Tutorial:Science mode

How it Works

In Career Mode your objective is to fill out the Tech Tree by gaining science. These are some strategies and explanations on how to be successful.

Basic Understanding

Science points are gained by doing experiments. The amount of science gained for each experiments depends on the location, type of experiment, and times you have already preformed the experiment. The type of experiment is determined by the equipment you use. The location depends on the biome, doing an experiment on the same biome will not yield different results. The more times you have used the same equipment, on the same biome, the less value there is in each experiment (this does not mean doing the same experiment more than once is not useful.)

Science points also scale depending on distance away from Kerbin. Experiments performed in orbit around Kerbin generate more Science Points than those performed at Sea Level, escaping from Orbit around Kerbin generates more Science Points than those performed in orbit, and so on.

How to Experiment

To experiment you must right click on the desired equipment and left click on: Crew Report, Run Atmosphere Analysis, Observe Materials Bay, Observe Mystery Goo, Log Temperature, Log Pressure Data, Log Gravity Data, Log Seismic Data, EVA Report, or Take Surface Sample. Once you have experimented you may transmit, or keep the data. Transmitting will make more space for further experiments, but requires a communication device and Electric charge. If you keep the data you may transmit it later, or keep it and recover it with the vessel. Note: Keeping data will not allow the equipment to make further experimentations, except for EVA Reports and Surface Samples, you may have one EVA/Sample report per biome.

Progression

There are many ways to play Kerbal Space Program, but these are some general guidelines for Career Mode.

First Steps

Walking around the Kerbal Space Center and taking Surface Samples of the Launch Pad, Runway and the grass around the Space Center all generate Science Points.

Launch "rockets" consisting of only a command pod. You can use it to take a crew report from the launchpad. Then you can get the pilot on an EVA and take EVA reports and surface samples.

First Sub-Orbital flight

On your first launch you may want to get enough science to get the next tech tree node Basic Rocketry (in particular the TR-18A Stack Decoupler) to build more efficient rockets. A simple rocket with a single FL-T200 Fuel Tank, LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine, Mk16 Parachute, and Communotron 16 is enough. While on the Launch pad preform a Crew Report and transmit. Then (without falling off) preform a EVA Report, and keep it. Then after liftoff, preform another Crew Report and keep. Then once you touch down (you will certainly break the engine), take a surface sample from the biome you landed in and recover the vessel.

First time in space

Now that you have the stack decoupler, you are able to build a multi-staged rocket powerful enough to bring you out of the atmosphere.

Take the rocket from the sub-orbital flight. This will be the third stage of your rocket. Add a TR-18A Stack Decoupler below its engine, followed by the newly discovered FL-T400 Fuel Tank and another engine. This is the second stage. Then add another decoupler and a RT-10 Solid Fuel Booster as the first stage.

After liftoff, wait until the solid fuel booster has burned out. Then press space to drop it and space again to activate the second stage. When the first fuel tank is empty, press space again two times to discard the second stage and activate the final stage. This should bring you on a trajectory high enough to get a "Crew Report from Kerbin's upper atmosphere" (transmit) and a Crew- and EVA-Report "while in space near Kerbin" (keep). When you feel bold you can also attempt to take an EVA report from Kerbins upper atmosphere, but make it quick or your Kerbonaut will be blown away when the atmosphere gets too thick.

For the proper audio background during the flight, listen to this youtube video.