Temperature scan can't be done right now

[ZodiaK]

when I scanned the temperature around the Kerbol (the sun), it responded with "Temperature scan can't be done right now". I am in a 13,300,000,000 X 12,800,000,000 orbit. why can't I get points from it?

Edited January 4, 2014 by ZodiaK

[Jenteb07]

I think the temperature scan only works inside an atmosphere and on the surface, so it is not possible to do a temperature scan of the sun.

[RocketPilot573]

Actually, I believe that you can do a temperature scan from space, but you have to be very close.

[Dave Kerbin]

You need to be in low orbit, atmosphere or on the surface to take temperature readings. If it says you are 'high above' a location then you can't.

[Max Grant]

I was in Jool's upper atmosphere and could not take a barometer reading . . . I think the restrictions on where these devices can operate are a bit absurd. It would be nice if there were some science you could do from orbit, since in the real world 99% of our planetary science is done from orbit, and the instances where we've actually put science on the ground are pretty few and far between. There are no landings in the outer solar system except Titan, for example, and none on a body without an atmosphere outside the Moon.

Just a suggestion: someone from Squad should dig up the Wiki pages on real science missions. Here are instruments I frequently see:

Spectrometers

Interferometers/Spectrometers

Ultraviolet Spectrometer

Plasma Spectrometer

Charged Particle detectors

Cosmic Ray Detectors

Photopolarimeter

Plasma Wave System

Dust-counter

Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

Neutron Spectrometer

X-Ray Spectrometer

Magnetometer

Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer

Radio Science

This was from perusing the instrument loads on Voyager and the more recent MESSENGER. The gadgets look cool, too, and I sure would like to see more of them. It's frustrating trying to design a low-cost science mission to an airless world when three of your five experiments require either air or being landed.

[Vanamonde]

Every world has a height limit between "high above X" and "space near X," but it's different for different worlds. The thermometer can only be used within the "space near X" range, which, for the sun, is 1000km.

[ZodiaK]

ah okay. it seems that those temperature scanners are useless then -.-