Your first subject

I've noticed that comets and asteroids have a kind of 'regeneration period'. For example, if you were to send one recycler immediately followed by another, the first would more or less get a full payload but the second would get something along the lines of 3 metal, 2 crystal and 3 deuterium. The longer the wait between, the more resources regenerated. It does this fairly quickly, but 10 recyclers is a lot assuming the time it had was about an hour.

That's my explanation anyway.

maybe the guys flying the recycler got lazy and said screw this. time for capital punishment.

you can get full loads if you check to make sure it says "next maximum harvest:instant" or make sure the time is before they will arive

This is weird... ive sent my recycler to harvest debris field... ive go the report that they gather ressources then nothin... they never came back and i wasnt attacked.. what happened?

Time: 07/03/09 11:04:50 PM

Your recycling troops have reached the debris field.

Findings include: 12750 metal, 15345 crystal and 0 deuterium.

9076 metal, 10924 crystal and 0 deuterium were harvested.

Wing same thing happened to me yesterday. I lost 100 fighters and 8 recyclers. It said I had successfully harvested and then they just never returned and now there is no sign they ever existed. Beta, Beta.