Science
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Version 0.23 made considerable changes to the science system which aren't integrated into this article yet. Among them:
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Science, sometimes called science points, is needed to unlock new parts in the tech tree. It is obtained by performing different scientific activities at different locations and then either returning to Kerbin and recovering the craft or sending your scientific analysis home through an antenna.
Contents
Science activities
This is an overview of all science activities which can be performed. Most activities are restricted to certain heights. Currently[outdated] the planet Kerbin and its moons Mun and Minmus are divided into different biomes. On some heights, some experiments return different results per biome.
| Location | Surface Samples | EVA report | Crew Report | Experiments | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mystery Goo Containment Unit | SC-9001 Science Jr. | 2HOT Thermometer | PresMat Barometer | GRAVMAX Negative Gravioli Detector | Double-C Seismic Accelerometer | Sensor Array Computing Nose Cone | ||||
| On the ground | Biome | Biome | Biome | Biome | Biome | Biome | Biome (if atmosphere exists) |
Biome | Biome (except water biome) |
Biome (if atmosphere exists) |
| Lower atmosphere | — | Biome | Biome | Once | Once | Biome | Once | — | — | Biome |
| Upper atmosphere | — | Once | Once | Once | Once | Once | Once | — | — | Biome |
| Near space | — | Biome | Once | Once | Once | Once | — | Biome | — | — |
| Outer space | — | Once | Once | Once | Once | — | — | Biome | — | — |
The game only considers a ship to be in the atmospheric region if it is on a sub-orbital trajectory. Trying to take upper atmosphere readings while aerobraking, for example, will return data for "near orbit" instead, even if the ship is within the atmosphere.
Surface Samples
| Requires | any command pod, one Kerbal |
|---|---|
| Base value | 30 |
| Maximum value | 40 |
| Data scale | 1 |
| Transmission efficiency | 50% |
Surface samples can be taken by Kerbonauts when performing an EVA on the ground (or in the oceans) of a celestial body. The results vary by biome.
EVA Reports
| Requires | any command pod, one Kerbal |
|---|---|
| Base value | 8 |
| Maximum value | 8 |
| Data scale | 1 |
| Transmission efficiency | 100% |
EVA reports are done by Kerbonauts on an EVA. Like crew reports they give different results depending on altitude and biome if performed low enough. The easiest way to take a low atmosphere reading is to jump while at the surface.
In contrast to crew reports and experiments, a Kerbonaut can memorize a different report for each condition he performed an EVA in during the mission.
Crew Reports
| Requires | any command pod |
|---|---|
| Base value | 5 |
| Maximum value | 8 |
| Data scale | 1 |
| Transmission efficiency | 100% |
Crew reports can be created in every manned command pod. Each command pod can only store one report at a time (Kerbonauts seem to be unable to memorize more than one at a time), but they can be sent home with an antenna without penalty allowing the crew to create a new one.
Crew reports differ between current celestial body, altitude, and at low altitudes also between different biomes.
Experiments
Experiments require parts like the Mystery Goo Containment Unit and behave similar to crew reports. They can be performed in different flight phases and on different celestial bodies returning different results. The biome, however, does not affect them unless the vessel has landed. Just like crew reports, each experiment part can only store one result at a time, but a result can be sent home with an antenna to allow the experiment to be performed again under the same or under new conditions. There is a penalty for sending it home instead of recovering the performed experiment, but when the craft has a steady supply of electricity to supply its antenna this doesn't matter much because an experiment can be repeated indefinitely resulting in the same science output as would be possible through recovery.
| Experiment | Mystery Goo Observation | Materials Study | Temperature Scan | Atmospheric Pressure Scan | Seismic Scan | Gravity Scan | Atmosphere Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Required part (tech tree lvl) | Mystery Goo Containment Unit (2) | SC-9001 Science Jr. (4) | 2HOT Thermometer (5) | PresMat Barometer (6) | Double-C Seismic Accelerometer (7) | GRAVMAX Negative Gravioli Detector (8) | Sensor Array Computing Nose Cone (8) |
| Base value | 10 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Maximum value | 18 | 35 | 10 | 14 | 23 | 22 | 24 |
| Data scale | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.5 | 3 | 10 |
| Transmission efficiency | 40% | 20% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 60% | 90% |
Craft recovery
Recovering a craft after it landed on Kerbin also yields science points by itself. Its value depends on how far the craft flew. Recovering a craft after a suborbital flight returns less valuable (but different) results than one which orbited the Mun, for example. The returned value appears to be 5 * (surfaces visited + bodies orbited).
Celestial body multipliers
| Celestial body | On the surface | Atmosphere | Altitude | Space | Altitude [note 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | N/A | N/A | 11 | 1 Gm | |
| Moho | 9 | N/A | 8 | 80 km | |
| Eve | 12 | 7 | ~20 km | 7 | 400 km |
| Gilly | 9 | N/A | 8 | 6 km | |
| Kerbin | 0.4 | 0.7 | 18 km | 1 | 250 km |
| Mun | 4 | N/A | 3 | 60 km | |
| Minmus | 5 | N/A | 4 | 30 km | |
| Duna | 8 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 140 km |
| Ike | 9 | N/A | 8 | 50 km | |
| Dres | 8 | N/A | 7 | 25 km | |
| Jool | N/A | 7 | ~118 km | 7 | 4000 km |
| Laythe | 10 | 9 | ~10 km | 9 | 200 km |
| Vall | 10 | N/A | 9 | 90 km | |
| Tylo | 11 | N/A | 10 | 250 km | |
| Bop | 9 | N/A | 8 | 25 km | |
| Pol | 9 | N/A | 8 | ~21 km | |
| Eeloo | 9 | N/A | 8 | 60 km | |
- ↑ Many of these altitudes are taken from users reporting on the forum and not from game data itself.
Each celestial body has different multipliers applied to the collected scientific data, based upon where it is taken in relation to that body. Biomes do not affect these multipliers. The only exception is Kerbin on the surface for the KSC, runway, and launch pad where the multiplier is 0.3 instead of 0.4.
The altitudes given in this table determine the altitude above mean sea level of the boundary between lower and upper atmosphere and between near and outer space. The upper atmosphere extends to the atmospheric height and the outer space extends up to the end of the sphere of influence.
