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Here is a feature request that should have been implemented already a long time ago: science experiments should not give full science if similar results have already been obtained from another biome on the same planetary body. 1. First science report (specific to instrument) should give full science return, as it is now. 2. Any subsequent science experiment (specific to instrument) from the same body but different biome should only give ~1/2 of science return (i.e., C*2^(-N) outcome, where N is number of biomes already explored prior with this particular experiment). This does not require much change - even if keeping track of "science values" could be tricky, post-factum processing is easy ("you received only 1/8 science from gravity scan of surface of Mun Midland Craters, as it does not bring as much new information compared to the gravity scan results your have already obtained on this planet). This change will curtail the desire to grind science on easily accessible bodies and will subtly force player to explore further, providing a lot more depth and challenge to tech progression (btw, it is not about "hardcore challenge", it is about keeping the player's interest in exploration and not routine/boring/repetitive missions). Please consider this, as it is a major factor in player's enjoyment of continually exploring the game, as opposed to boredom of continually doing the same thing over and over again (the latter is more cost-effective in the current implementation, and that is a problem). P.S. Mods!???? Please? Pretty please? P.P.S. This needs more consideration for surface/flying/low/high/space/etc. biomes, but it should not be difficult to come up with a proper formula (in the first approach, altitude-related biome variations can just be considered separated - i.e., gravirty scans on surface in various biomes are treated independently of gravity scan while in space over the same biomes. That is not perfect but is already quite good.... and simple).

Im not sure what to do next in career mode... I've researched Basic Rocketry, Engineering 101, Survivability and Stability and have a Science Jr and a Goo Containment Unit. Im trying to get into orbit with a ship made up of just fuel tanks and a couple of stages and of course engines but not having any luck. All I'm getting is sub-orbital missions... To try and get more thrust Im hitting the limits in parts and weight of the launchpad. Where do I go from here to get more Science?

The right-click menu would have "take snapshot" on it, which, when clicked, would take a screenshot (without the right-click menu in it). Would add to those grindy "go to a waypoint" contracts in career, and be a bit of fun for new players. (Then of course we need somewhere to look at the snapshots. Cue my two-year-old "mission museum" idea.)

I'm sure we've all considered at some point that the way science works in KSP can be a bit... dull In the game, you can send a probe to a planet in orbit or on the ground, use your instruments once, and your done, aside from occasional contracts. This idea is meant to allow more long term and in depth science experiments, both from already existing parts, and perhaps adding a few new ones. The idea is that you could do short or long term reading in a planet's orbit or surface. Let's say, we want a map on the variances on Duna's gravity, or the surface temperature at a location around Laythe. You could set up a probe to do measurements of either the whole planet from orbit, or from an area on the surface. You could then send back science depending on what area you measured and what you wanted to measure. Back to the examples, you could, for instance, place a satellite to measure gravity around the equatorial regions of Duna for n days, and send it back for x science for mapping y amount of Duna's gravity (and the science value would vary depending on it). You would also get an actual map (pre-made in the game, of course) of the gravity fluctuations when done. Same for Laythe, send a probe to land on it and measure temperature fluctuations for a decent time time, then get science based on the data gained. Yes, there are contracts that do this, but this wouldn't be to, again, avoid just clicking and using an experiment once, to be more in depth, and to make science more interesting. And of course, these are only a couple examples to explain the concept. On top of that, some new parts, like advanced magnetosphere instruments, cameras and alike could be added for similar purposes. Putting it simply, this could make science in KSP much more in depth for some many players, and has been talked about for as long as science gathering has been a thing in the game. I hope this is put into some consideration. -Alex

ExperimentTracker Made by Derrey This mod lists all experiments and helps to deploy them fast and easy. How do I use the ExperimentTracker? This mod adds a button to the flight scene. When active, a GUI is shown which lists all science experiments that can be deployed. You can deploy an experiment by simply clicking on it. Finished experiments can also be reviewed (left click) and resetted (right click). When inactive, the GUI is not shown and the button indicates whether there are experiments (yellow) or not (red). A click on "Info" toggles a GUI which shows some informations about the current biome, etc. Mod compatibility This mod should be compatible with every science mod that uses the standard ModuleScienceExperiment interface or DMModuleScienceAnimate from DMagic. Tested compatibility: Universal Storage Orbital Science Where can I download the mod? You can download the mod here and follow the 'How to install' guide or let CKAN install it. The source code is available on GitHub. The mod is made available under the Apache License - 2.0. For KSP 1.1.3 download the mod here. How to install: Download the .zip file. Unpack the .zip file. Copy the /ExperimentTracker/ folder to your KSP installations GameData/ folder. Changelog:

