Do you have to recover a vessel to gain the science from it?

[brooklyn666]

Ok so I've just started career mode, and my first few missions have be Kerbin or Mun orbit-and-return missions. As far as I can tell, aside from the science you get from sending reports, you also get science when you finish the mission and recover the capsule (recovery of ship from kerbin orbit, recovery of ship from mun flyby...etc). So my question is this: How does this effect missions that do not return safely to Kerbin, like satellites that stay in orbit, or unmanned landers?

[Johnno]

You don't get recovery science points from them, simple as that. Just put antennas on them and transmit the data.

[Procyon]

transmitted data is added to your total, data you keep and are unable to recover for whatever reason is lost. crashing, running out of power or fuel and unable to return, terminating flight ect...

[NephilimNexus]

But now I wonder if there is any loss/gain of total points when comparing transmission to delivery by hand?

[Mykill Metal]

YES YES YES....there is. And it tells you that when you get a report....if you transmit you only get 20-60% of the data....which is why I have NEVER ONCE TRANSMITTED DATA. It is useless. You can make 500-700 science on one trip to minmus. You can do an EVA report for every area you are in. (LKO, HKO, Low munar orbit, High munar orbit, etc.) I ended my minmus trip with like 8-9 eva reports, ONE crew report, SEVEN goo canisters and ONE science station thing. I got like 4-500 for the science i collected then you get a bonus for recovering a vehicle that has been to other places (1-200 science).

[Johnno]

if you transmit you only get 20-60% of the data....which is why I have NEVER ONCE TRANSMITTED DATA. It is useless.

I think you haven't tried out the system enough. You can transmit multiple times and there's a diminishing return, meaning you have to do more transmits to break even, however in the end you get the same amount of points. Yes you get recovery bonus but in some cases it's a lot easier/better to just transmit.

Transmissions are by no mean useless. Last night I sent a twin probe mission to Duna system, one probe landed on Duna and one on Ike. On the way there they did all the science they could, in solar orbit and then in Ike/Duna orbit, not to mention atmosphere and whatnot. I probably missed a few altitudes and experiments, but I came out with over 2000 science points, from two probes. Nothing returned whatsoever, just transmitted.

2000+ science for a single launch from KSC isn't all that bad, when all you do is transmit.

[Mykill Metal]

I was talking manned craft. Of course you would have to transmit probe data. But if you WERE to bring the probe back and land, you would get more SCIENCE. There IS a loss. There is no arguing that. And by useless I meant "not getting 100% of the science".

Edited October 19, 2013 by Mykill Metal
added a word

[Mykill Metal]

Oh and had you done a manned mission and recovered it you would have gotten probably 3-4000 science...you LOSE at least 40-60% of the data. Meaning you LOSE 40-60% of the science.

[Johnno]

Oh and had you done a manned mission and recovered it you would have gotten probably 3-4000 science...you LOSE at least 40-60% of the data. Meaning you LOSE 40-60% of the science.

You don't lose any of the data. You simply gain an added recovery value, which looking at my manned Mün/Minmus missions wasn't much. The extra you're getting is EVA reports and surface samples. By doing several transmissions you 'mine out' the data of a specific location and in the end get the same amount you would've if you had returned that same data, just without the added recovery which in my view wasn't much.

Each location has a "progress" that you eventually complete, thus I'll still get the science points that I "missed" first time around once I do send a manned mission to Duna. I'm not sure if the recovery points also have a progress/diminishing return but that's for down the road.

Also as far as my own testing/playing has shown me each experiment can only hold one result, so you wouldn't be able to trigger them for each new location. EVA reports you can do that with from what I can tell since they're stored internally in the pod/module, but not with standalone experiments. I may be wrong though, I'll have to test more.

[Mykill Metal]

Either we're talking about two different things or you are just wrong.... If i launch a ship into orbit with one goo canister. Do the goo experiment. Then transmit the data. I will get say 20 science. If i did the exact same thing but instead of transmitting I came back down and recovered it, it would be 25 science + the recovery bonus. It says it on the transmit button how much data it will transmit. You will only receive the posted amount of data. Usually it says 20-60% depending on what you're sending.

[Johnno]

Either we're talking about two different things or you are just wrong....

I guess you keep missing me pointing out how to do multiple transmissions.

If i launch a ship into orbit with one goo canister. Do the goo experiment. Then transmit the data. I will get say 20 science. If i did the exact same thing but instead of transmitting I came back down and recovered it, it would be 25 science + the recovery bonus. It says it on the transmit button how much data it will transmit. You will only receive the posted amount of data. Usually it says 20-60% depending on what you're sending.

Right, except after you transmit your 20% you can do a new experiment on the same equipment, it'll have a lowered number and you'll transmit 20% of that. You can then repeat it until the science reward states zero.

