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I have been watching Scott Manley's KSP tutorials, specifically this one here. He intentionally strands a Kerbal in orbit, then shows how to build a "rescue rocket", but doesn't go very in depth on the latter. I have pasted the video at the point where he begins talking about the rescue rocket, but I don't understand why he attaches the Stayputnik probe to the top of the command capsule? What purpose does this serve for a rescue mission?

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    Without watching: presumably it's so the rocket can be remotely piloted without a kerbal in the command capsule, therefore allowing the stranded kerbal to get into the capsule and return home.
    – GnomeSlice
    Jan 18, 2016 at 15:04
  • Oh that makes sense. He does remind you to remove your pilot before launching but I didn't put 2 and 2 together. Should I delete this question?
    – wizloc
    Jan 18, 2016 at 15:07
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    Nah, I'll just post it as an answer.
    – GnomeSlice
    Jan 18, 2016 at 15:07

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Using a stayputnik or other drone module along with a kerbal command capsule means the rocket can be remotely piloted without a kerbal in the capsule at launch.

This way, you can remove your pilot before launch, and the stranded kerbal can get into the empty command capsule to return home.

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    More specifically, the part of the video that is linked to is about setting up a rocket for recovering a kerbal that is stranded in orbit. You need a place for that kerbal to sit, and instead of adding a second command pod (or bigger command pod if one were available), the best option in this case is to use a probe core.
    – MBraedley
    Jan 19, 2016 at 0:57

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