Recovered parts and refunds.

[advil]

I suggest getting this mod. http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/86691-0-24-DebRefund-v1-0-12

This mod will allow you to recover parts after jettisoning them if they have a declining orbit.

To me the mods are really a double edged knife. On the one hand, there are so many mods that change aspects of the game and add new interesting bits to it, but on the other hand it is becoming more and more apparent to me that some mods are almost needed to give the game that little bit of extra realism it truly needs. I've given up on trying to build an SSTO space cargo plane because as it stands, mods are needed to make anything that big fly correctly. not to mention the clear obvious lack of wings and other bits that go together correctly. It sure would be nice though to be able to fly space station parts to orbit and recover the craft after landing back on kerbin.. Without using mods.

The one mod that I actually have tried and enjoy and don't feel like I am cheating to have use of on my career mode save is the ScanSat mod. Because I can use it to map Mun and other celestial bodies I am visiting, but while I can make a usable satellite with it, at the current state of the mod, I can't use it to collect science data or complete any contract objective. So to that end, it only gives me a small reason to research the satellite parts and actually use them.

[Cerberus738]

**snip**

The one mod that I actually have tried and enjoy and don't feel like I am cheating to have use of on my career mode save is the ScanSat mod. Because I can use it to map Mun and other celestial bodies I am visiting, but while I can make a usable satellite with it, at the current state of the mod, I can't use it to collect science data or complete any contract objective. So to that end, it only gives me a small reason to research the satellite parts and actually use them.

I've completed "collect science from space around blah blah" with the scansat parts. I think you might need an antenna though. If you right click on the part there should be the option Analyze Data. It should give you science when you do that. I think the number of points you get depends on how much of the surface you have mapped as well. Also scansat is really fantastic for finding hidden treasures on the different planets/moons!! Polar orbits are your friend!

[advil]

I've completed "collect science from space around blah blah" with the scansat parts. I think you might need an antenna though. If you right click on the part there should be the option Analyze Data. It should give you science when you do that. I think the number of points you get depends on how much of the surface you have mapped as well. Also scansat is really fantastic for finding hidden treasures on the different planets/moons!! Polar orbits are your friend!

I had made a small satellite that disconnected from my lander module in orbit of Mun and had around 95% of it mapped when I clicked analyze data which yielded zero science and I did indeed have an antenna on the satellite so I was able to broadcast it but it didn't fill the contract objective of collecting data from Mun's orbit. A simple crew report was enough, however, to fulfill that portion of the contract. I just like having a map that I can reference from a lander or rover on the surface as it can make determining which direction to go to hit the next nearest biome a little faster. Though, on Mun it becomes apparent fairly quickly that all of the biggest craters and the poles are separate biomes.