Mining and Ferrying

[7499275]

So guys, a few questions regarding the 1.0 update with resource harvesting and VIP transporting.

Lets say I had a mining ship LANDED on minmus, a fuel depot (space station) in minmus ORBIT. Now lets say I got a VIP ferry contract, he needs to go to some outter planet, Laythe for instance. Can I build a SSTO and move him to the fuel depot in minmius orbit. Change the crew pod he is in and than send him to his destination in a "bus" kind of ship. (the SSTO returns to kerbin for re-use) once he has been to his destination have a SSTO meet him at the fuel depot again and take him home.

Basically this way I'm not having to design a ship capable of a long trip and refueling it. Essentially more specialized craft desined for one or two tasks only. Hope you guys follow me and understand what the hell I'm trying to say!

Also... Is it possible to sell ore, or the refined fuel for profit?

[Supernovy]

The contract records where the tourist has gone, not where the ship with the tourist in it has gone, so you should be okay. I don't think tourists can EVA, so you'll have to dock and crew transfer them.

When you recover a ship, you get funds for all the resources in the ship. If you launched without resources in, mined/refined some, then recovered it's possible you could get a profit from that.

[Reddeyfish]

you can 'sell' the ore by recovering the vessel on kerbin, but the profit will be tiny

[7499275]

Would there be a efficient way to get profit? Sending orange tanks with a probe core and parachutes to kerbin and recover them, would that produce the largest profit?

[Blu_C]

Would there be a efficient way to get profit? Sending orange tanks with a probe core and parachutes to kerbin and recover them, would that produce the largest profit?

Doubtful, because you need to get the tanks into orbit first, which means launching a rocket, which means paying for all the parts and fuel for said rocket.

[Capt. Hunt]

So guys, a few questions regarding the 1.0 update with resource harvesting and VIP transporting.

Lets say I had a mining ship LANDED on minmus, a fuel depot (space station) in minmus ORBIT. Now lets say I got a VIP ferry contract, he needs to go to some outter planet, Laythe for instance. Can I build a SSTO and move him to the fuel depot in minmius orbit. Change the crew pod he is in and than send him to his destination in a "bus" kind of ship. (the SSTO returns to kerbin for re-use) once he has been to his destination have a SSTO meet him at the fuel depot again and take him home.

Basically this way I'm not having to design a ship capable of a long trip and refueling it. Essentially more specialized craft desined for one or two tasks only. Hope you guys follow me and understand what the hell I'm trying to say!

Also... Is it possible to sell ore, or the refined fuel for profit?

Actually, I'm pretty sure VIPs and Tourists can't leave their capsules at all unless they're at their destination.

[Reddeyfish]

Would there be a efficient way to get profit? Sending orange tanks with a probe core and parachutes to kerbin and recover them, would that produce the largest profit?

there isn't an efficient way to get a profit out of just mining, but mining is an awesome way of saving money. If you instead use mined ore as fuel instead of bringing/buying fuel all the way from kerbin, you can save a lot of money. (set up a fuel depot for your ships)

[Superfluous J]

If you only ever launch ships that can just get to LKO to dock with a refueling station, the single most efficient infrastructure would be to mine at minmus, refine it to fuel on the ground or in orbit (Used to be in orbit was better, now they should be the same thanks to the change in dry tank mass), bring that fuel down to LKO but also have some in Minmus orbit, so you have 2 refuelling stations, one in LKO and one orbiting Minmus. And finally, periodically bring fuel down to Kerbin, provided you can recover the return ship for more money than you spent on the launch ship.

Then, every ship you ever launch should JUST be able to get to LKO. It then docks with the LKO refueller, fills up, and then goes to Minmus to top off. Then, it leaves minmus backward, swings by Kerbin, and uses the Oberth effect to launch out to its interplanetary destination.

But really that's a lot of work

[7499275]

If you only ever launch ships that can just get to LKO to dock with a refueling station, the single most efficient infrastructure would be to mine at minmus, refine it to fuel on the ground or in orbit (Used to be in orbit was better, now they should be the same thanks to the change in dry tank mass), bring that fuel down to LKO but also have some in Minmus orbit, so you have 2 refuelling stations, one in LKO and one orbiting Minmus. And finally, periodically bring fuel down to Kerbin, provided you can recover the return ship for more money than you spent on the launch ship.

Then, every ship you ever launch should JUST be able to get to LKO. It then docks with the LKO refueller, fills up, and then goes to Minmus to top off. Then, it leaves minmus backward, swings by Kerbin, and uses the Oberth effect to launch out to its interplanetary destination.

But really that's a lot of work

This goes along the lines of the plan I was trying to describe with the VIP!

[Reddeyfish]

Actually, I'm pretty sure VIPs and Tourists can't leave their capsules at all unless they're at their destination.

you can crew transfer them between different capsules; they just have to be inside some sort of crew container at all times