Best Mun Landing Spots for Science

[Rocket Farmer]

Hi

Anybody else found a bunch of biomes jammed together on the Mun surface? I found 5 within 50km of each other which made hopping around quite easy.

Also anybody found a map of the Mun biommes?

So I just ran my 3rd mission (1st career mission Mun landing) and I managed to return with about 2,000 science just from surface landing amounts. I had a fairly simple largish lander with 2 personal pods, 6 material bays, 6 thermometers and 8 goo containers.

I managed it by hopping around to several nearby landing sites to get into different biomes.

I 1st landed on the far northern edge of the farside crater biome. From there I jumped 3km north into a Mun midlands biome. From there it surprised me but I had only another 1.6km jump to get into a Mun highlands biome. Then I went for about a 50km jump to the Munar canyon just north east of the farside crater. I had Jeb riding shotgun on my lander doing EVA reports like mad to figure out where the Mun canyons started and was quite surprised when I set down I ended up in the Northwest Crater biome (It extends about 100km farther south than I would have guessed looking at the Mun globe). Anyways Jeb did a little investigation and found that the Mun Canyon biome was a mere 200m away so I hopped over to it and then headed home. I probably missed other nearby biomes with my scattered approach but 5 was pretty good for me.

The icing on the cake was that because I was so high up the mun I was able to complete a phase change and land at Kerbin's south pole picking up more samples....

[Spatzimaus]

Most of the Mun is "Midlands". The poles are their own biomes, and highlands are in between. Then each of the big craters is its own biome, and one of the craters happens to be right next to the big canyon. Frankly, I'm expecting a mod like ISA MapSat to add a graphical representation of the biomes, so that you can see where each of them is once you've flown a probe over them once, but until then it's pretty hit-or-miss.

Thing is, it doesn't really help to hit multiple biomes in a row on a single mission, because your science modules can only hold one set of data. If you're transmitting, you're losing a large amount of science that you can never get back. So, IMO the best way to do things is to fly there, land in a biome you hadn't seen before, take all the samples and readings you can, and then fly home. Repeat as necessary.

[Wayfare]

Thing is, it doesn't really help to hit multiple biomes in a row on a single mission, because your science modules can only hold one set of data. If you're transmitting, you're losing a large amount of science that you can never get back. So, IMO the best way to do things is to fly there, land in a biome you hadn't seen before, take all the samples and readings you can, and then fly home. Repeat as necessary.

That's not entirely true. Science is never lost - the % that is not transmitted is returned to that biome's "science pool" and is thus still accessible by later experiments. You can effectively drain any biome's pool by landing a probe with a single experiment on it and transmitting the results until your fingers bleed.

Of course, that's no fun. So another way to go about it would be to have a lander capable of several sub-orbital hops and well stuffed with gadgets. By that I mean one full suite of your available scientific instruments for each biome you intend to visit, as well as a crew. As long as you don't transmit, the experiments will be stored for 100% recovery once you bring the vessel back. EVA reports and surface samples can be stored in multiples inside a single pod as long as they're from different biomes (though crew reports can't, but then they can be trasmitted at 100% value). The best idea seems to be to run as many first-time experiments as possible on the same vessel, hop it over to another biome, repeat with a separate set of instruments on the same vessel, an repeat until your instruments and command pod are all loaded to the brim with juicy science to bring back to Kerbin.

[Rocket Farmer]

"Thing is, it doesn't really help to hit multiple biomes in a row on a single mission, because your science modules can only hold one set of data. "

Wrong.

1. You can hold multiple soil samples and EVA reports from different biomes in the same capsule and all score 100% when you return.

2. If you reread my posting I had 6 material bays and 8 goo containers on board. They don't weigh much so its pretty easy to do. Then you can activate 1 per biome (with a couple of spares).

3. I scored over 2,000 science points on a quick trip to the mun when I had already got all the orbital science out of it on a previous mission. 1 mission jumping 50km to land on 5 different biomes is a whole lot better than 5 separate missions which would get about the same science.....

[spudman2]

1. You can hold multiple soil samples and EVA reports from different biomes in the same capsule and all score 100% when you return.

Well, i've been doing things wrong.

[Jean Deaux]

"Thing is, it doesn't really help to hit multiple biomes in a row on a single mission, because your science modules can only hold one set of data. "

Wrong.

1. You can hold multiple soil samples and EVA reports from different biomes in the same capsule and all score 100% when you return.

2. If you reread my posting I had 6 material bays and 8 goo containers on board. They don't weigh much so its pretty easy to do. Then you can activate 1 per biome (with a couple of spares).

3. I scored over 2,000 science points on a quick trip to the mun when I had already got all the orbital science out of it on a previous mission. 1 mission jumping 50km to land on 5 different biomes is a whole lot better than 5 separate missions which would get about the same science.....

I can validate that

[JackBush]

Got a picture of your lander, Rocket Farmer?

[Randazzo]

I didn't see it in here, but I may have missed it: You could cut down on the non-fuel bulk of that lander by putting a scientist in one of the pods. They can reset the materials bay and goo canister each time so you only need one of each, freeing up more Delta-v for hopping around. As for the biomes, each major crater is it's own and some of the smaller ones have their own biomes as well, so you could always land on the edge of one for the midlands, jump down into the crater for that, and then try any that are nearby for another.

I generally prefer to put a station in orbit with a science lab and a fuel tank, then run multiple missions over time as opposed to biome hopping once or twice. It's delayed gratification in a way, but it gives me something to do. Plus I can pick up "plant flag on the mun" or "science from the surface of the mun" contracts from time to time, and I can rotate the crews out to spread out the experience.

