Science

The science system in Kerbalism is very different from how you know it in KSP. Science isn't generated at the click of one button any more, most experiments will take time to complete. Some will just take minutes, others will need years. The good news is that experiments will keep running in the background on unloaded vessels while you're busy with other missions, and they will generate a constant stream of scientific value while they're running.

While this doesn't sound like a big thing, it will change the way you build vessels, it will change the way you plan your missions and it will force you to make tough decisions. You will have to choose which experiments to run, because you won't be able to run them all at the same time. Sometimes you will have to delete valuable data to be able to collect new science. And you will have to come up with engineering solutions for problems you never had before. Or when was the last time you had to sustain a base with crew for months, submerged at least 100m deep on the ocean floor?

Transmission

Science results can be flagged for transmission home and they will be sent to DSN at the first opportunity. The transmission happens over time, even when the vessels are unloaded. Transmission times can range from mere seconds to years, depending on the size of the file transmitted and the transmission rate of the connection.

Samples

Some experiment results are not transmissible, these are considered samples and need to be recovered or analyzed in a lab. They have mass and occupies sample storage "slots".

Some Experiments like the Goo Container contain just a few grams of sampling material (mystery goo) that is used up while the goo observation takes place. Once the sampling material is used up, the experiment cannot be rerun. Other experiments will collect samples from the atmosphere or the surface. A surface sample for example will collect 25kg of mass that should be accounted for when it needs to be hauled off the surface.

Laboratory

The laboratory in Kerbalism doesn't generate additional science like in stock KSP. Instead, it is used to analyze samples, turning them into transmissible data. This process takes time, consume EC and requires a scientist. You can select which samples should be converted by flagging them for analysis in the data manager.

Supported experiments

The Science system supports stock experiments and other experiments that use the Science Dialog. Stock experiments get some tweaks, the data is transmissible completely or not at all, situation and biome combinations have been altered, the need to repeat the same experiment in a situation multiple times has been removed and the science credits returned have been rebalanced.

Kerbalism Experiments

In Stock, almost all of the experiments you perform are focussed on what's external — soil samples, mystery goo observations, material studies, magnetometer readings, and so on. However, the history of Crewed Space Flight has focused on the opposite. The second crewed flight in history, Vostok 2, focused on space adaptation. Gherman Titov tried to eat in space. He failed and set a new record. He was the first person to vomit in space. The act led to the discovery of, Space Adaptation Syndrome. They monitored his sleep, ocular changes etc. NASA performed similar experiments on Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and John Glenn. Every astronaut is a walking medical case study. Some more dramatic than others.

Kerbalism replicates this aspect of spaceflight for your crews. It gives your space stations, bases, and deep-space missions a purpose beyond collecting rocks and goo, as interesting those might be. The experiments are designed to last for long durations and have exacting requirements, giving different crews, different tasks as they venture outwards into the Kerbol system.

Experiments are unlocked as you progress through the tech-tree. They can be logically grouped in terms of situations, i.e. orbital, landed, underwater etc,

C.L.A.M.

Closed Lifesupport Assessed Measurements

Apparently some Kerbals would prefer physical pressure to the psychological one.

F.L.I.G.H.T.

Floating Lightly In Gravity while Holding Tightly

F.L.O.A.T.

Focused Lazing on Orbital Analytic Testing

Long duration studies of sleeping, eating and watching the sunrises in microgravity.

H.E.R.R.I.N.G.

Heliosphere Environment Resilience and Recuperation Intentional Naturalising Growth

Study on Kerbal physiological changes whilst in inter-planetary space.

L.E.A.V.E.

Long Experiment Affecting Volume Exposure

Ultra-long duration study on the effects of trapping Kerbals in a canned environment.

S.T.A.K.E.

Situational Testing Advancing Kerbin Equality

S.H.A.K.E.

Surface Hydrated Analysis of Kinetic Exposition

Kerbal Engineers testing if seismic activity could be used for shaking drinks.

W.R.E.C.K.

Water Reconnaissance Experiment Comparing to Kerbin