That science lab module

[Milam]

Man, trying to get that up into a stable orbit asap is my first goal, but boy is it crazy. I have a super asparagus apparatus of doom and it's struggling lol

Anyone else gotten their lab anywhere yet? I'd guess since nobodies saves were broken people had their HLV for big stuff like this already...I only built small stuff for efficiency though(including my space stations), so I'm quite a bit behind

[purpletarget]

Don't let the apparent size fool you. Mass wise, it's slightly lighter than the Mk1-2 command pod. So anyone who has managed to orbit an Apollo style CM, or even flown the Kerbal X, has already done it.

[liweih]

I think jumbo tank and mainsail with the help of asparagus staging solve many problems.

[insylem]

I got mine into orbit, 210 Km up. Almost circular too. I used asparagous staging. I call it my Galileo 7 Rocket.

I have a double main big fuel tank for the center, and single big main fuel takes all aroudn (6)

Sometimes with heavy loads it has stabalitly issues. I just retruend with after launching part II of my K7 Space station.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

Unfortunately I am stuck at work but my time will come

[Geschosskopf]

The Mobile Lab is in fact pretty mobile. I sent this one to Duna and Ike and brought it back, along with the Hitchhiker and Ike lander.

[Merinsan]

I'm pretending to work. I really want to be playing, because this is the first thing I will be doing!

[SkyRender]

I've lifted far bigger loads into orbit than the lab, and have a Mun mission all set up and ready to go that pulls a lab, lander, and Rockomax-32 up for some serious Munar science. It's easy to work with, and that "clean experiments" feature makes it a must-have if you're particularly reliant on the goo and materials bay experiments for science points.

[Supernovy]

It'll help with maxing out the transmission cap before returning to get the most out of a single experiment. I'm currently thinking of ways I could land this thing and use it with rovers.

[MilkToast]

It'll help with maxing out the transmission cap before returning to get the most out of a single experiment. I'm currently thinking of ways I could land this thing and use it with rovers.

Between this post and that thread the other day about the oversize rover wheel.... I have an idea.

I'm just gonna mount wheels on the thing and drive it about.

Perhaps I should get off work and install .23 before I do things like this.

[CaptRobau]

It's quite light for it's size. It's about as tall as two Hitchhiker pods, but doesn't weigh as much. Should weigh close to 5 tons, but only weighs 3.5.

[Spyritdragon]

The Mobile Lab is in fact pretty mobile. I sent this one to Duna and Ike and brought it back, along with the Hitchhiker and Ike lander.

http://i.imgur.com/Xj9dtJD.jpg

How the heck did you get that back up in the air? O_o

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

How the heck did you get that back up in the air? O_o

Can you see the Big Docking Ports? Looks like at least 3 Parts assembled in Orbit.

[Epthelyn]

It's not that difficult to get it into orbit; I tried before having even unlocked the 2.5m engines (aside from the poodle) so the entire lifter consisted of 1m parts:

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Capable of stable orbit around Eve (assuming Duna as well, haven't tried yet) with aerobraking, including landing on Gilly with the right entry inclination.

The lifter only just gets it to orbit (have to push out of the atmosphere a little with the 909s).

Edited December 18, 2013 by Epthelyn

[willow]

What do you guys think about the science lab usability?

If I understand correctly, and I have not had the opportunity to experiment with it (I restarted my career mode). The science module allows you to amplify the value of your scientific breakthroughs before you send the information back home and reset your science instruments so they can be used again.

But the maximum achievable science is still limited by the 40% sent value cap isn't it? So in a practical effect you can only do the same experiment twice before you reach the cap.

Doesn't that mean that gamewise there is no reason to prefer a science lab over just sending a second or third mission? Particularly because with a science lab you're also burdened with getting the two or three kerbals required to man the contraption home.

I'm hoping I'm wrong and that the science lab removes the send cap alltogether so you can achieve 100% science on a planet by sending a team and then bringing them home.

[Tidus Klein]

I'm going to make a rover out of one first so I can exploit all the new biomes!!

Then make a station:)

[ola]

I second that opinion regarding the lab. I never transmit any science, except when returning the data is nigh impossible (landing at Eve comes to mind). I double or triple up on science equipment and/or send multiple missions.

The first time I ran a campaign-style game I fell way behind on the science curve because I lost so much by transmitting. When I had done all exploration within the Kerbin SoI I found I was lacking access to parts to do reasonably painless science elsewhere in the solar system. Thus, no transmitting for me.

[Epthelyn]

If you're going to return all missions to Kerbin then you might as well ignore it and stick to returning all science, because the science bay only boosts transmission-based science, not the full return value. I find it useful because it means having to take out far less goo canisters and suchlike and I don't really mind leaving Kerbals in space for extended periods because I know I'll eventually pick them up.

[ola]

I don't really mind leaving Kerbals in space for extended periods because I know I'll eventually pick them up.

That's kind of hard if you play with a life support mod, but a surprisingly large percentage of players here seem to play vanilla only. I'm more inclined to use as many mods as I can given the 32 bit limit...

[Epthelyn]

That's kind of hard if you play with a life support mod, but a surprisingly large percentage of players here seem to play vanilla only. I'm more inclined to use as many mods as I can given the 32 bit limit...

I don't shy away from using mods, but I've never used life support because I find it fun sending Kerbals off to places before I'm certain I'll ever get them back. For me it's far more entertaining having that kind of challenge than it is knowing I'll have to return every Kerbal by Year X, Day Y, probably in part due the fact that I am experienced with the game but not to the point where I can do everything.

So yeah, use of the lab depends entirely on how you want to play a sandbox game

[federicoaa]

I hope in near future they release something like the lab but for unmanned rovers. Right now using unmanned probes for science is quite bad

[spectrhz]

I love the science lab! First thing in .23 was adding one (or three for the hell of it) to my space station. I haven't actually used the science aspect of them yet but they look amazing, much more appropriate than two stacked hitchhikers.

[ola]

I love the science lab! First thing in .23 was adding one (or three for the hell of it) to my space station. I haven't actually used the science aspect of them yet but they look amazing, much more appropriate than two stacked hitchhikers.

Now, that's actually a great reason to use them!

[willow]

If you're going to return all missions to Kerbin then you might as well ignore it and stick to returning all science, because the science bay only boosts transmission-based science, not the full return value. I find it useful because it means having to take out far less goo canisters and suchlike and I don't really mind leaving Kerbals in space for extended periods because I know I'll eventually pick them up.

I don't know if it's possible, but has anyone tried using the science bay for storing experiments? For instance, take a sciece lab, a scientific lander and a ton of fuel to the moon and then use the lander to ferry the science from the moon to the lab and then afterwards return the entire lab home and deorbit it carrying all the science for all the biomes you've visited.

Can you do that? I think that'd be a fair use for a lab.

[HarvesteR]

I don't know if it's possible, but has anyone tried using the science bay for storing experiments? For instance, take a sciece lab, a scientific lander and a ton of fuel to the moon and then use the lander to ferry the science from the moon to the lab and then afterwards return the entire lab home and deorbit it carrying all the science for all the biomes you've visited.

Can you do that? I think that'd be a fair use for a lab.

Yeah, that's totally possible. You can store experiments in a lab just as you can on other pods and cabins.

And yes, the best way to use the labs is to have them as part of a base or station. Carrying them around with you wherever you go isn't very practical.

Their best uses come from being able to send out expeditions from them into other areas, to find new biomes and new ways to do science, then return with the new data to have it processed before transmission, and have one-shot experiments cleaned out to work again.

Cheers