Welcome to the Ida/Dactyl Challenge! This challenge is meant to be a difficult quest for, well, making an asteroid have its own moon! But not just any asteroid... GILLY This challenge is to give Gilly a Moon(s) of it(s) own! Now here is the Inspiration for this challenge. The Ida/Dactyl system was first discovered by the Probe Galileo in 1993, being one of the first Minor Planet systems that comes to mind. This system was an excellent discovery, showing that even objects with extremely small amounts of gravity can still have their own Satelites. Ida measures about 23 Miles across, while Dactyl is about 1.5 miles across. Dactyl orbits at about 96 miles above Ida's surface in a Prograde orbit. Now enough of the science, (Even though we all appreciate some amount of it), lets get to the Details! Your objective is to [For the Normal Difficulty] to get a class-C to E asteroid in orbit around Gilly, the very similiar in size hunk of Carbon. The end result of this is Gilly having a Trojan moon! [A moon of a Moon] The rules: 1.The use of Hyperedit or any other mod that does things similiar is strictly prohibited. Your craft gets attacked by the Kraken? No exceptions. 2.The only mods that are allowed are Graphical, Shader, utility [Kerbal Alarm clock], and a small list below. 3. You are not allowed to mine from this asteroid, sorry, but if you feel like bringing an extra one for fuel, go right ahead. 4. This can be probed or manned, but if manned, you must bring the Kerbals back. [If probed, destroy the Evidence of it so Conspiracy Kerbals don't get suspicious...] 5. Any mode is allowed for this, but for difficulties higher than Medium, Career mode is required. 6. An orbit in between 16 and 47 is required for a passing mission. This is to make it look more like the real thing. [Km is the distance] 7. If the asteroid somehow manages to crash into gilly, you gotta bring it back up and into place. No getting a new one. [For those hardcore Challenge beaters, Quick-saves can override this rule!] Mod list:[For mods that didn't fall into parameters above in rule 2] KIS, KAS, OPM, Kerbal Planetary systems [Dunno why, maybe a Fuel Base?], Asteroid Day, Any Life support Mod [Again, just for future clarification] OUTLAWED MODS [Shoot on sight with Flea boosters] Tweakscale, any Future Tech Mod [CURRENT TECH PLS], any part modifier unless listed otherwise [Like KIS or KAS] Difficulties: Easy: For you people that want a quick, easy job, but dont care for the fun of challenge All class Asteroids allowed, Any Mode, Allowed to take Ore from Asteroid, Probed or manned, Outlawed mods are *Sigh* allowed, only 1 Asteroid is required Normal: For those people that want a fun challenge, but without the glory or hassle! Classes C, D, and E are allowed; Any mode, Not allowed to take ore from Asteroid, Probed or manned, NO OUTLAW MODS, only 1 asteroid required. Medium: For those few who want a nice, hard challenge, but without the Unnecessary Hair Pulling of the ones above. Classes D or E allowed, Any mode, Not allowed to take ore from ANY Asteroid, Probed or Manned [Probe has to be Destroyed at the end, manned has to return home], no Outlaw Mods, 2 Asteroids Required Hard: For those that don't mind doing the occasional fit of rage or passing out from exhaustion... Only Class E allowed, Career mode only, No refueling from Asteroids or Moons; Major body fuel only, Probed; but has to return home for Specialized Deconstruction; manned; bring back home in area surround KSC, 3 Asteroids Required [Getting crowded up here...] Very hard: You asked for it buddy; don't blame me if your computer dies, breaks, gets punched by angry owner, or gets thrown INTO space. Only class E allowed, Career mode only, No Refueling from out of system; only Eve Fuel is allowed for refueling, Manned only; has to land within KSC property OR on the Abandoned Island, 5 Asteroids Required. Rage Quit mode: WARNING, DO NOT PLAY THIS MODE IF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM: High Blood Pressure, Strokes, Anger Issues, A recent Break up, Depression, or Heart Attacks Only Class E allowed, Career mode only [Hard Mode for game], No refueling PERIOD, Manned only; only allowed to land within KSC grounds [The Cement or upper grass areas, or Runway], 5 Asteroid Required [Felt like 5 was the upper limit people can handle, didn't want to overwhelm people], Orbit Threshold LOWERED to between 8 KM to 15 KM; Lowered to JUST above surface; made not to be accurate, but for the SHEER challenge of it. If any of you have any questions, just ask, I will always be available after 4 PM on weekdays, and from 10 AM to 9 PM on Weekends unless stated otherwise. Happy Orbiting

