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[Kanil]

So, my munar lander was a little bigger than I thought, and couldn't get back home. Cue rescue mission. My rescue mission also ran out of fuel... but it's got to 62,000 meters. It'll come back... eventually... (with even a little science for my efforts!)

I can now imagine layers and layers of debris orbiting the mun, each piece closer than the last, with hundreds of kerbals in orbit, thinking 'SO CLOSE! I JUST NEED A LITTLE MORE FUEL!'

You're gonna give the mun Kessler syndrome.

The plan is to build a chain of capsules that the kerbals can EVA between, eventually arriving in LKO.

[BigD145]

I don't think you actually lose any science if you transmit stuff back. Based on what I'm seeing, you've got a number that's the total amount of science a given part can give you for a given location.

Example(numbers might be off slightly, doing it from memory, but the theory is correct as I've watched it happen in several places):

Using the Materials Lab in orbit of the Mun can get you 100 science total. You can use the lab and then return it to Kerbin for all 100 science, or your can transmit for 20% of that, which would be 20 science. The other 80 isn't lost, it's still there since you can transmit again for another 20% of that 80 which gives you 16 science and leaves 64. Transmit again for 20% of that and you get 12.8 science, leaving you 51.2 science. You can keep doing this, shaving 20% off the remaining science each time, for as long as you have power available. Now, if you keep doing it it will inevitably leave you with a small remnant of science, since you can never collect it ALL if you just keep shaving 20% off of it, but if you transmit enough, you can end up with a number of remaining science left that's so small it'd be thrown away by the game anyway when rounding numbers.


It is tedious, requires a lot of clicking and requires some sort of power source to keep your batteries charged through all this inefficient transmitting but you never REALLY lose anything and it allows you to collect the science from multiple places with one vehicle. I just sent a probe to the Mun which got high mun orbit, low mun orbit and landed in a crater on the far side and researched that. With both the materials lab and the goo canister, it was very profitable science wise.

EDIT: I should have mentioned, I have strong suspicions that whatever science you DON"T transmit back in a given mission, can simply be grabbed in a later mission either through return samples or transmission. More tests will have to be done on this though.

If you look in your save file you will see that science points go out 3 or 4 decimal places. Not at my computer to check just now. Rounding is not that much of an issue.

[PTTG??]

I feel it might be better if transmitting data would only ever give you the 20%, and to get the remaining 80%, you need to return the experiment to the ground.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Bill to the rescue!



Very, very barely, with Bill barely putting himself into a 50km-periapsis aerobraking orbit, but the rescue mission succeeds!


360 science points!

[Vattic]

How did you rescue the rocket like that?

[Sean Mirrsen]

Built a heavy launcher out of basic parts (I got only two techs I think - My Little Rocket Too was my second launch, the rescue craft the third), gave the pusher an LV-T30 so it would have a means of replenishing electricity, added a four-prong fork out of trusses, and went off. Rendezvous is no more difficult without RCS, though maneuvering to push into the correct direction was harder. The small tanks attached radially don't actually connect to the center tank, and had to have their fuel manually transferred.

All that, plus liberal use of save/load to undo borked collisions.

[TheBronzePickle]

As someone just starting out on the career (only have up to the stability tech) what's some good ways to get some science?

[Girlinhat]

As someone just starting out on the career (only have up to the stability tech) what's some good ways to get some science?

Go straight up.  You can get science rewards for low atmosphere, high atmosphere, low orbit, high orbit...  Grab a pod, go up!  Unlock goo, go up again!  Grab a Science Jr., go up again!

[Vattic]

It's been so long I'm struggling to land on the Mun.

Built a heavy launcher out of basic parts (I got only two techs I think - My Little Rocket Too was my second launch, the rescue craft the third), gave the pusher an LV-T30 so it would have a means of replenishing electricity, added a four-prong fork out of trusses, and went off. Rendezvous is no more difficult without RCS, though maneuvering to push into the correct direction was harder. The small tanks attached radially don't actually connect to the center tank, and had to have their fuel manually transferred.

All that, plus liberal use of save/load to undo borked collisions.

Fair enough if a bit crazy.

[PTTG??]

As someone just starting out on the career (only have up to the stability tech) what's some good ways to get some science?

I find it's fastest to really really push the boundaries of what you can do with each tech. Your first launch should orbit. Your second launch should fly-by the moon. Your third should land (though mine needed launch 4 because there wasn't enough fuel...)

Run before you can walk! Dance before you can crawl!

Anyway...

This would make a fun succession game. Each player can launch a ship, complete the mission, and spend the Science they get before handing the game off to the next player.

[Sean Mirrsen]

As someone just starting out on the career (only have up to the stability tech) what's some good ways to get some science?

Go straight up.  You can get science rewards for low atmosphere, high atmosphere, low orbit, high orbit...  Grab a pod, go up!  Unlock goo, go up again!  Grab a Science Jr., go up again!

Actually, go up and sideways. When you're out in space, EVA out of the pod and make reports. You get a different report based on what you're flying over. In a single orbit, you can see grasslands, mountains, deserts, and oceans - at least. All combined with the reports at different altitudes and the goo should give you enough parts to plan missions to the Mun, and you can score some pretty good science points up there.

[My Name is Immaterial]

As someone just starting out on the career (only have up to the stability tech) what's some good ways to get some science?

Go straight up.  You can get science rewards for low atmosphere, high atmosphere, low orbit, high orbit...  Grab a pod, go up!  Unlock goo, go up again!  Grab a Science Jr., go up again!

Land all over Kerbin, and get electrics right after Science Jr. Then load a probe up with instruments and radio back experiments from deep space like there's no tomorrow.

Edit: Is there a Science Sr.?

[BigD145]

Be careful when telling mechjeb to land on the surface of Kerbin. It might kick you into solar orbit and then try to flip your trajectory entirely. Even with infinite fuel this could take weeks or months.

[nogoodnames]

The first orbital flight over Kerbin ended in tragedy when Jeb's ship crashed into the ocean at 10 m/s, instantly vapourizing it.

At first everything was going great. At tier 2 tech, Up-Goer 1 achieved orbit with a good quarter tank of fuel left in its orbital insertion stage and there was plenty of science to be had. It was only when the time to de-orbit came that I realized that mystery goo data is stored in the goo canisters and not the crew capsule like everything else. The goo pods were, of course, attached to the insertion stage which had to be ditched before landing.
I decided that the loss of the 20 or so science points in the goo pods was worth risking a semi-powered landing given how much fuel I had left, so I proceeded with the descent with the last stage still attached.
Unfortunately, I ended up overshooting KSC and falling into the ocean. I tried to fix it on the way down but only ended up wasting fuel. If I hit land the pod at least might have survived, but not in the merciless water.
With 100m to go I fired up the engine, but I went to far and overtook the parachute. Then, just a few metres above the surface, I ran out of fuel.

May Jeb be remembered for his selfless devotion to SCIENCE (at least until he reincarnates).

[BigD145]

Step 1: screw up a landing on Kerbin from Minmus orbit
Step 2: end up in orbit around sun
Step 3: Hohmann transfer node in ... 8 years

Where's that mission clock mod? There's so much science on this ship.