Not really. a. They did an altitude increase. There's no real gains from an earlier burn that one might get when doing something like a hohmann transfer. b. H

Not really. a. They did an altitude increase. There's no real gains from an earlier burn that one might get when doing something like a hohmann transfer. b. Half an orbit before out means more/better telemetry to work with. c. They are from a quick google, well within the range where atmospheric drag plays a role, and you need to do station keeping. leaving it this late means you don't "waste" fuel from drag. Admittedly, my only credentials for this are a few thousand hours in KSP and reading around the subject. Anyone with a proper degree on this is welcome to correct me.