The Ultimate Jool 5 Challenge Continued

[IntellectualTortoise]

@JacobJHC Hi, I'm hoping to start this awesome challenge soon and have a few questions:

• What are the rules about refueling the main Jool 5 craft prior to departing Kerbin SOI? Specifically, could I launch it partially fueled and then obtain more fuel via ISRU on Minmus? 
  • If I am able to do this, could I assemble the full craft in Minmus orbit? (i.e. launch the mothership core to Minmus with an attached ISRU module, have it refuel itself and go back into Minmus orbit, then launch landers/other modules from Kerbin and dock them to the mothership at Minmus, then have the mothership fly to Jool, possibly after leaving the ISRU module in Minmus orbit?)
• If I wanted to send surface bases or rovers to each of the five moons for the Kerbals to use during their visits, could these be launched and transferred to Jool separately from the main Jool 5 craft as long as no parts or fuel are transferred to or from the Jool 5 landers or mothership? My thinking is that they could be classified as separate missions that the Jool 5 mission itself would not rely on for its success.
• If I wanted to perform ISRU refueling in the Jool system, could I scan the moons for ore using probes before beginning the Jool 5 mission itself?

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to doing the challenge!

[king of nowhere]

1 hour ago, IntellectualTortoise said:

@JacobJHC Hi, I'm hoping to start this awesome challenge soon and have a few questions:

 

I'm not jacobJHC, but i can answer at least some

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What are the rules about refueling the main Jool 5 craft prior to departing Kerbin SOI? Specifically, could I launch it partially fueled and then obtain more fuel via ISRU on Minmus?

yes, i've done it many times and it was accepted. the important part is, the rules say your ship must leave low kerbin orbit in one piece. so if your ship is assembled when it leaves for minmus, it's ok

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If I am able to do this, could I assemble the full craft in Minmus orbit? (i.e. launch the mothership core to Minmus with an attached ISRU module, have it refuel itself and go back into Minmus orbit, then launch landers/other modules from Kerbin and dock them to the mothership at Minmus, then have the mothership fly to Jool, possibly after leaving the ISRU module in Minmus orbit?)

technically not. you may get dispensation, but it's against the rules as written. unless you really, really need it, i suggest you finish assembly in low kerbin orbit. if you need more fuel, launch an additional refuel mission from the surface to get enough fuel to reach minmus.

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If I wanted to send surface bases or rovers to each of the five moons for the Kerbals to use during their visits, could these be launched and transferred to Jool separately from the main Jool 5 craft as long as no parts or fuel are transferred to or from the Jool 5 landers or mothership? My thinking is that they could be classified as separate missions that the Jool 5 mission itself would not rely on for its success.

probably no. if they are separate missions, they are separate missions. you can't use them. it's better if you don't interact with other missions

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If I wanted to perform ISRU refueling in the Jool system, could I scan the moons for ore using probes before beginning the Jool 5 mission itself?

not sure about this one, but i don't see why not

 

 

[jost]

1 hour ago, king of nowhere said:

not sure about this one, but i don't see why not

I agree. But it shouldn't be too much of a problem to create an ion powered probe for doing the scans and attach it to the mothership. With ions it's easy to create one sat to cover the whole jool system without ending in insane amounts of extra weight. 

[king of nowhere]

according to his profile, @JacobJHC has not logged in since 24 april. i am getting worried

[Geryz]

Hey there, @JacobJHC, I know I'm a little late to the party but I'd like to post my submission for the challenge at Level 3!
For my mission, the Hephaestus V, little regard was given to achieve minimum funds or mass requirements. Instead, I intentionally made it as flashy and ludicrous as possible. Not to mention, I added the additional challenge of Kerbalism (SIMPLEX) Life support (although with radiation turned off).  In the end, I ended up with a mothership that used a ridiculous 45 Nerv Engines, had to be assembled in 8 launches, most of which were done with a completely ginormous 220t to LKO launch vehicle called the Achilles 2b. The entire mission and its mod list is documented in a video: https://youtu.be/OWz_SJNtiuY. Thanks in advance for reviewing my submission!