Ore

Ore is a resource added in 1.0. It is obtained by mining. It's the only resource which is by default not loaded into the containers.

Mining

Ore is generated by mining planets or asteroids using the 'Drill-O-Matic' Mining Excavator. Drilling continues to function during time warp.

Planets

Ore is found on the solid surface of all planetary bodies, thus excluding Kerbol, Jool, and in water biomes.

The level of Ore on a celestial body can be detected using a M700 Survey Scanner and for more detailed data in a particular biome a M4435 Narrow-Band Scanner can be used. Both those scanners requires the scanned data to be sent back using an antenna to be viewed in the Tracking Station. A more precise determination for a particular location can be made using the Surface Scanning Module on a rover while landed.

Asteroids

Asteroids contain a finite amount of ore. If mining an asteroid, the mass of the asteroid will be reduced by the amount of ore extracted. There is no need to use any scanners to find out the ore concentration for asteroids, its enough to be close to it or own it.

Storage

Ore is stored in special containers, the Large Holding Tank and Small Holding Tank.

Conversion into Other Resources

Ore can be converted into liquid fuel, oxidizer, and monopropellant using the ISRU Converter and electric charge. There is no change in total mass when converting to liquid fuel and/or oxidizer, but there is when converting to monopropellant. Conversion continues to function during time warp.