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As with every question I bring to this forum, I research beforehand, to the best of my ability, to try and find an answer through google and previously asked & answered questions on this forum. Unfortunately, a lot of times I do not produce a satisfactory answer or one that I can comprehend; thankfully, everyone here is immensely helpful. Like the title says, I'm trying to figure out how velocity affects specific impulse, if at all. If I am going faster or slower, how does this impact how efficient my fuel consumption is? Does it even make a difference? I have been of the impression that it doesn't affect lsp at all, or at least in any measurable manner, but I wanted to confirm this. My second question, which is slightly related, is how does velocity correlate with altitude? Specifically, what are the approximate ideal speeds you should be flying at, at given altitudes? I assume that the farther away you are from these guidelines, the less efficient you are, and that your fuel consumption will increase/lsp will decrease. Is this actually the case? I have been following what I have perceived to be roughly correct guidelines: generally, I shoot for not going any faster than 300 m/s until at least 7km above Kerbin (when you enter the next section of atmosphere with thinner air). After this point, I honestly don't have any idea what speeds are appropriate at what altitudes, or if they even matter in the first place. Speaking in general again, I usually run at full throttle the entire time, as long as I kept my TWR at ~1.7, or at least below ~2 (at sea level, or SLT). I don't know if these values/guidelines/assumptions/understandings are accurate, or even correct. I do know that they have worked for me pretty well so far, and at a minimum, they get me from point A to point B with roughly the same amount of dV (or less!) as that listed in most dV maps/calculators (using the most strict settings & least amount of fuel wasted). Thanks for you help!
