Transferring experiments from ditched stages

[Neufusion]

Do I need to manually transfer experiments from goo/thermometer/barometer/science jr to somewhere else if I'm not bringing the instruments back home with me?

I keep building rockets that can reenter kerbin with everything attached, but it would be much easier if I knew how/where to transfer experiments without losing them.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Neufusion

[Alshain]

Yes, you do. Experiments can only be transferred by an EVA Kerbal, which means you need an Astronaut Complex upgrade.

Once on EVA, get close to the expirament and right click it to take the data. Be warned of the following

1. Without a scientist or a populated science lab, the Goo and Material Bay can not be reset once the data is removed.

2. A command pod can only hold one experiment of each type, in each biome, in each situation. Changing any one of those factors counts as an entirely new item (So EVA Report while flying over the grasslands is not the same as EVA Report in orbit over the grasslands, is not the same as EVA Report in orbit over the Water is not the same as Temperature scan in orbit over the water).

3. A Crew Report must be removed and re-deposited into the command pod to take another crew report.

4. A Science Lab can hold experiments and does not follow rule 2, it can hold whatever you want.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Alshain

[Neufusion]

Yes, you do. Experiments can only be transferred by an EVA Kerbal, which means you need an Astronaut Complex upgrade.

Which instruments/experiments need to be collected/transferred by an EVA Kerbal if the original devices/collection points will be ditched?

So I just climb/jetpack over to the device and collect the data?

Do I collect all of the data/experiments and dump it into my command pod for the return trip?

Which ones cannot be collected/transferred?

[Alshain]

That is correct. All can be collected/transferred. Also, a Kerbal carrying data will automatically deposit it in the command pod when you board the craft. You don't have to do it explicitly (but you can). If one of that type/biome/situation exists, it will prompt you to Dump it and board anyway, which you will probably do unless you intend to abandon your Kerbal.

[Neufusion]

That is correct. All can be collected/transferred. Also, a Kerbal carrying data will automatically deposit it in the command pod when you board the craft. You don't have to do it explicitly (but you can). If one of that type/biome/situation exists, it will prompt you to Dump it and board anyway, which you will probably do unless you intend to abandon your Kerbal.

So the kerbal has to EVA and then collect the experiments from each device manually and bring them back to the pod? Every device? baro/thermo/goo/sci jr?

[Alshain]

correct

[Axelord FTW]

I use Stage Recovery so as long as my spent stages reenter the atmo and have enough parachutes the science will get collected.

I have even used a specialized deorbiter tug to grab the small landing can with as much science as I could get on it and ditched everything down the well.

[Sharpy]

And then most devices can be reused for a different situation after its data has been removed. (Mystery Goo and Materials Bay need to be reset by a scientist to be reused)So if you go to land on the Mun, you can take just one barometer, one thermometer, one goo container and one materials bay, and on the way you can collect:

- ground sample at launchpad

- EVA report on launchpad

- temperature report on launchpad

- pressure readout on launchpad

- crew report on launchpad.

- mystery goo observation on launchpad

- materials bay observation on launchpad

Then the scientist picks all the data (including removing the crew report from the capsule), resets the goo container and materials bay, then reenters the capsule. You launch, and sta

rt collecting:

- temperature report in atmosphere low

- pressure readout in atmosphere low

- crew report in atmosphere low

- mystery goo observation in atmosphere low

- materials bay observation in atmosphere low

No EVA report because you'd get blown away. You'll do it while slowly parachuting back to the ground.

Once your periapsis is above the atmosphere but you're still approaching it through the thin atmosphere, too thin to blow you away - between 60,000-70-000m - go on EVA again. Collect data from all science modules, reset the goo container and the materials bay, then perform another series of experiments:

- temperature report in atmosphere high

- pressure readout in atmosphere high

- crew report in atmosphere high

- mystery goo observation in atmosphere high

- materials bay observation in atmosphere high

- EVA report in atmosphere high

Again, collect them all (including removing and reinserting all the data in the command pod, to change the Crew Report status from "in science device" to "stored").

Circularize your orbit and perform another batch:

- temperature report in space over Kerbin low

- pressure readout in space over Kerbin low

- crew report in space over Kerbin low

- mystery goo observation in space over Kerbin low

- materials bay observation in space over Kerbin low

- EVA report in space over Kerbin low

Retrieve and store it, resetting the two resettable experiments.

Prepare your transfer for the Mun, perform the burn and warp to about halfway there. And again, perform:

- temperature report in space over Kerbin high

- pressure readout in space over Kerbin high

- crew report in space over Kerbin high

- mystery goo observation in space over Kerbin high

- materials bay observation in space over Kerbin high

- EVA report in space over Kerbin high

Collect, reset.

After you enter Mun SOI, perform and collect:

- temperature report in space over Mun high

- pressure readout in space over Mun high

- crew report in space over Mun high

- mystery goo observation in space over Mun high

- materials bay observation in space over Mun high

- EVA report in space over Mun high

Enter the orbit, perform and collect:

- temperature report in space over Mun low

- pressure readout in space over Mun low

- crew report in space over Mun low

- mystery goo observation in space over Mun low

- materials bay observation in space over Mun low

- EVA report in space over Mun low

Land. Perform and collect:

- temperature report on Mun surface in [biome]

- pressure readout on Mun surface in [biome]

- crew report on Mun surface in [biome]

- mystery goo observation on Mun surface in [biome]

- materials bay observation on Mun surface in [biome]

- EVA report on Mun surface in [biome]

- Ground sample on Mun surface in [biome]

Return. If you forgot any experiments along the way, perform them on the way back.

Reenter, descend. Once the parachute fully deploys (below 1000m) and the craft slows down to some 6m/s, exit the lander and perform EVA report in atmosphere low.

If you dumped all your experiments, that's it. If you didn't though, land, then perform a full batch in the biome you landed in.

So, all in all - between 50 and 57 experiments to be collected on the trip, all with 4 instruments, one capsule and one scientist capable of resetting two of the instruments.

[Warzouz]

I recommend using a space station as base of operation to explore Mun and Minmus, so you don't have to get back too often. In that configuration, your lander can do multiple "hops" and strip Mun or Minmus very fast.

Meanwhile have your space station research the experiments you got.

Then get home with a return vehicle. Leave your landers there. If you get new expermiments, just send a return vehicle and a new lander (no need to send a space station again. You can even transform your old lander into a return vehicle by adding parachutes on a mini docking module you plug on the lander.

[Sharpy]

I recommend using a space station as base of operation to explore Mun and Minmus, so you don't have to get back too often. In that configuration, your lander can do multiple "hops" and strip Mun or Minmus very fast.

Meanwhile have your space station research the experiments you got.

Yep, I'm there. The lab around Minmus has some 5000 science points worth of experiments and I'm some 4000 points away from finishing the science tree. But since *some* of the experiments still haven't been processed into data, I can't remove the remaining ones and send them to Kerbin. 5000 points frozen in orbit around Minmus for... another year or two? because of this approach

[Warzouz]

You can unlock the whole tech tree without researching, only collecting science from Mun, Minmus and Kerbin (mostly KSC). I think it took me 3 month to unlock the tech tree and built everything.

If you want some space station, I'm working on some packaged stuff here (space station, landers, refueler, return vehicle)

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/132464

It's a bit draft for now, I'm working on simplifying it.