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can i send experiments back to Kerbin separately?


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So when you start a new game, there are 2 capsules you can choose,
The regular cone shaped, and a circular one (sphere).
Now the cone shape is ideal for fitting a storage module and a heat shield, but he spherical capsule is super cheap because i dont have to add anything to it or worry about its re-entry position.

My question is, can i attach a storage module to the spherical capsule, and then ditch it during re-entry, while somehow make it so a parachute on the storage will open itself at a specific altitude?
The idea is (obviously) to preserve all the equipment in the storage module without it bothering my re-entry

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2 hours ago, OptiSTR said:

My question is, can i attach a storage module to the spherical capsule, and then ditch it during re-entry, while somehow make it so a parachute on the storage will open itself at a specific altitude?

In theory, yes. Just put the decoupler that ditches the experiment storage unit and the parachute on the unit into the same stage on the staging setup, and then the parachute will be activated when you decouple the lot. But I can see two potential problems: one is that I'm not sure if a single experiment storage unit will survive reentry - even if you add a small heat-shield. The other is that if the unit leaves physics range while in the atmosphere, then it runs a risk of being deleted by the game.

And finally: why don't you just add an experiment storage unit (ESU) to the top of your Onion capsule like you would do it with the Mk1 command pod? A simple stack of Onion, ESU, and Mk16 parachute will orient itself in the atmosphere with the bottom of the Onion first and safely reenter even from high Kerbin orbit (from further away than Minmus). (This works also with the large "Russian" command module, the "Pomegranate".)

Edited by AHHans
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What you need is the shinny new Experiment storage unit!  https://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Experiment_Storage_Unit

 

Attach the thing on top of the capsule, and a parachute right above. When the experiments are done, right click on it and store the results there, for 100% recovery of the data. You can even ditch the science gadgets after that. Welcome to the future of space experiments!

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3 hours ago, OptiSTR said:

So when you start a new game, there are 2 capsules you can choose,
The regular cone shaped, and a circular one (sphere).
Now the cone shape is ideal for fitting a storage module and a heat shield, but he spherical capsule is super cheap because i dont have to add anything to it or worry about its re-entry position.

My question is, can i attach a storage module to the spherical capsule, and then ditch it during re-entry, while somehow make it so a parachute on the storage will open itself at a specific altitude?
The idea is (obviously) to preserve all the equipment in the storage module without it bothering my re-entry

In a word, yes.

To answer your specific question, you can make all of the adjustments that you mentioned.  To ditch the spherical module (the Stayputnik), you'll need a decoupler, but you can set the opening altitude (and the pre-deploy atmospheric pressure) when you attach the parachute in the VAB.

 

More generally, there are a number of parts that can store science experiment data.  Any crewed command pod (including aeroplane cockpits) can do so.  The 2.5-metre lab can do so.  I believe that most, if not all, of the crew compartments (such as the Hitchhiker and the two-seat crew capsule) can do so.  The Experiment Storage Unit can do so, though it needs to be unlocked and is not immediately available except in Sandbox mode.  The experiment module, itself, can hold one copy of the experiment (meaning that, for example, you can run the experiment and recover the module without ever removing the data, and you will get the science).  Also, Kerbals, themselves, can hold science data.

So long as the module carrying the experiment is recovered, the science value of that experiment is also recovered.  This is true even in the event of disaster.  I had a bad aeroplane landing once, and most of the experiment modules were left scattered on the ground.  I had not recovered any data yet, but the plane was never going to fly again, so I recovered the individual parts and got the data.

I have also explored the idea of making tiny experiment return modules that involve the Experiment Storage Module and minimal control and re-entry equipment, and send them back from probe landings on the Mun and Minmus in early career.

One item of caution for you is to ensure that you keep focus on the part that you want to recover until it lands.  Otherwise, it will be deleted when it reaches a minimum altitude because the game assumes that it either crashed into the surface or else burned up in the atmosphere.

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