What is the best way to get science?

[Kerbalistic1]

What is the best way to get science when you just started out a new science save?

[Kerbalistic1]

I only have the barometer, 2HOT, and the Mystery Goo

I also only have 55 science and am confused on what to buy next

[Poppa Wheelie]

There are several good videos that show getting early game science.  Most involve these methods, which I also followed to get early science in my career game:

• Build a kerbaled rover of some kind as early as possible and get science from the KSC (each building is a "biome", and your vehicle often [maybe always] must be touching the building)
• Build a science aircraft and get flying low, flying high, landed (and possibly splashed down) science for all or most of the biomes on Kerbin
• Max science from each rocket launch by getting flying low, flying high, in space low, and in space high science over each different biome (as your flight allows), and then by landing in biomes that you don't already have landed or splashed down science for

Good luck!

 

[Kerbalistic1]

I will, but I am not that advanced yet

 

From the tech tree I have Basic Rocketry, General Rocketry, Engineering 101, Survivability, and Basic Science

[Vanamonde]

Crew reports can be taken just about anywhere, though they are not worth a lot. Put whatever science instruments you've invented on tiny rockets and land them on grassland, on hills, in the water, etc., and even in different spots around the space center. 

[jimmymcgoochie]

Take two Mk1 command pods, stick them together pointy end to pointy end, add a pilot and a scientist inside, stick a thermometer, barometer and goo pod x2 to the narrow bit in the middle and then stick it on its side on the pad so you can roll it around the KSC. Each facility is its own biome and most buildings are their own biomes too- each dish at the tracking station, different R&D buildings, even the fuel tanks and ancillary structures like flagpoles and water towers count- so roll up to one, do a crew report and run all the science experiments then get the scientist out to grab all the data, do an EVA report, restore the goo pods and stash the samples in one pod, then run the experiments again and stash them in the other pod. Repeat until the batteries run out, then launch it again and keep going.

Control is a relative term with this thing, don’t go too fast or stuff will explode and good luck trying to steer!

Alternatively, there’s a little mod called KEI (Kerbin Environmental Institute) which runs all the available experiments in all the KSC biomes in one click, saving you a lot of time and effort over doing it manually.

[Linkageless]

"For Science!" is another handy little mod for this, automatically running and storing all resettable experiments in every biome you enter, so you don't have to go through the grind of running each of them.  For me, nicely speeds up that science tour of KSC.   You still have to go to the biomes with this, and won't be able to get any science you wouldn't have been able to gather manually, so I don't consider it cheating.

 

4 hours ago, jimmymcgoochie said:

Take two Mk1 command pods, stick them together pointy end to pointy end, add a pilot and a scientist inside, stick a thermometer, barometer and goo pod x2 to the narrow bit in the middle and then stick it on its side on the pad so you can roll it around the KSC.

I love this idea.  Just imagine the state of Bob when he staggers back into the kerbonaut complex after a lengthy science gathering session!

[magnemoe]

If you have basic science you have the science junior who give quite a bit of science but is large for being called junior. 

That I tend to do assuming you have done eva reports from orbit is to go for an Mun orbit. Either use an two science jr and mystery go or use two capsules and scientist and pilot. 
With two capsules you can also store two versions of the science for more returned. 
Do eva report over mun biomes. 

Next I would unlock would definitely be  electrics as it give you solar panels and probes. 
Stability is nice and cheap and let you use side boosters. But I tend to focus a lot on the lower part of the science tree to get better science equipment like the seismic accelrometer under electronics to get more science then landing over larger rocket parts in the start as you are only making small landers. 
Then landing on the Mun you might want an second scientist and send him to Minmus here its very cheap to jump around doing science. 

[Kerbalistic1]

Yes I have already done all those things, but I am in the process of biome hopping on The Mun.

[jimmymcgoochie]

On 7/29/2022 at 2:43 PM, Kerbalistic1 said:

Yes I have already done all those things, but I am in the process of biome hopping on The Mun.

In that case, build a rover and use the mod Bon Voyage to have it drive around in the background while you do other things. It adds a special part to use the self-driving system, but the RoveMate gets one built in to reflect its rover-oriented design.

The Mun has more biomes than any other body and the largest craters are all unique biomes so it’s pretty easy to rake in the science this way: drive to a biome, run science, transmit science, drive to the next biome and repeat. You can do this by hand, but Bon Voyage will save you from days of tedium and potential fiery crashes and in my opinion is a must for using rovers effectively on virtually every planet and moon out there.

It also has a water mode which works with jet engines, so self-driving boats are also possible on Kerbin and Laythe. This is less reliable in my experience, but still better than doing it yourself.