Collecting All the Science

[Wcmille]

How many times must each scientific device be used to collect all the science? I've looked all over the wiki, and could not find it.

Namely: Mystery Goo (5?), Gravioli (4?), Seismic (4?), Science Jr. (3?), Soil Sample, and Atmospheric Fluid Spectrometer.

(Not looking to mod this effect away, just wondered what the stock counts were)

[ARS]

What version of KSP that you have? Current version of KSP specifically programmed that the science from each instruments can only be collected once. Earlier version of KSP makes that the same science from a single device can be collected more than once, with reduced value for subsequent science activity

[Superfluous J]

There aren't actual "counts" per se. An experiment has a "base value" and a "maximum value." When you take a reading, you get the base value the first time, and will have (max)-(base) left over. The next time you take a reading, you get (what's left) * (base / max). This repeats until that value equals zero.

For example, Mystery Goo has a base of 10 and a max of 13. The first time, you'll get 10 and have 3 left over. The next time, you'll get 3*(10/13)=2.3 and have 0.7 left over. The next time, you'll get 0.7*(10/13)=~0.54 and have ~0.16 left over. The next time, you'll get 0.16*(10/13)=~0.12 and have ~0.04 left over. Etc.

Note: There's a planet modifier in there too. So you won't actually get 10 science in most places, but 10 times the planet's modifier.

Unless you're challenging yourself, there's no need to muck about with all this. Just take 1 or 2 readings and move on. Due to rounding and other issues, I don't think anything short of experimenting in-game will tell you the actual number of times you'd need to take a reading to run "what's left" down to zero.

Note: for some experiments, "base value" and "maximum value" are the same. Crew Reports and EVA Reports are like this. For these, one reading will get all the data and you're done.

Edited January 9, 2018 by 5thHorseman

[Guest]

If you have any OCD tendencies at all, it's too easy to get into a grind, visiting all the biomes and collecting all the science. The Mun alone has 17 biomes, which means you'd need to do 161 experiments to do each experiment on each biome even once (crew report, EVA report, temp, pressure, seismic, grav, goo, Sci Jr, surface sample). That's a lot of grinding. 

I would suggest avoiding this. Instead, treat science as a resource to gather as you need it, using the best/easiest means available. So if you need, say, another 100 Sci to open a node you want, then figure out the most fun way to get 100 Sci, and do that. Sometimes this means sending up a probe and transmitting back the results. Sometimes it means doing a return mission. And occasionally it means biome hopping. It's a lot more fun this way.

(I like to send lander-equipped space stations off as soon as possible, so I can do sample-gathering missions at will. Then I either transmit the data back or do a crew rotation to pick it up in a science can. Once I have the gravioli detector, I send up probes in polar orbits; that way I can transmit back Sci any time I need it. What I don't do is use MPLs; they grind out science by themselves over time, which ruins the game for me.) 

[monstah]

It takes a single use!  

I know you're just asking a question about stock, which @5thHorseman answered already, this is a tangent... The exponentially-decaying grinding doesn't suit my tastes, so i use this MM patch. Doesn't affect the transmission rates, but if you return the experiment, once is all you need.

Edited January 9, 2018 by monstah
I hate premature posting! >:O

[Geschosskopf]

4 hours ago, Wcmille said:

How many times must each scientific device be used to collect all the science? I've looked all over the wiki, and could not find it.

Namely: Mystery Goo (5?), Gravioli (4?), Seismic (4?), Science Jr. (3?), Soil Sample, and Atmospheric Fluid Spectrometer.

(Not looking to mod this effect away, just wondered what the stock counts were)

Thesr days, you get all or about 85% when you return all the stock instruments.  Because of this, it's really not worth the trouble to do each more than once.  IF you return it to KSC.

If you transmit, you usually only gat about 50%.  You can then go back to return the rest but this is a bother.