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[ARA] Y2, D478 - The Gemini 28 autonomous miner extracts the resources needed to make Specialized Parts (MKS mod) and transfers them across Minmus using a Planetary Logistics module. Y2, D482 - With a new Atlas factory dome, Castor Base now has the ability to build spacecraft (with Extraplanetary Launchpads) and perform maintenance entirely using off-world resources.

Y2, D421 to D482 - Off-world manufacturing supply chain Y2, D421 - Using Material Kits made on Minmus combined with Specialized Parts from Kerbin, two 3.75 m Tundra Pioneer modules were built. This increased the total lifting capacity for (stock) EVA construction to about 70 tonnes. (again, I pretend that this module contains equipment to manipulate large modules, and doesn't make Kerbals carry huge modules with their own hands) The next four launches brought 4k Specialized Parts, 8k Machinery, and an automated mining vehicle known as Gemini 27 meant to mine for Silicates, Rare Metals, and Exotic Minerals (the three raw materials needed to make Specialized Parts) on Minmus's Lesser Flats, which would be transferred to Castor Base in the Midlands using the MKS "Planetary Logistics" system. Castor Base already had several logistics modules that could "pull" resources from planetary storage (if a pilot or quartermaster was present). However, it was not known at the time that Gemini 27 needed a logistics module to "push" resources into the planetary warehouse. Therefore, it could not actually send resources to Castor Base. The SPT and MCH from Castor 18 through 20 would be used to make the next major component of the base. Castor 18 (Y2, D428) Gemini 27 (Y2, D433) Castor 19 (Y2, D436) Castor 20 (Y2, D437) Y2, D457 - After several days of construction, the first 10 m "Atlas" dome was built on Minmus, along with several inflatable storage and workshop modules. Twice the diameter of the largest rocket of the Aerospace Research Agency, it had a dry mass of 50 tonnes (which is why the two extra Pioneer modules were needed for EVA construction), and had the ability to produce Material Kits, Specialized Parts, and Machinery directly from raw materials - skipping the step of refining them. The large mass was the trade-off, but the lower part count also made it worth constructing. Y2, D468 - After realizing that Gemini 27 was not able to send resources, Gemini 28 was launched with an uncrewed "Duna" logistics module and inflatable storage (instead of shipping containers). Arriving on Day 478, it began to gather resources for Specialized Parts and after filling up enough, began to put resources into planetary storage so that it could be received by Castor Base. Y2, D482 - After receiving the first batch of Silicates, Rare Metals, and Exotic Minerals from the Lesser Flats (and inflating Workshops to increase efficiency), Castor Base was now able to produce Material Kits and Specialized Parts (and combining them into Machinery) without needing to import them from Kerbin. The significance of this was profound. Spacecraft and base modules could now be built and maintained entirely using off-world resources. However, there was still more work needed to achieve full self-sufficiency. (On Day 479, The Microscopium 1A probe that had been sent to capture an asteroid was unfortunately not able to encounter it, as the asteroid had an encounter with Kerbin that shifted its orbit, and the plotted trajectory did not account for that. Thus, the asteroid was in an entirely different place from where it was expected.)

Were the 20 m Atlas domes actually updated? I saw a post on Reddit by "loverevolutionary" that looks like they used 20 m domes and miners but they seem to touch the ground (unless the perspective is fooling me).

[ARA] Y2, D418 - The Aries 1 probe makes a flyby of Ike and Duna Y2, D420 - Castor Base on Minmus now has an operational factory to produce Material Kits from local resources, a major component for off-world construction and base maintenance (MKS + Extraplanetary Launchpads)

Y2, D398 to D420 - Operational Material Kits factory; first Duna and Ike flyby Y2, D398-399 - Castor 14 and 15 lifted off with Machinery that was needed for the refinery modules to function. Castor 15 also carried Enriched Uranium for a nuclear reactor that would be constructed on Minmus and installed on Day 403. On Day 408, Machinery was transferred by an engineer to the refinery modules (using the "Perform maintenance" option). The Uranium containers were also detached and attached to the newly built reactor. Disclaimer: transferring Enriched Uranium is supposed to require a level 3 engineer. To make this playthrough less grindy (and enable more independent colonies), I disabled the need for Kerbals to return to Kerbin to level up after gaining experience. The Strategia mod also has the "Engineer Focus" strategy that gives engineers up to 2 extra levels, so the engineers on Minmus were currently level 4. However, I was having an issue in that when I tried to transfer EnrU from the container to the reactor. An error popped up saying "Selected part can't handle radioactive storage, exiting transfer mode..." even though the reactor literally had storage for Enriched Uranium. But @Aelfhe1m pointed out that I could use the regular stock transfer buttons (Out/In), and speculated that this was because I have MKS, Near Future Electrical, and System Heat installed at the same time. Y2, D409-410 - Castor 16 and 17 delivered more Machinery that arrived on the base on Day 420. After deploying radiators and inflatable storage modules, the factory was now operational and able to produce Material Kits out of resources mined from Minmus (Minerals, Substrate, and Metallic Ore - converted to Chemicals, Polymers, and Metals, respectively). The efficiency of the refinery modules was enhanced by Material Processing Units (which the drills were attached to) set to "Smelter" mode. The next step was to build more modules that could produce Specialized Parts and Machinery without having to import them from Kerbin. With MKS, Extraplanetary Launchpads uses Material Kits and Specialized Parts in an approximate 15:1 ratio, so being able to produce Material Kits on Minmus is a major leap forward. Y2, D418 - While Castor 16 and 17 were arriving at Minmus, Aries 1 performed the first flyby of the red planet Duna and its moon Ike. After entering Duna's sphere of influence on the previous day, the spacecraft quickly encountered Ike before meeting Duna and its rusty surface.

