Get a kerbal to xp lol 3 in 17 days or less, do able?

[Callmedave]

So I need an engineer lvl 3 for my Duna mission, transfer window is 17 days away, my engineer needs to gain one more level to qualify (he is already lvl 2) can I achieve this in the time scale?

 

i believe I need to plant a flag on minmus and exit kerbin SOI briefly. 

[ForScience6686]

Sure just pack enough dv for a quicker transfer.

[Snark]

Yes, you definitely have to peek outside Kerbin's SoI to get to level 3.  Other than that, I'm not sure whether you need to visit Mun as well, or whether just Minmus is sufficient.

17 days is doable, but you'll need to go faster than the optimal Hohmann transfer.  As long as you pack a fair amount of dV, you should be able to get to the SoI boundary and back, with a stop-by at Minmus, in 10 days or less without having a really ridiculous ship.

[Plusck]

Agree that it's doable, but it'll cost you since I don't think you can just coast to Kerbin SOI edge and back in that time. You'd probably be better starting with the flag at Minmus, because once you're out of Kerbin's SOI is becomes a pain trying to plot your flight back in accurately. Much easier to plot a manouvre node before you leave the SOI, align your ship properly then just burn manually in that direction as soon as the SOI changes.

However, what it'll cost you to do that inefficiently could well outweigh what it'll cost you to delay your Duna departure by a few days.

[Callmedave]

5 hours ago, Plusck said:

Agree that it's doable, but it'll cost you since I don't think you can just coast to Kerbin SOI edge and back in that time. You'd probably be better starting with the flag at Minmus, because once you're out of Kerbin's SOI is becomes a pain trying to plot your flight back in accurately. Much easier to plot a manouvre node before you leave the SOI, align your ship properly then just burn manually in that direction as soon as the SOI changes.

However, what it'll cost you to do that inefficiently could well outweigh what it'll cost you to delay your Duna departure by a few days.

I'm happy to delay the departure a few days as the tug has plenty of delta V to compensate