From Launchpad to other side of North Pole (what is efficient for flying around Kerbin?)

[Carbal]

Howdy,

I have a contract to do some temperature readings in an area that is just about on the opposite side of Kerbin, but a little more north. I have learned to Orbit, have landed on the Mun and Minmus, but can't really figure out an efficient way to get around Kerbin.

So far, I have failed (even using MechJeb to auto orbit and auto land at a place on the map). What am I not getting, I would think this isn't too hard, after all, I'm staying on Kerbin and not going to the Mun - but I'm having a harder time doing this .

I've tried with this ship, which I thought is surely overkill:

and here's where I'm trying to go (to any one of those markers):

Basically, I start out and can try to kind of head north, but never seem to be able to break through efficiently...I burn tons of fuel.

Any tips/ideas? Using or not using MechJeb...Thanks for any advice!

Edited December 28, 2014 by Carbal

[Alshain]

Depends, how good are you at landing a small plane? That is by far the best way to get around Kerbin in a precision fashion, the downside is landing takes practice and it's slower than going to orbit. But if you already know how to fly a plane, it's just time. If your using Stock, your going to need a bigger plane with more fuel but if your using FAR a really tiny craft can go all the way around the planet by shutting off the engine and gliding most the way.

[Kryxal]

I'd probably do this with a spaceplane (that doesn't actually have to reach orbit, near suborbital will get you there just fine).

[Jason Patterson]

If you are trying to fly a low altitude suborbital flight (without jet engines) then you're setting yourself up for failure. You want to go high, avoiding most of the atmosphere, just as you would to get into orbit. You should be able to do the usual ~10km vertical climb, then turn to the north and aim for your target. I'm surprised that Mechjeb can't hit those targets... What is it doing instead?

Honestly though, the most efficient way to get around Kerbin is by high altitude jet. The flights take a while, but you can build some amazingly long distance fliers and return all (or nearly all, if you use drop tanks) of the vehicle to base for a full refund.

[Greep]

Depends, how good are you at landing a small plane? That is by far the best way to get around Kerbin in a precision fashion, the downside is landing takes practice and it's slower than going to orbit. But if you already know how to fly a plane, it's just time. If your using Stock, your going to need a bigger plane with more fuel but if your using FAR a really tiny craft can go all the way around the planet by shutting off the engine and gliding most the way.

Well if it's temperature scans, you don't need to worry about landing as much, just build a probe

But yeah, imultiple kerbin survey scans at once is harder than minmus/mun if you don't know how to use jets. Remember, kerbin has an atmosphere, so you can't just orbit at 10k altitude as you would the mun, that's what is making it difficult.

If you are determined to try to do it without wings/jets, you will need to break out of the atmosphere and go sub-orbital, then crash on the site. Well, you don't even necessarily have to go 70k, it should be a low arc, but you pretty much need to stay above 45k for most of the trip.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Greep

[Spheniscine]

One thing I do with planes is use parachutes for landing; it's easier than landing with gears, and doesn't require a suitable "runway"; you can even land in the ocean in a pinch. I find three radial parachutes sufficient for my minimalist designs.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Spheniscine

[Carbal]

Thanks everyone for your input - I'll try to use the suggestions. I haven't used a spaceplane before (I can barely take off), but I will definitely check that out as well.

[cantab]

There's two basic approaches I see:

Suborbital rocket. Easy to build and quick to fly, but aiming well takes practice. Maybe expensive since at best you'll incur a major recovery percentage loss, and will need a new launch for each site.

Aeroplane. Harder to build, but once you have a good one flying it to the destination is easy, albeit slow for long flights, though you can potentially hit multiple sites in a single trip. If you can fly back to KSC afterwards it's cheap but even more time-consuming.

An approach I've not seen often is a suborbital mini-shuttle. Basically launch a glider, or even a powered aeroplane, on top of a rocket. You'll get quick flights like with a rocket but be able to correct for poor aim.