career mode and available science testing.

[TK421d]

i keep getting the "Science data from space around kerbin" contract.

trouble is, with as used as i was to "test whenever you can test" science from the old career mode, one or two flights and i'm out of testable science. with the reduced number of testable biomes in career mode, i have no way of completing this contract any more.

it would be nice if we could do all the testing as pre 24, even if the science points gained were lower.

[KerbMav]

with the reduced number of testable biomes in career mode

I do not follow?

Anyway, as far as I know, the returned science can have a value of 0 (zero) and still complete the contract.

[Blind Dead McJones]

Well, you don't have to take the contracts you can't complete. You can also install mods that create more science to test.

[Meecrob]

I agree with KerbMav. The contract does not require you actually return/transmit meaningful science, but simply perform the experiment. Whether you get 10,000 Science or 0 Science is irrelevant. Think of it the same way it will give you a contract to test an Ion Engine on the Mun, but does not give you fuel for the engine. All it wants you to do is stage the engine. Similarly, if you transmit 0 Science from an orbit/biome you have already exhausted you will get the rewards from the contract even though technically no science was gathered.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Meecrob

[regex]

The "Science around ..." contract is a way to give satellites and stations meaning by providing money for objects in orbit, nothing more. You can send back 0 science and still complete the contract.

[Concentric]

Those contracts aren't about science value, only data. Even meaningless data like a previously transmitted crew/EVA report counts, as does a temperature reading that you've recovered/transmitted many times over. So, even if you've got all the science from the target location, you can always complete such contracts.

[problemecium]

Seconding the above - I know from doing this myself several times that the condition for completion is sending data, any data, back - not science points. And it actually awards you a bonus science point, so technically these contracts give Kerbin infinite science to harvest and make stations much more useful.

[Mister Kerman]

Could you launch a single satellite and then every time a contract like that comes up, just switch to that satellite and transmit?

[95tiger59]

Could you launch a single satellite and then every time a contract like that comes up, just switch to that satellite and transmit?

yup, game doesn't care how you get the science as long as you do the experiment

[SRV Ron]

Could you launch a single satellite and then every time a contract like that comes up, just switch to that satellite and transmit?

Place something like this cheap simple satellite into orbit. You need a reusable instrument such as a Too Hot Thermometer to read the data for transmitting. You use it to transmit the temperature measured in orbit to fulfill the contract every time at no additional cost

Launch the same SSTO satellite using this SRB to orbit Mun and Minmus to satisfy those contracts.

[Concentric]

Could you launch a single satellite and then every time a contract like that comes up, just switch to that satellite and transmit?

Yes, and in fact that is how I do it. I've also sent a permanent probe satellite to each planetoid I've visited, and this works out just fine. Just take the reading and transmit it again, even though you've transmitted the same data every single time. It's basically a money-printer, and an endless fountain of reputation points, for no additional cost once you've put it there. Getting a report from a rescuee and doing two contracts at once that way is another alternative.

As for getting science points from contracts, I've found so far that high-end part tests tend to provide them in abundance. You could probably go without science equipment or reports and complete the tech tree purely by contracts - it's not as though they'll run out. You wouldn't be able to get the "Science from" or "Explore" contracts that way, of course.

[Mister Kerman]

Looks like I have a satellite to launch!

[WololoW]

As for getting science points from contracts, I've found so far that high-end part tests tend to provide them in abundance. You could probably go without science equipment or reports and complete the tech tree purely by contracts - it's not as though they'll run out. You wouldn't be able to get the "Science from" or "Explore" contracts that way, of course.

I am doing exactly that when I decide that my mods are all good enough together and I config a tree that works well with remote tech 2 and my self restriction of unmanned before manned.

[Mister Kerman]

Yeah that's what I did. I got enough science to get all the science equipment and every part I want to build the way I like. It's effectively a science career now since there are only a few things I still might use at some point to unlock, such as heavy rover parts and space plane parts.

[KerbMav]

One of the new contracts coming in the future should introduce a new experiment for the mobile lab that pays next to nothing in science points, but is specifically requested from a contract. Gives a reason to lift something heavier and ship it anywhere (build stations and bases), could include a minimum crew in the vessel as a whole, would feel less headscratchy than this.

[SRV Ron]

Built this in order to test a heavy Poodle on escape. Added the hydraulic decoupler test as well. Did both contracts at once for a bunch of money and science points.

