Orbital Data Collection Lab

Orbital Data Collection Lab is a building that records scientific information while it is in orbit around a Planetoid and writes that information into a Data Bank. The unit functions only when positioned on a course that places it in Planetoid orbit; while orbiting, it accumulates observational data and transfers the recorded results to a linked Data Bank for storage and later use.

Orbital Data Collection Labs are intended for gathering passive orbital data rather than producing immediate in-base resources. Their primary role is to populate Data Banks with collected records, enabling whatever downstream processes or research consume data from those banks. The device is specifically tied to Planetoid orbital operation: it does not record data when not in orbit.

• Must be in orbit around a Planetoid to record data; it does not record while grounded or in non-Planetoid trajectories.
• Recorded data is written to a Data Bank for storage and later retrieval; the Data Bank is the destination for all output from the Orbital Data Collection Lab.
• The lab’s activity is observational and archival—its function is to supply Data Banks with orbital data rather than to generate immediate consumables.
• Placement and operation are constrained by orbital status; ensure the lab is on a trajectory that passes around a Planetoid to make it productive.

Use Orbital Data Collection Labs whenever the goal is to gather and consolidate orbital observational records into Data Banks for subsequent research or utilization that requires archived orbital data.