Visual Science Exposition / Display

[Woksaus]

I visited a minerals museum recently and they had some nice rocks on display, including some cool meteorite fragments. When I took a surface sample of Minmus, this got me thinking: wouldn't it be cool to have a Science Exposition feature in KSP?

At the moment, you perform Science experiments on a body or in the atmosphere, you get a report and bring/send it back to Kerbin. The R&D building gives you an overview of your Science reports, but that's about it. You do the experiments purely to unlock parts of the Tech Tree and gain no real sense of achievement. I would love to have part of the R&D building (or a new building) contain an exposition of the experiments you have performed. Kind of like a record of all your Science achievements.

This 'Kerbal Space Museum' would contain sections for each planetary body. At the beginning of your game these sections would, naturally, be empty (apart from the general description you see in the Tracking Station maybe). Once you perform a crew report or temperature/pressure/seismic experiment on the surface of the body, the KSM description would expand with the corresponding data on the planet. Did you perform a pressure scan on Laythe? You can now see the pressure table for Laythe's atmosphere in your KSM. Got a temperature scan from Moho? You now have the minimum and maximum temperature listed in your Moho section.

Accompanying each section would be a visual display for all surface samples you've taken and physically returned to Kerbin. Did you bring back a sample from Duna's polar caps? You get a cool ice crystal next to the reddish sand and red rock from previous visits to Duna's Midlands and Highlands. See that awesome, purple glowing liquid sample in the Eve section? That's an ocean sample you brought back after your first successful return from Eve! Did you perform an experiment with the Atmospheric Fluid Spectro-Varoiometer in Jool's atmosphere? You get a glass container with swirling green gas in Jool's section.

I think that seeing the collection of your Kerbal Space Museum grow as you progress through the game would provide you with a greater sense of achievement than the current recordkeeping in the R&D will ever do. It would also give you a greater incentive to go to planets like Moho, Dres and Eeloo other than 'it's hard' or 'I want to have visited all the bodies' - especially if surface samples from those bodies would contain beautiful crystals.

[Slam_Jones]

I think this has been recommended in a few different forms, but I fully support it. A "Hall of Achievements" or "Hall of Science" or something of the sort would be awesome

[sumghai]

Combined with static displays of user-built crafts, your suggestion would be great for a Kerbal Spaceflight Museum browsable in-game.

[Woksaus]

I think this has been recommended in a few different forms, but I fully support it. A "Hall of Achievements" or "Hall of Science" or something of the sort would be awesome

I saw some crafts and flights and such, but not for Science.

Combined with static displays of user-built crafts, your suggestion would be great for a Kerbal Spaceflight Museum browsable in-game.

Yeah, that's what I thought I think it would be a great way to give you a sense of achievement, and would make Science more important than 'that thing you do to get more parts'.

[Higgs]

I like the idea, would give me a fresh reason to go play more than sand box lol

[Xavven]

I like this idea. It's like a trophy room that would add to the player's sense of accomplishment.