Not restricted, but guided.

[Helium-ion]

In KSP1, the game simply tells you which scientific instruments need to be used in a vacuum and which don't. I would suggest removing these restrictions in KSP2. When you don't use scientific instruments correctly, you just damage them or get the wrong data, and those wrong data don't get you science points. You may be reproached by the ground personnel when you recycle the wrong data. For example: With the M700 Survey Scanner, when you're not in a stable polar orbit at a medium altitude, you can still scan, but you just don't get the full data. I want KSP2 not to limit the player's behavior, but to tell the player what the result of doing so is.

If you don't know about these scientific instruments, you should be able to learn to use them in the tutorial.

[TechieV]

Yes! I need this! I never used the survey scanner because of the complicated limits. I would like to see why an experiment didn’t work in a very friendly way.