Exploratory mode

[TheFloppyFish]

Hello, I ran into a problem. I like science mode cause it drives me to go new places but it can get a bit mundane for me so I came up with an idea.

What if there was a mode where instead of unlocking parts you unlocked new planets or moons every time you completed something. For example you landed on duna so you can now go to eloo on your next mission. Or maybe if you get science points instead of unlocking your parts you use science to upgrade your tracking station thus allowing you to find planets further out.

Please give your thoughts in the comments.

[cantab]

Well it would seem odd for celestials to just magically appear.

I do think some sort of discovery mechanic would be interesting though. Start with vague blurry impressions of the celestials, and for anything without a moon you'll only have a rough estimate of its mass (with consequent uncertain trajectory prediction). Putting a space telescope up gets you better images and values but only when you actually get to the SOI can you see all the detail and get a precise mass figure.

[Wanderfound]

Some sort of exploratory mode is a good idea, but the sudden discovery of planets probably isn't the way to do it. The knowledge of the existence of most of the other planets in the Sol system predates spaceflight by a couple of thousand years.

The ancient greeks knew that the Earth was round, had a fairly good idea of its size, and spotted most of the planets without telescopes. The moons of Jupiter were discovered by Galileo.