Research limpet - what do they do?

[Zeus Cubed]

I took a research limper launcher in a very long voyage to the far end of the galaxy, but at the moment I did not find anything to use it upon.
I thought I could sample space life forms like gyrating trees, but I get the message "invalid target for research probe".

So, which kind of object can research probes retrieve?

 

[Cmdr Nemo]

I took a research limper launcher in a very long voyage to the far end of the galaxy, but at the moment I did not find anything to use it upon.
I thought I could sample space life forms like gyrating trees, but I get the message "invalid target for research probe".

So, which kind of object can research probes retrieve?

Research Limpet Controller

Controls a limpet that scrapes samples and bio-matter from the surface of an alien vessel. — In-Game Description The Research Limpet Controller is a type of Limpet Controller module that can program limpets to extract tissue samples from Thargoid Interceptors, Thargoid Scouts, and alien organic...

elite-dangerous.fandom.com

 

[marx]

Generally, the research limpets only work on the larger lifeforms, and they can't attach to small ones.

Trees are a curious exception, but there's a good explanation for that. You see, the primary targets, the ones that spawn the NSP are the pods, not the trees themselves. The trees are just the filler content (like metallic / icy crystals and such) which do nothing but look cool, but unlike those, they only appear alongside their respective pods.
So, if you're still around those trees, try finding their pods and probing them. That should work.

That said, despite repeated experiments for finding a use for them, it appears the only use that the gathered samples is selling them for a tiny amount of credits.

 

[GroG79]

It is rumoured you can also use the research limpet on a yet unknown anomaly