Am I missing something? (Research Module)

[spinomonkey]

Here's what I've done...

1: I've gone to the Mun and collected surface samples/temp/EVAs/the works.

2: All of this research aside for EVAs I've brought back home and recovered.

3: On things like Surface Samples, Mystery Goo and Material Studies- typically I get about 80% of the research potential in a single round trip.

The issue is, I went ahead and built a research space station over the Mun, with the intent on doing quick trips back and forth and transmit the last scraps of research points I hadn't collected. Problem is, I just collected a bunch of data and returned to the station to realize... I receive no research points for transmitting data. I HAVE to return home to collect the data and receive points.

So am I missing something? I thought the whole point of the science module was to clean out the mystery goo/material study and increase science transmissions? What's the point if returning home gives me the bulk of the research and the rest is wasted unless I pointlessly (and with a lot of labor) do round trips to collect a few mere research points. I'd be much better off leaving the Mun and moving on. At this rate, what good is the science module really?

But again, maybe I'm missing something?

[WillHop]

As far as I can tell, I don't think you're missing anything. Somebody will probably correct me on that.

Unfortunately, at the moment the Science Lab is only really useful for missions far away that you don't plan on returning (and even then it's a lot of effort, and might be better off without it). Science also feels a little grindy especially when talking about laboring around the Mun to all the different biomes. I did actually do a Minmus biome mission with Kethane which I sent to a Science Lab in orbit around Minmus and although it was fun, if I had gone to each different biome, refuelled and stored all the science in the command module, I would have got a ton more science.

[spinomonkey]

This depresses me greatly.

I spent the past week building a mun base (that failed) then a mun space station (that succeeded) only to find myself at this bleak moment of failure.

[Superfluous J]

There are exactly 3 use cases for the research module. One is on Mun, another on Minmus, and the third is at Jool. These 3 areas are all places where a non-landing science module can receive a refuelable lander, scrub the goo and materials bay, and then let the lander go down to a new biome.

Here's how you do it: Build a 3-module craft:

1) Lander, crewed and with a materials bay, goo container, and any other science you have (gravioli detector is great!). Oh, and a docking port.

2) Science module with a big fuel tank, enough to fill the lander up 5-10 times. You can do more but that's getting greedy.

3) Return craft that can bring your 3 (or more, but 3 is the minimum). guys home. This doesn't need to include either of the above.

Then get that thing in orbit around your target body (Start with Minmus, it's by far the easiest), put 2 guys in the science module, and with the 3rd guy take the lander down and land it.

Do all your science (Don't forget to do an EVA report from the ladder and another from the ground! And a surface sample and crew report). Then with your Kerbal right click all the science areas and "take" it. Including the Goo and Materials bay. You'll get a warning. Ignore it. You want that science. Also "take" the crew report from the capsule. It seems dumb but do it. When your guy gets in the lander, he'll store all the stuff there.

Get back up to your orbiting station, dock, and then right click your science lab and "clean" the 2 science modules. While they're cleaning, get your lander guy out and right click the capsule and "take" all that science you stored in there. Fly him up to your return craft and right click it, and "store" the science in that craft. Now you're ready to go back down into a different biome.

Repeat this for every biome you can find (Jool only has 5, one for each moon) or until you run out of fuel. Then get your guys into the return module and come home.

Have fun spending your literally thousands upon thousands of science points.

[Starstrider42]

Here's what I've done...

1: I've gone to the Mun and collected surface samples/temp/EVAs/the works.

2: All of this research aside for EVAs I've brought back home and recovered.

3: On things like Surface Samples, Mystery Goo and Material Studies- typically I get about 80% of the research potential in a single round trip.

The issue is, I went ahead and built a research space station over the Mun, with the intent on doing quick trips back and forth and transmit the last scraps of research points I hadn't collected. Problem is, I just collected a bunch of data and returned to the station to realize... I receive no research points for transmitting data. I HAVE to return home to collect the data and receive points.

So am I missing something? I thought the whole point of the science module was to clean out the mystery goo/material study and increase science transmissions? What's the point if returning home gives me the bulk of the research and the rest is wasted unless I pointlessly (and with a lot of labor) do round trips to collect a few mere research points. I'd be much better off leaving the Mun and moving on. At this rate, what good is the science module really?

The science module's ability to make the "sample" experiments reusable is its main benefit, in my experience. But there is a way to make the transmission boost helpful. The key fact the module description doesn't tell you is that it only boosts transmission efficiency by 50%. For a surface sample, which normally has a transmission efficiency of 25%, that would go up to 37.5%. If you've already gotten more research out of it then that, then you can't transmit the sample, whether or not you have the lab.

The most efficient use I've found for the lab module is to do an experiment/sample, use the transmission boost, then transmit it. Then repeat until even the boosted transmission is worthless, then save the data for carrying home. This strategy, though tedious, will give you the most science points overall because you've maximized the number of science points you had before you brought a full sample back with you. It still won't completely fill the experiment potential, but it should get close enough that grabbing the remaining 0.1 science points isn't really worth the effort.