Experiment 52B

This article has not been revised for the current version (***U50-587362***). It was last updated for *U41-497575*. It may contain inaccuracies.
This article has not been revised for the current version (***U50-587362***). It was last updated for *U41-497575*. It may contain inaccuracies.

*This article is related to DLC content of Spaced Out.*

## Experiment 52B

A Resin-producing, cybernetic tree that shows signs of sentience.
It is rooted firmly in place, and appears to have been here for some time.

### Effects

Resin

Experiment 52B is a plant-themed POI which can be found on the Marshy Asteroid. It produces Resin, which has to be heated to get Isoresin. Unlike other plants it does not need an atmosphere and cannot be cultivated.

## Feeding

The tree eats the same food that Duplicants eat, i.e. anything that has calorie ratings.

The tree is hostile and will lash out at any nearby Duplicant that comes near, inflicting damage. The tree does not attack critters.

Experiment 52B is immune to Food Poisoning.

## Resin Production

After the tree has consumed enough kcals of food, it begins to spew Liquid Resin onto the ground. It consumes 50 g/s of food (when it's not venting Resin) and produces 1 kg of Liquid Resin per 200 kcal, meaning food with higher calories per kg produce more Resin. Make sure to place food on the center-bottom block area of the tree. This is the only area in which it is able to grab the food.

The tree consumes 50 g/s of food until it reaches 5 kg of Resin, then vent that Resin at a rate of 1.5 kg/s, during which it doesn't consume food. With higher calorie density foods, more time will be spent venting (because it reaches 5 kg of Resin faster) and thus less food consumed per cycle. Over a full cycle, around 25 kg of 1000 kcal/kg food can be consumed, or around 20 kg of 2800 kcal/kg food, or around 15 kg of 6000 kcal/kg food.

Liquid Resin must be heated above 125 °C in order to produce usable Isoresin. As this temperature is above Experiment 52B's overheat temperature, it must be moved to a different area before heating. Heating Resin will produce 25% mass as Isoresin and the remainder as Steam, essentially producing 250 g of Isoresin and 750 g of water per 200 kcal of food.

* Producing 100 kg of Insulation requires 15 kg of Isoresin, costing 12000 kcal.
* Producing 100 kg of Visco-Gel requires 35 kg of Isoresin, costing 28000 kcal.

As the tree has a limited consumption of mass per cycle, and only one tree exists, the only way to increase *per cycle* production is to feed it foods with higher calorie density. Feeding Experiment 52B on Meal Lice (600 kcal/kg) will produce

1
200

kg

kCal

×
600

kCal

kg

×
30

kg

cycle

=
90

kg

cycle

{\displaystyle \frac{1}{200}\frac{\mbox{kg}}{\mbox{kCal}}\times 600 \frac{\mbox{kCal}}{\mbox{kg}} \times 30 \frac{\mbox{kg}}{\mbox{cycle}} = 90\frac{\mbox{kg}}{\mbox{cycle}}}

 (excluding Resin venting), but feeding it Surf'n'Turf or Frost Burger (6000 kcal/kg) will instead produce 450 kg/cycle (including Resin venting).

Liquid Resin's boiling point is exactly the minimum input temperature of a Steam Turbine, which simplifies heat management significantly. Due to the relatively small amounts of water produced, reusing it in agriculture does not significantly reduce the food costs of resin production; e.g., feeding a Gristle Berry (2000 kcal) will produce 10 kg of Liquid Resin and subsequently 7.5 kg of steam/water, while the berry required 120 kg of water to grow.

### Production Rate by Food Type

The following table shows the production rate for each food type. This table properly takes into account the production and venting phase of the tree per cycle.

We can see from the "Food Consumed" column that even though the tree consumes food at a fixed 0.050kg/s (which would amount to 30kg/cycle), the effective consumption rate is reduced due to the fact that it takes exactly 3.3 sec (5kg / 1.5kg/s) to vent the resin each time 5kg has been accumulated, and this happens multiple times per cycle. Hence, the effective consumption and production rate is significantly affected by the kcal density of the food as more venting is required during a cycle.

For reference, the right two columns show the effective amount of insulation or visco-gel that could be produced assuming all the resin was converted to those materials.

Figures have been rounded to the nearest integer.

**Production Rate by Food Type (including production and venting phase)**

### Importing Food

Excess resources or by-products from other asteroids can be converted to food and shipped to the Marshy Asteroid via rocket or Interplanetary Payload. A single 200 kg payload can fully feed the tree for most of 7 cycles, assuming no food rots, making Experiment 52B a very efficient resource sink with low logistical overhead. Due to the high mass density of food relative to its ingredients, food should always be prepared before shipping.

Good candidates for Experiment 52B food are resources which have few other uses, and are produced as byproducts while refining more useful materials or on fixed schedules such as meteor showers or Geyser output. Particularly strong candidates for conversion include:

* Carbon Dioxide to Meat via Slickster ranching
* Chlorine to Meat via Squeaky Puft ranching
* Sulfur to Grubfruit Preserve and Meat via Divergent/Grubfruit Plant hybrid ranching/farming
* Meteoric Regolith to Meat via Shove Vole ranching

### Local Food Production

All the usual means of food production can be used on the Marshy Asteroid, though its limited local resources can pose difficulties.

Food can be produced with no resource inputs via Pips planting food seeds, Drecko and Balm Lily farms, Pacu or Shove Vole starvation ranches, or Pip ranches which use wild Arbor Trees.

## Tips

* The output Resin is created at Experiment 52B internal temperature. Experiment 52B can be heated up to 99.9 °C to reduce the energy required to boil Resin afterwards.
* Experiment 52B exchanges heat with the cell below its bottom middle cell (but no other cell around it). Placing a heat conductive tile here allows manipulating its temperature, especially if it's in vacuum.