[khyron42]

You don't need the SRB there unless it's for the contract as well. If you haven't already learned this one, you can use the poodle to do the escape burn, then right-click and shut it down, move it to a new stage, and then stage again to complete the contract. That applies for any engine test contract (though pulling off the shutdown, move to new stage, and then activate that stage could be tricky for atmospheric tests.)

Alternatively - that fuel tank above the poodle? not needed. It just needs to be staged - it doesn't actually need to burn any fuel.

-----

Edit: I know all of these contracts seem silly, but they do have some degree of real-world counterparts. Some engines work fine until you try to light them in orbit, and then you discover that the fuel lines froze or the engine won't light without some degree of forward thrust already under way to start the fuel flow; Some other parts work fine in low orbit but get fried by a quick pass through the van allen belts on the way to deep space. And always, for science, the biggest test in space is to get multiple samples (ideally with multiple instruments corroborating each other) to ensure that your readings are accurate.

The additional readings don't give NEW data usually, so even that's relatively right in the game. I love that the science readings contracts give a reason to do what a real space program would do though, and wanted to make this comment because everyone seems to think this is a bad/broken thing instead of exactly what every real-world science probe does.

Edited August 5, 2014 by khyron42

[Clockwork_werewolf]

I've got Jeb up there in a pod. He keeps giving crew reports. for Role playing purposes I consider it Jeb TV each one sponsored by the relevant company. it's kind of like Chris Hadfield on the ISS except I charge.

[TK421d]

yup, game doesn't care how you get the science as long as you do the experiment

I do not follow?

Anyway, as far as I know, the returned science can have a value of 0 (zero) and still complete the contract.

well, thanks for enlightening me. i would just always recycle the test when there was 0 results.

[SRV Ron]

You don't need the SRB there unless it's for the contract as well. If you haven't already learned this one, you can use the poodle to do the escape burn, then right-click and shut it down, move it to a new stage, and then stage again to complete the contract. That applies for any engine test contract (though pulling off the shutdown, move to new stage, and then activate that stage could be tricky for atmospheric tests.)

Alternatively - that fuel tank above the poodle? not needed. It just needs to be staged - it doesn't actually need to burn any fuel.

-----

Edit: I know all of these contracts seem silly, but they do have some degree of real-world counterparts. Some engines work fine until you try to light them in orbit, and then you discover that the fuel lines froze or the engine won't light without some degree of forward thrust already under way to start the fuel flow; Some other parts work fine in low orbit but get fried by a quick pass through the van allen belts on the way to deep space. And always, for science, the biggest test in space is to get multiple samples (ideally with multiple instruments corroborating each other) to ensure that your readings are accurate.

The additional readings don't give NEW data usually, so even that's relatively right in the game. I love that the science readings contracts give a reason to do what a real space program would do though, and wanted to make this comment because everyone seems to think this is a bad/broken thing instead of exactly what every real-world science probe does.

SRB was used to mount the decouplers and provide the last boost to escape. It was cheaper then using a bigger fuel can for the Poodle to escape burn. Also, the small fuel can only had 10% of its normal fuel for testing only, seems silly testing an engine with no fuel for it, no decoupler on the Poodle and last SRB.

Anyhow, when doing escape Kerbal contracts, it is more cost effective to combine experiments given there will be no recovery of parts expected.

[ArmchairGravy]

If you want points, the gravity detector gives points for each biome at low and high, and asteroid surface samples will also work.

[merendel]

SRB was used to mount the decouplers and provide the last boost to escape. It was cheaper then using a bigger fuel can for the Poodle to escape burn. Also, the small fuel can only had 10% of its normal fuel for testing only, seems silly testing an engine with no fuel for it, no decoupler on the Poodle and last SRB.

Anyhow, when doing escape Kerbal contracts, it is more cost effective to combine experiments given there will be no recovery of parts expected.

On the other hand if you mount some fuel supply and a solar panle or two you could put the ship on an orbit where it wont ever encounter mun/minmus and burn it till it just bairly escapes, run your test, and then retrograde enough to recapture. when the poodle eventualy comes up agian for that test you just give spend a few dV to put it back on the escape for the test and slow back down and skip the expense of another launch. I've actualy considered building a rig that has most/all the engiens on it and seting copies of it in various orbits to do those tests. Hard part is geting it balanced enough to launch with all those engiens.