Dev thread for my KrakenScience Mod Release thread : ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I need help for the science report with many spelling errors ! If you have ideas or problems to be indicated, please post here, thanks

Screenshots: Trailer KSP 0.22 ! source of inspiration for Kraken Science. This Part pack include many Science parts with report values: 2 Probe Core, LittleFrog and ScaRaB system with 1 monopropellant engine : 2 Strategies for your career: Download: SpaceDock / GitHub Development considered completed, this mod will not receive new parts. Licence : Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Installation : Please delete your old Folder before update! ChangeLog:

Is there any reference code available (internet archive or otherwise) for the following processes? ScienceDataContainer or IScienceDataContainer How it currently works: When a Kerbal is on EVA and over the crew capsule hatch - the player is offered the option to press 'B' to board the crew capsule. This (i think) runs the same process as when you manually hit the KSPEvent button to 'Store Experiements' ie uses the method under the KSPEVENT: StoreDataExternalEvent I'm wanting to override the existing code with some extra conditions, but want to keep about 80% existing functionality, so I don't want to reinvent the whole process when it already exists. I also don't want to break what everyone else calls from other plugins. Anyone know of a way to new/override that method so I can get this to work?

I am making some science parts and I want to make them use resources to operate. For example: Rodent Research, uses five rodents. How can I do that?

Heavy Science is a mod I've always wanted. It adds mass to any Surface Samples experiments that Kerbals take from the various planets and moons in the Kerbol System. Reviews to date: This Rocks! - Jeb One of life’s sample pleasures - Bob Background: This mod is my attempt to bring together a jumble of ideas liked having in my gameplay, while also learning a bit of OO Programming. My original idea was built by cobbling together various other mods to get the gameplay result I was after. (I posted that idea in this forum thread) I found it odd that surface samples didn't mass anything and could be 'transmitted' for 25% science for doing so. I sought out a mod that makes players lean more heavily to returning surface samples than just transmitting them, but didn't find one. I later found some forum posts also mentioning the idea. I figured I'd have a go and coding (I've only done VB before and Object Orientated stuff gets me quite lost at times) Heavy Science (Core ideas) Surface samples... cannot be stored in command pods can only be stored in a specific container part which I can add to the craft when building it cannot be transmitted for science (return only) have mass and thus affects your return available Delta-V to get my Kerbals home Adds 1 part to the game - Surface Sample Container with empty mass of 0.06t (60kg) Surface samples will probably mass 150kg I did the maths with this setup to check what happens if I were to grab 1 of all available surface samples in the stock game - including both splashed and landed variants. At 200kg each, it would all weigh a bit over a fully fuelled Orange tank (~40 ton) That should make for some fun shoving that around the system while playing a collect 'em all mission. Known Issue: Not compatible with Kopernicus at all. Breaks it completely. Download link - Github Credits: Big thanks to: The KSP developers for their efforts in supporting the KSP forum community as well and building this awesome game! @Gaiden for suggestions on how to help refine the flexibility of the mod and not restrict the users desired game play. @Rodger for the waffle cone and texture (Happens to be my favourite bit of the mod at the moment) Licence: I'm using Talisar Mk1 Cargo Bay as the Heavy Science Container. Heavy Science uses the same licence: (CC BY-SA 3.0) Happy to hear anyone's feedback, suggestions and/or discussion about the mod