[ARA] Y2, D362 - Large containers for Material Kits and Specialized Parts (MKS mod) are added to Castor Base on Minmus. For now, MKT and SPT are brought from Kerbin, but the plan is to eventually make them from Minmus resources. Y2, D397 - Using Extraplanetary Launchpads, modules for a Material Kits factory are assembled on-site from MKT and SPT. However, more Machinery needs to be imported from Kerbin for the factory to be operational.

Y2, D351 to D397 - Building a Minmus factory on-site Y2, D351 - Two launches, Castor 8 and 9, delivered large, partially-filled storage containers for Material Kits and Specialized Parts to Minmus (Day 362), to be used for on-site construction. The second set of containers landed during a Minmusian eclipse (when Kerbin was blocking the Sun/Kerbol on Minmus) A set of four launches delivered 4k Specialized Parts and 48k Material Kits to expand the base. This simplified the process over trying to fit various prefabricated base parts across multiple launch vehicles. Castor 10 (Y2, D370) Castor 11 (Y2, D371) Castor 12 (Y2, D381) Castor 13 (Y2, D382) Y2, D391 - The Extraplanetary Launchpads system was put to the test, as a container for food Supplies was built on-site from Material Kits and Specialized Parts (the first example of off-world manufacturing), then attached to the base to replace the smaller Supply packs. Survey stakes were used to mark where it would be built. Disclaimer: I had to edit the config file to enable the Extraplanetary Launchpads Survey Station (stake/pad finding) for the 3.75 m Tundra Pioneer/Logistics module (which does not have the capability in the default install unlike the 2.5 m version). The next step was to assemble the Material Kits factory, which lasted until Day 396. The expansion was completed (as a separate structure from the base), taken apart, then put together again. It had drills and refiners to complete the supply chain to assemble Material Kits. However, it could not be operational yet until more Machinery was brought from Kerbin, and an additional power supply was built.

[ARA] Y2, D339 - The first module of a factory is added to Castor Base on Minmus, with the eventual goal of enabling off-world manufacturing using local resources.

Y2, D300 to D339 - The plan to industrialize Minmus Y2, D300 - The Tejat 2 rover was sent on a journey to visit and analyze the resource concentrations of every biome (using the Bon Voyage autopilot). It found that the Midlands (location of Castor Base) was the best place to mine the resources to make Material Kits (Minerals, Substrate, and Metallic Ore), while the Lesser Flats was ideal for the resources to make Specialized Parts (Silicates, Exotic Minerals, and Rare Metals). To reiterate, Material Kits (MKT) and Specialized Parts (SPT) are needed to make Machinery, which is needed for all resource converters to function and the base to sustain itself. With Extraplanetary Launchpads, they can also be used to build spacecraft and other objects using local materials (off-world manufacturing). A fully developed industry on Minmus would mean less of a need to launch large rockets from within Kerbin's deep gravity well. The resource supply chain is displayed in the chart below. Y2, D329 - Castor 7, the first component of a Minmus factory, was launched. It used the huge 3.75 m wide "Tundra" modules, including a Pioneer/Logistics module (to enable heavy EVA construction and the ability to grab resources from anywhere on a planet or moon if a pilot is onboard), and an Assembly Plant for Material Kits. The module with propellant had a launch mass of over 60 tonnes, and performed trans-Minmus injection and a horizontal landing using six Terrier engines (a design balanced with the help of RCS Build Aid and TAC Fuel Balancer). Once the module arrived on Day 339, Bill Kerman took it apart and reassembled it into Castor Base. The plant was not yet able to produce from local materials yet (mining drills and refinery modules were still needed), but it could also act as an Extraplanetary Launchpads construction workshop (if provided with finished MKT and SPT shipped from Kerbin).

The stock transfer buttons do work in my case (MKS + Near Future Electrical + System Heat), thank you.

I tried it with high level engineers. Even testing in Sandbox (where Kerbals are at the maximum level), it still shows the message "Selected part can't handle radioactive storage, exiting transfer mode." If the issue was that the engineer level wasn’t high enough, the notification would be about that, not the “selected part.”

(crossposting from the MKS thread) I am currently testing base designs, but I am having issues with the nuclear reactors. The info for the USI/MKS or Near Future Electrical nuclear reactors shows that there is a "Nuclear Fuel Container" that allows for Enriched Uranium transfer, but when I try to transfer fuel from an EnrU container (even with a high level engineer), it says that the "Selected part can't handle radioactive storage, exiting transfer mode." Note that the reactors are patched to work with System Heat, so I am not sure how transferring fuel works.

I am currently testing base designs, but I am having issues with the nuclear reactors. The info for the USI/MKS or Near Future Electrical nuclear reactors shows that there is a "Nuclear Fuel Container" that allows for Enriched Uranium transfer, but when I try to transfer fuel from an EnrU container (with a high level engineer), it says that the "Selected part can't handle radioactive storage, exiting transfer mode." Note that the reactors are patched to work with System Heat, so I am not sure how transferring fuel works. Edit: The stock transfer buttons (In/Out) turn out to work just fine (in my case where I have MKS, Near Future Electrical, and System Heat installed), as pointed out by @Aelfhe1m

I am using Extraplanetary Launchpads instead of Global Construction in my MKS playthrough, but how do you make sure that everything will line up (e.g. flex-o-tubes) before you start building something on the ground from Material Kits and Specialized Parts?

[ARA] Y2, D279 - A launch of the 5-meter-wide Super Giant 1 reusable rocket, capable of 68 tonnes to Kerbin orbit, or 30 tonnes to Minmus (2.5x scale) Y2, D299 - Castor Base on Minmus is expanded (using EVA construction) to accommodate 6 crewmembers