Data Storage And Drop Canisters

[NASI Director]

As I play career, the hardest decision is deciding whether I want to return the data to Kerbin and have only limited amount of experiments or if I will transmit it, losing about 60% of the Science!â„¢ but able to rack up more experiments. A common thought went through my mind about Data Storage, Computer Cores, and Drop Canisters.

Data Storage -- You can use this like a flashdrive, storing data up to a certain point depending on the data storage device itself. I have reason to believe that Squad is planning to do this anyway because they have a Data Size value on the science menu. However, as time goes on, the data is slowly lost, on top of the fact that you can only store certain data (not surface samples or the like).

Drop Canisters -- This is a more tolerant yet less capable version of the Data Storage device above. For long term missions, you can put a little bit of data inside a drop canister, launch it towards Kerbin, and hopefully it will save the Science!â„¢. I say hopefully because the reentry can cause the canister to overheat and lose the data contained within it (The data will still be on the parent craft, however it will be a lot less valuable if the canister succeeds). Like a probe core, these canisters run on electricity and require more electricity the more data is held (the same with the Data Storage devices above).

[Luis]

I like the idea of drop cannisters but I don't think they need to be a new part. If data is treated like a resource then you could transfer it to a spare probe body. Add some thrust and a parachute and you have made your own drop cannister.

[Andersenman]

Bring multiple probe pods like this chap:

The first pod is released and after lining up with it's intended drop zone, using a maneuver node keyed to 114m/s, its one time solid boosters are fired.

Possibly in conjunction with these mods:

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/radial-experiment-storage-container/

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55710-0-22-Science-Parts-from-Tarsier-Space-Technology

Edited November 19, 2013 by Andersenman