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[Siquo]

Remember guys, you can EVA and get the research from the goo/material units, so you only have to bring the capsule back, you can leave the used-up science containers on the surface.

My "hopper" design (no screenshots as I didn't save it ):

Code: [Select]

top:
 O
OOO
 O

side:
   /\
 ##||##
 ||||||
 ||^^||
/^^  ^^\

|| = fuel tank
/\ = capsule
/ and \ = landing legs
## = science module (also goo and other stuff, so 4x each)
Use the side-burners to hop around, and the central one with just the capsule is just enough to get home, you decouple the side modules when you leave. Eventually only the capsule lands.

[forsaken1111]

Yep. That is how I return all science now.

EVA, grab all of the data, ditch the rest of the craft and the return stage burns back home. Eventually just the capsule lands on parachutes.

[LoSboccacc]

I now bring back everything because of kerbal economy

[Siquo]

You know that feeling, when you land your sciencehopper next to your refueling station, connect them to refuel, and then accidentally press the shift key?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Goddamnit.

[puke]

Remember guys, you can EVA and get the research from the goo/material units, so you only have to bring the capsule back, you can leave the used-up science containers on the surface.

Whoa, you can WHAT now? 

That would make returns CONSIDERABLY more economical.  No, what I mean is that I am conscious of the environment, waste not want not, leave no trace, etc.

[Siquo]

Remember guys, you can EVA and get the research from the goo/material units, so you only have to bring the capsule back, you can leave the used-up science containers on the surface.

Whoa, you can WHAT now? 

That would make returns CONSIDERABLY more economical.  No, what I mean is that I am conscious of the environment, waste not want not, leave no trace, etc.

All science units, by the way, but the other ones are actually re-usable (Do science, EVA, get data, and you can re-use the item again).

[Sean Mirrsen]

Remember guys, you can EVA and get the research from the goo/material units, so you only have to bring the capsule back, you can leave the used-up science containers on the surface.

Whoa, you can WHAT now? 

That would make returns CONSIDERABLY more economical.  No, what I mean is that I am conscious of the environment, waste not want not, leave no trace, etc.

All science units, by the way, but the other ones are actually re-usable (Do science, EVA, get data, and you can re-use the item again).

In regards to bringing the science bay along, wasn't it mentioned somewhere that it can reload the experiments? I.e. the goo pods and materials bays.

Also, the capsules should totally have limited amount of storage for non-verbal reports - samples, goo, materials analyses, etc. Because it seems we've jumped into the other extreme - right now transmitting via the lab module is pointless if you're returning the Kerbals anyways.

[PTTG??]

I'm going to cross-post this from the KSP subreddit; it's my plan to make the science bay more... useful.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Currently, the science lab is in an uncomfortable middle-ground. It's most useful for when you're transmitting science, but it requires a crew, which means that you have to return it anyway.

It's designed so that it'd be cool to have on a space station, but it doesn't have any utility there since by that time, you've already done all of the kerbin-orbit science.

Finally, it's so massive that getting it anywhere comes late in the game, well after you've already researched all the easy-to-access stuff.

Some have proposed making the science lab effectively a new instrument, which has some merit, but I feel that this too simple; the only manned tool should have some special effect.

This is why I propose the following:

A science lab may conduct a study on an instrument over time. For instance, a science lab in orbit may have use gravioli detector to do a long-term gravity scan. This takes at least a day, in-game, and may take much longer. Ideally, but not necessarily, you can return to the Space Center and launch other ships in the meantime. When it's done, you may transmit the results with 100% efficiency.

There are limits; the lab must remain in the same biome, and be fully powered, for the entire period. In effect, the lab provides a new biome for each instrument, rather than being an instrument itself, doubling the total science available from a region, but requiring much higher lift capacity. It might also be able to do long-term observations, the equivalent of a crew report.

I think this solves all of the most pressing issues with the science lab; it encourages bases and stations, it provides utility in close-in areas, it is useful throughout the game, but it doesn't make the smaller, lighter science missions any less important.

For those that like truly colossal spaceships, you can even build ships with multiple labs to do multiple studies at once!

To summarize, make it so that the science bay can repeat all other experiments with a long-term study that takes a large amount of time in-game. This makes it useful for space stations and bases, and also makes it most useful for doing in-depth research in places you've already been.

[MagmaMcFry]

Sounds nice, but I'd suggest a much simpler idea: Just make a science lab increase the transmission cutoff by a significant amount; instead of increasing 20% to 22%, increase it to 75% or something.

[Aseaheru]

I would like it better if it could hold more things, transfering data from landers into it thean returning it to kerbin would be interesting.

[forsaken1111]

I would like it better if it could hold more things, transfering data from landers into it thean returning it to kerbin would be interesting.

You can do that I believe... EVA kerbals can transfer data.

[Aseaheru]

Really? Good.
Now just do it for ALL THE THINGS.

[Eric Blank]

Actually that does work for all experiments, as far as I can tell. That's exactly what I did on my minmus expedition; transfer everything to the orbitting lab via EVA and then reset the goo cans and materials bay.

[forsaken1111]

So couldn't one assemble a nice ship in orbit with several landers and then just visit each planet? Land a lander, launch and dock. Transfer all data to the lab and clean the experiments. Rinse and repeat. When you're done return to kerbin and drop the lab into the atmosphere on parachutes, or even just transfer it all to a pod/lander.

[BigD145]

You could do that even without the lab. Mothership goes to visit all planets. Returns probes/landers to Kerbin.