I've done a bit of coding with work and thought I might try my hand at making a small mod regarding science. One thing I can't work out is if the function behind the "Store experiments" process for a Kerbal on EVA is an all or nothing process? I'm looking to hide the existing "Store Experiments" button and replace with a process of my own making. I figure this part should be fairly straight forward (at least I 'think' it should be) My question to the KSP coding community is: Can the experiment storage function be made to use filters so it only stores certain experiments? Alternatively, do you think it's possible to create a replacement process that does the filter specifics that I'm looking for as well as hide the stock "Store experiments" button? Example Scenario: Kerbal EVA's from command module Kerbal on EVA uses button "Take Data (15)" to grab all experiments from command module Kerbal on EVA uses 'custom' button to "Store Crew Reports(2)" This isn't the mod, but being able to filter the science reports when storing them upon returning from EVA is something I'd like to do for my idea to work. If not, my backup is to resort to a workaround post EVA, and have a function to move the specific experiments from one ScienceContainer to another within the same ship - I've seen 2-3 mods that already do a variety of that so I know that's possible.

So basicly I know how to basicly code in Lua and Java. But thats it. I would love to learn more but it's kinda hard. Well anyways that's why I can't code a mod myself. I had the idea of revolutionizing science. So heres my Idea, step by step, I hope that some mod developer picks up my Idea and creates such mod So there would be different kinds of science. For example Atmospheric(maybe also specificly for different things in the atmosphere like Oxygen and Hydron or other stuff), Ground(Again, maybe different materials and even mod support, so for example Karbonite), Space, Magnetosphere, etc. Then you would need to completely remove the tech tree(you could also just integrate it into the tech tree but that wouldn't work as good maybe) and add a Menu where you have all Parts but split up into categories kinda like the current tech tree: Small SRB's, Small Science(Maybe more creative names), etc. and you need to unlock the group first. Then you can simply unlock these parts in the group. Now, to unlock different parts you need the different types of science. For example if you have a mod where you can freeze kerbals or store hydrogen into tanks which need to be cooled(yes, thats a refference), then you need "Freeze Science" or maybe "Cold Science" and you can only get it from cold places. On the cold poles on kerbin for example you only get smaller amounts not suitable for unlocking big things. But when you go to Eeloo, then you get waaaaaay more cold science because eeloo is freezingly cold. Then if you want to unlock a Hydrogen Tank with a cooling system integrated, you need to have, I don't know, maybe 200 Cold science, 100 Hydrogen Science and Some "Basic Science" which you can find everywhere. This basic science is something you also get. Its for stuff like the hull of the tank. Maybe if thats not fitting my idea, you could also just make a material science or even especially metal science. Now you would also need a ton of new science equipment. Liquid analyser for liquid science, Atmospheric Data for Hydrogen, Oxygen and maybe even Nitrogen, if necessary, A Telescope for Visual Science an so on. So yeah, that was swirling around in my head for ages and now I have finally signed up and posted my idea. I hope you like it. Have a nice day EDIT: I would design this mod kind of like the Interstellar mod with the reactors and warp drives etc. It looks really cool in my opinion.

If you have room on your spacecraft, put some docking ports and attach satellites to the dockingports and when your in space you can detach them in Kerbin orbit, Mun orbit, and so on.

Hey, guys, quick one... The User Interface that appears after completing an experiment (Such as a Crew Report, an EVA Report, a Materials Bay, etc.,) can we get the ability to move that window back? As of right now, it can't be moved, and it pops up right in the middle of the screen, which is a horrible place for it, especially if you're having to manually rapid-fire a bunch of experiments. Also, I second the previous motion to get a "Close" [X] on the window.

So I just completed my biggest mission yet in career mode. I have a science lab connected to a mk1-2 command pod on the top, with a service bay containing all my science, and a heat shield on the bottom. I was dumb and I did not test the re-entry on it before the mission. I quick saved before re-entry, figuring if it blows up I could try it again until I get it right. The big mistake was not putting a reaction wheel or RCS on it as I was trying to reduce weight, once it gets to around 22-23km it loses control flips around and explodes. Any advice for getting this thing back down safely?

Hello everyone, I am trying to find out when and how often mars-->jupiter-->saturn windows happen. However, I seem to be unable to find a site allowing me to see when mars--jupiter or jupiter-->saturn windows occur. I searched, but only got kerbol system calculators. I'm gonna use it outside KSP, so 'use KAC' is a really annoying answer which I keep finding. Does anyone know a site where I could find them? Edit: also nice would be the time between to windows or how to calculate that Edit2: Thanks to wikipedia, a friend of mine and excel, I found everything I needed! I can conclude that a window for a transfer mars-->jupiter-->saturn will occur every 102,... years. My physics teacher will be proud, and that guy who did an orbital mechanics project of 12 weeks finding the deltaV for a normal mars--> saturn transfer will envy me! Thanks in advance!

