KSP INterstellar - Career Mode - Aerospace

[Malcymalc]

I've been playing for about a week in career mode and I have a question about Aerospace & contracts. At the moment I've got a lot of 'collect atmospheric report from position 'x' ' contracts building up in my contract offers page. These contracts seem to offer some money but not much science.

Based on my current abilities I can't fly a rocket accurately enough to achieve the mission parameters so a plane is necessary (I can orbit a Kerbal and return him to Kerbin, and have done a Mun flyby). Given that I'd need to invest 45 science to get basic Aerospace plus 50K on upgrading the runway (I haven't yet got up enough speed to launch from the original dirt field) this seems a hefty investment for early game.

My question is - will there be future contracts that will repay the science / cash investment or is flying something of a dead end in KSP career mode?

[bewing]

Flying absolutely repays itself in science and funds -- if you can afford the time.

As far as science goes, one flight to the north pole and the west coast allows you to hit more than a dozen Kerbin biomes that you can't get at KSC. With normal difficulty, that's 600 points of science right there. Additionally, the atmosphere analysis science device (with normal difficulty) delivers something like 300 more points of science for flying over various biomes at high and low altitudes. Even assuming very low tech science devices, you are still looking at several hundred science points from one trip.

As far as funds go, if you return your plane to the runway after you are done with your flight, you get a 100% refund on the plane. The only cost is the fuel. So any contract filled by a plane is going to be extremely lucrative.

Upgrading the runway is a waste of funds, so don't do that. It's easier to take off and land on the grass anyway.

However, even one flight to the north pole with a well-designed wheesley-based jet to collect biome science will cost you two hours of game time. I personally look at that two hour number and say, "cool! Only two hours!" Many other players look at that number and say, "Two entire hours! That's all the time I have budgeted for KSP for the next two months!" And they gasp in horror at the idea of just flying a silly plane around for two whole hours.

(Note that the concept of returning the plane to the runway means that every contract takes twice as long -- because not only do you have to fly to the waypoint, you have to fly all the way back again (just to save a little money).)

Edited December 18, 2016 by bewing