Which is why I'm telling you the science amount from the same 'biome', be it altitude or location, will be the same no matter if you transmit it several times over or recover it through landing. The only addition you get is the recovery bonus.

[alkopop79]

I constantly run out of electric charge which makes it impossible to send reports. Any ideas what to do?

[Mmmmyum]

Either do it while throttled up, or do manned missions to the Mun and Minmus till you can get a solar panel (Landing at both in one flight got me around 800)

[alkopop79]

Either do it while throttled up, or do manned missions to the Mun and Minmus till you can get a solar panel (Landing at both in one flight got me around 800)

Cheers boss!

[alkopop79]

Either do it while throttled up, or do manned missions to the Mun and Minmus till you can get a solar panel (Landing at both in one flight got me around 800)

By the way, there aren't even batteries?

[Mmmmyum]

You also unlock them when you get a solar panel, but for deep space missions batteries need to be charged. I mostly use batteries for when the sun is out of sight for some reason or another, and they lose charge quickly when transmitting, and powering probe cores and SAS units

[LeFudge]

Go along the bottom of the tech tree, once you get the first solar panel it's all gravy from there. I usually put 8 of the small batteries on my ships as soon as i got them with a few solar panels. Also I just took a manned mission to Duna with no Ike encounter at all and cashed out 2000 science, about 700 of it from the return vessel and the other 1300 from transmissions. Single vehicle, single landing.

[alkopop79]

I'm stuck. I still only have 8 points from the 45 to get the batteries. How do you guys build ships to reach the Mun or other planets? I'm struggling to get my ships LEO. Also, the bigger the ship the more I need the SAS which drains the battery so no science experiments and transmission. Any ideas, friends?

[Fr3Runn3r]

I'm stuck. I still only have 8 points from the 45 to get the batteries. How do you guys build ships to reach the Mun or other planets? I'm struggling to get my ships LEO. Also, the bigger the ship the more I need the SAS which drains the battery so no science experiments and transmission. Any ideas, friends?

My advice would be to get creative with the parts you have, try and squeeze as much delta-v on your craft as possible. Also don't forget you can EVA on Kerbin for free science (get your kerbal to do soil samples and EVA reports from the launchpad) EDIT: Also the sea which is within easy reach

Edited October 21, 2013 by Fr3Runn3r

[alkopop79]

My advice would be to get creative with the parts you have, try and squeeze as much delta-v on your craft as possible. Also don't forget you can EVA on Kerbin for free science (get your kerbal to do soil samples and EVA reports from the launchpad) EDIT: Also the sea which is within easy reach

Thanks mate! I realised I just need to recover the vehicles from the Tracking Station. That gave me at least 70 points. Now I just need to get to the Mun!

[Nexis]

I have another similar Question about 0.23

I landed on Duna and had token a Surface Sample.

It said:

Recovery +240 Science

Transmit +60 Science

Does it mean, if i recover the Sample i get 240 Science and if i transmit the Sample i get only 60 Science?

I returned from Duna, docked at my Spacestation in Orbit around Kerbin, Processed all Measurements, Reports and Surfacesamples at the MPL Onboard the Station and transmitted All the Data .... do i have trashed now 180 Science (240-60) with Transmitting teh Surfacesample?

Would it be better and would i get more Science, if i had directly landed and recovered all the Data?

Sorry for my bad english, i am German

Friendly Greetings from

Nexis

Edited January 2, 2014 by Nexis

[KvickFlygarn87]

Yes, you lose immense amounts of science if you transmit.

[Kasuha]

You don't lose any science. If you transmit the sample, you can take another sample and bring that back. So by transmission you get a bit of science right away and the rest on return.

Goo and Science Jr are another story, if you don't have a lab module they become depleted by the transmission and you can't use them again. So it's better to keep them untransmitted unless you're sure you cannot return.

[Nexis]

Thank you KvickFlygarn87 and Kasuha for fast Answer

For now i will ban all Antennas from my Ships ^^ because i return anyway all Ships

@Kasuha

"... you get a bit of science right away and the rest on return"

Does that count for Surface Sample? Because the Sample had got removed after i had sent it. Is there any rest?

Edited January 2, 2014 by Nexis

[Tokay Gris]

The way I understand it right now (and am testing at the moment):

You don't even have to bring the actual container back to Kerbin. You can also get the data from the science modules during EVA and put them in the capsule.

Let's say, you have a Apollo-syle mission with a little variation.

An orbiter and a lander.

Only the orbiter returns to Kerbin. So, it should be possible to rendezvous the lander once up again from the body in question (in my mission it is Minimus), EVA the landing pilot from the lander, get the stored data from the science modules and the landercapsule, enter the orbiter capsule and the data should be then transfered to that one, making it useless to bring the lander back home. Just bring the orbiter back to Kerbin.