Science parts used for practical purposes

[samstarman5]

With heat having become a big factor in gameplay recently, one thing that's frustrated me a bit has been not knowing exactly what is going on in the ship. The only telltales I have noticed thus far is how radiators and engines radiate, and maybe the occasional temperature meter that comes up for the part.

I wouldn't mind a way to have more than just an idiot glow to go off of, so I got to thinking, why can't the thermometer be able to be set to measure interior heat?  Of course, it could be set to measure exterior heat for science, but why not a setting to give a gauge on how well the core is doing?

With antennae on the verge of being given additional duties for communication between vessels, I am wondering if there are ideas with other science parts that can do an additional practical function?

Edited May 16, 2016 by samstarman5

[Snark]

Incidentally, this isn't directly what you were asking for, but lately I've been tinkering with a mod whose purpose is to make ships more "visually informative":

...basically, add visual indications of part status.  Still a work in progress-- have added indicators for a lot of things, still have plenty more to explore.

It doesn't use the science instruments particularly, so apologies if mentioning it here is only marginally on-topic; but it does address the general theme of "I wish I could get more information about the ship by looking at it."

For example, here's what it does with ISRU units:

Spoiler

...currently just a simple on-off display for the resource converters, but I plan to add heat indication as well.

[Alshain]

I think Kerbal Engineer has a whole section on heat.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Alshain

[Majorjim!]

9 hours ago, samstarman5 said:

I am wondering if there are ideas with other science parts that can do an additional practical function?

Thermometers and commucatrons make for the smallest possible hinge in KSP. How's that for a practical function?

 

 

[Speeding Mullet]

5 hours ago, Snark said:

but lately I've been tinkering with a mod whose purpose is to make ships more "visually informative":

And I've been tinkering with using it.  Love it.  It's one of those detail things that makes you go "Ah that's just what I wanted".

@samstarman5 The thing that kills me with heat glow is how on re-entry it will shade one part of your craft and leave the other bits.  I know heat is part specific but it would be great to see some bleed across parts instead of block part heat.

Spoiler

 

Now to not address your point, I'm not sure what I can add that wouldn't be classed as a terrible idea so I will defer to others ideas and quietly read them

SM

[p1t1o]

Not sure if this is exactly on point, but I've found that Communotron 16s make quite good landing legs for very small probes.

Alternatively, they (and similar telescoping antennae) can be used as "SRI-Mechs" [Self-Righting Mechanisms], if your probe falls over. (Or stabilising probes to prevent such).

[samstarman5]

11 hours ago, p1t1o said:

Not sure if this is exactly on point, but I've found that Communotron 16s make quite good landing legs for very small probes.

Alternatively, they (and similar telescoping antennae) can be used as "SRI-Mechs" [Self-Righting Mechanisms], if your probe falls over. (Or stabilising probes to prevent such).

As someone who landed on the Mun with tailfins, before landing legs were first introduced, I always approve of creativity like that.

To turn this topic on its head, another part I would love to see an additional use for is the drill. It could definitely be used to collect soil samples on probes that you would need to bring back to Kerbin or the KSC if already on Kerbin to get the science for.

[cantab]

I've used them to ... actually do science. And I don't mean clicking the run experiment button in the game. I mean taking a probe through the atmosphere of an unfamiliar world, recording temperature and pressure at various altitudes, and plotting the results to get an atmospheric curve for the body. And then using that information to work out how many parachutes a larger lander will require for a safe touchdown.

[Geschosskopf]

On 5/16/2016 at 5:22 PM, samstarman5 said:

With antennae on the verge of being given additional duties for communication between vessels, I am wondering if there are ideas with other science parts that can do an additional practical function?

The NBS can be used as a very clunky electric motor to push things.  @Majorjim has used them to make stock tank treads that almost work (maybe they work now--I haven't checked in a while).  They don't work as rover wheels, however, as they lack enough ground traction to move their own weight (assuming you can engineer around them turning the wrong way on the other side of the rover, the inability to steer or throttle, etc.).  HOWEVER, if you put a single NBS axially inside a 1.25m service bay so it clips into the adjacent stack part, it causes all kinds of bizarre joint stretching, bending and twisting the ship.  This can be harnessed to make a sort of walking machine, more like a Slinky Dog than a real walker, but it does move.  Semi-randomly, with very little control over direction and none over speed, but at least entertaining.  That has practical value, doesn't it?

The 88-88 can be used as a sundial.  This is how marooned Kerbals tell the time after their pod runs out of power.  It can also be used (with the help of the rotation gizmo) to make a beach umbrella.

The barometer and negative gravioli detectors are useful as steps under crew hatches, when using the "clamber" feature Kerbals now have.  Saves you from using a an extra part for that, plus does science!

 

Edited May 18, 2016 by Geschosskopf

[samstarman5]

6 hours ago, cantab said:

I've used them to ... actually do science. And I don't mean clicking the run experiment button in the game. I mean taking a probe through the atmosphere of an unfamiliar world, recording temperature and pressure at various altitudes, and plotting the results to get an atmospheric curve for the body. And then using that information to work out how many parachutes a larger lander will require for a safe touchdown.

That's just weird, man.  We may have to shun you for such heresy.

[ExtremeSquared]

One issue with your plan. In 1.0, the thermometer would explode from core / conductive / radiative overheating before most other parts would. I like to think this was on purpose, to be funny.

Edited May 18, 2016 by ExtremeSquared

[JoeNapalm]

5 hours ago, ExtremeSquared said:

One issue with your plan. In 1.0, the thermometer would explode from core / conductive / radiative overheating before most other parts would. I like to think this was on purpose, to be funny.

You mean like the Gravioli Detector being labelled to not be exposed to gravity?

 

-Jn-

[JaffaPadawan]

I use the Communotron DTS-M1 as little cargo bay doors a lot.

 

[Enorats]

I can't imagine reentry without kerbal engineer redux. The heat tab gives exact numbers for which parts are closest to overheating and exploding. It gives critical temperatures, skin temperatures.. everything. The glow effects and even heat bars are wholly inadequate, like basically everything about the stock UI.