plane delta-v question

[EndTraveler]

what delta v is needed to get to the poles (and preferably back)

[Curveball Anders]

3 minutes ago, EndTraveler said:

what delta v is needed to get to the poles (and preferably back)

from what height?

 

[HebaruSan]

 

[Dark Lion]

To which poles; from where (and preferrably back)? In what kind of plane? Takeoff? From sea or land? Are you landing anywhere? 

You really need to understand how delta velocity is calculated first. It is not fuel, it is energy. The lifespan of your craft, so to speak. Clearly I'm not a math person --if you somehow couldn't tell already-- but I've made quite a few runs to Kerbin's poles in different craft by now. The math gets way more complicated in atmosphere though. Some of those runs took no more than 1400 dV to bullet over to the pole... some fought all the way there dragging along cargo for more than 14000 dV... so you see it really depends on the craft in question.

[Snark]

Moving to Gameplay Questions.

43 minutes ago, EndTraveler said:

what delta v is needed to get to the poles (and preferably back)

When you say "plane", do you mean a plane in the geometric sense (e.g. the inclination of an orbit)... or do you mean plane as in airplane?

Basically, we'd love to help you, but we kinda need more detail.  Could you explain exactly what you're trying to do, and how?  e.g. "I'm trying to build a <type of craft> that can <do thing>.  I already tried to <do it somehow>, but it didn't work because <problem>."

What is it that you're trying to do, here?  Put a satellite into a polar orbit?  Fly an airplane to land at the north pole and return to KSC?  Something else?

[pquade]

For airplanes this is an unaswerable question as the equation for Delta -v doesn't take into consideration aerodynamic drag which will vary quite a bit depending upon your design and how it is flown (altitude, speed, etc.).

Edited May 3, 2018 by pquade

[Corona688]

If you mean airplane, the main consideration for those is total fuel, as at cruise they will fly at a fairly steady speed consuming a predictable amount of fuel.

[EndTraveler]

guys I already know, about 80K for an airplane to get back.

[bewing]

56 minutes ago, EndTraveler said:

guys I already know, about 80K for an airplane to get back.

Heh. Nah. It depends to a huge degree on your airplane's mass, its aerodynamics, which engine you choose, what altitude you fly, and how fast you go.

[Scarecrow]

16 hours ago, EndTraveler said:

guys I already know, about 80K for an airplane to get back.

Way over the top.  I have a craft that has 33k dV that can circumnavigate Kerbin, which is the equivalent of going to both poles and back in one flight.  On that basis, that particular craft only needs 16.5k dV to get to one pole and back.  In reality it is actually less than that, as the craft still has fuel when it gets back.

 

ETA: Just to re-affirm my statement above, I have just flown to the pole and back in a single-engined interceptor style craft.  It's not particularly streamlined, but by flying at about 15000m at 1100 m/s or so, which it can do on 1/3 throttle, I was able to get to the north pole and back to KSC using 16,800 dV.

Edited May 4, 2018 by Scarecrow