Removing processed experiments from a mobile lab

[Thrawcheld]

I had a kerbal go down to the Mun and collect various science data. All of it is now transmitted, except for three surface samples, two of which have been processed. The third can't be processed because there isn't enough data capacity.

In theory I could just make room by removing the processed experiments and putting them in a command pod, for instance. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to do this, because there is only the option to take all data, not some of it. All I can do is transmit one of them, which is suboptimal. I'd really rather take them back to Kerbin, and I have a little spacecraft ready to do just that (I sent it on the same rocket as the lab itself).

Is it possible to remove only the processed experiments without transmitting them, so I can process the unprocessed ones?

Edited July 4, 2015 by Thrawcheld

[Streetwind]

I don't think the mobile processing lab works like you think it does...

(And it's possible that the same applies to me, I've only looked at it very briefly. But here's what I believe to understand about it.)

When you review the report for a science experiment you did (or moved to the relevant vessel), you get three options: keep, transmit, or send to the lab.

- When you choose to keep the experiment, you get nothing, but you have the option to recover it or choose one of the other two options later-on.

- When you choose to transmit, you get a certain amount of science, and the science experiment is consumed.

- When you choose to send it to the lab, you add a certain amount of data to the lab, and the science experiment is consumed.

In other words, you can't take any processed experiments out of the lab. This is not a thing Any processed experiment is gone.

How much "room" a mobile processing lab has is not governed by what experiments you put into it, but rather by how much data it has stored. It can store up to 500 data. Each experiment you send to the lab adds some data to that storage, based on what experiment it is and how much science it would be worth if returned (I'm not sure if there's an easy way for the user to know besides trying and memorizing). When the cap of 500 data has been reached, you can no longer send more experiments to the lab until you make room for more data.

You do that by letting the lab work. The lab will generate a certain amount of science each day (this is shown in the rightclick menu), and for every 5 science it generates this way, it will consume 1 data. So the amount of data stored declines over time as the lab does its thing, meaning that after a while, you will once again have room to receive another experiment.

The transmit option sends the science that has been generated so far (there's a cap of 500 on that, too). It does not in any way interact with the transmit option of specific experiments. In fact, the lab does not interact with the transmit or recover values of any experiment at all. If you recover an experiment and get the full value, you can still send another copy of the (now worthless) experiment to the lab, and you'll still get the full amount of lab data. Similarly, you can send an experiment to the lab and get data for it, process that data and send it home, and still return another copy of that experiment home for the full recover value.

However, the "another copy" part is significant. If you decided to send a surface sample to the lab, then you cannot also return it home unless you go back to the surface and fetch another sample.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Streetwind

[AlexinTokyo]

You can send experimental data to the lab and still return/transmit the original report (at it's normal value); it is not consumed.

At least, you can if that behaviour wasn't changed between 1.0.2 and 1.0.3/4.

Everything else you say is correct as far as I know.

ETA: I'm 90% sure the amount of data used by a given experiment is the same as the data size given in the experiment report.

Edited July 1, 2015 by AlexinTokyo

[Streetwind]

So you don't have to get another copy? Weird, I thought you had. But it's been a while since I last poked at it, oh well.

The data you get for an experiment is definitely not equal to the transmit size. That would make an atmosphere analysis taken standing still on the runway at KSC give you 8 times the data of a materials study while landed on Eeloo. Taking a quick peek at the wiki, it has this to say: "An experimental result produces an amount of data based on its own relative value and the location of the lab at the time the data is generated. A lab on the surface of a body produces more data per experiment than one in orbit, and if the experiment is from the same body as the one the lab is orbiting or landed on the data value is greater. The exception to this is Kerbin, a lab landed on Kerbin produces less data than one in orbit of Kerbin."

[Sharpy]

Actually:

- the moment you add an experiment to the lab, it is consumed and its processing starts (it's nowhere to be found at that moment, but you get a message with percentage progress of processing)

- the moment processing ends, the same experiment is produced again, without the option to add it to the lab. It is located inside the lab and can be taken with the "Take Data" option.

You can also store experiments in a lab without "adding" them, just by the old plain "store data" option - this is desirable if you have the 500 data quota filled, and still want to keep more processable experiments at hand. The side effect though is that you *can't* remove "all the rest" while leaving only these in. Your optimal option at this point is to wait until the lab consumes enough from its 500 data quota to add these, then once they are "processed", remove them and deliver to Kerbin.

[Streetwind]

Actually:

- the moment you add an experiment to the lab, it is consumed and its processing starts (it's nowhere to be found at that moment, but you get a message with percentage progress of processing)

- the moment processing ends, the same experiment is produced again, without the option to add it to the lab. It is located inside the lab and can be taken with the "Take Data" option.

Ooooh! So that's why I remember it getting consumed. Thanks for the clarification.

[obsidian_x]

Each lab can process each experiment once only. So you can send it the mun to fill before refuelling and sending it on the duna. On the way it will process the data, and produce science. If you make a second craft you can do the same and send it to eve and it will process the data on the way. You don't get the science running the same experiment again, but the different labs can both process the data.

[Sharpy]

Each lab can process each experiment once only. So you can send it the mun to fill before refuelling and sending it on the duna. On the way it will process the data, and produce science. If you make a second craft you can do the same and send it to eve and it will process the data on the way. You don't get the science running the same experiment again, but the different labs can both process the data.

Wait, does that mean I can send four labs to Minmus, undock them from each other leaving them floating 100 meters apart, then transfer each new piece of data from one to another for 4x the science?

[Montag]

I do believe if you submit data to the lab directly from the science instrument, the data still resides in the instrument. You can then take it out via EVA or return with it on instrument.

[Streetwind]

Wait, does that mean I can send four labs to Minmus, undock them from each other leaving them floating 100 meters apart, then transfer each new piece of data from one to another for 4x the science?

Yes, you can. This is apparently fully intended to be a(nother) way to farm an infinite amount of science points, from what RoverDude explained after the lab was released. But then again, even without ever touching the MPL or the Klaw, you can complete the tech tree with just Kerbin and the Mun, and maybe a little bit of Minmus. So it's not really as big a deal as it sounds.

All it boils down to is essentially a small but steady amount of passive income after you finish every tech node and activate a science -> money conversion strategy at 100%, provided you have an efficient launcher/spacecraft that doesn't cost too much to launch new labs and ferry them around the Kerbin system.

[Thrawcheld]

You can also store experiments in a lab without "adding" them, just by the old plain "store data" option - this is desirable if you have the 500 data quota filled, and still want to keep more processable experiments at hand. The side effect though is that you *can't* remove "all the rest" while leaving only these in. Your optimal option at this point is to wait until the lab consumes enough from its 500 data quota to add these, then once they are "processed", remove them and deliver to Kerbin.

Ah, so the processing consumes the data, right.

And it seems they do it faster depending on level, so it's probably a good idea to return both my scientists to Kerbin, then send them back again.

[Wemb]

Ah, so the processing consumes the data, right..

Yup, but not the science - the science is still onboard the vessel - either in the MPL or the ship it came in on - I have the same 'problem' as the original poster - in my case, I have an orbital science base around minmus - the science lab has about 25 experiments on it, of which about 6 are waiting to be 'processed' (soil samples) and the remainder are doing nothing, have already been processed and coverted into data, and can now either be transmitted (at a science cost) or returned back to kerbin on the next supply shuttle, for full science return - the quesitons - is it possible to selectively 'take' or 'store' data - so my scientists can ensure only the processed science experiments get to go home, leaving the unprocessed data on the station.

The only way I can see to do it is send another science base to Minmus so it can process the extra data - either that or wait a few years.

Wemb