Cant figure which mod is causing this one. I think that I know what is provoking the science experiments not to work, or option to do science to not appear (when right click on a science experiment, capsule, or anything science related). So I think that one of the mods is causing science parts to duplicate an infinite amount of times... I checked in the science tree and noticed that every selection that had a science part in it, had it copied a lot of times in the little window that shows what parts will the node unlock. I dont know which mod is doing this... someone please help Here are the mods that I'm currently using: KSP: 1.1.3 (Win64) - Unity: 5.2.4f1 - OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (6.1.7601) 64bit Chatterer - 0.9.90.1289 Color Coded Canisters - 1.5 Community Resource Pack - 0.5.4 DMagic Orbital Science - 1.3.0.2 Kerbal Attachment System - 0.5.9 Kerbal Joint Reinforcement - 3.1.7 Kerbal Inventory System - 1.2.12 KSP-AVC Plugin - 1.1.6.1 Modular Rocket Systems - 1.12.7 SCANsat - 1.1.6.2 NearFutureSolar - 0.6.2 QuickScroll - 1.3.2 RealPlume - Stock - 0.10.7 RemoteTech - 1.7 SCANsat - 1.1.6.3 StageRecovery - 1.6.4 TarsierSpaceTechnology - 6.3 TAC Life Support - 0.12.1

Hi This mod was create because ever game I end up in a situation I would like to deorbit a small drop container with some science. DOWNLOAD: http://spacedock.info/mod/797/ScienceContainers

This code is for Solar Science, which as of now doesn't actually do science because it refuses to run the experiment. Instead of calling ModuleScienceExperiment, my parts call this instead. It functioned properly in at least .24 through at least 1.0, but now simply fails. Asked for help from #kspmodders IRC and all we determined is that "public new void" should work just fine. Also determined that public new void DeployExperiment() and public new void DeployAction(KSPActionParam p) weren't firing. //Make sure we're using all available stuff using System; using UnityEngine; namespace PraiseTheSun { //Inherit ModuleScienceExperiment stuff public class SolarExperiment : ModuleScienceExperiment{ // Check if you're around the Sun and height from the surface, and if false post the message public bool checkBody() { if (vessel.mainBody.name == "Sun" && vessel.mainBody.GetAltitude(vessel.CoM) <= 10000000000d) return true; ScreenMessages.PostScreenMessage("This experiment only operates closely around Kerbol (the Sun) !", 2, ScreenMessageStyle.UPPER_CENTER); return false; } // If deploying an Experiment, check the boolean and act accordingly public new void DeployExperiment() { if (checkBody()) base.DeployExperiment(); } // If doing an action, check the boolean and act accordingly public new void DeployAction(KSPActionParam p) { if (checkBody()) base.DeployAction(p); } } } Anybody have any ideas? SOLVED: Silly me, I forgot to use .NET 3.5. Still haven't understood why the previous script (which was built using 3.5) stopped working as it was the exact same code, however I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Thank you everybody!

Curiosity killed the kerbal. And I'm curious about how many mods most people are using and load times they get out of them. So... Please post in this format: 1. # of mods in use. 2. approximate time it takes to load the starting screen. 3. approximate time it takes for a scene change (from space center to the VAB, for example.) Here's mine: 1. 67 mods 2. 26 seconds to start screen 3. 5 seconds from spacecenter to VAB My gamedata folder is only 500 mb most of my mods are small contract packs and whatnot. I love them all more than is natural for a man to love a mod and I can't function without them.

