Mobile Processing Lab

[Aperature]

How does it actually work? I've brought mobile processing lab to Muns orbit hoping I'll never have to return to Kerbin and will be able to do couple lunar landings and save all the science but was hugely disappointed to find out that only 10/15% of the science is actually processed there. Am I missing something or the part is simply not that good?

[NFUN]

You can process samples multiple times using it and transmit them, contrary to most science devices being one-time use items (and by most, I mean the goo and Science Jr). And it is a 10/15% bonus.

[brianorca]

How does it actually work? I've brought mobile processing lab to Muns orbit hoping I'll never have to return to Kerbin and will be able to do couple lunar landings and save all the science but was hugely disappointed to find out that only 10/15% of the science is actually processed there. Am I missing something or the part is simply not that good?

It has two purposes:

1. It increases the science return when you transmit data.

2. It lets you clean and reuse the science instruments

The 10-15% figure you reference only applies if you transmit the data. You can still keep the data, and bring it back intact to Kerbin to get 100% of the science points. In that case, the MPL still helps because it can store an unlimited number of samples, and lets you reuse the science instruments for multiple landings and samples. If you only have the instrument, then you can use it only once. And while it's possible to transfer science data into a command module, it can only store one sample of each type per seat. The MPL you let you return to Kerbin with 10 Goo samples, for instance, using only one Goo instrument part.

[Aperature]

How do I transfer samples from Mistery Goo on Lunar Lander to MPL? I've just tried and it didn't worked.

[No one]

You need a Kerbal. Send one on EVA, click/rightclick (I forget which) on the goo, choose "take data", click/rightclick on the lab, choose "store data". (Or, instead of choosing "store data", you can board the lab and the data will be stored there).

In addition to the lab being able to store infinite results, a Kerbal on EVA can store infinite results which are why mobile command seats are extremely handy if you don't have a science lab and want to store more than one copy of an experiment's data. (Command pods are 1 result per experiment-biome-situation).

[Aperature]

TY all of you so much! Learning something everyday

[Steve-S]

Also the lab can store unlimited experiments. I found that with 10 chutes, 5 per side, and landing legs it lands rather well. Brings back LOTS of science that way. Just don't forget to put batteries and a probe core on it so you can deploy the chutes.

[KerbMav]

I would rather use this one - it has the same storage configuration as the lab.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/54370-Radially-Attached-Experimental-Data-Storage-Container-%28New-download-link%29

What the others mean with "unlimited storage" is, that you can return the same experiment several times (e.g. 5 surface samples from the same area of the moon), while normal pods only store one instance of every biome-situation-experiment combination.

Edit: Just saying it because No one said it first ...

[Laie]

Also the lab can store unlimited experiments. I found that with 10 chutes, 5 per side, and landing legs it lands rather well. Brings back LOTS of science that way. Just don't forget to put batteries and a probe core on it so you can deploy the chutes.

Congratulations! You just put 1700kg of recovery gear on a 3500kg lab.

Granted: the lab is rather fragile, withstanding impacts up to 7m/s (or is it only 6?) -- it takes a lot of parachutes to slow it down that much even at sea level. If you happen to come down on higher ground, like (gasp!) 500m above sea level, you need even more chutes. Let's not even talk about the actual highlands.

Alternatives:

• Even a single pair of chutes will slow it down enough so that lander legs can take the impact and protect the lab. Legs only work on dry ground, so splashdowns will be catastrophic.
  
• Have expendable gear below the lab (like, a tank and an engine) as a crumble zone. This will even work on splashdowns (though the tank probably needs to be quite empty).
  
• Some engine of sorts providing counter-thrust in the last moments before impact. It doesn't need to be much of an engine, two of those small radial things are plenty, a single Oscar-B tank is more than enough fuel. Or, if you needed an engine in order to de-orbit the lab, just leave it attached and see to it that a few drops of fuel remain in the tank.
  
• Don't recover the lab, but only the science: send up some contraption of several command pods, three or four ought to be enough. One Kerbal goes on EVA, takes all science from the lab, then stores it on the pods. Don't enter the pods right away, but use the context menu to "store data". If any data remains, return it to the lab for processing and transmission. Return and recover the pods.
  

•