is no power for the SAS modules to turn the thing around.

[cicatrix]

OMG this! I put a simple processing lab/station into orbit just to fulfil a contract. It only has the little solar panels on it. I went EVA and stored the data and then kicked off the processing, then i realised that the solar panels were not pointing at the sun (as in the entire station was pointing the wrong way!) but the scientists on board were so busy sciencing that they paid no attention to future power requirements. I realised too late and now there is no power for the SAS modules to turn the thing around.

Time for a rescue mission... usually they are more fun than the original ones.

[eddiew]

OMG this! I put a simple processing lab/station into orbit just to fulfil a contract. It only has the little solar panels on it. I went EVA and stored the data and then kicked off the processing, then i realised that the solar panels were not pointing at the sun (as in the entire station was pointing the wrong way!) but the scientists on board were so busy sciencing that they paid no attention to future power requirements. I realised too late and now there is no power for the SAS modules to turn the thing around.

Can you EVA someone and bump it until it turns? Should only take a little nudge

Failing that, wait 100 days and Kerbin will be 90 degrees around relative to the sun and you'll have full power ^^

[Ape_Descendant]

Can you EVA someone and bump it until it turns? Should only take a little nudge

......I have a large hand shapped slap mark on my face now....that is sooooo obvious. Thanks :-)