I have conducted an experiment on the effects of physical time warping on take off. here are the details. CONSTANTS- same spacecraft used throughout, same mass(3.515t), SAS enabled before launch, Time Warp enabled before launch, Same pilot used.(Richwig Kerman) Control (no time warp) Max Altitude Max Speed TEST 1- 9,946 m 342 m/s TEST 2- 9,945 m 342 m/s TEST 3- 9,945 m 342 m/s Warp x2 ------------------------------------------------------------- TEST 1- 9,943 m 342 m/s TEST 2- 9,942 m 342 m/s TEST 3- 9,942 m 342 m/s Warp x3 ------------------------------------------------------------- TEST 1- 9,938 m 343 m/s TEST 2- 9,938 m 343 m/s TEST 3- 9,938 m 343 m/s Warp x4 ------------------------------------------------------------- TEST 1- 9,936 m 343 m/s TEST 2- 9,934 m 343 m/s TEST 3- 9,936 m 343 m/s OOHHHH K, *smacks lips* There is roughly a 10 metre decay between the no time warp test and the 4x time warp test (Take into account the mass of the vessel,3.515t,), and minimal speed change, how ever, this was conducted with a relatively light craft. I plan on do more test with heavier vessels. Although I would not be surprised if someone else has already tested this, but it was a fun experience to do so myself. I would like to test more questions If anyone has any. And good luck Kerbalnauts .

Previous thread. This new thread was necessary because of loss of my old email, forgotten password, some source files, and hosting site (you will be missed, Kerbal Stuff) Salutations! May the sunlight always be upon you! *Update v1.1.0: New Sound Effects and Realtime solar images! Update v1.1.1: New licensing, preparing for a handover to @zer0Kerbal. Check for his thread linked below. Check the changelog for more details This small mod adds a couple new scientific instruments (such as the one pictured here) which do science specifically around the most wondrous body in the Kerbol system. Both of these instruments are based upon instruments currently aboard the SOHO and STEREO spacecraft, and when experiments are run, real, recent images are displayed. It also adds a few new flags. To install Like most other mods, simply download the file (Linked at the bottom), unzip it, and drop the folder it gives you into Kerbal Space Program>GameData. Notes: The Source Code, models, textures, and sounds are provided. These are in .cs, .fbx, .png, and .wav formats, respectively, and are all found in the folder Solar Science > Source. By the license, you can do anything you please with them as long as you don't profit and you give credit to me. Preferably, this would amount to mention of "Snoopy 20111." Remember to Praise the Sun! Screenshots: Review from KottabosGames (v1.04): Changelog: Roadmap (???) Download here on Spacedock Curse mirror Google Drive Mirror (Solar Science v1.1.0) This work is licensed under the MIT License.