 

[FullMetalMachinist]

On 10/21/2013 at 5:58 PM, Rocket Farmer said:

Wrong.

1. You can hold multiple soil samples and EVA reports from different biomes in the same capsule and all score 100% when you return.

Not just surface and EVA results, but any science experiment. Command pods can hold unlimited science results from all the instruments, as long as they are not the exact same result (e.g. temp from highlands and temp from crater). All you have to do is EVA a kerbal and get close to the instrument. Then right click on the instrument and in the menu that opens click on "take result". Then simply enter or right click on the pod and select "store results". You can repeat this for as many unique results you want. The kerbals themselves act in the same way, so you can run around the whole ship and collect all the science from one biome in one go, then get in the pod and hop to the next. 

Please note that the Science jr materials bay and the goo experiment will become inoperable after the result is removed and require a scientist kerbal to reset them. Do this from the same right click menu while on EVA. 

Edit: ninja'd

Edited January 12, 2016 by FullMetalMachinist

[ElWanderer]

53 minutes ago, JackBush said:

Got a picture of your lander, Rocket Farmer?

This thread is from 2013. Even if they're still active, any craft is likely to be very outdated.

[Randazzo]

Just now, ElWanderer said:

This thread is from 2013. Even if they're still active, any craft is likely to be very outdated.

Oh dear.

[Foxster]

I know this is a necro thread, but it's still relevant. 

A useful tip: Alt-F12 > Cheats > Biomes visible in map

Lets you find locations with multiple biomes in close proximity. 

[wumpus]

Notes for 2016:

Unkerballed vessels haven't changed:  You need to check which instruments need to reset and which can be used again and again (science jr.s need to be reset, thermometers reset themselves).  Just keep sending back those results (remember to pack a radio).

For kerballed missions: while anyone can remove "science" from an instrument (and store it in a capsule), only a scientist (no xp needed) can reset [some of] the instrument for multiple uses.  This is a great reason to bring Bob along.

Finally, you might want a capsule on your lander (and not just a command chair).  You can't store science in the chair, only a capsule.  If you have enough friends in chairs (a leveling mission, perhaps), this might not be a problem but it certainly takes a bigger mothership.

[Snowstorm]

All I can say for landing on the Mun is, DON'T land on the side of a crater.  It's happened too many times.

[Fearless Son]

Honestly, I would not try too hard to hit different biomes in a single mission on the Mun.  RocketFarmer's location near the north end of the Farside Crater is a good one (the Farside Crater itself, midlands, canyons, etc.) but to echo something Snowstorm said, landing near the edge of craters is dangerous.  Unfortunately the Mun is mostly craters, so the trick is finding the center of a sufficiently wide one, or a nice spot between two wide ones, and dodging all the little ones.  It makes for a very uneven surface, and the low gravity combined with the slopes makes it easy to tip a lander on touchdown.  You stand to risk a lot when you make multiple hops like that, especially if your fuel is limited.

[Foxster]

4 minutes ago, Fearless Son said:

Honestly, I would not try too hard to hit different biomes in a single mission on the Mun.  RocketFarmer's location near the north end of the Farside Crater is a good one (the Farside Crater itself, midlands, canyons, etc.) but to echo something Snowstorm said, landing near the edge of craters is dangerous.  Unfortunately the Mun is mostly craters, so the trick is finding the center of a sufficiently wide one, or a nice spot between two wide ones, and dodging all the little ones.  It makes for a very uneven surface, and the low gravity combined with the slopes makes it easy to tip a lander on touchdown.  You stand to risk a lot when you make multiple hops like that, especially if your fuel is limited.

Fearless Son?

Doesn't sound so fearless to me . 

Fortune favors the brave! (And those who know the way of the F5). 

[Dr.K Kerbal]

A giant creater. Gave me 250 science!

[katateochi]

1 hour ago, Fearless Son said:

Honestly, I would not try too hard to hit different biomes in a single mission on the Mun.

I'd agree, but for a totally different reason;  It's not as much fun that way.  

Ok, running a ransacking mission (by which I mean hitting all Mun's biomes in one mission) is fun and a great design challenge, but it does get a bit tedious doing so many sequential landings on the same planet and once you've done it, there's no point doing science anywhere else as you'll have unlocked everything.  

If you do try it, I wouldn't try to hit all biomes with a biome hopper lander though. My prefered way of doing it is to park a large mothership in orbit with lots of spare fuel and a very lightweight manned science lander.  The lightweight lander is at less risk from terrain problems; without needing OP SAS it can hold itself on a slight slope, can (with some difficulty) right itself if it does topple and being light and small, toppling isn't as likely to damage it.  With a lander large enough to hop between biomes you'd have to be much more careful in selecting landing sites.  (also smaller lander is likely to have a higher TWR so you can be more aggressive in your landing maneuvers and get it done faster).

I've done this approach several times, but I don't think I'll do it again, it's a bit like a Kerbal endurance trial and rather takes the point out of career mode (unless of course the point for you is "how fast can I unlock everything").

As far as biome maps go;  You can get one from the debug menu (alt-12), there's one here, it's from 0.90, but I think it's still fairly accurate.  And then of course the most enjoyable way of getting a biome map is to use the ScanSat mod and put a biome scanning satellite in orbit and wait (for not very long).  

[Vanamonde]

Old thread, old info. I wouldn't rely on much of the stuff here being still accurate folks.