Science
As in real life, science doesn't come for free. Experiments use time, potentially a lot of time. They generate data that needs to be stored and transmitted, usually a lot of data. So much, in fact, that you'll have to carefully decide what experiments should go on your probe. If you're planning a simple flyby, a long-duration radiation scan probably isn't the best option; you should usually stick to visible imaging, temperature scans, and pressure scans.
The principle is quite simple. Instead of completing right away, each experiment should be started, and it will complete over time if the conditions are good. Experiments can take a lot of time, some need years to complete. Earth Photography and Orbital Perturbations are very long term experiments that will give you science for years (warning: you might have to return photographic film before being accounted the points).
The good news is that once started, an experiment will automatically record data whenever it is scientifically valuable. And experiments will continue to do so even when it's not the currently active vessel. Put a probe in polar orbit for long enough, and it will run all experiments in all biomes. It might be slow, but it is automatic. You don't even have to look at it.
Tip: Don't get stuck on trying to complete an experiment all at once: having it active for x% of the required time will give you x% of the total science points.
There're two types of experiments:
- Experiments that produce data straight away. This data should be stored on the vessel's hard drives or can be transmitted straight away. Examples: Crew Report, Temperature Scan, Telemetry Report, etc.
- Experiments that produce samples. These samples have actual weight (that affects the vessel's mass) and should be stored for later analysis in a lab (or brought back home). Examples: Biologic Sample, Earth film photography, etc.
For data there should be enough hard drive space, while samples should have free slots. Additionally, experiments should have a steady supply of Electric Charge so that the experiment may continue.
File manager is a new UI to assist you in managing your science experiments. With it, you can:
- Review currently stored data and samples.
- Toggle queue data for transmission (default on).
- Toggle mark samples for lab analysis (default on).
- Dump (destroy) unnecessary data and samples.
Data transmission happens automatically from top to bottom, provided there's active connection to DSN.
...is limited, and the cramped storage will haunt you throughout the game. As the game progresses, experiments will yield more scientific value, but also more data, and hard drive sizes will grow accordingly. But still, you have to transmit when you can, as much as you can. Very soon it won't be possible to do more than one or two experiments without having to transmit. Until integration with procedural avionics is completed, all data drives will be unlimited. But, once done, you'll have to choose an appropriate storage amount for your missions' requirements!