Image - Example comparison of the proposed modules, to show how I imagine their size. I've had this idea developing in my mind for quite some time now, and I think I'm finally ready to present it in its complete form. This proposal would make significant changes to the way science works, but mostly by adding new things. Science collection in general will feel very familiar to KSP players, but it will be more streamlined and balanced, and make more sense. More total science will be available to collect--I won't show a revamp of the research tree but I'll touch upon some ideas to expand it and make room for the science without adding a ton of new items. All of your data collection science will revolve around a base set of experiment types: Crew Report EVA Report Surface Sample Goo Study Materials Study Thermometer Reading Barometer Reading Seismometer Reading Gravometer Reading Early in the tech tree you will unlock all experiment types in their most basic form, you can easily have them unlocked before you leave Kerbin to go to the Mün or Minmus, but later you will unlock better versions. These may allow you to collect a larger percentage of the maximum science on the first try but they will not increase the maximum amount of science you can get from any given experiment type in any given collection region. This means that if you send out a long mission early in the game, that mission can carry all of the important scientific instruments you'll need along the way. It would be great to take advantage of higher technology, but it won't be mandatory. Just like now, each experiment type/biome combination will have its own maximum cache of science. For instance, there's a limit to how much science you can gather from performing goo studies while landed on the Mün's midlands, which is separate from the science you can gain from thermometer readings while landed in the Mün's midlands, or from goo studies while flying over the Mün's surface. Scientists can increase the science gathered when you collect data, and can slightly increase the maximum science you can gain from an experiment in any given location, but the scientist must be the one performing the experiment to get the bonus. Any science processing unit can be used to increase the transmit value of experiments (except crew/EVA reports which already transmit at 100%) and any kerbal can operate these facilities, but scientists increase the bonus transmit value. No matter what, there will always be a good margin of science you can't get without returning the experiments home, but with a sufficiently large processing array and well-trained scientists, you can become able to transmit the better majority of the science. Data Collection Experiments Here I will list each experiment type along with details and tentative numbers about its maximum yield, transmit value, and some suggestions for later tech upgrades to the collection units: Crew Report: Base maximum value: 6 Transmit value: 100% Recover value: 100% EVA Report: Base maximum value: 8 Transmit value: 100% Recover value: 100% Surface Sample: Base maximum value: 60 Base transmit value: 12.5% Max transmit value: 25% Recover value: 50% A kerbal can carry a 1kg sample of regolith which has a recovery value of 50% of the maximum, and this takes up space and adds mass to the capsule it is stored in. Returning more surface samples from the same biome gives much less science--you have to take home a whole ton of material to get the full 100%, but you can make it to 75% by bringing back just 100kg. Later in the tech tree you will unlock a surface collection unit which can collect the surface material rapidly and can store 100kg of surface sample, and then a storage tank that can hold a full ton of surface sample material and maybe a larger tank that can hold several tons--if you were to gather from multiple biomes. Surface samples provide a way to get extra science from the same places you've already been to. It's generally a lot more productive to explore new places for science, until you start to run out of places to explore. Also, they have the largest gap between maximum transmit value and potential recovery value, so they are your biggest incentive to bring the experiments back home. Goo Study: Base maximum value: 15 Base transmit value: 20% Base processing bonus: +50% Max transmit value: 60% Base recover value: 66.67% The Mystery Goo Containment Unit, like other material-based experiments, has a low base transmit value. It is best recovered. There is a diminishing return on how much of the max you get for recovering it--the first one gives 2/3rds of it, and packing a few extra goo units can squeeze a bit more out if you're willing to run multiple goo experiments per biome. Later in the tech tree you'll unlock the Mystery Goo Habitat, a larger and heavier unit which has more and more lively Mystery Goo inside, and is better for study. The Habitat returns for 100% recover value in one try, and yields half more transmit value, 30% of the max up from 20% but has a much larger transmit size in MITs. Materials Study: Base maximum value: 50 Base transmit value: 15% Base processing bonus: +25% Max transmit value: 45% Base recover value: 50% The Science, Jr. unit offers your first mobile research lab, and these will become a staple for squeezing out as much research as possible from any biome, but they are also the heaviest module to tug around. Initially it recovers just 50% and you can run several to increase the recovery, but it would take an exorbitant amount of Sciences, Jr. to reach 100% due to the diminishing return. However, with just a few you can get significantly higher than 50%. Later in the tech tree you unlock the Science, Sr. which is a much larger 2.5m in-line lab with a base recovery of 80% and a base transmit value of 24%. You can get close to 100% total recovery with just a few of these, but they are a lot bulkier. The Mobile Research Laboratory is a late tech tree unlock, it's a huge 3.75m unit which can perform a materials study at 100% recover or 30% transmit value, it can collect and store some surface material, and it is able to process experiments to increase their transmit value. Finally, it can clean out experiments, including itself. Takes three kerbals to run it at max capacity, but it can run with a minimum of one kerbal. Temperature Reading: Base maximum value: 8 Base transmit value: 50% Base processing bonus: +50% Max transmit value: 100% Base recover value: 100% Pressure Reading: Base maximum value: 12 Base transmit value: 50% Base processing bonus: +50% Max transmit value: 100% Base recover value: 100% The thermometer and barometer are lightweight instruments that can gather a bit of useful data. They have the highest base transmit percent, making them especially useful for missions you aren't returning home, or for when you didn't bring enough instruments for every area you're going past. Later in the tech tree you unlock an infrared scanner and an atmospheric analysis module, these are the advanced versions of these experiment types, and they both have a base transmit value of 75% but a much larger transmit size. I am eliminating the existing atmospheric scan experiment, as I am wrapping it in with the barometric scan, making them the same base experiment. Seismic Reading: Base maximum value: 25 Base transmit value: 40% Base processing bonus: +50% Max transmit value: 100% Base recover value: 80% Gravity Reading: Base maximum value: 25 Base transmit value: 40% Base processing bonus: +50% Max transmit value: 100% Base recover value: 80% The Seismic Accelerometer and Negative Gravioli Detector are very small and light like the thermometer and barometer but they have a much larger data size and transmit at only 40% initially. Later you unlock the larger Seismograph and Negative Gravioli Scan Array, which have a base transmit value of 60% and will always recover for the full 100%. You can alternatively set an accelerometer running at a landed craft/base, or set a gravioli detector running on an orbiting craft/station, and have it gradually increase its recover value over time, to eventually reach 100%. Lab Processing of Data Processing labs can process experiments, increasing their transmit value. They can also clean experiments. These units can be operated by any kerbals, but scientists are able to squeeze extra transmit value out, in addition to their overall science bonus based on their level. The Mobile Processing Laboratory (2.5m) and the Mobile Research Laboratory both have the full processing functionality, but the smaller Mobile Processing Unit (2.5m, much shorter) is only able to process for half the bonus. It is much smaller and lighter, however, and thus can be good to bring along if you can't spare as much mass for your trip. The more kerbals you have working on processing, the faster it'll get done. As long as there is one scientist in the crew, you'll get the full scientist bonus, but the extra based on the scientist's level is taken from the highest level scientist in the crew. The small MPU has room for only one kerbal, but it's still faster than the other units because it doesn't process the data as far. Scientists also make the labs run slightly faster. Kerbal Scientists The full processing value increases the transmit value by 50% over base, but a scientist will get a base 75% increase to transmit value at level 0. At each higher level, a scientist gets +5% processing transmit value, +3% to all science gathered, and +5% faster processing lab operation speed. For example, a level 4 scientist gathering a materials study (Science, Jr.) from the Mün's lowlands: The multiplier for this biome is 4x, so the base 50 on materials study gives us a base max of 200 science for this experiment in this location. The true maximum is 230 with a max-level scientist. The module has a base transmit value of 15% and a base recovery value of 50%. The scientist increases the recovery by 12%, to 56% or 112 science on the first try. It will transmit for only 33.6 science, but we can process it higher. A non-scientist processing the experiment in a full-scale station would get it up to 42 science, but our level 4 scientist can process to +95%--however the materials study experiment type only processes half as high, so our scientist can process it up to +47.5%. The scientist would also add a 12% value to the experiment, but it already has a 12% bonus modifier applied to it since the same scientist gathered it in the first place. The final transmit value is 49.56 science, about a quarter of the base max for recovery. The same scientist could transmit for a higher value on the same experiment if a higher tech module was used to collect the data initially. A change to experience gain: Scientists now gain experience by performing experiments. Each experiment performed in each region gives them experience, and they level up by performing enough experiments in enough different areas. They can reach max level by running experiments only on Kerbin, but there are higher multipliers on more distant worlds. Also, kerbals will gain half of their field experience while still on the mission, applied at KSC midnight. They must return home to gain the other half, but they can level up during long missions. Expanding the Tech Tree I had an idea to both stretch out the tech tree and also give the player more options to begin with: provide more of the important types of modules earlier in the tech tree but have later science improve the designs. Important structural elements should be provided early on, allowing you to construct a spacecraft of any shape you wish, but later research could unlock upgrades to the same shapes, making them lighter and stronger. Even large engines should be available pretty early in the tech tree, but later research would unlock more efficient and powerful engines. Later fuel tanks could have a smaller dry mass fraction, or contain advanced fuel that increases engine specific impulse. Wing surfaces could become lighter and stronger as well as gaining a higher lift rating. Early photovoltaic panels could be stationary, and later panels would rotate to track the sun automatically. Later docking ports need not only be larger, but can also have a stronger grip and be thinner/lighter/more durable. And as I have talked about above, the science experiments are all available early in the tree, but have later variants that improve them--though it is possible to get all the science with the starting experiment units. Changing the tech tree in this way would give the player more freedom early on, and would allow players to plan ahead in their space program rather than forcing them to build crap spacecraft that are quickly made obsolete by new science unlocks. One thing that bothers me about KSP is that I have to explore first before I unlock the parts I need for exploring. I want to build my spacecraft, then send it out on a grand mission, and have that grand mission benefit my space program. It doesn't feel right when I have to unlock the whole tech tree just to prepare for launching my grand mission.

When doing the gravity scan in space near Duna the flavor text says gravity is lowest at the bottom of the canyon - but we all know gravity is stronger the closer you get to the center of mass! So the surface gravity would be highest in the canyon floor. Nice to be able to feel sanctimonious about something today...